Larkin are chasmfiend larvae

[Shaggai]

Larkin are small, winged cremling-like creatures. They have the ability to absorb Stormlight, and in fact to draw it out of something/one holding it. Chasmfiends are gigantic crustaceans which roam the Shattered Plains. At first, they seem completely different. But are they? What if they're more connected than we think? What if, in fact, they're the same creature, just at different stages in their development? The word "larkin" does sound somewhat like larva.

 

The main objection, of course, is the size discrepancy. Chasmfiends are so much larger than larkin that it seems impossible that they could be the same thing. But remember, larkin eat Stormlight. We haven't seen much, so we don't know the effects that eating Stormlight has on them. What if it makes them bigger? Imagine a larkin, out on the Shattered Plains in the middle of a highstorm. Vast amounts of Stormlight are surging (pun intended) through the world around it, enough that Kaladin and Szeth managed to have an entire aerial battle during one. The larkin would consume this Stormlight, and could grow to immense sizes. Upon reaching such large sizes, the wings would become useless and probably be shed.

 

Incidentally, this means that Rysn will probably end up with a pet chasmfiend.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Shaggai

[Quiver]

Incidentally, this means that Rysn will probably end up with a pet chasmfiend.

My favourite interlude character, with a pet chasm fiend?

I can't even begin to tell you how much I want this to be true, for that part alone.

Bonus points if Rysn continues to think Sullen is her most exotic animal for being so weird.

[hoser]

I like the idea of solving the question of what larval Chasmfiends are with something we know.  It seems very creative. 

Larkin ...Chasmfiends... What if, in fact, they're the same creature, just at different stages in their development? ...

 

The main objection, of course, is the size discrepancy. ...

My main objection is geographical.  Chasmfiends, but no larkin, are found in one location.  Half a continent away, larkin, but no chasmfiends are found.  Larkin were thought to have died out in Aimia, which is even further away.

 

My second objection is that indications seem to be that the larkin is an adult form.  The Reshi "Islands" seem to keep the larkin indefinitely and secretly.  Larkin are dying of natural causes, but the one we see is small, as is the one that Darkness has and Elhokar's paperweight.   

[Kobold King]

I'm picturing the entire Stormlight Archive culminating in a Pokemon-esque battle between Rysn and her chasmfiend versus Odium's champion with a thunderclast. And it is awesome.

 

More to the point, this is an intriguing theory which warrants looking into. After all, after two books set predominantly on the Shattered Plains we still don't know much about the reproductive cycle of Chasmfiends.

[Shaggai]

I like the idea of solving the question of what larval Chasmfiends are with something we know.  It seems very creative. 

My main objection is geographical.  Chasmfiends, but no larkin, are found in one location.  Half a continent away, larkin, but no chasmfiends are found.  Larkin were thought to have died out in Aimia, which is even further away.

 

My second objection is that indications seem to be that the larkin is an adult form.  The Reshi "Islands" seem to keep the larkin indefinitely and secretly.  Larkin are dying of natural causes, but the one we see is small, as is the one that Darkness has and Elhokar's paperweight.   

There might be another form in between the larkin and chasmfiends, which would be the one that travels from the Reshi Isles and/or Aimia to the Plains. The Shattered Plains are pretty special. Perhaps there is some sort of interaction with the Shattered Plains that results in the birth of chasmfiends, which doesn't happen elsewhere. 

[soulcastJam]

I'm going to disagree with this theory just because you used the "sounds somewhat like" argument.  =)  Or better yet, I think I'll come up with an alternative theory based on that same argument.  

 

How about, chasmfiend sounds a little like Kaladin.  We expect him to grow/obtain plate armor sometime soon, so is it really a stretch to see him transforming into something huge that also has plate armor?  Radiants are really just chasmfiends in embryo, but they only mature to greatshells if they break their oaths.  The Alethi have been systematically slaughtering former radiants, something that when it comes to light will cause upheaval in the church.

[Shaggai]

I'm going to disagree with this theory just because you used the "sounds somewhat like" argument.  =)  Or better yet, I think I'll come up with an alternative theory based on that same argument.  

