Is Knights Radiant powers Hereditary

[Ricocheting Windrunner]

Is the power to be a Knight Radiant hereditary? 

So if two Windrunners married and had a child would that child become a Windrunner automatically?

Or if two different orders married would there child inherit both powers? 

[The Sovereign]

It is not genetic but their kids would be more likely to attract a Spren and form a Nahel Bond. Here are a few relevant WOBs:

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Questioner

Why are there so many Kholins that are Radiants? Is there a story reason or...

Brandon Sanderson

There is a story reason, kind of. So the Kholin family is in Alethkar, which was the hereditary-- one of the homes of the Knights Radiant. It's still kind of in the forefront of the-- how shall we say-- the collective unconscious and things like this. Plus there's--

Questioner

And then they are on the forefront of that.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. I mean-- Yeah. And so the spren, some of them are naturally looking for where a lot of Radiants used to be. So it's just a higher concentration of spren around the area, if that makes sense?

Shadows of Self London UK signing (Oct. 19, 2015)

 

 

 

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JoyBlu

Both Tien and Kaladin are Radiant, you talked about how that wasn't hereditary, and how that was more because of where they were with association. Was it because they were associated with the same person, or the same place?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, Connection influences spren.

JoyBlu

Right, but was the Connection to a person that they were around?

Brandon Sanderson

Connection to people.

JoyBlue

So not necessarily the place where they were?

Brandon Sanderson

Right.

Joyblu

Because my way of thinking it might be with the people is because, like with the Purelake on the Cognitive Realm there would be more spren hanging out there because that was more land, right; so if you spent more time on that you would have more spren around you. So if you're closer to more water, you're closer to more spren.

Brandon Sanderson

That is not an irrelevant observation.

Skyward release party (Nov. 6, 2018)

 

   

 

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Questioner

Is being a Knight Radiant at all genetic? Because you have Jasnah, Dalinar, and Renarin in the same family.

Brandon Sanderson

It is not genetic, however… Um… Families or people close to one another are more likely. It’s not genetic. So for instance, if everyone were adopted it would still have the same prevalence.

Questioner

Okay, fascinating!

Questioner

[interruption hard to hear]

Brandon Sanderson

Well, there are a couple of reasons for that. One is which, attracting the attention of a spren can mean that other spren are paying attention to that area. There are also things in the Cosmere (the shared universe of them) where people are connected spiritually. Um… and that’s part of the magic as well. So… You are more likely to become a Radiant if you know a Radiant.

Boskone 54 (Feb. 17, 2017)

 

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by The Sovereign

[Weltall]

As already mentioned, you can't inherit Surgebinding powers because the magic comes from a bond with another sapient being who has to choose you, but being connected to someone who already is Radiant makes it more likely for a spren to bond you. One little detail to add (and it sort of goes to the original question about which powers the children of Radiants might have) is that just because you're connected to someone of any given Order doesn't mean that you would necessarily attract a spren associated with that same Order, even if you're a Squire.

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Storm Cellar

Do squires always bond the spren of their Knight's order? Or can they attract a different type of spren?

Brandon Sanderson

They can attract a different spren.

Miscellaneous 2018 (Oct. 14, 2018)

So you could be a child of two Windrunners and end up as a Skybreaker if you were a better fit for a highspren than an honorspren, or you could be a child of an Edgedancer and Elsecaller and end up a Dustbringer, etc etc.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Weltall

[Aluminum]

No, I don't have WoBs but I'm pretty sure it's not hereditary. Usually, knights radients are chosen because they are broken inside and fit some of the ideals of that spren's order. It might be more likely for the windrunners' child to be a windrunner but that would be because spren search for people around where other knight radients have been found (case in point: the Kohlina). Also the kid would be conditioned to like the windrunner ideals. Since becoming a Knight Radiant involves an intelligent being's choice it's not hereditary

[Quantus]

It's not hereditary in the sense that it has nothing to do with DNA, but it is likely to happen to those that already know and are emotionally/Spiritually Connected to Knights, simply because it's easier to come to the notice of other spren.  But Bridge Four qualifies as that sort of Family, no genetic relation required.  

[Honorless]

Nope, the Knights Radiant's abilities came from the Nahel Bond with spren, who are sapient beings choosing to bond an individual based on certain criteria. The reason why the Kholins have multiple Radiants is part happenstance and part natural consequence of having multiple Bonded individuals. That is to say that other spren are directly aware of potentially suitable candidates within an existing pool of candidates (the Kholin family) rather than having to search extensively for one all across Roshar.