Analyzing the Death Rattles

[natc]

Well, raising your hand to the side a little is the default shardblade summon posture, so . . . maybe?

I don't have the book on me.

[Alfa]

Ah, here it is, Syl's words:

 

 

 

"Kaladin!” Syl’s voice. “Stretch forth thy hand!”

She zipped around him, suddenly visible as a ribbon of light.

“I can’t . . .” Kaladin said, drained.

“Stretch forth thy hand!” He reached out a trembling hand. Moash hesitated. Wind blew in the opening in the wall, and Syl’s ribbon of light became mist, a form she often took. Silver mist, which grew larger, coalesced before Kaladin, extending into his hand. Glowing, brilliant, a Shardblade emerged from the mist, vivid blue light shining from swirling patterns along its length.

 

 

He raises his hand, you're right, natc.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Alfa

[Mckeedee123]

All is withdrawn for me. I stand against the one who saved my life. I protect the one who killed my promises. I raise my hand. The storm responds.

 

I think this is from Kaladins Perspective, when he protects Elohkar "the one who killed his promises" against Moash, who saved him once. The responding storm is most likely the stormlight, that "responds" to Kaladin saying the third ideal of the Windrunners, or maybe the Stormfather. I'm not shure if K. raises his hand there, but i think it's possible.

 

 

 

That is the prevailing explanation for that rattle, currently.

 

Personally, though, I disagree. There's no "twist" to it when you interpret it that way. No wordplay, no logical leap required to understand it. The 2 rattles that we're pretty sure we know all had a sort of deliberate vagueness. The gems in the Parshendi beards were a "feast that clings to their faces, the gemheart was simply referred to as "a heart in their hands," etc.

 

Each separate phrase in these things is distinct and important. "All is withdrawn for me" likely has some semi-literal meaning. So does "the storm responds" (I think it refers to the Stormfather, whom Dalinar is bonded with and might become a Shardblade despite what he said at the end of WoR.) The most important phrase is "the one who killed my promises." That sounds like a dead ringer for Radiant Oaths.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Mckeedee123

[The Honor Spren]

I wish to sleep. I know now why you do what you do, and I hate you for it. I will not speak of the truths I see.

-Kakashah 1173, 142 seconds pre-death. A Shin sailor, left behind by his crew, reportedly for bringing them ill luck. Sample largely useless.

I think this one could refer to Shallan. Maybe. I see parallels between it and the chapter where she finally faces her past in WoR.

(Sorry if this has already been said; I didn't have time to read the whole thread.

[Alfa]

Either that, or, the more obvious interpretation, is, that the unlucky Shin realized, that the silent gatherers are killing him.

[AerionBFII]

 

 

I wish to sleep. I know now why you do what you do, and I hate you for it. I will not speak of the truths I see.

-Kakashah 1173, 142 seconds pre-death. A Shin sailor, left behind by his crew, reportedly for bringing them ill luck. Sample largely useless.

I think this one could refer to Shallan. Maybe. I see parallels between it and the chapter where she finally faces her past in WoR.

(Sorry if this has already been said; I didn't have time to read the whole thread.

 

I always thought this was Moelach speaking through the Shin Sailor as a proxy...  

[Shaggai]

I always thought this was Moelach speaking through the Shin Sailor as a proxy...  

I thought that one was the sailor refusing to tell them anything.

[Awesomness]

 

JUST HAD AN EPIPHANY MOMENT! 

-

So the epigraph of chapter 3 of the Way of Kings is “A man stood on a cliffside and watched his homeland fall into dust. The waters surged beneath, so far beneath. And he heard a child crying. They were his own tears.”

-

So I've seen speculation that this could be referring to Dalinar watching Kholinar fall or Kaladin seeing his hometown destroyed. 

I have not seen an interpretation that I have just thought of. What if this is Szeth watching Shinovar be destroyed by the Everstorm? "The waters surged beneath" could be the wall of water carried by the stormwall. The cliffside could be the mountains ringing Shinovar. Also, Shin and Szeth particularly are regularly described as having eyes that seem childlike to Easterners. Destroy this theory of mine! 

 

I really like your theory BUT when the ever storm hit Szeth wasn´t in Shinovar, was he?

 

I always thought this one was foreshadowing Kaladin´s return home.

 

 

 

FEAR

I wish to sleep. I know now why you do what you do, and I hate you for it. I will not speak of the truths I see.

-Kakashah 1173, 142 seconds pre-death. A Shin sailor, left behind by his crew, reportedly for bringin them ill luck. Sample largely useless.

 

The way he talks about "truths" and "I hate you" reminds me a lot about Shallan and her relationship with Pattern.

 

 

“He let everyone believe that he’d killed her,” Shallan whispered. “That he’d murdered his wife and her lover in a rage, when I was the one who had actually killed them. He lied to protect me.”

“I know.”

“That secret destroyed him. It destroyed our entire family.”

“I know.”

“I hate you,” she whispered, staring into her mother’s dead eyes.

