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Two questions from a Stormlight newbie


The Kraken's Daughter

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So, I'm about two-thirds of the way through TWOK. (Kaladin has formed a plan to escape the warcamp with Bridge Four, and Shallan has switched out her broken Soulcaster for Jasnah's functional one.) Obviously, I have a bunch of questions, but two feel more like inconsistencies or things I'm missing, rather than just "the plot hasn't gotten to the answer yet."

1. What is the nature of the Stormfather in Roshar's cosmology? I had been assuming he was a sort of Satan-figure, since variants on the word "storm" are used as expletives. But when Kaladin sees him during the highstorm, he doesn't try to do Kaladin any harm. And later, when Kaladin "rides the storm" and sees him again, he doesn't seem menacing or hostile. He almost sounds wistful when he talks about how people don't ride the storms anymore, and he warns Kal about Odium. I also think it might be his voice that Dalinar hears during his visions, and telling him to unite the squabbling highprinces doesn't seem like the kind of thing a malicious being would do. So it doesn't look like the Stormfather is the ultimate evil of the setting after all. But he doesn't seem to be identified with the Almighty, either, and the Vorin faith appears to be monotheistic. So who/what exactly is the Stormfather? Is he some kind of genius loci for Roshar? Are the Vorin faithful wrong about Roshar having only one god?

2. I'm pretty sure that Syl's attachment to Kal and her having a greater degree of sapience than other spren is tied to Kal being able to use Stormlight. So why doesn't Szeth, who also uses Stormlight, have a spren following him around?

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14 minutes ago, The Kraken's Daughter said:

So, I'm about two-thirds of the way through TWOK. (Kaladin has formed a plan to escape the warcamp with Bridge Four, and Shallan has switched out her broken Soulcaster for Jasnah's functional one.) Obviously, I have a bunch of questions, but two feel more like inconsistencies or things I'm missing, rather than just "the plot hasn't gotten to the answer yet."

1. What is the nature of the Stormfather in Roshar's cosmology? I had been assuming he was a sort of Satan-figure, since variants on the word "storm" are used as expletives. But when Kaladin sees him during the highstorm, he doesn't try to do Kaladin any harm. And later, when Kaladin "rides the storm" and sees him again, he doesn't seem menacing or hostile. He almost sounds wistful when he talks about how people don't ride the storms anymore, and he warns Kal about Odium. I also think it might be his voice that Dalinar hears during his visions, and telling him to unite the squabbling highprinces doesn't seem like the kind of thing a malicious being would do. So it doesn't look like the Stormfather is the ultimate evil of the setting after all. But he doesn't seem to be identified with the Almighty, either, and the Vorin faith appears to be monotheistic. So who/what exactly is the Stormfather? Is he some kind of genius loci for Roshar? Are the Vorin faithful wrong about Roshar having only one god?

2. I'm pretty sure that Syl's attachment to Kal and her having a greater degree of sapience than other spren is tied to Kal being able to use Stormlight. So why doesn't Szeth, who also uses Stormlight, have a spren following him around?

 

Since you haven't finished Way of Kings, I'd say the answer to these questions are RAFO. I'd answer them if you really wanted but both are answered in the next books, to an extent.

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Just now, Invocation said:

I'm disappointed in all of you. You missed a perfect opportunity to pay homage to Sandman's favorite acronym and didn't.

Shame. Shame on all of you. Guess I have to do it!

RAFO!

Meanwhile, in Wander's comment: 

 

1 hour ago, Wander89 said:

 

Since you haven't finished Way of Kings, I'd say the answer to these questions are RAFO.

 

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6 hours ago, The Kraken's Daughter said:

I had been assuming he was a sort of Satan-figure, since variants on the word "storm" are used as expletives.

Brandon's books tend to use curse words based on some notable from that world, so that he doesn't actually have to curse. The highstorms are destructive, so they make convenient curses, but I wouldn't really read to much into them being evil if that makes sense. Its more about finding a more Innocent way for people to curse, since it would go against their personalities to not curse.

As for the rest, just keep reading.

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51 minutes ago, The Kraken's Daughter said:

Thanks for the answers, everyone! I wasn't sure if I was just missing a clue, especially with the first one.

In general on Roshar Storms are physically dangerous but also necessary for the life they have there.  The Stormfather is considered mythologically to be the one who sends them.  The average Rosharan probably regards him the same way the ancient Egyptians regarded the gods of the river.  Dangerous but also life giving.  Everything else is defiantly RAFO.

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On 6/10/2019 at 4:37 AM, Wandering Investor said:

Brandon's books tend to use curse words based on some notable from that world, so that he doesn't actually have to curse. The highstorms are destructive, so they make convenient curses, but I wouldn't really read to much into them being evil if that makes sense. Its more about finding a more Innocent way for people to curse, since it would go against their personalities to not curse.

As for the rest, just keep reading.

Yeah, swearing/cursing by the Stormfather, or using "storm" and "storming" as imprecations, doesn't imply he's evil to them. As you will already have seen by the end of TWoK, Rosharans also swear by several of the Heralds (usually by a specific body part - "Kelek's breath", "Taln's palms", "Ash's eyes").

Many Rosharans even conflate the Stormfather with the Herald, Jezrien (as is mentioned when they hang up Kaladin to be "judged by the storm" in TWoK: "He says he's letting the Stormfather judge you... Jezerezeh, king of Heralds.")

Spoiler

Note: the Stormfather is quite separate from Jezrien/Jezerezeh.

(I'm not sure if that counts as a spoiler as I thought that was always obvious, but I guess I'll be conservative.)

 

Edited by robardin
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@robardin By that point in the book, from "Many Rosharans.." onwards, that entire bottom part might be a spoiler..

On 6/11/2019 at 8:12 PM, The Kraken's Daughter said:

Thanks for the answers, everyone! I wasn't sure if I was just missing a clue, especially with the first one.

Don't worry! You missed a clue, or maybe a bunch, but so did everyone else! Have fun finding them all :D

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