Five Heralds in The Way of Kings

[Lightflame]

A while back, someone said that at a signing, Brandon said there were five Heralds in The Way of Kings. However, Peter showed up and said that Brandon got the number wrong. So we know that there are either more or less than five Heralds in The Way of Kings.

 

Now, here are the Herald listings for that book:

 

Confirmed Heralds

 

1. Kalak (Appears in the Prelude, thought to be at the assassination party hanging out with Nale.)

2. Jezrien (Appears in the Prelude, thought to be the beggar Szeth meets at the party.)

3. Nale (Szeth notices him talking with Elhokar at the party. In Words of Radiance, Jasnah's description confirms that he is the one Szeth saw.)

4. Shalash (Brandon confirmed that she appears in The Way of Kings. Thought to be Baxil's mistress.)

 

Looks like a Herald

 

5. Talenel (A guy at the end shows up claiming to be Taln. Brandon refuses to confirm whether this is Taln or not.)

 

So, that makes five Heralds. But we know from Peter that five Heralds don't show up. So what could this mean?

 

Well, it offers a few interesting possibilities:

 

-  Ishar is actually the guy hanging out with Nale or the beggar Szeth meets. That puts us at six Heralds.

- "Taln" is 100% not Taln. That puts us at four Heralds.

- There's at least one other Herald in the book that we haven't caught yet. That puts us at six Heralds.

- "Taln" isn't Taln and there are at least two other Heralds in the book we haven't caught yet. That puts us at six Heralds.

 

Whatever the solution to this riddle, I'm sure it will be interesting. We should start looking!

[Seloun]

Wasn't there a theory that there was a Herald in Kharbranth?

 

 

A light flickering through nearby bookcases startled her, and she tucked away her folio. It turned out to be just an old, berobed female ardent, shuffling with a lantern and followed by a parshman servant. She didn’t look in Shallan’s direction as she turned between two rows of shelves, her lantern’s light shining out through the spaces between the books. Lit that way—with her figure hidden but the light streaming between the shelves—it looked as if one of the Heralds themselves were walking through the stacks.

 

There was a secondary maybe-reference in T's interlude in WoR:

 

 

“Tell Dova to continue the work,” he said. He had not anticipated that their covenant would attract the loyalty of an ardent, of all things. The Diagram, and its members, knew no boundaries. Dova had discovered their work on her own, and they’d needed to either induct her or assassinate her.

 

People have suggested that Dova might be a Herald.

[Lightflame]

Those are in Words of Radiance, though. The five Heralds thing is for the first book, The Way of Kings.

[Seloun]

Those are in Words of Radiance, though. The five Heralds thing is for the first book, The Way of Kings.

 

No, the first quote is from TWoK (it's Shallan in Kharbranth).

[Lightflame]

No, the first quote is from TWoK (it's Shallan in Kharbranth).

Oh, okay. Gotcha.

[duladen]

Another possible herald (though the evidence is shaky) is the dark skinned, dark haired bridgeman that Kaladin helps that speaks Alethi without an accent despite looking Azish/Makabaki. His physical appearance and the mention of his lack of accent struck me as very similar to "Taln." Now if "Taln" isn't Taln, that pretty much kills this theory.

[Aleksiel]

Axies met a guy who asked him if he was a Herald.or a Voidbringer. But the interlude has only Pailiah's icons (or whatever the right word) and the beggar was male, so perhaps not. However, the scene occupies far too much space (half the interlude in fact) to have nothing more to it, but an introduction to Axies. 

[Lightflame]

Another possible herald (though the evidence is shaky) is the dark skinned, dark haired bridgeman that Kaladin helps that speaks Alethi without an accent despite looking Azish/Makabaki. His physical appearance and the mention of his lack of accent struck me as very similar to "Taln." Now if "Taln" isn't Taln, that pretty much kills this theory.

Well, if there's another Herald in the book, it's possible.

That guy would have to be Ishar, then.

[Chlehrma]

I recall reading something on the forums about the nurse in kharbranth who was draining blood and taking notes was vedeledev . The theory had someone to do with the breaking of the oathpact inverting their divine attributes. I do not know if we ever had WoB about it.