Dragonesk Creatures of Roshar

[i’m in the details]

This theory has been bouncing around in my head since we first met Chiri-Chiri and, at least in my mind, became incredibly more valid after reading Dawnshard and ROW: there are creatures on Roshar that are either realted to, or are dragons. Now this will mainly be focused on larkin/lanceryn due to a few facts we have been given.

1. Larkin are sapient. Chiri-Chiri can talk and is shown to have complex thought in her interlude, a trait that is not shared by the majority of Rosharan wildlife.

2. This species was tasked to guard the Dawnshard. Given that dawnshards existed pre-Shattering and are extremely powerful, it seems odd that someone would leave them in the hands (claws?) of a random rosharan species.

3. Unique relationship with investiture. They feed off investiture, which is another trait that is, as far as we know, almost exclusive to this species.

4. "shimmering eyes of solid silver." They have metallic eyes, a trait that dragons canonically share. (Frost in the wob with him and Hoid talking on Yolen)

5. Scales. Now this one is a tad bit of a stretch due to in book quotes saying that larkin look like cremlings, but note that when Hoid lightweaves a dragon in his story to Kaladin, Kaladin describes the dragons scales as carapace. They also have faces more alike to axehounds than cremlings, and axehounds have more of a snout, like dragons are depicted in common media.

 

I theorize that larkin were at one point a group of dragons that settled on Roshar maybe for the specific reason of protecting the dawnshard and maybe not. I believe that overtime they began to evolve to look more like rosharan wildlife in a simular manner to that of the Ryshadium. This would likely be even easier for them as they, as far as I am aware, have the most "powerful" or complex shapeshifting we have seen (know about) in the cosmere thus far. I have a whole post about the various shapeshifting in the cosmere and basically dragons can do it with no care for preserving mass.

Allow me to enter into my wild speculation faze: larkins are not the only species on roshar that are related to dragons.

1. Greatshells. Tenuous connection at best, but I find it telling that aside from Aimia the larkins can only be found near the largest greatshells on the planet, those large moving island ones that the Reshi live on. This to me smells of a famial tie between those greatshells and the Larkin. Also they seem to be more intelligent than we first gave them credit for. (the chasmfiend at the end of ROW with the listeners)

2. Luckspren/Mandras. Makes sense thematically as madras are required for the larkin to grow, and they are great flying beasts. It is possible, likely even, however that mandras are in fact simply dragon spren in the same way horses have a spren, and humans as well. This leads me to...

3. Starspren. Don't tell me that when Shallan and Adolin see the starpren in the Cognitive Realm that you didn't think dragon I know you're lying, but seriously long necked winged beast with sparkly "carapace" like come on. Also the art of them in the book looks dragony to me.

 

Here are some counterpoints: 

Singers and Sho-del look like humans more than say rats do, but the singers at least were created by Ado and have no evolutionary relationship to humans. Thus larkin can look like dragons but be a completely different spieces.

Most greatshells don't look like dragons.

Larkin need spren to grow larger presumably for the same reason as greatshells, and I don't think there are spren on Yolen thus dragons wouldn't need them to grow.

I love dragons in fantasy and want to shoehorn more of them into the cosmere so I am biased.

 

Lemme know your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

[seriodor]

2 hours ago, i’m in the details said:

This theory has been bouncing around in my head since we first met Chiri-Chiri and, at least in my mind, became incredibly more valid after reading Dawnshard and ROW: there are creatures on Roshar that are either realted to, or are dragons. Now this will mainly be focused on larkin/lanceryn due to a few facts we have been given.

1. Larkin are sapient. Chiri-Chiri can talk and is shown to have complex thought in her interlude, a trait that is not shared by the majority of Rosharan wildlife.

2. This species was tasked to guard the Dawnshard. Given that dawnshards existed pre-Shattering and are extremely powerful, it seems odd that someone would leave them in the hands (claws?) of a random rosharan species.

