ACOTAR spoilers ahead obvs. Unless you’ve finished A Court of Silver Flames, read at your own discretion.
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Very different post to what I normally make, but I just finished A Court of Silver Flames, moving onto Crescent City when they arrive, and I have a theory as to why Feyres pregnancy was so difficult to the point it almost killed her.
Im usually not a fan of the lethal pregnancy trope, so this theory is how I’ve explained SJMs choice in own my head. As its long been established that Feyre is extremely powerful, so the sudden flip to her bleeding to death during birth has to be justified in my mind.
I don’t know if this is an original theory, probably not as the books have been out a while with millions of readers, but I haven’t read it anywhere so here goes.
Feyres powers are an amalgamation of the kernels of power given to her by the 7 high lords of Prythian. They are what turned her Fae, but the abilities and strength she has are from 7 males.
We also know from ACOTAR and ToG that fae pregnancy’s are already hard on a naturally fae mother, which is why fae children are so rare.
None of the powers from the 7 lords will have had any connection to the fae birth process or would have provided any strength to help her through it, simply because they are men and do not possess that ability themselves.
Nothing in Feyres Fae transformation prepared her for the challenge that is a fae pregnancy, let alone with the added difficulty of the baby being part Illyrian. Which we know is basically a death sentence to a naturally born High Fae, let alone a mortal woman only endowed with male fae strengths.
We also know that Fae pregnancies gestate for 10 months as apposed to the human 9. However Nyx was born around 2 months premature. It isn’t rare for human babies to be born in the 8th month. Let alone when you combine all the factors her body would have gone through. We know that it was one of Nyxs wings tearing through Feyres womb that triggered the premature labor and all the blood loss described in the book. And that even will accelerated fae healing, she was close to death. That and the fact that her periods were so horrendous, means to me that her fae body was simply not well prepared to deal with the experiences only female fae go through.
This is in comparison to Nesta, who as a caldron made Fae, had no issue with her altered Fae period, as she was shaped by the source of the world itself and not just the male part. We do know that Feyre has a history of particularly unpleasant menstruation, which I think also played a part in the pregnancy complications. If she was already predisposed as a mortal to a risky pregnancy, finding herself birthing a part Illyrian Fae baby would justifiably create major complications.
We also know she conceived in her Illyrian form then shape shifted back to her High Fae body and was then prohibited from shifting again for fear of harming the baby. Which I kind of understand, maybe she’d accidentally absorb him idk? And at the end of the birth the healer says her anatomy was permanently changed to allow the birth of a winged baby, but personally that seems far to simple of a solution to what was made out to be an unavoidable demise.
When Nesta helped Feyre, there is mention that the Mothers hand had a part to play on Feyres survival. So much so that Nesta even got to retain some of her power simply because the Mother was so impressed by her sacrifice.
As it was the Mother who spilled the Cauldron, creating Prythian and the known world. My theory, is that the Mother endued Feyre with the power to birth fae life. A power she would not have received from the 7 high lords during her resurrection as a Fae, which lacked a seemingly necessary female involvement.
Again, this is just my theory do with it as you will. I would love to hear any thoughts people have about it! X