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Cataloguing in-world use of the term "cosmere"


mdross81

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While reading through one of the scenes between Kabsal and Shallan in TWoK recently, it jumped out at me that Kabsal actually used the word "cosmere" twice. This sent me on a research mission hunting for in-world use of the term to see whether it might reveal anything interesting. The word cosmere has been used in-world in Mistborn: Secret History; all of the Stormlight novels and one of the novellas (Dawnshard), and in two of the three novels from MB Era 2. No mentions in MB Era 1, Elantris, Warbreaker, or any of the other short fiction in Arcanum Unbounded.

Here's what I found, listed chronologically, with some commentary.

Mistborn: Secret History

The term crops up twice in SH, first when Khriss breaks Kelsier's brain by explaining that there are 14 additional Shards beyond Ruin and Cultivation and that they are all on different planets. (Part Three, Chapter 2)

Later, in the epilogue, a now-Cosmere-aware Kelsier drops the term when talking to Spook.

Takeaways: No great insights here. It's not surprising that Khriss, an accomplished, worldhopping scholar knows the correct lingo. And of course, Kelsier's got to start showing off his superior knowledge as soon as he can.

The Way of Kings

The term shows up four times in Way of Kings. Hoid uses the term in his letter to Frost (Ch. 13 Epigraph).

Then, in Ch. 29, Jasnah uses the term during one of her discussions with Shallan:

Quote

Jasnah sniffed. “Your tutors were idiots. Youthful immaturity is one of the cosmere’s great catalysts for change, Shallan.”

As mentioned above, Kabsal uses the word twice when trying to explain to Shallan what the Voidbringers were. This is in Ch. 45:

Quote

“Everything has its opposite, Shallan. The Almighty is a force of good. To balance his goodness, the cosmere needed the Voidbringers as his opposite.”

“So the more good that the Almighty did, the more evil he created as a by-product? What’s the point of doing any good at all if it just creates more evil?”

“I see Jasnah has continued your training in philosophy.”

“That’s not philosophy,” Shallan said. “That’s simple logic.”

He sighed. “I don’t think you want to get into the deep theology of this. Suffice it to say that the Almighty’s pure goodness created the Voidbringers, but men may choose good without creating evil because as mortals they have a dual nature. This the only way for good to increase in the cosmere is for men to create it – in that way, good may come to outweigh evil.”

Finally, Hoid mentions the term to Dalinar during that weird conversation where he seems to be testing whether Dalinar has ever heard the word Adonalsium before.

Takeaways: Obviously it's no surprise to see Hoid using the term. As for Jasnah and Kabsal, I think there are fairly simple explanations for both. For Jasnah, we know that she's already bonded Ivory by this point and I'm guessing the first thing she did was ask him a gazillion questions. And Kabsal, as an operative of the Ghostbloods, is likely cosmere-aware. More interesting to me is the substance of what he says. I wonder how much he is just spouting the official Vorin doctrine here about increasing good in the cosmere, or if it's more of a personal view or (probably least likely) a hint at more noble goals for the Ghostbloods than we usually think.

Neither Shallan nor Dalinar respond in a way that suggests the word is strange to them. I don't know what to make of that. For Dalinar, the word came in the midst of a conversation where Hoid used a bunch of nonsense words. And Shallan is pretty much always in her own head. Or maybe this is another example of Rosharans being bad at naming things and they just think that the term applies to only Roshar (synonymous with "the world").

Words of Radiance

The word cosmere is mentioned in two spots in WoR. First, in the Ym interlude (interlude 2). Ym uses the term twice while thinking to himself about his Iriali religious beliefs. Here's the first:

Quote

Such delightful inventions, spectacles. To live was to be a fragment of the cosmere that was experiencing itself. How could he properly experience if he couldn’t see?

Then later, right after using Progression to heal the boy's foot, he thinks:

Quote

So far, Ym had used this ability only a handful of times, and had always disguised it as medicine. It was unlike anything he had ever heard of. Perhaps that was why he had been given it – so the cosmere could experience it.

The second spot is in Frost's response to Hoid.

Takeaways: Nothing big. No surprise about Frost. And given that Ym is Iriali and therefore likely descended from worldhoppers, it's not too surprising to see him know the word.