3. Unique relationship with investiture. They feed off investiture, which is another trait that is, as far as we know, almost exclusive to this species.

4. "shimmering eyes of solid silver." They have metallic eyes, a trait that dragons canonically share. (Frost in the wob with him and Hoid talking on Yolen)

5. Scales. Now this one is a tad bit of a stretch due to in book quotes saying that larkin look like cremlings, but note that when Hoid lightweaves a dragon in his story to Kaladin, Kaladin describes the dragons scales as carapace. They also have faces more alike to axehounds than cremlings, and axehounds have more of a snout, like dragons are depicted in common media.

 

I theorize that larkin were at one point a group of dragons that settled on Roshar maybe for the specific reason of protecting the dawnshard and maybe not. I believe that overtime they began to evolve to look more like rosharan wildlife in a simular manner to that of the Ryshadium. This would likely be even easier for them as they, as far as I am aware, have the most "powerful" or complex shapeshifting we have seen (know about) in the cosmere thus far. I have a whole post about the various shapeshifting in the cosmere and basically dragons can do it with no care for preserving mass.

Allow me to enter into my wild speculation faze: larkins are not the only species on roshar that are related to dragons.

1. Greatshells. Tenuous connection at best, but I find it telling that aside from Aimia the larkins can only be found near the largest greatshells on the planet, those large moving island ones that the Reshi live on. This to me smells of a famial tie between those greatshells and the Larkin. Also they seem to be more intelligent than we first gave them credit for. (the chasmfiend at the end of ROW with the listeners)

2. Luckspren/Mandras. Makes sense thematically as madras are required for the larkin to grow, and they are great flying beasts. It is possible, likely even, however that mandras are in fact simply dragon spren in the same way horses have a spren, and humans as well. This leads me to...

3. Starspren. Don't tell me that when Shallan and Adolin see the starpren in the Cognitive Realm that you didn't think dragon I know you're lying, but seriously long necked winged beast with sparkly "carapace" like come on. Also the art of them in the book looks dragony to me.

 

Here are some counterpoints: 

Singers and Sho-del look like humans more than say rats do, but the singers at least were created by Ado and have no evolutionary relationship to humans. Thus larkin can look like dragons but be a completely different spieces.

Most greatshells don't look like dragons.

Larkin need spren to grow larger presumably for the same reason as greatshells, and I don't think there are spren on Yolen thus dragons wouldn't need them to grow.

I love dragons in fantasy and want to shoehorn more of them into the cosmere so I am biased.

 

Lemme know your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

I think any draconic influence on Roshar could be attributed to the whole Cultivation is a dragon thing.

[Kuldak]

If we assume Humans and Singers are both creations of Adonalsium. It stands to reason that there may be a similar parallel creation between greatshells/larkin and Yolish Dragons.

There is also a WoB that implies Cultivation's vessel is/was a dragon, so it's possible that if Cultivation had any direct hand in creating or developing any of Roshar's lifeforms, they may have some draconic aspects to them. I can see it easily fitting the stereotypical fantasy dragon mindset that when creating a large majestic apex predator, that it would be built in their own image.

[caarlos]

8 hours ago, Kuldak said:

If we assume Humans and Singers are both creations of Adonalsium. It stands to reason that there may be a similar parallel creation between greatshells/larkin and Yolish Dragons.

There is also a WoB that implies Cultivation's vessel is/was a dragon, so it's possible that if Cultivation had any direct hand in creating or developing any of Roshar's lifeforms, they may have some draconic aspects to them. I can see it easily fitting the stereotypical fantasy dragon mindset that when creating a large majestic apex predator, that it would be built in their own image.

Spoiler

If I recall correctly, in RoW Hoid tells Kaladin that there is one (1) dragon on roshar. We know too that there are 2 or 3 Larkins alive so it is very possible the one and only dragon is cultivation. No other known character seems possible to me so your comment about cultivation having something to do with the creation of draconic creatures on roshar seems plausible to me.