“I know.” Pattern buzzed softly. “Eventually, you will kill me, and you will have your revenge.”

“I don’t want revenge. I want my family.”

 

Fragmento de: Sanderson, Brandon. “Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive, The)”. iBooks. 

 

About this one:

 

 

DAMNTATION

 

Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red.

-Collected: Jesachev, 1173, 12 seconds pre-death. Subject: one of our own ardents, overheard during his last moments

 

Does it mean we´ll see only 10 radiants?? (I would´t really mind, i´m sick of those theories where everyones favorite character becomes a radiant. They are supposed to be a small group of really powerful people. Katarsis mode off)

 

This one deffinitly sounds like a voidbringer point of view:

 

 

THREE GLYPHS

The darkness becomes a palace. Let it rule! Let is rule!

-Kakevah 1173, 22 seconds pre-death. A darkeye Selay man of unknown profession.

 

 

Finally, about the suckling baby, somewhere someone suggested it could be Shallan´s mother, but Shallan wasn´t a baby back then...

Ever since the first time I read that one, I thought it could be a baby parshendi. Ok, it´s too literate, but it would make sense for a human to want to kill him, and troublesome, as we know Kaladin has a huge respect for the parshendi and does´t want to fight them (he is even the first one to befriend Rlain). 

So, Wildly Speculating, I see Kaladin challenging his own morale with a little listener.

[the winter system]

Do you guys have the in text death rattles, as opposed to only the epigraphs?

[Juanaton]

What if this one: "All is withdrawn from me. I stand against the one who saved my life. I protect the one who killed my promises. I raise my hand. The storm responds.
-Tanatanev 1173, 18 seconds pre-death. A darkeye mother of four in her sixty-second year."

 

is refering to Eshonai in stormform. Kaladin/Dalinar/Adolin could all be viewed as having "saved her life" at some point and she is standing against them. She protects a)Venli who killed her promises by getting her bonded to a voidspren just before she was able to negotiate peace which she had promised to do or the voidspren that is now bonded to her. And she freaking summons a storm...including a little one just above her raised hand at one point....

[cem]

What if this one: "All is withdrawn from me. I stand against the one who saved my life. I protect the one who killed my promises. I raise my hand. The storm responds.

-Tanatanev 1173, 18 seconds pre-death. A darkeye mother of four in her sixty-second year."

 

is refering to Eshonai in stormform. Kaladin/Dalinar/Adolin could all be viewed as having "saved her life" at some point and she is standing against them. She protects a)Venli who killed her promises by getting her bonded to a voidspren just before she was able to negotiate peace which she had promised to do or the voidspren that is now bonded to her. And she freaking summons a storm...including a little one just above her raised hand at one point....

Pretty sure that's when Moash and Graves come to assassinate Elhokar near the end of WoR. Moash saves Kaladin's life in WoK by stopping him to go to Dunny (?). Elhokar kills his promise to protect Tien with the whole Roshone thing. The storm responding is Syl becoming a Shardblade.

Edited August 19, 2015 by cem

[Juanaton]

Pretty sure that's when Moash and Graves come to assassinate Elhokar near the end of WoR. Moash saves Kaladin's life in WoK by stopping him to go to Dunny (?). Elhokar kills his promise to protect Tien with the whole Roshone thing. The storm responding is Syl becoming a Shardblade.

I know that is the commonly accepted view on that deathrattle. And it does fit. I just was proposing a potential alternate explanation...and I'm wondering if you think it fits too.

[natc]

Watch the rattles turn out to refer to multiple things each. Just watch. After WoA I can totally see BS doing that.

[cem]

I know that is the commonly accepted view on that deathrattle. And it does fit. I just was proposing a potential alternate explanation...and I'm wondering if you think it fits too.

Eh, I don't know. What you say could fit. But feels kinda like it's trying to bend the narrative to suit the death rattle. I don't think any of the three can be said to have saved Eshonai. Not yet, at least. And as I recall she didn't really promise Adolin peace, just offered to talk about it. Plus, they summon the storm way later in the book. It could fit, but there are a lot of holes in it. On the other hand, what happens to Kaladin is just perfect. So I'm still gonna go with that.

[Juanaton]

Ok, so I reread a bit and noticed the title of the chapter where Kaladin finds out that the reason Rashon came to Hearthstone was because Elhokar exiled him there is "The One Who Killed Promises"...I now firmly stand behind the theory that that particular death rattle refers to Kaladin protecting Elhokar from Moash.

[+Wax]

This one here stinks of both Darkness and (WOR SPOILERS)

Shallan's mother, coming into the beliefs that killing Radiants will hold back the Desolations.

And this one refers to one of the Unmade, which we know from Taravangian move around in Shadesmar and mess with things. Looks like one of them got hungry and decided to grab a meal from underneat Moelach.

The first quote was

WANDERSAIL

I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it give us further breath to draw

-Dated Shashanan, 1173, 23 seconds pre-death. Subject: A darkeyes youth of sixteen years. Sample is of particular note.

