What would Mother Winter do?

[groinkick]

So her Walking Staff was stolen from her.  We know it's the Blackstaff, and she really wants it back.  It was implied she needs it to travel to Earth (I think)....  So if she were to get it back, would it be a good thing?  Or was it stolen because her having it is a bad thing?

[Mira]

So her Walking Staff was stolen from her.  We know it's the Blackstaff, and she really wants it back.  It was implied she needs it to travel to Earth (I think)....  So if she were to get it back, would it be a good thing?  Or was it stolen because her having it is a bad thing?

Didn't Harry manage to call her to Earth in Cold Days?  Or sort of, I seem to remember Mother Summer saying that it was very painful for her to answer without her walking stick.

[seanham]

So her Walking Staff was stolen from her.  We know it's the Blackstaff, and she really wants it back.  It was implied she needs it to travel to Earth (I think)....  So if she were to get it back, would it be a good thing?  Or was it stolen because her having it is a bad thing?

Yes, she needs the Walking Staff to travel. How do we know it is the Blackstaff? Was it a WoJ?

[groinkick]

Didn't Harry manage to call her to Earth in Cold Days?  Or sort of, I seem to remember Mother Summer saying that it was very painful for her to answer without her walking stick.

Yes which means she can travel without pain if she has it.  Returning to my original question, would this be a bad thing?

Yes, she needs the Walking Staff to travel. How do we know it is the Blackstaff? Was it a WoJ?

People pretty much figured it out a long time ago, so much so that Jim said it was true.

[Mira]

Yes which means she can travel without pain if she has it.  Returning to my original question, would this be a bad thing?

Promote climate change perhaps?  Put her in conflict with Mab, maybe?  By that if she can get around easier, Mother Winter might overrule Mab, and that might not be good..  Here is a thought, it was Mab who originally stole or arranged for Mother Winter's walking stick to be stolen in the first place.  It was part of a power grab, and somehow handed it off to the White Council to deflect suspicion from herself..

[Snark Knight]

Promote climate change perhaps?  Put her in conflict with Mab, maybe?  By that if she can get around easier, Mother Winter might overrule Mab, and that might not be good..  Here is a thought, it was Mab who originally stole or arranged for Mother Winter's walking stick to be stolen in the first place.  It was part of a power grab, and somehow handed it off to the White Council to deflect suspicion from herself..

I think the division of power and jurisdiction is pretty ingrained between the Queens. They'd pretty much have to be nemfected to try to circumvent the proper boundaries between them.

[Mira]

I think the division of power and jurisdiction is pretty ingrained between the Queens. They'd pretty much have to be nemfected to try to circumvent the proper boundaries between them.

Not so sure about that, Lea was pretty ambitious in the early books before she was infected.  That was one reason why she desired the Knife for herself, to gain power.

[Arjan]

Not so sure about that, Lea was pretty ambitious in the early books before she was infected.  That was one reason why she desired the Knife for herself, to gain power.

She was not a queen and she is supposed to be ambitious, it is winter.

[KurtinStGeorge]

Promote climate change perhaps?  Put her in conflict with Mab, maybe?  By that if she can get around easier, Mother Winter might overrule Mab, and that might not be good..  Here is a thought, it was Mab who originally stole or arranged for Mother Winter's walking stick to be stolen in the first place.  It was part of a power grab, and somehow handed it off to the White Council to deflect suspicion from herself..

I think the division of power and jurisdiction is pretty ingrained between the Queens. They'd pretty much have to be nemfected to try to circumvent the proper boundaries between them.

Perhaps Mother Winter wouldn't overrule Mab as much as get in the way; and, or cause confusion with other powers about who was running Winter's affairs.  The later situation might actually threaten to weaken Mab even if Mother Winter wasn't actually trying to overrule Mab.  Even a couple centuries ago Mab knew that the major test of her reign was in front of her; and from her perspective was right around the corner, so I think anything that might threaten Mab's image of leadership and control would be something she would especially proactive dealing with.

So Mab being responsible for the theft of Mother Winter's walking stick seems like a reasonable guess to me.  Of course, Mab wouldn't have taken it herself.  Harry once said that Martin probably didn't plan on wiping out the Red Court with the bloodline curse; that was just one of a range of possibilities he foresaw, but when the opportunity for the Red Court's complete annihilation presented itself, he went for it.  Something similar may have been going on with Mab.  Mab may have been looking for a way to diminish Mother Winter and firmly assert her own leadership of Winter, saw the opportunity and made certain someone from the White Council knew where and when MW's walking stick would be vulnerable.

(Here's something that I don't believe has been stated in the books or by a WoJ.  How long has the White Council had the Blackstaff?  Now that I think about it, Ebenezer made it sound like the Council had control of it for hundreds of years or even a thousand years.  Maybe Mab hobbled Mother Winter early in her reign in order to assert her dominance so no one would doubt who the new boss was.)

[Arjan]

I am fairly sure nobody can take mother winters stick without the mother’s agreeing to it. The mothers did it because it was necessary.

[Mira]

I am fairly sure nobody can take mother winters stick without the mother’s agreeing to it. The mothers did it because it was necessary.

Except that would be a case of Mother Winter giving her stick away, not it being stolen.  Are you saying that everyone here just jumped to conclusions in that regard? 

[Arjan]

Except that would be a case of Mother Winter giving her stick away, not it being stolen.  Are you saying that everyone here just jumped to conclusions in that regard?

Quite possible. Maybe it was sort of stolen because you can not just give away such a thing and people have to prove worthy just like Harry sort of stole his artifacts. But I don’t see mother winter just let it lie if it was not necessary.

[BrainFireBob]

WoJ: "Look at mythology around 1066"

Fits the Raven Banner Harold Hardrada lost in his invasion of England.

The possibility exists both that it was given away and that it was stolen- if the gifted bearer was slain and the thief took it, or the gifted bearer passed it on, both conditions can be true.

I wonder if Mother Winter faces black magic backlash.

[vincentric]

Mother Summer says "she lost her walking stick", why is everyone thinking that equates to stolen?

It could have been the consequence of a battle or a Fae bargain just as easily and would explain why she is not constantly seeking it's return because I'm sure she knows where it is.

[groinkick]

Mother Summer says "she lost her walking stick", why is everyone thinking that equates to stolen?

It could have been the consequence of a battle or a Fae bargain just as easily and would explain why she is not constantly seeking it's return because I'm sure she knows where it is.

Q:  Can you tell us a little more about the black staff?
A:   The staff keeps Eb from going crazy, mostly.  Also, the White Council stole it from someone.  And they really want it back.

One of the definitions for "lost" is: denoting something that has been taken away or cannot be recovered...

So Mother Summer is accurate if not a little deceptive in what she said (not a shock with a Fae)