Theory: Hoid as a Shardholder

[Mister_Fawx]

IMPORTANT NOTE: The thread title should have read Hoid as a Sliver, not Shardholder. I have since been informed as to the definition of both, and found that Sliver is the appropriate term to refer to Hoid in this theory.
 

I started a topic earlier theorizing about the supposed Survival Shard and the possibility of Hoid having held it at some point. It was brought to my attention that my belief that Hoid having held a Shard seemed like a relatively new idea, or that it hadn't been heard of yet. So I decided to start this thread in order to present that theory first, rather than trying to hold it as a base assumption for a different theory.

We know that Hoid was present for the Shattering of Adonalsium, and that he was likely the author of The Letter in Way of Kings (thanks to a recent comment by Brandon stating that the Bead of Lerasium Hoid took is also The Element in The Letter, inevitably pointing to Hoid as the author). This means that Hoid likely has personal knowledge of the names of the Shardholders and the Shards themselves, evident by the fact that he comments on the Shardholders in The Letter by their names, not their Shards, and the effects of their Shards on the different worlds they visited.

 

Now, this is a quote from Hoid's conversation late in Way of Kings.

 

“ 'I began life as a thought, a concept, words on a page. That was another thing I stole. Myself. Another time, I was named for a rock.'
'A pretty one, I hope.'
'A beautiful one,' the man said. 'And one that became completely worthless for my wearing it.'

 

Hoid is fairly well known to have more knowledge than other characters surrounding him, and for speaking in strange and cryptic sentences that make a lot more sense if you have insight as to what he is talking about. He also makes light of situations when talking about huge matters with people who are not directly involved, as his conversations with Dalinar seem to suggest, as well as his entire personality as a witty joker of some sort.

Along with that, we know that Hoid is the Liar of Partinel, and that he stole his name from someone else. I believe that is what he is referring to when he says he stole himself.

The next line is the one that interests me. He claims to have been named for a beautiful rock, which sounds silly and light coming out of Hoid's mouth. I believe it must be much deeper than that, due to Sanderson's propensity for hiding big secrets in relatively simple phrases or conversations, as well as Hoid's tendency to make light of all of the massive issues going on around him.

If we think seriously about it, the only time someone in the Cosmere has been named for any kind of 'rock' that we know of is when they pick up a Shard. The Shard has a personality or an Intent of its own that it impresses upon the wielder, changing them over time. Ruin and Preservation caused Ati and Leras respectively to lose grasp on themselves and to become more like the Shards they held. Ati was not always a destroyer of some kind, but he was altered by Ruin's intent and therefore became the embodied force of entropy, as did Leras and basically all of the other Shardholders. Rayse has been said to emulate the Intent of his Shard, Odium, and therefore the two meshed well to embody the Shard's Intent. He is only referred to as Rayse by the author of The Letter (likely Hoid), and Odium by all others who know of him.

My point is this: Hoid says that he was once named after a Rock. Shardholders are named after their Shards. Therefore, it seems that Hoid was admitting to having held a Shard out loud to Kaladin.

Here's my justification as to why he once held it, but does no longer.

Hoid is on some sort of worldhopping journey, supposedly to fix the Splintered Shards that Odium had broken. He appears on Scadrial and helps free Ruin from his prison, which eventually results in the restoration of both Shards' full power and Sazed becoming their bearer, uniting them into Harmony, a supposedly more powerful incarnation of both Shards. I believe Brandon is quoted as having said that this is what Odium feared would happen. He was also present on Nalthis and Sel, as well as Roshar most recently.
 

Now, if Hoid has some quarrel with Rayse/Odium and is trying to oppose him, uniting the other Shards against him would be his best use of time. This begs the question: Why not take one of the Shards for himself and use its power against Rayse? If the above quote is an admission to being a Shardholder, it also suggests that Hoid was terrible at using it, as he says that it "became completely worthless for my wearing it." This might mean that Hoid did try to use a Shard against Rayse and that it didn't go well, and thus he is searching for other ways to accomplish his goals besides bearing a Shard. At this point, I believe that if Hoid had really wanted to take Preservation and Ruin for himself, he would have just showed up at the right moment at the end of HoA and grabbed them, as he hasn't showed any trouble in being in the right place at the right time before then to further his goals.

