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Theory: Who Can Return


Windrunner

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Heroic may not be the correct idea. I think it looks more like self-sacrifice.

None of those three did anything that I would consider really heroic, though Lightsong was pretty close.

We also shouldn't overlook the element of choice involved. My reading was that Lightsong was shown the future and given an option of whether or not he wanted to return. My question would be how many of the people offered the choice decided not to return.

There is also the element that people outside of the immediate area are able to return. Those that return outside of the area of influence of the God King have no reason to believe they will be able to get the required breath every week. One of the sisters actually remembers when someone returned in the highlands and died 8 days later. We do not know what that person managed to accomplish, but it seems like there had to be a reason they chose to come back even if it was something as simple as saying goodbye or righting some wrong that passed into history. To me, it looks like Vo's reason for returning was to establish the bloodline.

There appears to be two different elements that need to be satisfied in order for someone to return. They need to die in a way that is relatively self-sacrificing, though that may not be 100% correct. They also have to be shown something that puts them into the right place and time to accomplish another deed and accept the choice.

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Thanks for the compliment, Tulir. I'm glad you like my theory, it just popped into my head this morning.

Maybe it's from twins! Or perhaps a returned can give their breath to a dead baby and it brings it back as a returned or summit

I'm not sure that twins is the answer. I think it would probably would have mentioned that every infant Returned had a twin that is not Returned. But I'm not saying this never happened, so I think it's a very real possibility, just not every time. As for your other idea about infants being given Breath, I think it has something to do with how a Returned can have children.

Graendal: A question that's been on my mind for a while. If Returned can't have children, how are Siri and Vivenna descended from one? 

Excellent question. One I have to RAFO. When I was writing WRBRKR, I was planning on two books. 

I seeded two questions to be answered in the next book. One was the origin of the royal family.

The second was how Vasher was able to survive while hiding his divine Breath. I will answer these questions. 

Eventually. (It has to do with restoring Breath and life to the child while still in the womb.). 

Heroic may not be the correct idea. I think it looks more like self-sacrifice.

None of those three did anything that I would consider really heroic, though Lightsong was pretty close.

Did you read the last paragraph of my theory?

And my conclusion? It's not just dying in a heroic way that allows you to Return, although it could. If you give up (endow!) your life for someone else, or something you believe in, you are given the ability to Return.

It says exactly the same thing that you said, albeit in slightly different words. In an unrelated note, I think all of those actions are pretty heroic. It just depends on how narrow your definition of "hero" is.

We also shouldn't overlook the element of choice involved. My reading was that Lightsong was shown the future and given an option of whether or not he wanted to return. My question would be how many of the people offered the choice decided not to return.

There is also the element that people outside of the immediate area are able to return. Those that return outside of the area of influence of the God King have no reason to believe they will be able to get the required breath every week. One of the sisters actually remembers when someone returned in the highlands and died 8 days later. We do not know what that person managed to accomplish, but it seems like there had to be a reason they chose to come back even if it was something as simple as saying goodbye or righting some wrong that passed into history. To me, it looks like Vo's reason for returning was to establish the bloodline.

There appears to be two different elements that need to be satisfied in order for someone to return. They need to die in a way that is relatively self-sacrificing, though that may not be 100% correct. They also have to be shown something that puts them into the right place and time to accomplish another deed and accept the choice.

I disagree here. You don't need a reason to come back in order to have the ability to Return. If you get to the other side of that Iridescent Wave and you gave your life for someone, Endowment will show you the future. If you see a reason to Return you can but if you dont see something you care about enough to Return, you don't have to. Having something they want to change is not a requirement to be able to Return, it's the reason they want to. It's not because Lightsong wanted to change the future that he could Return, it's because he wanted to change the future so he chose to Return. He could have just as easily gone on. And people who Return aren't guaranteed to accomplish their goals.

One thing to note about the Returned coming back is that they do see the future, but when they Return, they aren't guaranteed to be able to change anything.
Edited by Windrunner
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What if it's the other end of the spectrum? i.e. Endowment can sense who still has something important to give, and it gives them the power to Return and make one final Endowment.

not quite, i'd say. it seems more like endowment shows them the future, and then lets them decide if they have something important to give.

