Surgebinder's Glyphs

[Moogle]

 

Pain evaporated like mist on a hot day. Kaladin’s grip firmed upon the glowing Shardblade, a weapon beside which those of Graves and Moash looked dull. One after another, shutters burst open up and down the hallway, wind screaming into the corridor . Behind Kaladin, frost crystalized on the ground, growing backward away from him. A glyph formed in the frost, almost in the shape of wings.

 

 

The expanding ring of smoky light faded, save for a large glyph—a swordlike shape— which remained for a brief moment before puffing away.

 

 

It's interesting that, once Kaladin progressed to the third oath, he started flinging this particular glyph everywhere.

 

Why?

 

The best explanation I've got so far is related to the cymatics thread. Each Order had their own 'frequency' (or possibly set of frequencies, maybe one frequency for each Surge), and this is involved in Surgebinding.

 

In Allomancy, burning bronze lets you hear 'beats' from other Allomancers, which implies that all uses of Investiture fling off a frequency. In Surgebinding, once you reach a certain strength, it seems that you fling off a frequency 'loud' enough to create glyphs in anything sufficiently close-by and/or malleable enough.

 

So it's sort of like cymatics with sand, except you're doing it with frost and/or Stormlight smoke.

 

Can we use this to determine anything about Surgebinding and/or fabrials? I don't know, but I suppose the Honorblades could each be shaped in such a way that any Stormlight running through them will give off a frequency (explaining their different shapes), which results in the ability to Surgebind for anyone holding the Blade. Similarly, old-style fabrials could have their metal frameworks shaped in such a way that they put off a frequency that allow the use of a Surge.

 

My thoughts here are sort of jumbled and all over the place, but I thought the idea was sufficiently interesting to post. Anyone have anything to add?

[hoser]

The frequency idea is interesting.  The Parshendi hear the varying rhythms also. 

 

My own thoughts drift to Shallan's "living ideas" notion.  Also the concept of the Radiant powers being chosen.  Further, measurement can "lock" spren.  Somehow it makes sense to me that the idea of a windrunner could have a symbol that is a glyph.  Once Kaladin fits the idea closely enough, he projects the Windrunner symbol.  I hope this makes sense.  Stopping now.  

[Iarwainiel I]

Wow - I just figured this out yesterday on my 2nd read of WoR - the same day you posted your observation Moogle! Well done!

[Argent]

Investiture frequencies sounds like a pretty solid reasoning. I've had a pseud-theory about how Investiture and magic propagate throughout the cosmere, all based on some vague hints Brandon has thrown at us, but it's all but confirmed in my mind. It's essentially the Shardic Lenses theory - all Shardic power behaves kind of like a wave: it has some unique frequency (and presumably wavelength, but there is no reason to separate the two just yet). The more power you use, the "louder" its signature - but it's all unique not only for Shards, but for their individual powers too (so Allomantic iron sounds different from Allomantic steel and Feruchemical iron). So yea, all three Rosharan Shards leave their own Investiture footprints when their power is being used, and different powers leave even more "fine-tuned" signatures. 

 

This is a part of the reason I believe the Unmade are pretty heavily Invested, by the way.

[ccstat]

Moogle, the cymatics connection is the best mechanistic explanation so far. (Even though it is mostly metaphor and as a scientist I am criticizing my own use of "mechanistic" there.) Good catch.

 

Argent, I agree with you that the Unmade are power intense, and the wavelength theory makes a lot of sense to me, but I think I missed the connection between the two ideas. Do you mean that the wide-area, possibly passive effect of the Unmade's presence is evidence for their high level of investiture? Or something else?

[Argent]

Oh, I didn't say why I thought they were Invested, did I? I was thinking about the voices Eshonai hears in her head when she attunes to the new rhythms of power, and how similar they sound to the Well of Ascension's drumming. Or, even more closely, to how an experienced Seeker would be able to hear and identify different metals being burned.