Hall of Theories

[Karger]

Many of us have a theory that we are extremely proud of.  This thread is for the best that theories that you have made.  Just try and follow the rules and be respectful.

1. Please no more then three theories at a time.  If you have another theory delete one of your older ones before posting it.

2. Real theories please.  A level of aluminum hat is acceptable but at some point your just being ridiculous.

3. Meaningful theories please.  I know we all have fun coming up with new types of spren or trying to prove that the Cosmere is just Hoid on drugs but this is not the place for it.  Also if your theory is impossible to prove ever given all cosmere works also not the place for it.  So no afterlife or God beyond theories.  Sanderson has basically said he will not answer them.

4. Respect is key.  I have been more guilty then most when it comes to heated Cosmere arguments and I thought this should be here.

5. If you see an obvious flaw in a theory give the person a post and then take this to another discussion page.  I don't think cluttering this thread with your discussions is a good idea.  You can have discussions here if you need to.

6. Try and remember to update your post if and when new relevant content comes along.

7. A single victory post if and when you are proven right is allowed and encouraged.

8. I will post an example theory below.  EDIT.  A much more efficient solution has shown up where people just post a link.  I have altered my example theory below to suit this criteria as it is a better way of allowing discussion.  Please follow all other guidelines as normal.

Edited May 26, 2020 by Karger

[Karger]

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Karger

[ShardShaper]

My best theory is that Roshar is far closer to the cognitive realm than other worlds, and that's why forms of investiture such as soulcasting are prevalent. (This excludes Shinovar)

 

Quote

I'll bring more evidence for this later, I just need to find it.

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by ShardShaper

[+TheFoxQR]

That a Shard's ability to see the future depends on how well they understand their own investiture, how astute the vessel is, and the very nature of their investiture. So more dynamic or "hotter" investitures like Ruin would by default see more in the near future, whereas "colder" shards like Preservation would see better further. Moreover, as realmatic investiture is the substance of matter and energy, the means of this future sight is their own investiture - so Ruin's futuresight would focus on possibilities motivated by Ruinous investiture. This directly leads into why Endowment is less concerned - the Returned on Nalthis are beings entirely invested with her investiture, and they only ever feed on Breadths, which is still her investiture. This forms a net of much more accurate and detailed futuresight in her own domain. Everytime someone dies, she (or an automated mechanism) determines what would happen if that person would be brought back. They may have some high level goals in mind - for e.g. looking for a way to fight against Odium, or spread knowledge of awakening. If the person can potentially accomplish some of this, she brings them back. This is why the Five Scholars were all Returned - Shasharra's entire Returned existence was to study Nalthis' magic, get inspired by Rosharran magic and try and duplicate that - directly creating Nightblood. Once she had done this and told Vasher how to do so, she had served her purpose. Vasher, however, may not have fulfilled all his purposes yet. Similarly, Vivenna may also be slightly more invested with Endowment, if only because of her Returned lineage. Not only this, but Odium's own perception of himself as Passion may mean he has a slightly flawed futuresight.

Fortune and Destiny are opposites - like pulling and pushing on the same spiritual attribute/force. Fortune makes less likely things more likely to occur, in a way increasing randomness, whereas Destiny acts like a pin or some sort of tack, "pinning" a certain set of events, making them more likely to occur, but at the cost of decreasing the chance of anything else happening. Destiny was how Preservation insured the roles of Vin and Sazed in his plan, whereas tapping Fortune is what burning Atium does - it doesn't show you just one most likely set of events. It shows you all the likely things that could happen. Maybe this is also how Hoid's Oath works - he taps Destiny, always insuring that events where his help was needed and he was there are the ones that occur in actuality.

The Central Pillar in Uruthiru (the one which housed Re-Shephir) was originally meant to serve as housing for the Sibling. Every Godspren has a home - The Stormfather has the Highstorms, the Nightwatcher has The Valley. So maybe, the Sibling, as a younger Godspren, was fashioned specifically to power an extensive and complex fabriel - one that channeled all 10 surges in various ways to accomplish many functions at Uruthiru.