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Well if endowment is as good at viewing the future as the book suggests it would stand to reason endowment got it right most of the time

Are you sure that you aren't thinking of Cultivation (from Roshar/WoK) when referring to the ability to see the future? AFAIK, there wasn't any mention of Shards in Warbreaker.

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Brandon mentions that the Voice that Lightsong remembers when he sees the future and sees what will happen and wants to stop it. The Voice offers him a chance. To Return.

It's right before Lightsong gives up his breath. Assumably, Endowment is showing Lightsong the vision of the future (though I guess it is possible that he doesn't actually know it, he just knows that they've been willing once to give up what they have)

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Infant Returned seem to break more than one theory about who can Return. For example, how is any infant able to process visions of the future enough to make a decision whether to Return or not? My son's 8 months old and smart as a whip (proud father, forgive me for it), but I doubt he has the capacity to understand that kind of decision. And we're talking children younger than him... I think there has to be more to it than how you died and a decision. Endowment may force some people to Return because they need to. Come to think of it, it doesn't even really go against his/her Shard... endowing someone with something need not be voluntary.

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What if it's the other end of the spectrum? i.e. Endowment can sense who still has something important to give, and it gives them the power to Return and make one final Endowment.

I kind of personally doubt this. I mean if you look at what Calmseer Returned to do, healing her daughter, while touching, isn't exactly the most important thing in the world. She helped people but I don't think it was really crucial.

Infant Returned seem to break more than one theory about who can Return. For example, how is any infant able to process visions of the future enough to make a decision whether to Return or not? My son's 8 months old and smart as a whip (proud father, forgive me for it), but I doubt he has the capacity to understand that kind of decision. And we're talking children younger than him... I think there has to be more to it than how you died and a decision. Endowment may force some people to Return because they need to. Come to think of it, it doesn't even really go against his/her Shard... endowing someone with something need not be voluntary.

I can except that infant Returned are a kind of special case maybe, possibly someone who wasn't supposed to die, like you said.

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  • 4 months later...

So one question I had was about Denth and his sister. It isn't explicitly stated, but I would assume that all five of the scholars were Returned. So what made them special enough that they both died and were able to return?

Edited by frozndevl
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Umm, we don't know very much about the Manywar and the events leading up to it, so at this point it's still very much a mystery. However, it could be that they both gave up their lives (in accordance with this theory) for the same thing at the same time and thus Returned together. Brandon's going to delve into Nalthis's history a little more in Nightblood, so hopefully these questions will be answered.

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  • 7 months later...
so there is something sound to the Hallandren reasoning that you have to do something heroic in order to Return. (That's not true, but it is more sound a doctrine than Siri thinks it is.)

When I read this two things stick out to me as obvious. 1. It's not true that you have to do something brave in order to Return, but bravery is a possible route. To me this means that doing something brave may give you the opportunity to return, but it is not the only avenue for this outcome, nor does it guarantee your return. 2. You have to do something in order to return. Returning is not an opportunity given to every individual, and thus has certain requirements. So what requirements could brave actions fall under that also allow for other possibilities?

The key, to me, is endowment itself. Endowment is giving something to others, but doesn't necessarily have to involve bravery. Lightsong endowed his niece with life by sacrificing his own. Calmseer endowed others with health and aid. This sticks out to me as we are given the picture of her whole life and personality, not just the deed she accomplished immediately before she died. Blushweaver endowed the city with honesty and safety through her merchant practices and testimony against the criminals. She was known as an honest merchant which leads me to believe she also used her life to endow many times and not only in the instance right before her death. With this picture I see the requirements for return as endowment throughout life and not only endowment via death, though that may also be a contributing factor. This allow that brave actions may result in an chance to return, but actions outside the realm of bravery and sacrifice may also.

In the case of infants, perhaps their death endows their mothers with life, or somehow contributes to society as a whole. They seem to be the theory braking contraint in all things having to do with the returned.

*edited for proper quote box

Edited by Asha'man
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The key, to me, is endowment itself. Endowment is giving something to others, but doesn't necessarily have to involve bravery. Lightsong endowed his niece with life by sacrificing his own. Calmseer endowed others with health and aid. This sticks out to me as we are given the picture of her whole life and personality, not just the deed she accomplished immediately before she died. Blushweaver endowed the city with honesty and safety through her merchant practices and testimony against the criminals. She was known as an honest merchant which leads me to believe she also used her life to endow many times and not only in the instance right before her death. With this picture I see the requirements for return as endowment throughout life and not only endowment via death, though that may also be a contributing factor. This allow that brave actions may result in an chance to return, but actions outside the realm of bravery and sacrifice may also.

