Shardic Affiliations of the KR Orders

[cometaryorbit]

I think the Surges associated with each Knight Radiant Order, as well as their positions on the Double Eye diagram ("Surgebinding chart"), show which are "more of Honor", which are "more of Cultivation", and which are a more nearly even mix of the two.

What we know:

-Syl (a Windrunner spren) is an honorspren. The Windrunner surges are Adhesion and Gravitation.

-Wyndle (an Edgedancer spren) is a cultivationspren. The Edgedancer surges are Abrasion and Progression.

-The Bondsmith spren include the Stormfather (who is "of Honor") and the Nightwatcher (who is "of Cultivation). These spren are unique & of exceptional power/status.

-The Lightweavers do not swear Oaths after the First Ideal, but advance by personally relevant truths instead.

The chart:

http://coppermind.net/w/images/TWoK_Front_Endsheet.jpg

The Surges:

Quote

When Worlds Collide 2014 - Khyrindor (Paraphrased)

Khyrindor

Are there Surges that could be considered as God Surges, like the God metals on Scadrial?

Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)

Yes.

Khyrindor

Progression and Adhesion, perhaps?

Brandon Sanderson (Paraphrased)

No, but they could be considered as such.

Quote

Ask the Author: Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)

Question

The "God Surges" you mentioned recently, are they a part of the Way of Kings frontsheet?

[...]

Brandon Sanderson

All I said regarding this was to tell a fan that it was possible to make an analogy between the god metals on Scadrial and certain powers on Roshar. However, these are not a codified part of the magic system.

 

Well, that's interestingly vague. There's two ways to read the "not a codified part" - either that these powers aren't Surges at all, or that they aren't separated / distinguished from other Surges the way the God Metals are in the Metallic Arts. If Progression and Adhesion "could be considered as such", that does imply the Surges proper are meant.

I'd suggest that it's actually all four top and bottom Surges - Tension, Adhesion, Progression, and Illumination - which are the purer expressions of the Shards; one directly, one more symbolically. Adhesion is Honor as bonds, Tension is rigidity - symbolic of fixity of purpose. Progression is Cultivation as growth; Illumination is knowledge and art.

The Orders:

I believe the "top of the chart" - Stonewards, Bondsmiths, and Windrunners - are of Honor; the "bottom of the chart" - Lightweavers, Truthwatchers, and Edgedancers - are of Cultivation; and the "sides" - Elsecallers, Willshapers, Skybreakers, and Dustbringers - are closer to even (with the Willshapers and Skybreakers inclining to Honor and the Elsecallers and Dustbringers inclining to Cultivation).

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that their spren are strictly of that shard. Surely honorspren and cultivationspren are; but the Nightwatcher is a spren of Cultivation, and yet the Bondsmiths almost certainly are an Honor-aligned order. "Bonds" seem to be absolutely core to the Intent of Honor.

Rather, I think the specific positions on the chart are significant.

Windrunners (Honorspren) and Edgedancers (Cultivationspren) are on the right side. These "right corner" Orders' spren are the purest expressions of the Shards.

Lightweavers (Cryptics) and Stonewards (???) are on the left side. The Lightweavers are interesting because of their Truths; IMO this is an expression of Cultivation as "personal growth".

Extrapolating, the Stonewards must represent Honor in some unique way, but their spren aren't necessarily 100% Honor. I'd further speculate that like the Cryptics, the Stonewards' spren will have a name that doesn't include "spren".

Bondsmiths (unique spren) and Truthwatchers (???) are in the center. We know far less here, but the Bondsmiths' bond to the unique superpowerful spren suggests that there must be something very special about the Truthwatchers, as does Renarin's foresight combined with the Very Big Deal made about foresight in Vorinism.

With a wild leap, I'd suggest that these central Orders are in some way critical to tying the whole KR System together, keeping it functioning.