Parshendi

[Pinpoint]

Who are the Parshendi gods?

 

she and the others had ordered the murder of their king in a desperate gambit to stop the Parshendi gods from returning. Well, that hadn't worked out.

 

There are two possibilities

1. the Heralds are the Parshendi Gods

if their gods are the Heralds that might make some sense. They left and then they returned. However, the Heralds want peace don't they? Unless they don't want a union with the voidbringers

 

2. Odium is one of the gods

Having the Parshendi kill the king sounds a lot like what Odium would do. Odium left and settled on Braize. Maybe he threatened to return if they didn't stop the peace treaty. 

 Odium doesn't want peace The Parshendi seem to worship Odium.

They seem obsessed about stone. Odium seems to have a big effect on stone. We have seen this through looking at geography and through the Thunderclasts. Plus Shardblades are the only Weapons that can cut stone. They were made in defense against Odium.

The problem with this is that Eshonai says gods. Who are the other gods?

 

 

 

What does "Unite them" mean?

1. It means to unite the Parshendi and the rest of Roshar

This wouldn't make any sense if the Heralds are the gods. so if Odium is one of the gods this would make sense because we are assuming that Honor is sending the visions. This would mean that Odium doesn't want the Parshendi and everyone else uniting. 

 

2. it means to unite every one except the Parshendi.

If the Heralds are the gods and they ordered the Parshendi to kill Gavilar, this would mean that either the visions don't mean to unite the Parshendi and Humans or it could mean that Honor isn't sending the visions at all. (you have to make no assumptions when reading a book written by Brandon.) This would also mean that Odium wants the Parshendi to unite with Roshar and that would mean that the Parshendi are dangerous and have destructive potential. 

 

Is Honor really sending the visions?

This would be a really big twist in the book and it seems like something Brandon would do. Maybe Odium is trying to maneuver the Parshendi into a position where he can use them to wreak the greatest amount of destruction possible. An apparent peace treaty would be perfect. By sending visions about uniting he could prepare the people for a treaty. 

 

Odium

I think that destruction gives Odium control.

Ruin works through metal

Like Ruin, I think that destruction gives Odium greater control.  The high storms are destructive. Storm form of the Parshendi sounds destructive. The Thrill is destructive. 

 

 

Are the Parshendi possible tools of Odium?

 

I think that the Parshendi are tools of Odium but those tools can only be accessed when in a destructive form. Maybe like storm form

 

 

I also have a random question

What do the Parshendi eat? 

 

“We won,” Eshonai said, leaning back against the wall and folding her arms with a clink of Shardplate. “The gemheart is ours, we will continue to eat.”

 

 

They are trapped. I doubt they are trading. Though they might be trading with the Shin. If it is possible to get a Shin assassin then it might be possible to get Shin food. Do they have access to trade? if not what do they eat.

 

 

 

So there are a bunch of thoughts and twists about the Parshendi. It might be confusing to read. If you have thoughts on why some of these possibilities might or might not be valid share them I want to narrow the possibilities down as much as possible.

 

I posted this in the wrong spot. This should be moved to the WOR forum.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Pinpoint

[Aether]

I'll pop in later with a longer answer, but I wanted to answer the most important one right away:

I also have a random question

What do the Parshendi eat? 

They eat gem-hearts, obviously.

[18th Shard]

They use the gemhearts to Soulcast food, probably. They need the gemhearts to survive the siege because gemhearts are the only way to provide food for such a large army.

[marianmi]

What if the parshendi gods are "intelligent" spren - honorspren and cultivationspren?

The parshendi killed Gavilar to stop that, but they failed.

 

(i said intelligent spren, as opposed to less intelligent spren, non-splinters, that humans can't bond, but parshendi can)

Edited December 19, 2013 by marianmi

[LairdDuncan]

I didn't get the impression that they were being "ordered" to kill Gavilar. Gavilar told them what his plans were, the five Parshendi realized that what he was doing was going to cause their gods to return, it freaked them out, so they made a desperate move to kill Gavilar, even though they knew that the humans would probably wipe them out in revenge.  But they felt that them getting wiped out by humans was a better situation than having to deal with their own gods.  I don't think they worship their gods.  I think they're terrified of them.

 

My guess, with no evidence, is that the gods of the Parshendi are voidbringers/whatever those 10 dudes are that I've guessed are like the Heralds of the voidbringers, but are sort of Lovecraft-sounding.  I can't remember their name.  Not gods in the sense of them being revered by the Parshendi, but gods in the sense that they were powerful, supernatural beings who ruled/dominated in the ancient history of the Parshendi.

 

I personally don't think the Parshendi are tools of Odium.  Dalinar remarks that they don't seem to fight out of rage or bloodlust, they mourn over their fallen and fight united.  It's my opinion that the Alethi are the current unwitting tools of Odium, since they are the ones that have embraced the Thrill.

 

And as others have said, yes, gem hearts for soulcasting food.

[marianmi]

Why aren't the Heralds part of the Parshendi gods? Supernatural, powerful, immortal...? So why not gods for them too?

These "gods" must be something that existed before humans, at least in some form... => why not powerful spren?

I don't think the 10 fools are their gods, otherwise the heralds would be viewed the same.

And I don't think Odium is their gods, since he would be their god (singular).