Oathbringer

Just one mention in OB. In chapter 68, Hoid uses in a conversation with Shallan about the strange man that he is:

Quote

“Some men, as they age, grow kinder. I am not one of those, for I have seen how the cosmere can mistreat the innocent – and that leaves me disinclined toward kindness.”

Takeaways: Again, not surprising that Hoid uses the word. But if you're keeping track at home, this is the fourth time someone has used the word cosmere while talking to Shallan.

Dawnshard

Spread across four different chapters (15, 17, 18, and 19) covering the climax of the novella, Nikli uses the word about five times, either referring to a duty to the cosmere or the existence of evil forces in the cosmere. Rysn repeats the word back once.

Takeaways: Not surprising that the Sleepless are cosmere-aware, and Rysn seems to be just repeating the word back.

Rhythm of War

Unsurprisingly, the most recent SA book has the most references to the word as the peoples of Roshar are becoming more cosmere-aware.

Mraize uses the word three different times when doling out little tantalizing tidbits of info to Shallan (Chapters 13, 78, and 115).

Sja-anat, in her interlude, uses the word when thinking to herself.

Venli also uses the word when thinking to herself in chapter 53.

Kalak mentions it in the epigraph for Ch. 76.

Hoid mentions it when trying to explain to Kaladin what a puppy is in Ch. 80.

Raboniel mentions it once in Ch. 97 during one of her scientific discussions with Navani:

Quote

“Do these axi have a polarity?” Navani asked, as she monitored the temperature of her experiment.

“They must,” Raboniel said. “We theorize that axial interconnection is what holds things together. Certain Surges influence this. The forces between axi are fundamental to the way the cosmere works.”

Then Rayse mentions it a couple of times when haggling over terms with Dalinar in Ch. 112; and Taravangian thinks it to himself several times as he's getting a feel for his new situation in Ch. 114.

Takeaways: This is the first time - on-screen at least - the either Kal or Navani hears the term. Both were in fairly intense situations at the time though. Or as discussed above with Dalinar and Shallan, it could just be that they assume it's a term that refers to just Roshar. Shallan's up to 7 references now. Venli using the word is interesting, but I think probably explained by the time she's likely spent talking with Leshwi during the time jump. The rest of the references make sense.

Mistborn Era 2

I count four occurrences over the first three entries in the Wax & Wayne era.

First time is when Wayne thinks it to himself in Shadows of Self, Ch. 13:

Quote

Ritual introductions finished, Wayne stepped into the temple proper. Inside, men and women bowed at their places, heads dropping as they considered the deep complexities of the cosmere.

Then, in Bands of Mourning Ch. 2, Steris mentions it when talking to Wax just after the wedding fiasco. Wax clearly does not know the term:

Quote

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” She sighed. “Do you ever wonder if perhaps the cosmere is out to overwhelm you, Lord Waxillium?”

“The cosmere? You mean Harmony?”

“No, not Him,” Steris said. “Just cosmic chance rolling the dice anytime I pass, and always hitting ones. There seems to be a poetry to it all.” She closed her eyes. “Of course the wedding would fall apart. Several tons of water falling through the roof? Why wouldn’t I have seen that? It’s so utterly outlandish it had to happen. At least the priest didn’t get murdered this time.”

In the following chapter, MeLaan uses the term while getting in a dig at VenDell:

Quote

“They may not compound,” VenDell said, “but they’re still fascinating, Lord Waxillium. Any mixing of Allomancy and Feruchemy has unanticipated effects.”

“What is it about you,” Wax said, “that makes me want to punch you, even when you’re saying something helpful?”

“None of us have been able to figure it out,” MeLaan said, waving for Wayne to toss her a walnut. “One of the cosmere’s great mysteries.”

And finally Harmony uses the term in an intriguing way during while talking to Wax during the climax of Bands of Mourning. This is Ch. 28:

Quote

“I’m dead then.”

“Yes,” Harmony said. “Your body, mind, and soul have separated. Soon one will return to the earth, another to the cosmere, and the third … Even I do not know.”

 

Takeaways: Nothing surprising about MeLaan the kandra using the term. But what's going on with Wax, Wayne and Steris? Is Wax the weird one for not knowing the word? Or are Wayne and Steris the weird ones for knowing it? If Wayne and Steris are the weird ones, how did they come to know the term?

And what's with Harmony using the word cosmere in place of "cognitive realm?" Is he intentionally withholding realmatic theory from Wax? Or just trying to make it easier to undestand?

