Author Topic: Mab (?) in Twelve Months  (Read 5654 times)

Offline Mira

  • Needs A Life
  • ***
  • Posts: 25037
    • View Profile
Re: Mab (?) in Twelve Months
« Reply #45 on: March 18, 2026, 01:05:45 AM »
Quote
Austria as a political entity got that name about 1000 years ago.  The first recorded use of the name was Ostarrîchi (ostar/Eastern rîcchi/Realm) in 996AD, when it was just a Margravate of a larger Duchy & a minor part of the Holy Roman Empire (not an independent nation per se)... but that's enough "Austria" that a sneaky author (like Jim) might IMO stretch the time out that far, if he wanted.  It's a long f'ing timeperiod to look for died-young composers; tho Mozart (died at 35) certainly looms large in any such list; and Schubert died even younger!

Not sure what the point is here with all due respect.  Mab still could have been Queen for a thousand years, still look young and pretty as a now mostly Fae.  Who knows what child baring age is for a Fae?  So Mozart or Schubert still could have sired her twins.

Offline g33k

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2815
    • View Profile
Re: Mab (?) in Twelve Months
« Reply #46 on: March 20, 2026, 06:22:06 PM »
Not sure what the point is here with all due respect.  Mab still could have been Queen for a thousand years, still look young and pretty as a now mostly Fae.  Who knows what child baring age is for a Fae?  So Mozart or Schubert still could have sired her twins.

"Young and pretty" is irrelevant:  I could ask in return what your point is, there...?  My "point" was that you had asked/speculated about whether Mab's twins were born as Lady or Queen.

From the metaphysics of the situation, it's very possible IMO that the "Lady" cannot have sex & get pregnant.  The "Queen" IMO could become pregnant whenever she wants -- as an immortal, she's unaging.  The "child bearing age" I think begins as soon as she ascends from Lady, and ends when she ascends to the Crone.

I was addressing the historical question:  Mab was Winterqueen for almost the entirety of the existence of "Austria:"  there was no such named place, back when she was Winter Lady.

Offline Mira

  • Needs A Life
  • ***
  • Posts: 25037
    • View Profile
Re: Mab (?) in Twelve Months
« Reply #47 on: March 20, 2026, 08:37:03 PM »
"Young and pretty" is irrelevant:  I could ask in return what your point is, there...?  My "point" was that you had asked/speculated about whether Mab's twins were born as Lady or Queen.

From the metaphysics of the situation, it's very possible IMO that the "Lady" cannot have sex & get pregnant.  The "Queen" IMO could become pregnant whenever she wants -- as an immortal, she's unaging.  The "child bearing age" I think begins as soon as she ascends from Lady, and ends when she ascends to the Crone.

I was addressing the historical question:  Mab was Winterqueen for almost the entirety of the existence of "Austria:"  there was no such named place, back when she was Winter Lady.

It has nothing to do with anything, point is, if only Queens can have sex with mortals and produce offspring, then if she had twins by an Austrian composer, it could be any number of them.  We tend to think of the most famous, but honestly people have been composing music for has long as there has been an Austria.

Offline Dina

  • Has Collapsed Into a Singularity of Posts (a.k.a, "The Dina")
  • ***
  • Posts: 105936
    • View Profile
Re: Mab (?) in Twelve Months
« Reply #48 on: March 20, 2026, 10:13:47 PM »
I am quite confused about this discussion. But I do agree that Mab, queen Mab, probably had Sarissa and Maeve around the time of Moazart or perhaps Strauss (one of them).
Missing you, Md 

There are many horrible sights in the multiverse. Somehow, though, to a soul attuned to the subtle rhythms of a library, there are few worse sights than a hole where a book ought to be. Someone has stolen a book (Terry Pratchett)

Offline Mira

  • Needs A Life
  • ***
  • Posts: 25037
    • View Profile
Re: Mab (?) in Twelve Months
« Reply #49 on: Yesterday at 03:52:23 PM »
I am quite confused about this discussion. But I do agree that Mab, queen Mab, probably had Sarissa and Maeve around the time of Moazart or perhaps Strauss (one of them).