Edited June 21, 2019 by TheFoxQR

[Truthless of Shinovar]

Dalinar is going to pick up Odium. Then Cultivation, then un-splinter Honor, and become Unity.

[Use the Falchion]

This is difficult for me, as I feel we as an audience get caught up in what the technical effects of the Cosmere are and use that for theories. I'm not that technically minded, so I try to base my theories on the few patterns Sanderson has and the feel of the story and the characters rather than the magic. And my best theories are tinfoil (it's more fun that way). 

1. The Set, Ghostbloods, and the Shadows on Threnody are connected. The Ghostbloods formed on Threnody via that ritual to become a cognitive shadow, eventually migrated to Roshar (for easy investiture? closer to the cognitive realm? I don't know), and The Set is a different branch on a different planet. What does this mean? No idea! My current off-shoot theory is that this is how Kelsier will get off-world. He will join (if he hasn't already) The Set in order to gain their power and resources and be the antagonist of Mistborn Era 3 and use that to help bring down Trell (maybe gaining Trell's power in the process?). He'll end up joining the Ghostbloods and leading them later, but that's too much tinfoil for now. 

 

2. Hoid is connected with the Ghostbloods. In Oathbringer Hoid needed to get the letters out. So he leaves Jasnah after hearing what she knows, goes to the Ghostbloods to smuggle him off of Roshar and onto First of the Sun (which I still kind of believe is Obrodai - Patji starts to form in Stormlight's time and becomes fully formed by the time Sixth of the Dusk happens). In return Mraize (and the Ghsotbloods by proxy) gets an Aviar. All of this takes place offscreen in-between WoR and OB Part 1.

 

3. At some point a Radiant will ride a Larkin into battle. Larkins are the living equivalent of dragons on Roshar, Stormlight Archive is a reconstruction of the fantasy genre, one of the books that influenced Brandon the most is Dragonriders of Pern. Ergo, dragon riders on Roshar! Now, I have more tinfoil theories for Larkin but this isn't the time or place. 

[not an Evil Librarian]

The reason that The Returned cannot have children is that they don't want to. The Returned have an unconscious control over their bodies, so the simplest reason a returned would be incapable of bearing children would be that they viewed an infertile body as an ideal one. The Hallendren gods constantly live in luxury and are being kept idle, plus they already assume that gods cannot bear children, so from their point of view, the perfect body is one that is sterile. 

link to full theory

[Herald of Speculation]

Just a theory which I thought up, which I haven't been able to find anywhere else. Apologies if I didn't see it, but as I couldn't, thought I'd post it here. Also, spoilers for Snapshot and all three Legion books.

I think Legion and Snapshot share the same universe. I haven't been able to discuss this much, as I don't know anyone who's read both, but I think it has quite a bit of grounding. Here's the evidence, from least compelling to most:

• Both present or near future. No widespread crazy powerful tech.
• Both have something or someone who can recreate an area a time in the past
  • In Legion, the tech is not accurate, and just a photo, but could have been developed until Snapshot to be an all-encompassing are at a specific time
  • In Snapshot, the thing is part of the big machine which is apparently powered by a person, but it could be tech, not the person
• An almost uniquely powered individual who has the ability to manifest multiple external consciousnesses, which is made more powerful by VR
  • The woman in Legion is named Sandra and has the same condition as Stephen Leeds, but it is more developed
  • The person in the machine is the only powered individual we know, and the only people we know in Legion with powers are Stephen and Sandra
  • Sandra submits to a corporation to be free of her powers/condition, the corporation sold the machine to the government, hence why such powerful human being trapped in the machine is so docile
  • "dupes" in the snapshot have consciousness, or a perfectly close approximation, as we know by the narrator having full cognitive capability, so possibly they are forced to be Sandra's aspects as perfect imitations of their real past selves
  • machine explained as simple matter creation, this can't be true, as the police badges work in weird ways with the people, not allowing for simple physics, VR is a perfect explanation

There is probably something in Sanderson's intro which makes this obvious, or its been outright said and I missed it, but I didn't see it on the Wiki, so I hope you enjoy my theory.