So what other intelligent beings we have, old, powerful, not with powers given (like the heralds or the surgebinders)? The spren. They are gods, and pieces of gods. So that's my opinion

 

Note: to be more exact, the gods would actually be the voidbringers - bonded spren - as opposed to unbonded spren. Semantics aside, I think the parshendi, like Darkness, were trying to prevent the return of the bonding spren.

Maybe there was a block between the physical and the cognitive put in place when Tanavast dies or by the KR at the recreance... and Gavilar broke it...

Edited December 19, 2013 by marianmi

[Quiver]

I find it interesting that the Parshendi are so against their gods returning. Sure, evil gods exist, but the quote makes it sound as if there are no good analogues, unlike the Wetlakers two gods.

[Kier]

I just wanted to put in my two cents that it is obvious (at leat to me) that the Parshendi are closer to Honor than Odium. 

 

Hence why they Honor their dead, and Eshoni (sp?) turns and salutes Kaladin, (or is it Dalinar?) after the Tower Battle. (I.E. Shows Honor to her Enemy.)

 

Furthermore, both Kaladin and Dalinar comment on the honor shown by the Parshendi.

 

All this however, begs the question of, "What about Jasnahs And Shallans findings that is leading them to believe that the Parshmen are the main source of the desolation?"

 

I dunno, but I can't wait to find out. 

[LairdDuncan]

All this however, begs the question of, "What about Jasnahs And Shallans findings that is leading them to believe that the Parshmen are the main source of the desolation?"

 

I never believed it--I always took it as Brandon throwing us a red herring.  It just seemed too easy and too cliche to be true for Brandon: "The guys we're already fighting... are the main bad guys!"

 

As for spren being their gods, I can't get behind the idea.  The Eshonai chapter explicitly states that they switch between war form and work form and all the other forms by bonding different spren.  And we know they did this before they ever met Gavilar because they weren't in slave form (the form with no bonded spren) when they first met.  It doesn't lead me to believe they would be willing to kill Gavilar over discussing bonding spren.

 

Now... bonding a spren that turns a Parshendi into a giant, greatshell-sized Voidbringer?  Who knows, maybe--maybe Jasnah's idea isn't a red herring.  But then it brings up a billion more questions regarding whether or not the Voidbringers are actually "evil" or whatever. Maybe Brandon has been leading us in the wrong direction this whole time and he's going to upturn everything we thought we knew.  :: shrug ::

[Kier]

I never believed it--I always took it as Brandon throwing us a red herring.  It just seemed too easy and too cliche to be true for Brandon: "The guys we're already fighting... are the main bad guys!"

 

I tend to agree with you here. Except things like this -

 

"That chanting, that singing, those rasping voices"

- Kaktach 1173, 16 seconds pre-death.  A middle aged potter.  Reported seeing strange dreams during highstorms during the last two years.

 

Reminds me of the singing parshendi. And the other visions all seem to be describing damnation, voidbringers, odium, or at least a desolation. 

 

I do think that it won't be NEAR as simple as it may seem and however it is pulled off, it will blow our minds... 

 

Maybe they were the desolations, were bound by odium, but the Harolds "breaking" the oathpack also released the parshendi from his power?? I dunno. Just spitballing. 

 

Maybe Odium is the Parshendi "Gods" and he was controlling them and forced the oathpact on them. And so they don't want him to return because now they are free?

Edited December 20, 2013 by Kier

[Arook]

 

 

All this however, begs the question of, "What about Jasnahs And Shallans findings that is leading them to believe that the Parshmen are the main source of the desolation?"

 

I dunno, but I can't wait to find out. 

 

they may not be the source the fact that they bond with spren may make them easy tools. Remember there normal state is mindless.

[LairdDuncan]

... sort of Lovecraft-sounding.  I can't remember their name...

 

I finally found the term I was meaning for this.  I was trying to reference the Unmade, not the Ten Fools.  I know WoB kind of implied the Ten Fools were the opposite of the Heralds, but I've wondered if that is the "religious" opposite of the Heralds (bumbling idiots from fables used as lessons to teach kids to be obedient, etc.), whereas the Unmade were more of "historical" opposites to the Heralds (actual leaders of Odium's armies, beings of great destructive power.  Described as consuming--an alternate to Honor, or at least Cultivation, creating. Even their name evokes the idea that they are the opposite of creation).

 

From the little we know of them, they seem to fit the bill of a godlike being that should be feared.

 

Of course, this is all just me pulling things mostly out of thin air.

[Moogle]

They use the gemhearts to Soulcast food, probably. They need the gemhearts to survive the siege because gemhearts are the only way to provide food for such a large army.

 

I'm not entirely sure I believe this. The Parshendi have been fighting for gemhearts for years, now. Gems only break when you use them to Soulcast big things, or over-use them, from what I understand. Surely the gemhearts aren't going to crack if the Parshendi use them to Soulcast just a little food at a time.

 

Over time, their gemheart stores should be increasing. They shouldn't need more gemhearts for food. But it seems they do. Most interesting.

 

Perhaps Soulcasting food does ruin their gems? Are the Parshendi numbers increasing? I didn't get that impression...

[18th Shard]

About the Parshendi being the Voidbringers, maybe Odium learned from Ruin. He changed some texts just a little...

[Aether]

I don't think Brandon would recycle ideas like that. I think it more likely that they are only part of the picture.