(my emphasizes)

Just for my understanding: Do you want to say that an "endowment throughout life" is the only way to get the possibility to return? That is, how I understand your posting. But if this would be the case, what "endowment" had lead Lightsong throughout his life? We only know that he had been a scribe in his previous life.

Or did I get you totally wrong?

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(my emphasizes)

Just for my understanding: Do you want to say that an "endowment throughout life" is the only way to get the possibility to return? That is, how I understand your posting. But if this would be the case, what "endowment" had lead Lightsong throughout his life? We only know that he had been a scribe in his previous life.

Or did I get you totally wrong?

Seconded; I'd see either as being a possible avenue for Returning. IIRC Lightsong in life was a clerk who looked over people's ledgers/accounts searching for instances of fraud. Not particularly selfless, or a particular example of 'Endowment'. The others are a much better fit for endowment as a lifestyle choice however.

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I'd see either as being a possible avenue for Returning.

That's what I meant, that it could be a lifelong thing or a final action. Since all that we know of Lightsong is his final act and previous occupation, all we can truly say is that his final sacrifice contributed to his return by endowing his niece with life. Maybe that was enough for him. The other two seem to paint a picture of lifelong endowing plus a final action in line with their lifestyle.

Edited by Asha'man
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  • 4 months later...

This is just a hunch, but I feel that it falls well in line with Windrunner's Theory, but what if it's all about Service as opposed to Self-Sacrifice? I have a couple of reasons to back this up. First of all, it's definitely a LDS thing. The religion is all about Serivce, and I wouldn't find it so farfetched as to appear in at least one of his books. Second, running with this same theme, I think it shows a sort of parallel with the lives the Returned of Hallandren live. They spend their whole lives being served by others and, in the end, would have to serve one of their very subjects in order to grant their one request. It's a full circle. They Serve in order to become a Returned, they live life being Served AS a Returned, then they leave one last time in order to Serve someone they find worthy. Yes, I think this works with Self-Sacrifice as well, but it misses the middle point.

I also think that this might reflect how Infant Returned are possible. To quote Vortaan

Infant Returned seem to break more than one theory about who can Return. For example, how is any infant able to process visions of the future enough to make a decision whether to Return or not? My son's 8 months old and smart as a whip (proud father, forgive me for it), but I doubt he has the capacity to understand that kind of decision. And we're talking children younger than him...

This is true. Definitely. But, again taking into consideration LDS religion, where a Spirit (a nod to the Spiritual Realm) and the Mind (a nod to the Cognitive Realm) are sperate from the Body (And, of course, the Physical Realm) and that one's Spiritual and Mental state are at its Prime before and after entering a Body, it would make sense that the Spiritual and Cognitive aspects of a person would be the ideal age BEFORE enetering a Body in the Physical Realm (of course, then needing to grow as the body grows...and for those familiar with LDS religion Shadesmar could possibly likened unto the Veil? A stretch, I know). That being said, it makes a little more sense that an Infant Returned might have had the knowledge and understanding to make the choice to come back as a Returned. They had the knowledge in the Spiritual Realm, and were able to make the decision.

As for actually Serving as an Infant, this one might be a stretch. But would it be so odd that one could choose to Serve before even entering the Physical Realm based on knowledge known before hand? And, again, this could also possibly work for Self-Sacrificing, as well. I kinda actually think the two are almost the same.

The last thing I thought that would possibly work, however thin the idea may be, is that--running with the Self-Sacrificing Theory) maybe Splinters DO, in fact, come from DEAD Shards, and not KILLED Shards. To my knowledge, it has never been outrightly said if Endowment was alive, but rather Endowment was not killed. Maybe Breaths were a Self-Sacrificial way for Endowment to help the people of Nalthis, and they are able to hear her voice, similar--but not the same--as Dalinar does with Honor, when they emulate Endowment's actions and Self-Sacrifice. Just an afterthought, really.

I know this is all just a bunch of babble, but it was late and I was just jotting some additional Theories while reading this thread. Lemme know what you think!

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