Edited June 17, 2019 by Herald of Speculation

[Wander89]

I think Sanderson has mentioned that anything on Earth isn't part of the Cosmere but hasn't mentioned if all those stories tie-in. I don't even think I'd like another shared universe from Sanderson, it's good to see some standalone stories where we constantly aren't looking for connections. It's a good theory but they definitely aren't shared, there has been no such confirmation and

[Herald of Speculation]

7 minutes ago, Wander89 said:

I think Sanderson has mentioned that anything on Earth isn't part of the Cosmere but hasn't mentioned if all those stories tie-in. I don't even think I'd like another shared universe from Sanderson, it's good to see some standalone stories where we constantly aren't looking for connections. It's a good theory but they definitely aren't shared, there has been no such confirmation and

I mean, just because he hasn't confirmed it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And just because they're shared doesn't mean they have to intersect at all. They can, as we well know, function as entirely different novella's, I just think that there are so many links. I'm not sure if he's writing any more books in either series, but I think your right that if combining their stories would be less than ideal. But sharing a universe with maybe nudges to each other is cool.

[Wander89]

1 hour ago, Herald of Speculation said:

I mean, just because he hasn't confirmed it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And just because they're shared doesn't mean they have to intersect at all. They can, as we well know, function as entirely different novella's, I just think that there are so many links. I'm not sure if he's writing any more books in either series, but I think your right that if combining their stories would be less than ideal. But sharing a universe with maybe nudges to each other is cool.

It is a good theory, don't get me wrong, but im sure it was optioned to be set in the same universe as Reckoners but Sanderson kept it separate because it's been optioned off for film distribution rights. Sure, there's links but I like to think that these are just neat Easter eggs to his series.

[Herald of Speculation]

2 minutes ago, Wander89 said:

It is a good theory, don't get me wrong, but im sure it was optioned to be set in the same universe as Reckoners but Sanderson kept it separate because it's been optioned off for film distribution rights. Sure, there's links but I like to think that these are just neat Easter eggs to his series.

Yeah, I only really wanted to point out the links. Doesn't have to be in any shared narrative universe. Just similar contexts and possibly the stories coexist.

[Wander89]

4 minutes ago, Herald of Speculation said:

Yeah, I only really wanted to point out the links. Doesn't have to be in any shared narrative universe. Just similar contexts and possibly the stories coexist.

Nah I agree with that. I'd like a shared Earth, I'd like to see Stephen Leeds and his many aspects adapt to a world with the Reckoners

[Yolenlightweaver]

I have two theories, one for Stormlight and one for the Cosmere in general.

Adolin may or may not be able to bond with Maya, but he will take the place in the radiant hierarchy as the weapons master for all future radiance. I feel like it would allow at least one of the main characters to be a normal person just trying to do the best they can. (Still highly likely I am wrong)

The other is dealing with Hoid. We know he and Frost/17th shard doesn't agree on their actions in the Cosmere. We also know that Brandon won't just keep making characters more and more powerful continually giving them powerups until there is no level of relativity. Therefore although we are growing to love Hoid he may cause a major problem by his actions by either fixing what was broken which is a possibly bad idea or he will stop something from being fixed when from the audience's point of view it should be done. I can't see him pulling a villain move out of evil or mania but I can see it done on accident.

[Karger]

14 hours ago, Wander89 said:

I think Sanderson has mentioned that anything on Earth isn't part of the Cosmere but hasn't mentioned if all those stories tie-in. I don't even think I'd like another shared universe from Sanderson, it's good to see some standalone stories where we constantly aren't looking for connections. It's a good theory but they definitely aren't shared, there has been no such confirmation and

 

14 hours ago, Herald of Speculation said:

I mean, just because he hasn't confirmed it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And just because they're shared doesn't mean they have to intersect at all. They can, as we well know, function as entirely different novella's, I just think that there are so many links. I'm not sure if he's writing any more books in either series, but I think your right that if combining their stories would be less than ideal. But sharing a universe with maybe nudges to each other is cool.

