The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
True Love's Protection
peterwiggin94:
This is just speculation on my part but I suspect that Murphy becoming a Valkyrie stopped the protection. We know that people swapped bits of souls during physical contact which sometimes leads to protection from WCV. Odin is giving Murphy unusual afterlife which presumably includes her soul somehow. Mab and Odin are allied and, after Odin does something to Murphy, Harry is now free to marry Lara. I think Odin helped Mab change Murphy in a way that frees Harry up.
Mira:
Murphy isn't becoming a Valkyrie, she is becoming a Einherjar, not the same thing!
--- Quote ---This is just speculation on my part but I suspect that Murphy becoming a Valkyrie stopped the protection. We know that people swapped bits of souls during physical contact which sometimes leads to protection from WCV. Odin is giving Murphy unusual afterlife which presumably includes her soul somehow. Mab and Odin are allied and, after Odin does something to Murphy, Harry is now free to marry Lara. I think Odin helped Mab change Murphy in a way that frees Harry up.
--- End quote ---
Actually the Valkyrie do apparently have souls, because in 12 Months Harry actually begins to soul gaze Bear. I have my own theory as to why Mab wants Harry to marry Lara, it goes back to why Margaret married Lord Raith, or at least mated with him. However I need to carefully reread the book before I present it.
Something else Mab said that caught my eye that in my opinion puts into question whether or not Murphy loved Harry in a way that would give him true love's protection.
--- Quote ---"She was a woman who knew her mind. That had nothing to do with you, wizard."
--- End quote ---
So yes, Murphy may have loved Harry, but that doesn't mean she didn't have her own reservations about it.
--- Quote ---That's the one thing from her Proven Guilty speech I never agreed with.
And we know they had True Love because Harry burned Lara in Peace Talks.
--- End quote ---
It shouldn't have stopped with Murphy's death then.
Bad Alias:
--- Quote from: Mira on January 30, 2026, 03:28:00 PM --- Murphy isn't becoming a Valkyrie, she is becoming a Einherjar, not the same thing!
--- End quote ---
Lately I've wondered if she might become a Valkyrie. Every Einherjar we've seen has been a man. In the Murphy short story, Gard hinted that Murphy fit the Valkyrie mold. I don't think she'll be a Valkyrie, but I do think it's possible.
--- Quote from: Mira on January 30, 2026, 03:28:00 PM ---It shouldn't have stopped with Murphy's death then.
--- End quote ---
Well, it did stop with Murphy's death and Dresden's emotional state. Jim hinted Susan's death and/or Harry's knowledge of her betrayal of him, or even him not loving her anymore could have ended the protection. Check out this video a little after 38 minutes in. https://youtu.be/Xg5GxQb_rXo?si=ns4nv7dcaevqduvm
There's not much in the series before this point about how true love protection works except time weakens it and sex with another breaks it.
LaraBeck:
In any case, if suddenly self-doubt/self-loathing (Harry) or a measure of resentment toward the other partner (Susan), can kill the True Love protection, it means that Jim is watering down the concept of True Love™ right? Suddenly, he has other ideas in mind (Lara) and the concept has stopped being useful so we're eroding its meaning now. Because it went from this super rare, super important experience shared between two people, that was so spirtual and physically important that it left a literal mark on the participants, and now it can be destroyed with pretty much anything. It's a disappointment, to me, and makes me trust Jim a lot less.
I hope there's some hidden reason here that's yet to be revealed, tbh.
Bad Alias:
--- Quote from: LaraBeck on January 30, 2026, 08:12:06 PM ---it means that Jim is watering down the concept of True Love™ right? Suddenly, he has other ideas in mind (Lara) and the concept has stopped being useful so we're eroding its meaning now. Because it went from this super rare, super important experience shared between two people, that was so spirtual and physically important that it left a literal mark on the participants, and now it can be destroyed with pretty much anything.
--- End quote ---
But it isn't one thing. It's at least two, in this case. Murphy's death and Harry's self loathing. Mab's statement suggests that Susan's death might even play a part in it.
We already knew time played a part in it. We knew it was more than just sex with someone else that can affect it.
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