Kaladin's Shash Brand

[TheShashBrand]

I made this account yesterday, shortly after finishing the WoR and deciding to scour the interwebs for answers to my questions. I've been reading these forums for two days now, and haven't come across any mention of the Shash brand on Kaladin's forehead. It's one of the things I find most interesting about him, and here's why:

 

Lopen taught himself to use Stormlight, and immediately his arm began to regrow. A severed limb is something that would have been completely covered with scar tissue in these times, and would likely have been cauterized to avoid an almost certain death. This (in physiological terms, at least) makes it identical to Kaladin's scar. However, I believe that it's been made abundantly clear that the Shash brand on Kaladin's forehead is just something he is going to live with forever (and he won't be covering it up with a tattoo, either).

 

The books have made no mention of Kaladin trying specifically to heal the scar with stormlight, and I don't believe they ever will. He is probably able to do it, but being that he is bound to an Honorspren, I think he feels morally obligated to be honest, even with those whom he is about to kill. His scar tells even those who do not know him that whether he is a free man or a slave, being in his presence is tantamount to being in the presence of danger.

 

And what is Kaladin, if not honest?

 

Let me know if I'm missing something here.

[Savanorn]

Brandon Sanderson has answered this, iirc, and you're basically right.

Healing has to do with how you see yourself. And Kaladin sees himself as branded whereas Lopen doesn't see himself as maimed.

[RShara]

The way a person sees himself has a huge part of how magic in the cosmere works.  Kaladin sees himself as branded, and his scars won't heal until he sees himself as whole.

[hoser]

The psychological version of Savanorm and RShara'a answers (which I don't disagree with at all) would be that Kaladin sees Amaram's betrayal as changing who he is.  Before, he was the confident, trusting platoon leader, now he sees himself as broken and betrayed.  While he has started to move forward, it is still part of his identity. It is less a physical scar than an association with his mental history.  

[signspace13]

I absolutely agree that Kaladin's Shash brand isn't going anywhere even if the slave brands go he will always be Dangerous it is a label that suits him well so no it isn't going anywhere.

Edited May 31, 2014 by signspace13

[RShara]

Well, it could if he sees himself as healed.  I think the scars, Shash brand included, are indicative of his depression and so forth, rather than a message he's trying to give.

[Palad]

"It was asked of Brandon on Facebook why Kaladin retains his slave brands even after his transformation. Brandon responded that it depends on how Kaladin envisions himself" -Stormlight Archive Wiki

Edited November 24, 2018 by Palad
(edited cause i added the quote signs)

[Weltall]

@Palad <Looks at the date of the last post before yours>

Oh, and welcome to the Shard. I promise we don't bite. Much.

Edited November 24, 2018 by Weltall

[Palad]

Lol. Thanks 

[Palad]

Rip 14 posts and still Skaa, while theshashbrand has 8, and is a spearman 

[NoiseSpren]

Gave you upvete on every one of your posts. Feel better?

[Scion of the Mists]

On 11/23/2018 at 11:17 PM, Palad said:

Rip 14 posts and still Skaa, while theshashbrand has 8, and is a spearman 

Generally reputation is given when you make meaningful posts.  Copy and pasting information from a different website's wiki page on a 4 year old thread is not likely to meet that bar.  Additionally, double posting is not allowed per the forum rules (which also address thread necroing).  

[Rainier]

Since this has already been brought back from the dead, I'll add something else.

Shash means dangerous, not slave. Kaladin no longer thinks of himself as a slave, but he knows he's dangerous, and by picking up the spear instead of the scalpel he's committed to violence in a way that he's ashamed of. He keeps the brand because he's dangerous, and he knows it, and he's ashamed of himself for being so dangerous. 

[Calderis]

47 minutes ago, Rainier said:

Since this has already been brought back from the dead, I'll add something else.

Shash means dangerous, not slave. Kaladin no longer thinks of himself as a slave, but he knows he's dangerous, and by picking up the spear instead of the scalpel he's committed to violence in a way that he's ashamed of. He keeps the brand because he's dangerous, and he knows it, and he's ashamed of himself for being so dangerous. 

Kaladin has kept all of his brands, not just the shash brand. 

I personally don't think the meaning of the actual glyphs is important in the slightest. What they represent in the complete loss of control in his life are different story. 

Edited November 26, 2018 by Calderis

[Samaldin]

I´m not completly sure about this interpretation, but i think it´s not just what the brands represent for Kaladin (loss of control, loss of hope, loss of trust etc.) but that they represent THE defining moment/timespan of his life. Cosmere healing does seem to not just be about the selfimage, otherwise Renarin could not have healed his eyesight (i find it unlikely that he envisioned himself with perfect vision, when he probably had eyesight problems his whole life), so i believe it is also important wether you let the wounds/problems define you. Renarin and Lopen never let themself be defined by their ailments and were healed when they got acces to stormlight, on the other hand Kaladin and Rysn both accepted their fate and made it a defining moment of their being and both were unable to be healed. 

[CosmicSieve]

18 hours ago, Rainier said:

Since this has already been brought back from the dead, I'll add something else.

Shash means dangerous, not slave. Kaladin no longer thinks of himself as a slave, but he knows he's dangerous, and by picking up the spear instead of the scalpel he's committed to violence in a way that he's ashamed of. He keeps the brand because he's dangerous, and he knows it, and he's ashamed of himself for being so dangerous. 

I agree with you somewhat about the shash brand, but not its meaning. Kaladin got it because he refused to be a good little slave, and repeatedly tried to escape, and to take all the other slaves to freedom also. Kaladin is dangerous because he upends Alethi society. It's the one scar I think Kaladin should keep as a badge of honor.

[Ashaman_Wade]

I would also like to add that while Kaladin took great strides to becoming a "light eyes" in Oasthbringer he still seems to only enter into the large meetings as a foil. To show the higher ups how the enemy and low class feel.that and protecting Heralds. 

Moving on to what could cause him to heal himself.. Maybe he is morphing into a protector of the land position and will be fully healed when he is chosen as the champion of the light and he accepts that he is more than what he sees himself as. Like, he does something huge in saving a large group of people and then he starts gathering a following that takes care of him and his mens needs. A cult? Off topic. I just get lost thinking about what could happen to make kaladin see that he is becoming more than just what he sees in himself. Maybe that involves everyone knowing th at the hero that everyone knows and loves has a slave brand. 

The continual upheaval of Alethi societal norms, especially now that slave work is everybody work. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by Ashaman_Wade
Herald and remove tangent