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9 minutes ago, mdross81 said:

While reading through one of the scenes between Kabsal and Shallan in TWoK recently, it jumped out at me that Kabsal actually used the word "cosmere" twice. This sent me on a research mission hunting for in-world use of the term to see whether it might reveal anything interesting. The word cosmere has been used in-world in Mistborn: Secret History; all of the Stormlight novels and one of the novellas (Dawnshard), and in two of the three novels from MB Era 2. No mentions in MB Era 1, Elantris, Warbreaker, or any of the other short fiction in Arcanum Unbounded.

Here's what I found, listed chronologically, with some commentary.

Mistborn: Secret History

The term crops up twice in SH, first when Khriss breaks Kelsier's brain by explaining that there are 14 additional Shards beyond Ruin and Cultivation and that they are all on different planets. (Part Three, Chapter 2)

Later, in the epilogue, a now-Cosmere-aware Kelsier drops the term when talking to Spook.

Takeaways: No great insights here. It's not surprising that Khriss, an accomplished, worldhopping scholar knows the correct lingo. And of course, Kelsier's got to start showing off his superior knowledge as soon as he can.

The Way of Kings

The term shows up four times in Way of Kings. Hoid uses the term in his letter to Frost (Ch. 13 Epigraph).

Then, in Ch. 29, Jasnah uses the term during one of her discussions with Shallan:

As mentioned above, Kabsal uses the word twice when trying to explain to Shallan what the Voidbringers were. This is in Ch. 45:

Finally, Hoid mentions the term to Dalinar during that weird conversation where he seems to be testing whether Dalinar has ever heard the word Adonalsium before.

Takeaways: Obviously it's no surprise to see Hoid using the term. As for Jasnah and Kabsal, I think there are fairly simple explanations for both. For Jasnah, we know that she's already bonded Ivory by this point and I'm guessing the first thing she did was ask him a gazillion questions. And Kabsal, as an operative of the Ghostbloods, is likely cosmere-aware. More interesting to me is the substance of what he says. I wonder how much he is just spouting the official Vorin doctrine here about increasing good in the cosmere, or if it's more of a personal view or (probably least likely) a hint at more noble goals for the Ghostbloods than we usually think.

Neither Shallan nor Dalinar respond in a way that suggests the word is strange to them. I don't know what to make of that. For Dalinar, the word came in the midst of a conversation where Hoid used a bunch of nonsense words. And Shallan is pretty much always in her own head. Or maybe this is another example of Rosharans being bad at naming things and they just think that the term applies to only Roshar (synonymous with "the world").

Words of Radiance

The word cosmere is mentioned in two spots in WoR. First, in the Ym interlude (interlude 2). Ym uses the term twice while thinking to himself about his Iriali religious beliefs. Here's the first:

Then later, right after using Progression to heal the boy's foot, he thinks:

The second spot is in Frost's response to Hoid.

Takeaways: Nothing big. No surprise about Frost. And given that Ym is Iriali and therefore likely descended from worldhoppers, it's not too surprising to see him know the word.

Oathbringer

Just one mention in OB. In chapter 68, Hoid uses in a conversation with Shallan about the strange man that he is:

Takeaways: Again, not surprising that Hoid uses the word. But if you're keeping track at home, this is the fourth time someone has used the word cosmere while talking to Shallan.

Dawnshard

Spread across four different chapters (15, 17, 18, and 19) covering the climax of the novella, Nikli uses the word about five times, either referring to a duty to the cosmere or the existence of evil forces in the cosmere. Rysn repeats the word back once.

Takeaways: Not surprising that the Sleepless are cosmere-aware, and Rysn seems to be just repeating the word back.

Rhythm of War

Unsurprisingly, the most recent SA book has the most references to the word as the peoples of Roshar are becoming more cosmere-aware.

Mraize uses the word three different times when doling out little tantalizing tidbits of info to Shallan (Chapters 13, 78, and 115).

Sja-anat, in her interlude, uses the word when thinking to herself.

Venli also uses the word when thinking to herself in chapter 53.

Kalak mentions it in the epigraph for Ch. 76.

Hoid mentions it when trying to explain to Kaladin what a puppy is in Ch. 80.

