[OB] Oathbringer author - a non-surgebinder who died?

[+Extesian]

So I have a new idea on who wrote in-world Oathbringer. Well, it may be new, I haven’t gone through the breathtaking number of posts on these chapters. But the theories I’ve seen to date have been that it is a surgebinder, since the author talks about being in Shadesmar. However, they actually talk about hanging between the realms, seeing into Shadesmar. So a surgebinder is logical, right? Well this WoB made me think of an alternative.

Quote

“Special things often happen in the cosmere when someone is very close to death, or undergoing intense pain (either physical or emotional.) Barriers between the realms weaken.”

Source

So, my theory is that the author of Oathbringer may not a surgebinder at all, but a normal person who had basically died, the realmic barriers weakened and they were able to see into the Cognitive Realm. The author also sees ‘beyond’, which may not mean the Beyond, could mean the Spiritual Realm, but either way it’s more than just the Cognitive Realm.

If so, it could be anyone, and that ‘death’ may not have occurred yet, or at least not been on screen. But to try narrow it down…

Quote

I’m certain some will feel threatened by this record. Some few may feel liberated. Most will simply feel that it should not exist. I needed to write it anyway. I know that many women who read this will see it only as further proof that I am the godless heretic everyone claims. I can point to the moment when I decided for certain this record had to be written. I hung between realms, seeing into Shadesmar—the realm of the spren—and beyond. I thought that I was surely dead. Certainly, some who saw further than I did thought I had fallen.

Oathbringer (in-world) - preface

…it needs to be someone who is regarded as a heretic (but doesn’t seem to think of themselves as one), who has had a near-death experience (and near enough to death that others, who could ‘see further’ were sure that person was dead), and it probably needs to be someone with a connection to the sword Oathbringer (though it’s possible Oathbringer refers to something else I suppose, and it’s also possible it’s written by someone with no connection but who is writing about Dalinar).

So, options. Firstly, if I’m right, it could be storming anyone, especially if this almost-death has happened off screen or will happen later. But who has come close to death and been seen as dead by others? Jasnah. Szeth. Gawx. Shallan. Kaladin? There must be more. Gawx is the only non-surgebinder but that seems…unlikely. Szeth is kind of not a surgebinder, at least not any more. Out of them, Jasnah and Szeth are most likely to be considered heretics and Jasnah considers herself a heretic. Szeth?? Seems too detached from the subject matter.

So I’m no closer to guessing someone in that context. But I wanted to post this as a separate thread in case people do. Using the idea that the author need not be a surgebinder (but could be), but most importantly has been close to death and probably brought back from death, does anyone have any further ideas, different to the standard Jasnah/Renarin ones?

And I'm sorry if this spin on it is not new, I haven't had time to read through all the theories and comments on these chapters

[Andy92]

Thinking through it this way...my mind kind of gravitated towards Szeth. And he does know how to write, I just don't know if my gut feeling believes he would author a book like this. 

We'll probably get a better idea on whether or not he would have done this as we read about him and Nale in this book. Nice analysis overall. 

[Guest Edonidd]

I caught that too, and I have a slightly different impression than you.  

Have you by chance read the Aimia interlude chapter yet?  I think BS read it aloud at some point and then somebody transcribed it for us.  It's available in some places here with some digging around.  I personally have decided not to discuss it too much until its released, but people here have told me it's not necessarily considered a spoiler because it's already out.

Anyways once you read that chapter I think you'll modify or at least fill in some of the holes with your idea.

[11thorderknight]

I’m certain some will feel threatened by this record. Some few may feel liberated. Most will simply feel that it should not exist. I needed to write it anyway. I know that many women who read this will see it only as further proof that I am the godless heretic everyone claims. I can point to the moment when I decided for certain this record had to be written. I hung between realms, seeing into Shadesmar—the realm of the spren—and beyond. I thought that I was surely dead. Certainly, some who saw further than I did thought I had fallen.

Oathbringer (in-world) - preface

 

Note how the author states that "many women who read this", rather than "many people who read this". That distinction tells us the writer is a Vorin woman. The mention of Shadesmar and being a heretic certainly make Jasnah a prime candidate, but I think there's another very interesting possibility. Dalinar notices how Navani is writing her memoirs - what if they're not her memoirs, but a biography/history of Dalinar? For now, my money's on Navani.

[Worldhopper]

For some reason this thread made me think that the author could potentially be from Dalinar's wife shhhhhhhh. 

[Malim]

6 hours ago, Worldhopper said:

For some reason this thread made me think that the author could potentially be from Dalinar's wife shhhhhhhh. 

As much as this idea is out of left field...  I like it.  OB is about Dalinar. I suspect that his wife will play a large part in the flashbacks, she would be in a position to know about Dalinar's Shard, and he wouldn't remember the book because of his curse/boon making it something "new"...  It would be an interesting way to introduce us to Shshshsh without having a direct POV...

Yep, I can definitely see Mr Sanderson doing something like this.  Too bad we don't have enough info to even begin to decide if this is right though.

[Worldhopper]

Just now, Malim said:

As much as this idea is out of left field...  I like it.  OB is about Dalinar. I suspect that his wife will play a large part in the flashbacks, she would be in a position to know about Dalinar's Shard, and he wouldn't remember the book because of his curse/boon making it something "new"...  It would be an interesting way to introduce us to Shshshsh without having a direct POV...

Yep, I can definitely see Mr Sanderson doing something like this.  Too bad we don't have enough info to even begin to decide if this is right though.

New chapter releases tomorrow. Hopefully may get a few more clues. 

Literally a spur of the moment hairbrained theory but one I'm taking more and more of shine to.

[The One Who Connects]

On 9/11/2017 at 1:08 AM, 11thorderknight said:

Note how the author states that "many women who read this", rather than "many people who read this". That distinction tells us the writer is a Vorin woman. The mention of Shadesmar and being a heretic certainly make Jasnah a prime candidate, but I think there's another very interesting possibility. Dalinar notices how Navani is writing her memoirs - what if they're not her memoirs, but a biography/history of Dalinar? For now, my money's on Navani.

The distinction tells us the writer is most likely Vorin. It does not tell us that they are a woman. In fact, that line leans more towards the writer being male, as men writing would challenge the status quo of what makes up the female arts. Arts and Majesty(book that established the male/female arts) was written for a purpose.

That said, I can see Navani as a potential candidate for now. I'm still a little partial towards Szeth, not that I can easily explain why.

---

The heretic line almost completely disqualifies Jasnah, as the author implies others falsely call them heretic. Jasnah calls herself a heretic, and is quite proud of it.

[Calderis]

10 minutes ago, The One Who Connects said:

The distinction tells us the writer is most likely Vorin. It does not tell us that they are a woman. In fact, that line leans more towards the writer being male, as men writing would challenge the status quo of what makes up the female arts. Arts and Majesty(book that established the male/female arts) was written for a purpose.

This is what I've been saying all along. 

Not many seem to see it as we do. 

[The One Who Connects]

1 minute ago, Calderis said:

This is what I've been saying all along. 

Not many seem to see it as we do. 

Well, the only reason I saw it is because I remembered that Arts and Majesty was purposely written to start that gender role schism, rather than just being the book that the split is attributed to. Gotta be some pretty convincing prose and powerful rhetoric to accomplish that.

[Yata]

Yeah the writing's format seems only to point to the Vorin's culture but this gave us no clue about the writer's gender.

By the way I think that also if the author is a Vorin (not Ardente) Male. This would be not enough to make him an heretic. So the Heretic part have to come from something the Author did before.