 

How about, chasmfiend sounds a little like Kaladin.  We expect him to grow/obtain plate armor sometime soon, so is it really a stretch to see him transforming into something huge that also has plate armor?  Radiants are really just chasmfiends in embryo, but they only mature to greatshells if they break their oaths.  The Alethi have been systematically slaughtering former radiants, something that when it comes to light will cause upheaval in the church.

That was one part of the argument. It's generally a bad idea to discount everything someone says just because they, as a minor point, say something that may or may not be relevant. "x sounds like y" is, as far as I know, merely a bad argument, not a major flag that a person doesn't know what they're talking about.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Shaggai

[Swimmingly]

I'm picturing the entire Stormlight Archive culminating in a Pokemon-esque battle between Rysn and her chasmfiend versus Odium's champion with a thunderclast. And it is awesome.

 

More to the point, this is an intriguing theory which warrants looking into. After all, after two books set predominantly on the Shattered Plains we still don't know much about the reproductive cycle of Chasmfiends.

I don't know about normally, but recently, it seems to boil down to:

1. Do things.
2. Go to Shattered Plains and pupate
3. Die by hammer and Shardblade at the conclusion of two armies battling for possession of your shiny internal organ.

If it roughly follows the chull lifecycle, then it probably doesn't reproduce and bud new chasmfiends until it after pupation, too, which is worrying.

[skaa]

If this is true (and that's a big if), then thank the Almighty that the adult form of larkins don't seem to eat Stormlight, otherwise Shallan wouldn't have been able to Lightweave in front of it.

[Kobold King]

If this is true (and that's a big if), then thank the Almighty that the adult form of larkins don't seem to eat Stormlight, otherwise Shallan wouldn't have been able to Lightweave in front of it.

My guess would be that the chasmfiend simply chose not to suck out her Stormlight. Eventually Brandon Sanderson will have one pull out this trick at the absolute worst possible time, nearly causing the death of a major protagonist and slaughtering dozens of side characters.

[Terisen]

I'm a fan of the "Stormlight as the cause of the size" notion.  Stormlight (and Investiture in general) is a highly concentrated source of energy.  That energy could certainly be stored as mass and cause massive growth through the different stages of the chasmfiend's lifecycle.  We don't really get to see what happens after pupation either as every one of those chasmfiends have been slaughtered by the Alethi and Parshendi.

 

I think the chasmfiends have to use Stormlight anyway, I think, due to their sheer size and the square-cube law.  They'd collapse on themselves otherwise.

[Pathfinder]

We could also look to our own natural world for evidence. Dinosaurs that are huge when compared to humans, produce eggs and young that barely come up to our calves. Insects metamorphisize into forms completely different than how their larval stage appears or in many cases function. Crustaceans also start small, and molt as they grow. Given the highstorms I doubt it would be difficult to imagine all those molts being washed away which has prevented their discovery. Finally larkin's have wings. We have yet to see them fly (unless i missed something). How far have bees traveled? How far do birds migrate? How far do whales, dolphins, turtles, and any number of other species travel during different seasons, mating habits, or maturity? So a larkin traveling all that distance, or changing into something to travel all that distance and then becoming a chasmfiend isn't far fetched at all. Other than that logic however, I do not know of any in book reference that would specifically support this theory. 

[hoser]

Rysn's larkin does fly, actually.  It also stays with her because the Reshi "Island" commanded it. 

from I-3

"The Reshi could not command one of the larkin," Vstim said, ... As she drank, the small creature flew up toward the rafters of the hut and perched there, looking down at her with eyes of solid silver.

 

The form seems to be stable and consistently small.  The idea of commanding an animal to stay with someone that it has never met before and having it obey is very interesting.  It bespeaks a social hierarchy and purpose that I can't even imagine.  An intelligent animal that would bond with you and protect you from surgebinders or other invested creatures (including voidbringers) seems like something that kings would pay enormous sums for. 

Larvae tend to be about the business of becoming adults as quickly as is healthy for the organism.  I don't see that kings would pay much for an animal that would absorb stormlight for a short time, then disappear. 

The size, temperament, known history, geography, apparent lifestyle and social valuation point to the larkin being a stable adult form.  While explanations can be created, for me they create more problems in understanding the world than they solve.  The gentle beast that cooperates with an individual person seems different than the also intelligent beast that treats them as prey.  The clincher for me is the eyes.  The silver eyes vs the colored eyes of the chasmfiend suggest a very different animal.  