Raboniel mentions it once in Ch. 97 during one of her scientific discussions with Navani:

Then Rayse mentions it a couple of times when haggling over terms with Dalinar in Ch. 112; and Taravangian thinks it to himself several times as he's getting a feel for his new situation in Ch. 114.

Takeaways: This is the first time - on-screen at least - the either Kal or Navani hears the term. Both were in fairly intense situations at the time though. Or as discussed above with Dalinar and Shallan, it could just be that they assume it's a term that refers to just Roshar. Shallan's up to 7 references now. Venli using the word is interesting, but I think probably explained by the time she's likely spent talking with Leshwi during the time jump. The rest of the references make sense.

Mistborn Era 2

I count four occurrences over the first three entries in the Wax & Wayne era.

First time is when Wayne thinks it to himself in Shadows of Self, Ch. 13:

Then, in Bands of Mourning Ch. 2, Steris mentions it when talking to Wax just after the wedding fiasco. Wax clearly does not know the term:

In the following chapter, MeLaan uses the term while getting in a dig at VenDell:

And finally Harmony uses the term in an intriguing way during while talking to Wax during the climax of Bands of Mourning. This is Ch. 28:

 

Takeaways: Nothing surprising about MeLaan the kandra using the term. But what's going on with Wax, Wayne and Steris? Is Wax the weird one for not knowing the word? Or are Wayne and Steris the weird ones for knowing it? If Wayne and Steris are the weird ones, how did they come to know the term?

And what's with Harmony using the word cosmere in place of "cognitive realm?" Is he intentionally withholding realmatic theory from Wax? Or just trying to make it easier to undestand?

With regard to Kabsal, this really jumps out at me: “Everything has its opposite, Shallan. The Almighty is a force of good. To balance his goodness, the cosmere needed the Voidbringers as his opposite.” To put it in different terms: For every push, there is a pull.

“When you push against something—whether with Allomancy or with your hands—it goes directly in the opposite direction. Force, reactions, consequences.” As Kelsier says in TFE.

This isn’t just a Vorn belief - it’s an Allomantic truth! Those are the teachings of an Allomancer, - the same allomancer who taught it to us way back when.

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2 minutes ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

With regard to Kabsal, this really jumps out at me: “Everything has its opposite, Shallan. The Almighty is a force of good. To balance his goodness, the cosmere needed the Voidbringers as his opposite.” To put it in different terms: For every push, there is a pull.

“When you push against something—whether with Allomancy or with your hands—it goes directly in the opposite direction. Force, reactions, consequences.” As Kelsier says in TFE.

This isn’t just a Vorn belief - it’s an Allomantic truth! Those are the teachings of an Allomancer, - the same allomancer who taught it to us way back when.

They are realmaticly aware...

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1 minute ago, Bejardin1250 said:

They are realmaticly aware...

Yes, but the similarities between how Kabsal tries to explain this are very similar thematically to the way allomancy is often explained. “The first rule of Allomancy” is action and reaction. Thats what Kelsier taught Vin. It’s what he whispered to her in Hero of Ages.

And it makes far too much sense that THIS would be a lesson he’d teach his Ghostbloods even centuries later.

Besides, the very first GB we meet basically gives us a variation on Kelsier’s explanation of allomancy: what are the odds that this wasn’t intentional foreshadowing of his boss’ identity?

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15 minutes ago, Bejardin1250 said:

Roshar is realmatickly aware ( they know of the 3 realms) some person named gagnah or something figured it out

And cosmere is just another word for Universe I suspect ,so it would be commonly used (cultural diffusion and stuff via worldhoppers)

There’s a difference between being aware of realmatic theory and being cosmere-aware.

And as for cosmere being a stand in for universe, that could be right but we never see anyone from Roshar other than Jasnah and Kabsal use it that way. 

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11 minutes ago, mdross81 said:

There’s a difference between being aware of realmatic theory and being cosmere-aware.

And as for cosmere being a stand in for universe, that could be right but we never see anyone from Roshar other than Jasnah and Kabsal use it that way. 

Kelsier: “ the Cosmere as it’s called” paraphrased SH

how is this not a stand in for universe

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12 minutes ago, Bejardin1250 said:

Kelsier: “ the Cosmere as it’s called” paraphrased SH

how is this not a stand in for universe

Yes. Kelsier uses it that way once he learns it from Khriss. But I was saying that we haven’t seen it used that general way on Roshar. 

