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Shardbearing and Shards Ruling


Pagerunner

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So, I just finished a re-reading of Way of Kings, and I was keeping an eye out for anything that could shed light on the ominous quote, "Odium reigns." Or, as the exact quotation has it:

"Wait!" Kaladin said. "Why is there so much war? Must we always fight?" He wasn't sure why he asked. The questions simply came out.

The storm rumbled, like a thoughtful aged father. The face vanished, shattering into droplets of water.

More softly, the voice answered, Odium reigns.

To me, it looks like the phrase comes as a response to Kaladin's question. Why is there so much war? Because Odium reigns. And, if you look at the characters throughout the book, you can see that it is odium and hatred that rule mankind. Kaladin hates the lighteyes, the Alethi hate the Parshendi, Szeth hates those he is killing (something he views as an extremely irrational hatred), and apparently the rest of the world hates one another enough to cover the world in wars. Hatred is embedded in the hearts of mankind. Modern Vorinism (which I think is actually a tool of Odium) promotes rivalry among men, not sacrifice and unity. We see odium from the very moment that the men of Feverstone Keep slaughter one another for looted Shardblades and Shardplate.

But was it always like this? Of course not - we know of the time before the Recreance, when the Silver Kingdoms were great, when the Knights Radiant were at their peak. They were not driven by hate then. In fact, although I can't find a quote, I recall someone speaking of how the Almighty used to live in the hearts of the people. Or, more directly, honor was in the hearts of the people.

This now goes to explain the quotation that "three of the sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns." Now, the Broken One is widely accepted as Odium due to the parallels of the Stormfather's quote. I thought the Broken One may be Honor for a while, since that Shard has been broken, but then I began to consider what was meant by ruling or reigning. The Stormfather quote and the quote I can't find shed light on that: the place where these Shards ruled was in the hearts of men. At the present time, it is odium that fills mens' hearts, but in times past it was three different Shards.

Of the three Shards, one is definitely Honor. Cultivation is a good guess for the second one; I see this in how the Knights Radiant, in one of Dalinar's visions, said that they preserved the arts of war in preparation for the Desolations. The intent of Cultivation is preparation for the future, and the Knights Radiant were very obviously focused on the coming Desolation, not on presently ruling the world. The third Shard, however, I don't know what it is. I'm going to say it's not Odium, but another positive Shard that fits with the ideals of the Knights Radiant. I'm not going to hazard a guess yet (well, maybe I will; Truth and Luck pop up a lot throughout the book, but I can't really see the latter as fitting with the Knights radiant), but I'm of the opinion that Odium is not one of the three that once reigned.

Now, a lot of this may seem extremely obvious and not very deep at all, but I've been building to an examination of something the Almighty said at the end of his vision to Dalinar.

"Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. Speak again the ancient oaths and return to men the Shards they once bore." He turned to Dalinar, meeting his eyes. "The Knights Radiant must stand again."

The journey we've seen main characters - our future Knights Radiant - embark on has required them to overcome their Hate (Kaladin is overcoming his bitterness, Shallan will have to overcome her self-loathing, Dalinar is overcoming how he despises those he fights against) and move towards intentions in line with the three Shards from before. I think that the three phrases of the First Oath each correspond to one of these Shards. Teft's explanation on page 831 seem to indicate they all reflect Honor, but we know that his understanding of the Knights Radiant is less than perfect. I think that "journey before destination" refers to Cultivation. Present actions (journey) to prepare for the future (destination). Of the last two, I think that "strength before weakness" refers to Honor; the second ideal is about defending (strength) those who can't defend themselves (weakness). I'm not sure what "life before death" would refer to, but I don't see it as referring to Odium.

But regardless of which shard goes with which phrase, the Almighty says that men need to say the Oaths to return to them the Shards they once bore. I don't think he's referring to Shardblades and Shardplates; I think that the "Shards" are the three Shards of Adonalsium that used to guide the lives of men: Honor, Cultivation, and Shshshsh. The oaths will guide their intents and actions, which will let them use Surgebinding by drawing directly from the Shards. Shardbearing isn't directly referring to the Plate and the Blade; it's referring to how the Radiants didn't need to get Stormlight from the highstorms, but how they drew it directly from the Shards themselves. As a secondary effect, that energy can permanently power Shardplate, but it would also strengthen the individual.

To quote the back of the book: "Surgebinding and Shardwielding can return." We've seen Surgebinding without Shardwielding in Szeth's and most of Kaladin's experiences. We've seen Shardwielding without Surgebinding when Dalinar went toe-to-toe with a Chasmfield and when Kaladin did his epic bridge-jump. Note Kaladin, out of stormlight and not yet having said the Oath, on page 925.

Kaladin screamed, reaching the end of the bridge. Finding a tiny surge of strength somwhere, he raised his spear and threw himself off the end of the wooden platform.

As we've learned from Vin's example, strength doesn't just come from "somewhere." Kaladin was acting honorably, and that let him draw directly on Honor as a Shardbearer. He didn't Surgebind then, so I don't think we've seen the two powers used in tandem.

I'm not terribly well versed in Realmatic theory, but I would expect the Principle of Intent comes into play here. As people act in accordance with the Oaths, in accordance with the intent of the three who once ruled, they could draw directly from their power. If they act according to Odium's intent, they cannot draw directly on that power. (I haven't read that theory too in-depth, so I may be getting the details wrong, but the main thrust should still apply.)

To summarize: the Shards are fighting a war for men's hearts in preparation for the physical war that is coming. Right now, Odium rules the hearts of men, but if Honor and his fellows can regain dominance of the actions of men, they can again give them the power needed to Surgebind and enhance their strength directly through Shardbearing.

Bonus Theory 1: Dawnshards

Jasnah notes part of a poem that describes a "Dawnshard," something that binds any creature "voidish or mortal." The Almighty also mentions that humanity would need the Dawnshards in order to fight Odium. What if the Dawnshards are Shards of Adonalsium: Honor, Cultivation, and the third one? They can bind men, or they can bind voidish creatures (like, say, the Parshendi, which appear to be Voidbringers [although I think they're just one of the Ten Deaths, corresponding to the Sinew essence, dealing with flesh] but act according to Honor). A holder of a Dawnshard can take even the Parshendi and have them fight for Honor; or, as you could say, "UNITE THEM" with humanity. The poem Jasnah quoted could either be a past instance of someone taking up a Shard whose original holder had been killed, or maybe even a future instance of someone reclaiming one.

Bonus Theory 2: Odium Reigns on Sel

When I reread Elantris last year, the knowledge that Odium had visited Sel made me look at things there with a new light. Dilaf especially caught my eye: he was described pretty consistently as "hateful." I thought that Odium may have corrupted the two true 'religions,' one following Aona and one following Skai, into the two brutal religions that exist now. (I don't have the book with me now, so I can't look up the exact names. There was the Mysteries, and then there was the one that ruled basically the whole world.) Both of them are quote odious, and their characters behave in hateful ways. I think Odium corrupted Sel in the same way he corrupted Roshar, so he can reign there as well by driving the people towards odious behaviors. Why he wants to destroy Roshar but not Sel is a question I can't answer, though.

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