Edited July 23, 2014 by hoser

[Shaggai]

Rysn's larkin does fly, actually.  It also stays with her because the Reshi "Island" commanded it. 

from I-3

 

1. The form seems to be stable and consistently small.  The idea of commanding an animal to stay with someone that it has never met before and having it obey is very interesting.  It bespeaks a social hierarchy and purpose that I can't even imagine. An intelligent animal that would bond with you and protect you from surgebinders or other invested creatures (including voidbringers) seems like something that kings would pay enormous sums for. 

Larvae tend to be about the business of becoming adults as quickly as is healthy for the organism.  2. I don't see that kings would pay much for an animal that would absorb stormlight for a short time, then disappear. 

3. The size, temperament, known history, geography, apparent lifestyle and social valuation point to the larkin being a stable adult form.  While explanations can be created, for me they create more problems in understanding the world than they solve.  The gentle beast that cooperates with an individual person seems different than the also intelligent beast that treats them as prey.  4. The clincher for me is the eyes.  The silver eyes vs the colored eyes of the chasmfiend suggest a very different animal.  

1. I agree that Rosharan creatures are probably much more intelligent than they're given credit for, probably as a result of natural spren bonds. I also agree that kings would pay massive amounts for that protection.

2. You're forgetting the main part of the theory - that they turn into chasmfiends. That alone would make them extremely valuable.

3. Size, not really. Investiture could explain that. As for temperament, we don't know how a larkin would act in the wild. The known history and the geography do point to them being different, of course. I'm also not sure what you mean about lifestyle, and I've explained the valuation.

4. Investiture on Roshar often causes eye color changes. Bonding a Shardblade, summoning an Honorblade, and absorbing Stormlight as a third-level Radiant all change eye color.

[hoser]

I need to understand.

1. I agree that Rosharan creatures are probably much more intelligent than they're given credit for, probably as a result of natural spren bonds. I also agree that kings would pay massive amounts for that protection.

2. You're forgetting the main part of the theory - that they turn into chasmfiends. That alone would make them extremely valuable.

3. Size, not really. Investiture could explain that. As for temperament, we don't know how a larkin would act in the wild. The known history and the geography do point to them being different, of course. I'm also not sure what you mean about lifestyle, and I've explained the valuation.

4. Investiture on Roshar often causes eye color changes. Bonding a Shardblade, summoning an Honorblade, and absorbing Stormlight as a third-level Radiant all change eye color.

Are you saying that people know that larkin become chasmfiends?  Because people know about larkin.  People think larkin are extinct.  People know that chasmfiends are pupating on the plains.  I don't get how they would not put 1 and 1 together and realize that larkin are not extinct.  So I don't think people know that larkins become chasmfiends.  So I don't think the mature chasmfiend is the reason people value larkin. 

Now I guess you can construct scenarios where people remember various things about larkin and selectively forget others, but that seems far-fetched to support a theory that lacks textual support. 

Yes, investiture does change affect eye color.  Humans and chasmfiends have eyes that can reflect gem colors.  We have not seen metallic colored eyes.  Metallic eyes are different, suggesting to me that larkin are doing something different with investiture, making it even less likely that they become chasmfiends.  For example, what if they have tiny invested metalhearts instead of gemhearts that match their eye color?

[Swimmingly]

Well, to be fair, people know next to nothing about the life cycle of Chasmfiends except where it impacts their economic value

[hoser]

Exactly.

Well, to be fair, people know next to nothing about the life cycle of Chasmfiends except where it impacts their economic value

So larkin turning into chasmfiends is probably not why people value larkin. 

[el_warko]

My main objection is geographical.  Chasmfiends, but no larkin, are found in one location.  Half a continent away, larkin, but no chasmfiends are found.  Larkin were thought to have died out in Aimia, which is even further away.

 

Highstorms travel east to west and while they reduce in strength with distance given that Larkin fly they could ride the winds.  They are a delicacy in Aimia, eaten with fava beans and Chianti.

[blad3mast3r]

I ship this theory.

[Shaggai]

Okay, I think we've pretty definitively proven that larkin are not chasmfiend larvae. Thank you to all who posted evidence either way.