LloydSev Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 (edited) My theory is this, based on information found during and near the end of Words of Radiance: The man whom Hoid brought back to Dalinar is not Taln. I say this, because Honor Blades are not created by Spren, but were made by Honor. The blade that Dalinar bonded is the blade that was brought back by Taln, but as Dalinar gets his bond with his spren the blade screams in his head.We can confirm that honor blades do not scream due to the fact that Kalidin did not hear screams when carrying the sword Szeth held. So this leaves two possibilities: 1) The man is not Taln, or 2) The sword has been taken from him by someone, despite the fact that it returned with him after the last desolation. Thoughts? Edited April 2, 2014 by LloydSev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PorridgeBrick Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 The two swords are different actually. Not only are the physical descriptions different, but the first blade stays when "Taln" drops it, which is typical Honorblade behavior. However, I do agree that "Taln" is not the original Taln. At signings, Brandon has consistently refused to call him Taln, instead saying "the one who calls himself Taln". There's been quite a bit of discussion in this thread:http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/7024-talns-identity/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chlehrma Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 The sword Taln drops at the end of WoK looks like a spike. The sword that was brought to the Alethi war camps looks like a cleaver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LloydSev Posted April 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 So if we assume that the man is Taln, do we think Lift will be able to heal his mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RShara Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Lots of theories have been discussed in the Taln's Identity thread http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/7024-talns-identity/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LloydSev Posted April 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Thanks, I have to get used to this forum being more active than others and actually search before posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrath Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 I wonder if Hoid somehow dumped a Coppermind into the head of someone in order to create a "Herald". We know he has metal powers to a certain extent already. Having information downloaded into your brain might cause problems akin to those from which "Taln" is suffering. LloydSev - just to clarify for my sake, are you saying that the real Taln showed up at the end of the first book but Hoid pulled a switch with someone else between books, or that the man who appeared was never actually Taln? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lopen Skybreaker Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 The Copper mind thing wouldn't work. The memories would have to be Talns own memories. You can't transfer information via metals. Also Taln would have to be the Feruchemist, not Hoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrath Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 The Copper mind thing wouldn't work. The memories would have to be Talns own memories. You can't transfer information via metals. Also Taln would have to be the Feruchemist, not Hoid. Yes, and Hoid is an immortal worldhopper with access to multiple forms of magic. Besides if my theory were correct, the fact that it isn't supposed to work would actually be a point in its favour, since the guy calling himself Taln is not in his right mind at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windborne Sword Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 Yes, and Hoid is an immortal worldhopper with access to multiple forms of magic. Besides if my theory were correct, the fact that it isn't supposed to work would actually be a point in its favour, since the guy calling himself Taln is not in his right mind at all. We don't know why Hoid has the ability to use those forms of Magic. He's also not immortal, he's just jumped forward through the time that wasn't important to him, since it's been at least over 4 and a half millennium since the Shattering. That said Hoid could've implanted "Taln" with Hemalurgic spikes that held the memories of the real Taln, but like others said there's a seperate thread on the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalenthas Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 That would require a complicated process, involving spiking Taln to give him copper Feruchemy, then making him dump his memories into the coppermind, then removing that spike and putting it into someone else... not to mention you killed a Feruchemist to get the copper in the first place... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chlehrma Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I think Taln probably is Taln at least in body. His cognitive aspect seems trapped somehow...or he actually is mad as a hatter. It may also be at his missing Honorblade protected him in some way and it's absence is aggravating his mental state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lopen Skybreaker Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 The other Heralds all gave up their honourblades willingly. They wouldn't have done so if they knew of any side effects like that i think. Plus the Heralds we've seen have seemed normal. No signs of instability described. I think he's just broken from millennia of being tortured. You've got to figure that the force behind it has ten times more energy and time to focus on Taln after all his buddies left him, and is probably pissed that they did so. So Taln is understandably broken mentally. And what Brandon said about him being "the man who calls himself Taln" could mean that Taln will recover but without any memory of who he is. So he calls himself Taln now, but soon he'll be a new, fresh man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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