Evil Shards vs Good Shards?

[lookingglass]

Okay I know this isn't entirely a WoR topic but Since I saw the original comment in this section I'm gonna go with it. In the Chicago signing there was this part that caught my eye (Its originally from the Words of Brandon post):

 

 

Brandon talked about something he called "Honor's purposes" or maybe "Honor's Purposes," and how they are the reason 10 is such a holy and dominant number - I assumed it meant Honor has (had) 10 of those Purposes. It was heavily implied in the conversation that Odium, if he has similar Purposes, does not have 10 of them.

 

We know after the shattering 16 became the holy number as it was the number of shards. Its still a significant number in other worlds like the number of allomatic metals in mistborn. However in SA 10 is the holy number. I was thinking that the reason for this is because out of the 16 only 10 were initially good or at least good in Honor's eyes that's why in his magic 10 is the dominate number.

 

Brandon also said that Odium doesn't have 10 purposes. In line with my theory he could have only 6 or even one as he's quite selfish.

 

I'm sorry I probably make no sense and someone else might have thought of this.

 

So any thoughts?

[Moogle]

We know of six Unmade so far, so Odium's special number is 6 at a minimum. Your theory is very interesting if Odium's number is in fact 6. 10 + 6 = 16. I doubt you could call any Shard 'good', but this is definitely something that deserves further investigation.

[bartbug]

I like this a lot. Better yet, this could easily be verified by asking Brandon.

 

Just for fun, let's try and list which Shards would be "good" and which would be "bad".

 

Good

Preservation: Windrunners, I think.

Devotion: No clue. 

Endowment: Again, no clue. We really don't know too much about the other orders.

Honor: Ironically, I think that Shallan's theme of truths tie in the closest with pure Honor.

Cultivation: I feel like I should know. Maybe Edgedancer?

 

Bad

Odium: Thrill, maybe?
Ruin: Whoever's in charge of the death rattles. Seems atium-esque to me.

Dominion: I dunno.

[DSC01]

I like this a lot. Better yet, this could easily be verified by asking Brandon.

 

Just for fun, let's try and list which Shards would be "good" and which would be "bad".

 

Good

Preservation: Windrunners, I think.

Devotion: No clue. 

Endowment: Again, no clue. We really don't know too much about the other orders.

Honor: Ironically, I think that Shallan's theme of truths tie in the closest with pure Honor.

Cultivation: I feel like I should know. Maybe Edgedancer?

 

Bad

Odium: Thrill, maybe?

Ruin: Whoever's in charge of the death rattles. Seems atium-esque to me.

Dominion: I dunno.

 

Devotion and Dominion both are involved in all the magic on Sel, I think, and are both basically "good" shards. I'd say Devotion shapes the magic (all forms require some type of devotion), and Dominion is what binds each magic system to a specific geographical location (its dominion, if you will). So I'd move Dominion to the good column.

 

As for evil, I think Bavadin might belong there, but we don't even know what Shard he holds. It's hard to definitively call some of the Shards good or evil. Cultivation, for example--I'd say that Nightwatcher is using Cultivation's power, and she blesses and curses at the same time (in the same way that gardening involves pruning as much as allowing plants to bloom).

[happyman]

I don't think any of the Shards are inherently good or evil. All of them are incomplete by themselves. I believe that even Odium can be good, given proper context.

Edited April 27, 2014 by happyman

[Kobold King]

I don't think any of the Shards are inherently good or evil. All of them are incomplete by themselves. I believe that even Odium can be good, given proper context.

 

One of the WoR epigraphs implies that this is correct.

 

 

He bears the weight of God’s own divine hatred, separated from the virtue that gave it context.  He is what we made him to be, old friend.  And that is what he, unfortunately, wished to become.

 

[Sylveris]

I just finished mistborn, and

 

Through out the whole final battle Ruin talks about how its not about good and evil, since Ruin for example doesn't care if he kills "bad people" or "good people", it all depends on the onlooker's point of view. In the same way, Preservation (at least as the shard's intent, not holder) might do nothing against an evil tyrant, since his intent is based on stability and lack of change.

In the end, I think the only shard that can be called somewhat Evil is Odium, and even he (as mention above) is not purely evil, but rather depends on the context. (Same goes to Honor BTW, just the other way around, it all about perspective)

Edited April 27, 2014 by athas65

[lookingglass]

I just finished mistborn, and

 

Through out the whole final battle Ruin talks about how its not about good and evil, since Ruin for example doesn't care if he kills "bad people" or "good people", it all depends on the onlooker's point of view. In the same way, Preservation (at least as the shard's intent, not holder) might do nothing against an evil tyrant, since his intent is based on stability and lack of change.

In the end, I think the only shard that can be called somewhat Evil is Odium, and even he (as mention above) is not purely evil, but rather depends on the context. (Same goes to Honor BTW, just the other way around, it all about perspective)

 

I actually agree with this but I just think that honor might think that ruin is evil or any of the other shards. Syl couldn't agree with the killing of the King and others but other orders might not think that way. I think Brandon said somewhere that Adolin killing Sadeas wouldn't be considered bad in some KR groups. However it wouldn't be tolerated with Honorspren. The same goes for the shards. The KRs are mainly of honor and since honor doesn't like the idea of the other 6 shards he doesn't use 16 orders but 10. Preservation is all about "preserving" so he used 16 in the allomatic arts.