Please confine discussion to a discussion page in the future.  I set up a discussion page for this vary reason and it feels bad being ignored.

[Zelly]

My favorite theory that I've come up with is that Urithiru can only be activated by the combined efforts of a member of every KR order, working together under a Bondsmith's influence.  It's in the archive's somewhere, I think about the basement pillar. *lazy*

[Aon Ati]

This isn't a huge crazy theory, but I believe that the inhabitants of Aima are the most important group of people on Roshar. I believe that they are more important then humans, Singers, spren, Unmade, Ghostbloods, or Shards. My belief of their importance comes from the fact that every back cover of a Stormlight book has been written by an Aimian, their island was important enough that an Unmade scoured it, and finally, whatever was on that island is so dangerous that not even a dying individual can be told. A sub theory I have is that the Dawnshards are located there.

[Pathfinder]

My theories are:

1. Dalinar as a bondsmith using the connection Adolin has strengthened with Maya to guide a large infusion of investiture to heal Maya. Then Dalinar and Adolin will continue to help revive other blades bringing the spren like Malata's Spark to their side.

2. Lirin might be the next Dustbringer

3. Jasnah has a degree of schizophrenia that she uses logic to keep in line and that was why she was locked away in a dark room when she was a child. 

[ScavellTane]

The Return of the Heralds and the Fused are separate to the Desolations. The Return has always happened before/after a Desolation.

The Last Desolation was unique in that the Heralds and Fused returned during a Desolation. The 'breaking' of the Oathpact was so that the conflict with Odium remained in limbo.

I believe the contest between the Shards somehow takes precedence and the Desolation is somehow on hold while it is being resolved.

Once Odium is 'defeated', the Desolation will resume.

Edited June 22, 2019 by ScavellTane

[+ILuvHats]

The fact that this is the only decent theory I've made makes me want to come up with more.

[Quantus]

By Request, here is my most recent Cosmere Chemtrail:

 

[Calderis]

Probably the theory with the least cosmere significance of all of the serious ones of made, yet the one I'm most proud of. 

 

[Ashspren]

Clearly my finest work...

Just kidding (though that one was a lot of fun to make). My actual best theories are the following: 

Aona and Skai are siblings. It would actually make a lot of sense, given that the fact that Aona's Shard is Devotion. Also, we see some relationships between other Shardholders: Tanavast and Cultivation were lovers, and Ati and Leras were close friends. Another idea is that they're father/daughter, as proposed by @Ishar. 

Szeth's father (Neturo-son-Vallano) has done something to get himself ostracized from Shin society. Why else would Szeth call himself Szeth-son-son-Vallano, ignoring his father's name?

Finally, there's a deeper connection between Hoid and the Stonewards. It's more of an explanation for a connection that I found interesting, but there's a lot of theorizing that could happen from that, so I'll put it on here for now. 

 

Loved seeing everyone else's theories, by the way. They're all amazing.

[KandraAllomancer]

Unity is the child of Cultivation of Honor and the original Shard on Ashyn (plus musings on fabrials and Dawnshards):

Caananite/Ugaritic mythology foreshadows Stormlight Archive plot and particularly Odium's fate:

 

[+Invocation]

On 12/1/2019 at 10:19 PM, Ashspren said:

Szeth's father (Neturo-son-Vallano) has done something to get himself ostracized from Shin society. Why else would Szeth call himself Szeth-son-son-Vallano, ignoring his father's name?

Gonna take this one apart, my apologies. Something about Shinovar's culture allows for some form of "tainting" when a relative is shamed, more than likely along the naming route going back to however still living relatives there are in that. Or maybe just one generation. Szeth mentions something about his father being shamed by the association with himself as Truthless, which is why he kicks it back to Ole Grandpappy Vallano (who has a really cool name, honestly).