Who are the Ten Fools really?

[Knight Radiant]

Introduction: 

Hello fellow fans, I would like to start by stating that this theory/idea has little to no evidence backing it up. Yet, I feel like it is a nice thing to think about. My theory is that the Ten Fools are actually real people and not just idyllic opposites of the Heralds. 

Theory:

I always thought the hearalds were kind of underwhelming as far as "leaders" for the knights radiant. Thinking more on this I always thought "Do the knights radiant have leaders within their orders?", on this question I also thought that if the knight radiant were like other orders of knights in the real world, they must have had leaders. In the real world, a knight order would usually have a " Grand Master", these people would be in charge of the order and as well be the commanding officer for those below them. The heralds might have religious significance, therefore might not have had direct command of the knights radiant. My theory is that the Ten Fools were these Grand Masters. They may have not been the first Grand Masters of the Knight Radiant, but they would have to have had a very significant role within their orders history or culture. I feel like these Ten Fools must have done something so wrong that the Heralds themselves had to write them into history as "Fools". But in my own head cannon, I think the Heralds may have somehow dirtied their names themselves for selfish reasons. I think the Heralds are much more fallible then what we are lead to believe. For all we know there might be a whole conspiracy on how the Ten Fools are actually the heroes and the Heralds are the ones to be dreaded. I remember Brandon doing a WOB where he wanted to have a drawing of the Ten Fools in one of his books, will we perhaps see the " Ten Fools" in their glorious prime, around table like King Arthur and his knights in Britannian Lore? 

Conclusion: 

I hope you guys enjoyed my headcanon, this is my first every post on the forum and I hope I made a good opening for myself within this community. Please be free to criticize and poke holes within my theory. I just wanted to have a discussion on the Ten Fools and the exclusion of actual leaders within the Knights Radiant. I am hoping to have a good discussion with you all.  Thank you and I apologize for my messy writing format. 

[Nathrangking]

gunslingers

The number 10 seems to be a recurring theme in this world. Are the "ten fools" the antithesis of the ten orders of the knights radiant?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, ten is a number of mythological import in the world. The Ten Fools are, essentially, the opposites of the Ten Heralds--who each represented an ideal. (Those ideals were later adopted by the orders of Knights Radiant, so yes, there is a connection--but there's a step between them.)

General Reddit 2011 (March 1, 2011)

 

 

[Calderis]

Welcome to the shard and have an upvote. That is a fun first foray into posting... Definitely better than my own first post which didn't really say much at all. 

Not sure it will play out as accurate... But it's also from a time period of the story that it might not ever really be refuted... I have a few of those headcanons myself.

[Knight Radiant]

Thanks for the feedback guys. It seems farfetched but narrative-wise I think it can work, maybe not exactly the way I put it but I think it is strange that despite the Knights Radiant holding the Heralds in high regard, we never hear about them having actual leaders. Heads of each Radiant Order. Instead we are just fed the same narrative that the Heralds would always fight alongside the Knights Radiant, but we do not know if they had any direct role within the Order itself. We know Nale joined the Knights Radiant eventually but that just gives me more questions. Like did he just join the Order or was there a governing body that he had to go through in order to join the group. It is not that hard to believe that he could have just joined the Order by just bonding their specific spren.  I just think that the Knights Radiant would have some sort of hierarchical structure to their command aside from the Heralds. Narrative-wise the Ten Fools being the downtrodden and besmirched due to the fallibility of the Heralds themselves seems nice to me. Again thank you all for the feedback and views, I would very much like to have a discussion because I had this idea in my head for weeks. And I'm sorry if I repeat myself a few times, I am just excited that I can talk about this topic with people like minded to myself (Sanderson Fans).  

[Calderis]

I definitely think that they had leadership, and by the nature of the orders, I think that leadership would have varied in every order. 

But the times we learn about, the times recorded ad remembered in the (very sketchy) Vorin teachings are the Desolations. At those times the Heralds were the leaders of their orders. 

The rest of the time? No idea and we're not told. I don't know if we will be. The new orders are building from scratch, and their leadership isn't necessarily going to be structured the same way. 

[Knight Radiant]

Very good points, time will tell if we will ever get to see characterview points from the times between desolations and such. Hopefully during the books centred around Taln or Ash we will get such a thing. For now we only have to speculate. Either way I'm excited for the next few books, I'm hyped. Thanks for responding again. 

[Calderis]

1 minute ago, Knight Radiant said:

Very good points, time will tell if we will ever get to see characterview points from the times between desolations and such. Hopefully during the books centred around Taln or Ash we will get such a thing. For now we only have to speculate. Either way I'm excited for the next few books, I'm hyped. Thanks for responding again. 

If we do get to see it, it would need to be between the times of Aharietiam, and the Recreance. And probably from Ash's perspective. 

Between Desolations, the Heralds were on Braize, making it hard for them to have seen the orders in their absence. 

Perhaps we'll get interactions with the leaders at times of their returns though? 

[Knight Radiant]

Oops I made a fumble, I meant to say between the times of Aharietiam, but perhaps we will meet characters who will have their perspectives shown while the heralds were on braize. I wouldn't mind knowing the intricacies of how the humans of Roshar got back to being a more advanced race. Lore wise it's cool but I don't think it would be very exciting as reading goes. Hopefully if we do get to see perspectives of those from ancient times, we will find out more information on the impact the returns had politically after a fresh one was done. Maybe there could have been a struggle on who the Knight Radiant should follow, the Heralds or their potential Grand Masters.  

[Arch]

The book describing the heralds as Patrons is what's most fitting. Greatly honored (and probably obeyed), but not really apart of the formal leadership.

leadership was probably different depending on the order. I remember reading that the Windrunners had a "strict hierarchy", which makes sense, but I have a hard time imagining lightweavers like Shallan take orders like a windrunner would. 

i like the theory that the ten fools are disgraced radiants, but I dont think the heralds set them up. seems a little convoluted and petty.  they had the Fused and torture on Braize to be worried about. why bother getting in to melodrama  with people who'd most likely be long dead by time you returned?