The methods of killing Spren

[Ramona Tehradin]

After RoW, we now get confirmation that spren/Voidspren can be killed by various means. The discovery of Navani-Reboniel's hybrid Light and anti-Investiture probed a new window to destroy embodiments of creations which is concerning but at the same time provides an opportunity to be explored more. However, the methods have been subjected to both sides and now its a race of distributing these Anti-Lights in form of armament in battlefield. However, we are forgetting that there are some other ways to kill spren as well, which excludes breaking of oaths because that was something done from mutual acceptance. I'm gonna list them down including something we've forgotten since Oathbringer: 

Using Anti-Voidlight 

We all know anti-voidlight destroys the immortal essence of Voidspren and prevents them from being reborn again. Gavilar had it way before Everstorm, something having gotten from Braize. I don't know how he got it from there or who gave him but clearly his plans included to hurt Odium since he wanted to bring back desolations- which means clearly someone else knew about it, perhaps one of the Fused and contacted him just the way Venli was contacted by Ulium? Anyway, we know anti-voidlight could be a great weapon for Radiant faction. 

Using Anti-Stormlight

Just like Anti-Voidlight, Anti-Stormlight destroys Radiant spren i.e completely renders them incapable of forming again even in Cognitive Realm. This is worrying since the apparatus and instructions have been already sent to Kholinar by Reboniel to produce more amount of this violent Light. It also shows that when a spren is killed, The knight feels terrible pain as if their soul is being ripped. If sprens start dying, there would be perhaps some spren would be willing to bond back to them but the soul-trauma received would push them into a catatonic state. Which is even more concerning when it comes to usage of Anti-Stormlight....

But there are two more methods of killing spren which was shown: 

Bringing them to Physical Realm 

This is terrible. This left me tittering in corner of my eyes despite being a Biotechnologist myself. 

But I think bringing Spren back to Physical Realm in their full bodies kills them as we saw at Ishar's warcamp. So...a Bondsmith can possibly bring any kind of spren to Physical Realm and they'll die as they are not Connecting, without Intent. I believe this could be applied for Voidspren as well but this is a terrible method and we have only three Bondsmits- Dalinar, Navani and Ishar, and one of them is bound to Tower, one of them would perhaps not do such a thing and another is a raving lunatic. Almighty know what might happen to poor spren. 

Which brings us to the last method we all are forgetting- 

Kaladin killing a Voidspren in Kholinar using Syldagger 

• During raiding Kholinar palace, Kaladin summoned Syl as a dagger and used it to pin one of the Voidspren that was able to cut it. The spren screamed and seemed to rip into a thousand pieces until it faded into nothingness. 
• Syl experienced a terrible feeling for doing it but surely they killed a spren in some uncanny manner we don't know. 
• I have no idea why it wasn't discussed further or Kaladin never mentioned it again and we just jumped around it. 
• I don't know if it is possible only for Kaladin and Syl or other Radiants as well but this must be looked into. 

 

So I guess these methods are known to us which can be used to kill spren which is an important aspect of war. The question is, if these methods could be applicable for powerful sprens like Unmade or Godsprens as well which could be very concerning because usage of these methods on either sides would result in catastrophic consequence. 

I would specially like to discuss more about Kaladin killing the spren since it hasn't been discussed. 

 

 

[Saradas]

3 hours ago, Ramona Tehradin said:

After RoW, we now get confirmation that spren/Voidspren can be killed by various means. The discovery of Navani-Reboniel's hybrid Light and anti-Investiture probed a new window to destroy embodiments of creations which is concerning but at the same time provides an opportunity to be explored more. However, the methods have been subjected to both sides and now its a race of distributing these Anti-Lights in form of armament in battlefield. However, we are forgetting that there are some other ways to kill spren as well, which excludes breaking of oaths because that was something done from mutual acceptance. I'm gonna list them down including something we've forgotten since Oathbringer: 

Using Anti-Voidlight 

We all know anti-voidlight destroys the immortal essence of Voidspren and prevents them from being reborn again. Gavilar had it way before Everstorm, something having gotten from Braize. I don't know how he got it from there or who gave him but clearly his plans included to hurt Odium since he wanted to bring back desolations- which means clearly someone else knew about it, perhaps one of the Fused and contacted him just the way Venli was contacted by Ulium? Anyway, we know anti-voidlight could be a great weapon for Radiant faction. 

Using Anti-Stormlight

Just like Anti-Voidlight, Anti-Stormlight destroys Radiant spren i.e completely renders them incapable of forming again even in Cognitive Realm. This is worrying since the apparatus and instructions have been already sent to Kholinar by Reboniel to produce more amount of this violent Light. It also shows that when a spren is killed, The knight feels terrible pain as if their soul is being ripped. If sprens start dying, there would be perhaps some spren would be willing to bond back to them but the soul-trauma received would push them into a catatonic state. Which is even more concerning when it comes to usage of Anti-Stormlight....

But there are two more methods of killing spren which was shown: 

Bringing them to Physical Realm 

This is terrible. This left me tittering in corner of my eyes despite being a Biotechnologist myself. 

But I think bringing Spren back to Physical Realm in their full bodies kills them as we saw at Ishar's warcamp. So...a Bondsmith can possibly bring any kind of spren to Physical Realm and they'll die as they are not Connecting, without Intent. I believe this could be applied for Voidspren as well but this is a terrible method and we have only three Bondsmits- Dalinar, Navani and Ishar, and one of them is bound to Tower, one of them would perhaps not do such a thing and another is a raving lunatic. Almighty know what might happen to poor spren. 

Which brings us to the last method we all are forgetting- 

Kaladin killing a Voidspren in Kholinar using Syldagger 

• During raiding Kholinar palace, Kaladin summoned Syl as a dagger and used it to pin one of the Voidspren that was able to cut it. The spren screamed and seemed to rip into a thousand pieces until it faded into nothingness. 
• Syl experienced a terrible feeling for doing it but surely they killed a spren in some uncanny manner we don't know. 
• I have no idea why it wasn't discussed further or Kaladin never mentioned it again and we just jumped around it. 
• I don't know if it is possible only for Kaladin and Syl or other Radiants as well but this must be looked into. 

 

So I guess these methods are known to us which can be used to kill spren which is an important aspect of war. The question is, if these methods could be applicable for powerful sprens like Unmade or Godsprens as well which could be very concerning because usage of these methods on either sides would result in catastrophic consequence. 

I would specially like to discuss more about Kaladin killing the spren since it hasn't been discussed. 

 

 

I had assumed they were mistaken about having killed that voidspren torturing lil Gav. I figured they thought they did at the time, hence Syl's horror, but since learned that it wasn't the case. 

I believe it's a part from Kal's PoV where there's a mention of 'killing' voidspren just for them to reform later in the cognitive.