I am wondering if the first quote is an world hopping breath system of warbreaker?

Just the whole Szeth revival and nightblood references all popping up in my mind.

Plus wandersail is such a similar naming convention to say lightsong?

Edited August 20, 2015 by axcellence

[Patrick Star]

I know that is the commonly accepted view on that deathrattle. And it does fit. I just was proposing a potential alternate explanation...and I'm wondering if you think it fits too.

 

I mean, the chapter in which Elhokar locks Kaladin up in prison is called "The one who killed promises".  So yeah, the commonly accepted view is pretty much definitely correct.

[Juanaton]

I mean, the chapter in which Elhokar locks Kaladin up in prison is called "The one who killed promises".  So yeah, the commonly accepted view is pretty much definitely correct.

yeah, i commented on that exact thing in my last previous post in this thread.

[Patrick Star]

yeah, i commented on that exact thing in my last previous post in this thread.

 

My bad, I was looking at the thread on my phone.  Didn't see that.

[TiCaudata]

Sorry to be late to the party here, but I have actually taken this one as the Shin sailor denying to share his vision.  My suspicion is that his vision was about Szeth, but while he now understands the Truthless' actions he will not speak and wishes to die (or sleep).  Might be too convoluted for a good prophesy though...  

 

“I wish to sleep. I know now why you do what you do, and I hate you for it. I will not speak of the truths I see.”

Kakashah 1173, 142 seconds pre-death. A Shin sailor, left behind by his crew, reportedly for bringing them ill luck. Sample largely useless.

 

 

Whoops...  Missed Post 189 about this same thing...

Edited January 17, 2016 by TiCaudata

[TiCaudata]

Alright, this one I'm pretty sure hasn't been talked about.

 

 

RIGHT FOR WRONG
In the storm I awaken, falling, spinning, grieving.
-Dated Kakanev, 1173, 13 seconds pre-death. Subject was a city guardsman..

 

WoR spoiler

 

This one is of Szeth's fall after his soul has been cut from all but his head at the end of WoR.  I suppose it could be something that is still to happen, but Szeth was doing all that stuff as he fell through the storm.

[hoidhunter]

So how about this...

 

Quote

 

 

Q: The ending of mistborn was hidden in the first chapter epigraphs. Is there something similar to that in The Way of Kings
A: There are but they are hidden in different places. The last chapter of the stormlight archive is somewhere in these two books.

Ever since finding this...I've been a little obsessed at guessing what the "last chapter" description might be.  

 

This is my top pick so far...

 

Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red.

[Blackhoof]

On Thursday, 3 April 2014 at 8:01 AM, Observer said:

Nice interpretation Leuthie! I like it a lot! You have any similar thoughts on this one?

 

They break the land itself! They want it, but in their rage they will destroy it. Like the jealous man burns his things rather than let them be taken by his enemies! They come!

 

-Delivered by bridgeman Maps as he died after a bridge run, probably around 5 seconds pre-death.

 

The "They come!" sounds like the Voidbringer warnings, so this could be insight into how Odium himself works, but I've shown myself to be cripplingly farsighted in this matter.

 

Also, fixed those embarrassing spelling errors that have been sitting in the OP for over a year.

 

EDIT: Line breaks again.

 

Personally, I believe this refers to the Everstorm and the stormforms. Eshonai and the others just wanted to defeat the humans and survive, and have their own place in the world. The storms crashing broke the land. They destroyed their city and possibly themselves, just yo defeat the Alethi. And finally "they come" is just a warning that they are on their way.

 

That's my take, at least.

[thegatorgirl00]

Quote

“He must pick it up, the fallen title! The tower, the crown, and the spear!”

What if this refers to Renarin? The tower and spear is House Kholin, and the spear is Bridge Four. 

[Erklitt]

57 minutes ago, thegatorgirl00 said:

What if this refers to Renarin? The tower and spear is House Kholin, and the spear is Bridge Four. 

Sounds good! I think it would probably have to be the title of highprince, not the kingship, since Elhokar uses a sword instead of a tower in his banner. And I'm not sure about the spear being Bridge Four, that would look like Renarin not only takes up a title but also leadership of the Windrunners - which is unlikely for a Truthwatcher. Yet I think you probably have it right, and the spear will become clear when the time comes. (If the spear isn't Bridge Four, it could of course also refer to Adolin, but I think Renarin is the more likely candidate.)

Funny you revive this thread just now. I have a (less spectacular) idea. I haven't read this whole thread and so cannot be sure that hasn't been suggested before, but at least google gave no relevant results:

Let me no longer hurt! Let me no longer weep! Dai-gonarthis! The Black Fisher holds my sorrow and consumes it!

Dalinar's visit to the Nightwatcher? Any reason why she couldn't be one of the Unmade? Or the other way round: any proof Dai-Gonarthis / The Black Fisher is one of the Unmade (other than the dashed name)?

Edited June 28, 2016 by Erklitt