  Part of it is whether or not Mab could have been Queen for the last thousand years, was she a Lady before that, who did she displace because apparently Mother Winter has been around since before Mab or her predecessor.  Don't know if there is a fertility peroid for Fae Queens or not.  I agree that most likely the father of her twins is one of the ones named, but there have been composers since they started writing music.  I don't think there is any evidence that Mab is from what became Austria, so the length of time that Austria has been Austria really doesn't matter in my opinion.

Offline FlaggerX

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 326
  • born of normal parents
    • View Profile
    • Everything 2
Re: Mab (?) in Twelve Months
« Reply #50 on: Yesterday at 05:34:04 PM »
Maybe Jim was trying to stretch himself as a writer by doing something different than give the readers a typical Dresden Files novel ending, but it felt as if Jim might have written himself into a corner and came up with Mab offering Harry a boon as a cheat code to get out of the writer's trap he had stepped into.

That's how i see it.  But I've always seen Mab ultimately as an amoral force for good.  i noticed at her second appearance that every single thing the Winter Queen had ever demanded of Harry were things that needed doing, and said as much in the previous forum.  She's simply out to save this universe, and will do anything to do it.  The rage and combativeness in winter come from being chess pieces in a fight against heat death, and as it is a struggle to the death.   Harry is her agent in that struggle.

Still, there was no way for Harry to solve his contradictory problems so having Mab solve them for him makes sense. And because finding Justine could be a novel in itself.   

Offline g33k

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2815
    • View Profile
Re: Mab (?) in Twelve Months
« Reply #51 on: Yesterday at 08:58:03 PM »
... or perhaps Strauss (one of them).
I don't think Strauss was Austrian...?
And certainly didn't "die young."

</nitpick>

Also, @Mira is 100% correct to note that there were innumerable "Austrian Composers" and it doesn't have to be one of the "Big Names."

Nevertheless, I think we should presume that it was indeed one of those Names (likely Mozart):
  (a) Jim clearly has someone particular in mind, and it's doubtful he'd delve into classical-music-minutiae to unearth  J. Random Niemand.  &:
  (b) Mozart isn't just "an" Austrian composer, he's widely held to be the greatest composer ever, with a deeper understanding of music, and grasp of "perfect" musical forms, than any other.  I myself am far too plebian to judge (or even understand) such claims; but that seems to be a common report by "people who know."

Offline Mira

  • Needs A Life
  • ***
  • Posts: 25037
    • View Profile
Re: Mab (?) in Twelve Months
« Reply #52 on: Today at 02:55:07 PM »
Quote
I don't think Strauss was Austrian...?
And certainly didn't "die young."


Dina is correct, she said,"one of the Strasses was Austrian," Johan was, he was born in Vienna, Richard wasn't, he was born in Germany.  I don't think Jim has stipulated that the composer who was the father died young.  However I am not up on WOJs.

Quote
Nevertheless, I think we should presume that it was indeed one of those Names (likely Mozart):
  (a) Jim clearly has someone particular in mind, and it's doubtful he'd delve into classical-music-minutiae to unearth  J. Random Niemand.  &:
  (b) Mozart isn't just "an" Austrian composer, he's widely held to be the greatest composer ever, with a deeper understanding of music, and grasp of "perfect" musical forms, than any other.  I myself am far too plebian to judge (or even understand) such claims; but that seems to be a common report by "people who know."ftp://

If he did, why didn't Jim name him?  Austria has had more than one composer of note, great ones, however it doesn't mean that Mab would choose one of them to be her lover.  While I won't argue against the greatness of Mozart, that is still a matter of opinion even among experts, whether he is the greatest or not, depending on whatever aspect of composing, era, style, tastes, experts in the know are arguing.