The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
MURPHYS [BG Spoilers]
Bad Alias:
We have him in Changes, Cold Days (at least twice), Skin Game, and Christmas Eve. Each time he's acting in a teaching role. He seldom just gives Harry an answer. He usually leads him to the conclusion.
If you really want to stretch it, we could make an argument for the Erlking.
Megan Marie:
First off I'll say I need help with the Norse stuff (I'm in nursing school and have absolutely no business reading a book for pleasure, or being on this forum, but I don't have time to do the research myself).
Why did Murphy and Hendricks go to Valhalla? I'm a little disappointed she doesn't go to Heaven? She's appeared in Harry's sight as an angel, I figured she'd be going straight up.
Is Valhalla heaving for Vikings? Will she be able to come back and fight as an undead soldier? Does that mean her soul can't be at rest? At least she didn't end up with her dad in Chicago other...
Thanks for the help if someone can tell me if she's in a better place or not?
Megan
KurtinStGeorge:
I'm really late to this conversation. I never saw Murphy as Harry's mentor. In the last few books she was (mostly) Harry's friend and moral compass. I'm not saying I liked the way Jim wrote her in the last three or four books, that's just my general impression of what her character's role was.
My feeling is that several years ago; maybe as far back as Changes, Jim decided that Murphy had to go, and I'll get into why later. (Not that I really know why, so I'm going to be really vague about that.) So, it's not that Murphy could no longer keep up with Harry and that made her character superfluous to the story. It's that Jim wanted Harry to go in a new direction; one that doesn't involve finding his soulmate, at least not at the present time within the overall story. Of course, with that whole "die alone" motif being repeated, you have to wonder if Harry will ever find a permanent romantic partner.
To get back on point, Jim wanted Harry to become permanently removed from his best friend, the women he loved and his (sometimes) moral compass so his new course will be more of a high wire act than it already was. I think Jim crippled Murphy as a way for Harry to see her as someone who could no longer remain in the larger game he was playing and as a way to make her death more poignant. Murphy taking out the Jotun when she really shouldn't have been on the battlefield makes it a better death; sort of, except for Rudolph.
I'm not saying it was a good decision for Jim to make. Only time will tell us one way or the other. Even with what I see as the character's flaws since Changes, Karrin Murphy was the every person or mortal point of view and I think there is some risk in Jim removing her. Michael Carpenter is in no way a substitute for Murphy's point of view because he knows the supernatural world and many of the major players, and even some of the minor players within it.
KurtinStGeorge:
--- Quote from: Megan Marie on October 30, 2020, 01:25:37 AM ---Why did Murphy and Hendricks go to Valhalla? I'm a little disappointed she doesn't go to Heaven? She's appeared in Harry's sight as an angel, I figured she'd be going straight up.
--- End quote ---
Essentially she was claimed by Odin because she fought and killed his people's personal enemies. The thing about Harry's image of Murphy as an angle is that was just his somewhat romantic way of interpreting what her soul looked like.
--- Quote from: Megan Marie on October 30, 2020, 01:25:37 AM ---Is Valhalla heaving for Vikings? Will she be able to come back and fight as an undead soldier? Does that mean her soul can't be at rest? At least she didn't end up with her dad in Chicago other...
--- End quote ---
Yes and no. It's more like where exceptional Viking warriors go to party after their first death. They don't get to comeback to earth as Einherjar soldiers until their memory is lost to everyone who knew them. So if Harry lived another 400 years and out lived every other mortal in the story who knew Murphy, not until at least 400 years and a day have passed. All of the Einherjar will eventually die permanently at Ragnorak with Odin and unless Jim has that happen in the BAT, maybe not for thousands of years. So, Murphy's soul will eventually get to where it should go.
I wonder if we will meet the Valkyrie; the Chooser of the Slain, who chose Murphy. It couldn't have been Sigrun and her sister would have been with Lara. Well, there has to be more than just two of them.
Mira:
--- Quote ---My feeling is that several years ago; maybe as far back as Changes, Jim decided that Murphy had to go, and I'll get into why later. (Not that I really know why, so I'm going to be really vague about that.) So, it's not that Murphy could no longer keep up with Harry and that made her character superfluous to the story. It's that Jim wanted Harry to go in a new direction; one that doesn't involve finding his soulmate, at least not at the present time within the overall story. Of course, with that whole "die alone" motif being repeated, you have to wonder if Harry will ever find a permanent romantic partner.
--- End quote ---
I agree with this, Murphy was a cop's cop in the early books, it fit her character well and it was a good foil for Harry the wizard detective. Once she left the police force however to my mind Jim struggled with the character. He did take her to her logical conclusion, lover of Harry and found a contrived way for her die after an heroic deed, though her actual death was a stupid accident. I don't think Harry will ever find the perfect romantic partner, but I also don't think he will die alone, he will be surrounded by family.. But honestly that was a lame death curse on the part of Cassius, as Malcolm told Harry, everyone dies alone.
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