Hecate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_deity#Triple_goddesses).
The way I see it for the Queens is that the higher up you go, the more they are whoever they were and the less human they are. The Mother's being the closest to who they were are the most likely to understand and recognize it.
I don't recall Uriel using our. I'd imagine he was talking about a class of beings he is a part of.
Quite possibly - certainly the way the Queens and Ladies talk about themselves as opposed to how the Mothers are is very very different. The Mothers are definitely closer to the original being/beings.
I wouldn't even be surprised if Mother Winter is the mantle Hecate chose to keep for herself when dividing her power, and she's still the same being.
So many new futures unwinding.Implying that she and Mother Winter can see reality splitting due to Harry's new knowledge. It's an interesting exchange.
Which explains why Winter is the more powerful of the Fae courts. And why they have the task of protecting the Outer Gates. And why Mab and Hades are apparently on good terms.
Quite possibly - certainly the way the Queens and Ladies talk about themselves as opposed to how the Mothers are is very very different. The Mothers are definitely closer to the original being/beings.
I am referring to the part where he discusses healing Michael in Skin Game.(click to show/hide)
It intrigues me, Harry was a bit distracted but were he paying more attention perhaps he would have asked what Uriel meant by "Our".
Salusen - check out the excellent GUMCT post Serack made - should give you a good base on the Mothers.
I recall that same theory that said Mother Winter and Mother Summer are actually two personas of the same Being. Like TWG has 3 personalities (the Holy Trinity), so it might be true.
I've checked out the name Atropos on the internet (I have to say that JB is damn good at research) and apparently she belong to the Fates or the Moirai (hello Greek Pantheon and Cold Days' foreshadowing to Skin Game Hades). She's a goddess of fate and of death. Skuld is the Norn version of Atropos. Basically the Winter Queen in both Viking and Greek mythologies.
I'd have to say that possibly Mother Summer's other names are Lachesis (Greek) and Veroandi (Norn). And if my logic serves me right, their most powerful Name(s) might be Uror (Norn), Clotho (Greek), or simply Fate in english. And Harry, by challenging them, was challenging Fate/Destiny. Which is sooo Harry.
Winter didn't always have the task of protecting the Outer Gates. According to Jim, the responsibility for carrying out that task has changed hands more than once. In fact, the reason Mab owed Anduriel a favor that she paid off in Skin Game, was when Winter first took over at the Outer Gates, Mab was short handed in some manner that wasn't explained, and Anduriel loaned her Nicodemus to do whatever it was she needed to get done. (Probably something very violent and her Knight wasn't available for some reason. Isn't there one Winter Knight who escaped the job, Tam Lin? Could be the reason why Mab needed Nic to do her dirty work until she had time to recruit someone else, and she couldn't do that immediately (possibly) because when Winter took over Mab had to organize her troops at the Outer Gates.)
Isn't it the case that Harry used three names and only one was correct? The line is something along the lines of correct in one, but not entirely stupid in the others. Also he didn't use the most correct name.
Skuld's one of the three Norse Norns, and Atropos is one of the three Greek Fates. Atropos makes sense, but I don't know enough Norse mythology to determine if Skuld does. I've only read the wikipedia page, but it says she is the youngest Norn, so that, at least, doesn't seem to fit.
It unlikely, the way I see it (unless Jim is severely rewriting mythology, or just got it very wrong) that anyone but Mother Winter could be either Skuld or Atropos. Which I understand the issue, because the youngest of the triple goddess should be Skuld (i.e one of the Ladies) but clearly the mantle fits better in Mother Winter's Death Aspect.
Here is my interpretation. We see the Queens as separate - because we view the world through Harry's limited human perception. However the "truth" could be that ALL of the Winter Queens are Winter (of which Mother Winter is the least human) and ALL Queens of Faerie total up to something greater...there is every chance that Mother Summer's use of "our" included ALL Queens of Faerie. The Name of such a being might well be Fate, Gaia, God or something else that Jim has dug up/created. I think this is why Harry is partly wrong/stupid because he only see's the Mother's linked, not all the Queens adding up to something greater than the some of their parts.
Their are many, many versions of the Triumverate in many religions and mythologies. Triple Goddess of Wicca, Brahmic Trinity, Devi Trinity, Catholic Trinity, Greek Fates, Norse Norns, Egyptian Ra and many others. I have long wondered if sum of the Queens represents all of that.
I agree with that. But why would Hecate choose to divide herself unevenly between Winter and Summer, if not for the purpose of having Winter take over the protection of the Outer Gates?
Unless she saw Harry as the Winter Knight in a possible future and decided to hedge her bets on him?