Sight, Sound, Strength, Power, Glory, Speed! [Mistborn Era 1 Spoilers + Minor Mistborn Era 2 Spoilers + Realmatic Theory (including a connection to Roshar)]

[Adonalsium's Eigenbasis]

While I was re-reading Mistborn Era 1, there was a passage that I found really intriguing: 

HoA chapter 81:

Then, Elend burned duralumin with his atium.

Sight, Sound, Strength, Power, Glory, Speed!

Blue lines sprayed from his chest like rays of light. But those were all overshadowed by one thing. Atium plus duralumin. In a flash of knowledge, Elend felt a mind-numbing wealth of information. All became white around him as knowledge saturated his mind.

“I see now,” he whispered as the vision faded, and along with it his remaining metals. The battlefield returned. He stood upon it, his sword piercing Marsh’s neck. It had gotten caught on the spikehead jutting out of Marsh’s back, between the shoulder blades.

Marsh’s axe was buried in Elend’s chest.

 

There have been a few discussions of what's going on in this scene over the years, see e.g. 

 

However, as I've searched around, I haven't found any discussions of what  "Sight, Sound, Strength, Power, Glory, Speed!" is all about. 

For refreshing context, this is after Elend has used up his metals and is fighting Marsh, while Vin-as-Preservation is powering him directly. 

Some aspects are pretty clear: Vin is using her investiture to directly create the effects of various metals in Elend; when Elend burns duralumin (which I think it is implied he actually has as a metal still, as well as atium), it also amplifies the effects of the "pseudo-metals" that Vin is granting him directly. 

Indeed, Sight and Sound are accounted for by A-Tin and Strength is accounted for by A-Pewter. 

But here's where things start to get interesting. Also recall that Elend is fighting Marsh, who is using Feruchemical speed to move quickly -- somehow, Elend keeps up with him. 

Vin is ALSO granting the effect that Compounders are able to access -- he's effectively burning F-Steel, this is why Duralumin is bursting his speed even more. 

Power is the next interesting one -- I believe this is likely the effect that Compounders burning F-Nicrosil (e.g. investiture) get. 

 

Now we come to the last, and most puzzling and intriguing of them all -- Glory. What feruchemical or allomantic ability grants "Glory", and what does that mean?? 

I've come up with some possibilities: 

- it's actually just Fortune (as accessed via F-Chromium) or something: I don't think this is the case, all the Spiritual Realm shenanigans are because Elend is also burning atium (this is clarified in the paragraph after the quote of interest). 

- It's Identity (as accessed via compounding F-Aluminum) -- I don't think this is the case, but it's plausible I suppose. 

- It's Connection (as accessed via F-Duralumin) -- this is perhaps plausible (I'll get to why in a bit), but I kind of don't think that's what's going on

- It's Determination (via F-Electrum) - maybe? But not sure why it would be called Glory.. I lean towards no. 

- The other standard Feruchemical and Allomantic powers don't seem related to "Glory" at all. 

So now we come to the god metals/alloys. It's not atium for obvious reasons, it is likely not any alloy of atium either since this is being Fueled by Vin (though I suppose it's not impossible; we don't know what F-Malatium does for instance (or do we? I haven't seen anything)). It might be interesting if it is F-Lerasium, that would somewhat fit I suppose, but it's unclear what the power is here -- perhaps it stores some notion of "godliness" or "Connection, specifically to Preservation" ? That would definitely make sense in the context of the scene, since Elend is connecting to Preservation's power direclty; perhaps F-Lerasium is what is allowing him to be fueled by Preservation's power directly (e.g. effectively take in the mists -- sidenote, perhaps this is related to why Vin was able to take in the mists). 

We also know by WOB that every god metal (all 16, and I suppose alloys of them as well) each generate 16 powers by alloying with the existing allomantic metals, so there's a whole plethora of possible powers out there; it could also be the case that Vin-as-Preservation is able to access any combination -- so it could technically be some allomantic or feruchemical power of one of those. Would be pretty interesting if it were. 

Now I've finished presenting all the possibilities, [minor spoilers for Stormlight]

Spoiler

I want to make a connection to gloryspren, which are associated with the Bondsmiths, who have the power of Connection. This is why I considered it plausible that Connection is what's going on here (and indeed, that is basically my guess for what F-Lerasium does). However I think Glory must be a power/concept more specific than just Connection, though perhaps "Connection to a Shard" is sufficiently specific (and indeed, the Bondsmiths are strongly connected to the godspren of Roshar, which is what gives them such power). 

Anyways, very curious to hear more of your thoughts about what "Glory" really is! 

[Kingsdaughter613]

I don’t know, but I’ve theorized that’s Harmony + Autonomy would be Glory. And I don’t know WHY it would be, just that I keep coming back to it.

[Cheyenne Sedai]

I don't know either, but I really like your theory its related to Connection. I wonder what Brandon would say if he saw this theory. 

[KSub]

I think the glory statement is Fortune. It is a feruchemial ability so it likely increases your own fortune, whatever that means. Increased good fortune could be glory. 

But when Elend burns the atium and duralumin it gives him something akin to a shards ability to see the future. Elend is probably seeing Sazed taking up the shards. And thats why he says "I see"

[Adonalsium's Eigenbasis]

Fortune is known to relate to the way Shards see the future, but yes, it seems like there are other possible uses of it. It's plausible, but I don't find Glory to be a good synonym for the kinds of benefits Fortune brings. Maybe something like "Luck" if  indeed that is another application of Fortune. 

 

I'm leaning pretty heavily towards Glory = "Connection to Adonalsium" which is generated by some effect of Preservation's increased connection with Elend-- it fits well, glory often refers to God anyways. 

 

I have a new theory which is related to this; I'll try to post it sometime soon. 

[cometaryorbit]

On 2/6/2021 at 7:13 PM, Adonalsium's Eigenbasis said:

I'm leaning pretty heavily towards Glory = "Connection to Adonalsium" which is generated by some effect of Preservation's increased connection with Elend-- it fits well, glory often refers to God anyways.

Glory = divinity is how I read it, either specifically Connection to Preservation or Adonalsium/Investiture in general, or more broadly that Elend is so heavily Invested right then (and mostly in the Spiritual Realm due to Duralumin+Atium) that he's briefly perceiving the world as the Shards do.