All that said, this is mostly speculation and conjecture with little total evidence to back it up. But, I believe wholeheartedly that it has a lot of merit and realism behind the claim. Feel free to argue against me or present evidence of your own that might support this theory as well! I look forward to hearing what everyone else thinks.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Mister_Fawx

[Phantom Monstrosity]

Hoid's been confirmed as not being a shard.

http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=697#21

T.T.

5. Is Hoid a Herald, or a Shardholder, or something else entirely.

6. Was the letter posted on the top of chapters to Sazed?

7. Barring the Almighty, did we seen a Shardholder (like Sazed) in this book?

Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads)

Brandon:

5. Hoid is something else entirely.

6. It is written to a character who exists outside of Roshar. I won't yet say who.

7. I think "Shardholder" would get confusing alongside "Shardbearer." Basically, in the Cosmere's terms, when someone holds a Shard of Adonalsium, I call that person a Shard of Adonalsium. They are imbued with the power of that Shard, but they also become the Shard. Fans can use whatever terminology they wish, but this is how I term it.

You did at least see the direct effects of two of the Shards of Adonalsium, but I won't say whether or not you actually saw a Shard of Adonalsium.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Phantom Monstrosity

[Mister_Fawx]

Does that mean he has been confirmed as not currently being a Shard, or not having ever had a Shard at any point in the past? Because the quote above suggests that he doesn't currently hold a Shard, but that he might have at some point in the past and given it up.

[Phantom Monstrosity]

So you're saying that he might be a Sliver, then? That's been specced before (heck, some people think he might have been adonalisum's original shardholder).

Anyway, Brandon used to be unsure, then he decided Hoid wasn't a shard. He could have picked one up at the shattering, but who even knows.

http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=691

Chaos

Long, long ago when Hero of Ages came out you listed four Shards other than Ruin and Preservation. You said we interacted with two directly. One is a tough call, we've never met the Shard itself but have seen its power. The other one we've not met directly but have seen its influence. My questions:

-Is the Dor the "tough call" one?

-Do you count Hoid in this list of four shards? It makes a difference for the theories, Brandon! You don't even need to say if he is bound to a shard, rather just if you consider him in this list.

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO, and no, Hoid is not included in the list. (Still not sure if he has a shard or not)

http://twg.17thshard.com/index.php?topic=7302.0

While talking with EUOL today I had asked about Hoid being Midius from Partinel. He said he had many names, but avoided a yes or no answer. I then asked if Hoid was a shard, he said no and then said something about how no one has read the end of Partinel due to its not being written well and the plethora of spoilers it contains. . . .

He then told me that Hoid was there when Adonalsium was shattered.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/1729-a-late-breaking-report/

Brandon said offhandedly, "It is not random who got which Shard." Also, Shards very rarely change hands. Brandon emphasized the "very" there.

[Mister_Fawx]

Ah, yes, that would be the proper term for past Shardholder. I didn't look that up prior to this post. I appreciate the correction.

It's clear that he is not currently a Shard, but that doesn't preclude the fact that he was there at the Shattering, and may have taken one then. Therefore, he may be one of the only people to intentionally give up a Shard because of what it was doing to him, or what it made him do. As you say, there's not really any information as to what could have happened at the Shattering, so we don't know.

[Galavantes]

Yes still very up in the air. Hoid could have been the original holder of Adonolsium (I don't think so though), or he could have held a shard for a short time. Or neither. 

Also none of the quotes I've seen answer the question as to whether Hoid is a sliver. I agree that it certainly sounds like that in his conversation with Kaladin. But it could also just be Brandon screwing with us. 

I don't think we'll get an answer regarding Hoid holding a Shard until Dragonsteel unfortunately.

[Mister_Fawx]

I don't think he was the original holder of Adonalsium either. It was whole before he was Hoid, if what is said in the Liar of Partinel chapters is kept canon when the full story is written. It definitely could just be him screwing with us. And Dragonsteel is set to be written after Stormlight is completed, which means we have quite a long time to wait.

[skaa]

Hi Fawx!

This theory appeals to me, though I'd personally wait for another bit of supporting evidence (perhaps in Words of Radiance?) before I espouse it.

Speaking of espousing theories, you can link to this theory in your sig if you want.

Enjoy the forums!

Edited June 10, 2013 by skaa