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.)

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?

If you are interested, here is a link to a book called Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table on the Gutenberg Project library.  I read this as a child.   God knows why.

I suspect if you live long enough you will see JB's take of the story at some point.  It's not inconceivable that  Margaret is Morgana and that Harry's father is Arthur. She takes him to Avalon upon his death.  That's pure fan service for what it's worth.  I'm pretty sure at this point that Margaret both traveled in time and across the multiverse.  If you buy that then it isn't out of the question.

I did wonder how much Margaret Le Fay and Morgana Le Fay had in common. And I admit, at some point, I thought Margaret might very well be Morgana.


Which leads me to a new theory: Could Harry Dresden actually have been the original Merlin? Because you know, if he ever travels back in time in the future books - that is a possibility. Although Demonreach did say  (was it Demonreach who said that?) that the island has had 2 Wardens. Harry obviously being the second one.

Hecate.

Yep. Her. Hecate. Hahaha. God, how did I miss that?

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.

 

I don't know if Nemesis is really a sentient Being.  I think it's more like a contamination that turns you toward evil.

The main argument against it is that Leah didn't want Harry to speak It's name for fear it would hear him.  So I find it somewhat confusing.  I am fairly certain though that Harry Dresden, and any other wizard who's used black magic does have some of Nemesis inside themselves.  It just may be that unless they have fully embraced it, it's not in control of them the way Leah, and others seemed to be.

I think I remember the Cat Sith's voice changing after getting infected, and Nemesis spoke to Harry as Cat Sith. I think Nemesis is a sentient being, but that it uses mind control. The "infection" is actually a kind of doorway into the mind of the victim, allowing Nemesis to manifest through them (behavior, language, magic capability, etc.)


But wait.. if we keep talking about Nemesis like this, won't we attract its attention?

It seems that most people that encounter Mac in Harry's presence seem to give him a measure of respect or courtesy. Much more so than they would a normal.

True. At first, I used to think that they respected Mac because he was the only vanilla mortal who got his place accorded neutral grounds. But then it occurred to me that you'd have to be at least as powerful as Marcone to be recognized by the Sidhe.

So, neutral grounds. Watcher. Beer brewer. Dangerous. I'm still leaning towards scion of a human and an angel who learned how to brew beer and who has been alive for at least 1000 years. Enough for the Outsiders to know him, and enough for Mab and Odin to respect him.

So we all know that there is some conspiracy (or conspiracies) going on behind the scenes that has (or have) caused most, if not all, of Harry's major troubles. The first name we get is the Black Council from Harry because mortal practitioners are involved. Then we hear about a Circle in White Night and Changes. In White Night, it is some organization the Malvora and Madrigal Raith are working for, are aware of, and Cowl is the contact for. I find it unclear as to whether the Malvora is "in" the Circle or just an agent of it. In Changes, it is mentioned by the Eebs, but they might just be referring to the Lords of Outer Night.

I think of the Black Council as an organization made up of mortal practitioners, mostly current or former members of the White Council, separate from the Circle. I think of the Circle is an organization with representatives from various supernatural groups with some unknown mutual aims and a lot of backstabbing. The leadership of some supernatural groups are entirely aware of the Circle and part of it. I think the Black Council is one of those groups. Only factions of some groups are aware and represented. The White Council, through the Black Council, would be an example here.

Alternatively, the Black Council and the Circle could be the exact same thing. Either a group of wizards calling themselves the Circle, or a larger supernatural conspiracy that Dresden simply thought was made up of just wizards.

We've got a pretty clear picture of what Nemesis is, if not how it works. It's an Outsider secret agent/sapper/infiltrator.

I think Nemesis influences the Circle but does not control it. It almost certainly controls some of the members of every major supernatural group, including the Circle.

I also think the Circle has only thirteen members for the reasons stated in Storm Front. Additionally, there were thirteen Lords of Outer Night, perhaps for the same reason.

Alternatively, everything is either Nemesis or it's catspaws.

Thoughts?

I think you're onto something here. When I first read about the Black Council, Nemesis, and the Circle - I thought they were the same thing too. But since rereading the Dresden Files, I've come to three possible conclusions:

1. The Black Council is mostly made up of mortal practitioners who've turned their backs on the White Council (warlocks, etc.), but it's just a child compared to the Circle - who controls the Black Council.  One or two of the members of the Circle may be infected with Nemesis. Or directly working with the Outsiders. Like Mavra. I think she's most likely a part of the Circle, but not necessarily the Black Council.

2. The Nemesis controls the Circle and the Black Council. The Black Council and the Circle on their own are dangerous enemies to Harry and friends, but the Nemesis made it possible for these two to become a lethal threat to every supernatural being on Earth. I think Nemesis started by creating the Circle, and then worked towards forming the Black Council through the Circle. Someone in the White Council, other than Peabody, is also a traitor.

3. Nicodemus and company planned to steal the five holy relics from Hades' vault because they have their own war against the Outsiders. The Fallen are still angels, and if the Outsiders ever get into the world -- they are a huge threat to the angels' power base. Lea thought the Athame could be used as a weapon against the Outsiders. But I'm guessing it's actually the knife Harry stole. So Nicodemus wanted that specifically but he had to settle for the Holy Grail.

And of course Uriel knew about their plan to steal the relics in advance. As an archangel, he told Harry that he intended to save the souls that were under the influence of the Denarians. But he's been known to work several plans all at once, so I think he also lent his Grace to Michael to ensure that the relics wouldn't fall into the wrong hands once they were stolen. And now that they're out in the world, they can be successfully used against the Outsiders.

So in future books, minions of Nemesis might come gunning for them. Possibly in the form of one of the Circle. Like Mavra. Or another supernatural entity infected with it. At this point, the Black Council can't really risk moving because they risk premature exposure.. so the obvious enemies will come for Harry, while the others work in the background.