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1 hour ago, mdross81 said:

Takeaways: Nothing surprising about MeLaan the kandra using the term. But what's going on with Wax, Wayne and Steris? Is Wax the weird one for not knowing the word? Or are Wayne and Steris the weird ones for knowing it? If Wayne and Steris are the weird ones, how did they come to know the term?

Wax also might just not really be aware of the phrase "the universe is out to get you", and so asks if by that she means the one they consider to be the God in control of the universe. (I'd note that the word "universe" itself has only been used one time in all of Era 2.) I agree it's kinda odd, though, and that explanation doesn't leave me fully satisfied. But the fact nobody besides Wax has ever batted an eye at the word makes me wonder. 

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1 hour ago, LewsTherinTelescope said:

Wax also might just not really be aware of the phrase "the universe is out to get you", and so asks if by that she means the one they consider to be the God in control of the universe.

You’ve got a good point. That one might just be Wax, who has reason to believe in the reality of the god he follows, struggling to understand a less-religious person ascribing things like fate and chance to the rules and vagaries of an impartial universe instead of to the intercession of a sentient and powerful godly being. It could be more a disconnect due to his faith than an inability to understand the terminology.

In a world that’s becoming increasingly technologically- and scientifically-advanced, it actually wouldn’t be surprising that someone like Wax would be the odd one out, as a believer amongst people (his non-Wayne companions, not necessarily his society) inclined to trust reason and observation/experience.

On that note, though, it seems like “Cosmere” has two distinct usages in-text – either the Cosmere as we tend to speak of it, a thematic/diegetic entity, or the universe (all of reality) they all live in.

In RoW we get evidence that Roshar is not so limited in their knowledge that they only think of their planet, so we can safely assume they aren’t thinking of reality as only their world, whatever cosmic soup it exists in, and the realms. Even before recent upending of beliefs on the Voidbringers, the scientific world of Roshar is at least aware of the existence of its solar system (the Rosharan system).

RoW ch. 89:

Quote

“Offworld?” Navani asked, looking up from the fabrial she’d been housing. “As in … another … planet?”

Raboniel hummed absently. A confirmation? Navani felt she could tell what this rhythm meant.

“I wanted to go, for years,” Raboniel said. “Visit the place myself. Unfortunately, I learned it wasn’t possible. I’m trapped in this system, my soul bound to Braize—you call it Damnation—a planet farther out in orbit around the sun.”

To hear her speak of such things so casually amazed Navani. Other worlds. The best telescopes couldn’t do more than confirm the existence of other celestial bodies, but here she was, speaking to someone who had visited one of them.

We came from another, Navani reminded herself. Humans, migrating to Roshar. It was so strange for her to think about, to align the mythos of the Tranquiline Halls with an actual location.

While we can’t say for sure that the term Cosmere was typically used to refer to the universe on Roshar (it is used that way more commonly now, at least by the Fused), this passage points out two ways Rosharans are aware of the universe as we tend to think of it, as observable reality well beyond their own planet. The humans have scientific observation of stars and planets other than theirs, and they (as of recently) have confirmation of their own origins on another planet. Although it doesn’t seem as if common beliefs considered planets to be the reality behind myths like Damnation and the Tranquiline Halls, or as if other planets and the universe are widely thought about.

Presumably, at least the Rosharans aware of the universe have a term for it, and Cosmere would seem to be a good bet for it. Ym’s interlude in WoR tells us that the term is also, or at least, in use amongst a peoples that don’t believe in god the way the Alethi tend to.

However, in WoR ch. 49 Kaladin does think of their universe as literally “the universe”:

Quote

Kaladin narrowed his eyes, watching that Stormlight rise. It was raw power. No. “Power” was the wrong term. It was a force, like the Surges that ruled the universe. They made fire burn, made rocks fall, made light glow. These wisps, they were the Surges reduced to some primal form.

I originally glossed this as the term “universe” being a translation for whatever Rosharan word would mean something like “all that is,” but now I’m wondering, wouldn’t Cosmere be the right word in that case? It’s also possible that this is a mistake, the author using our Earth term instead of the one Rosharans would use. Or it’s possible that different people on Roshar use different terms to refer to the universe.

Or even that Ym was referring to a more spiritual sense of universe when he said Cosmere, because he was thinking about his religious beliefs; that more Cosmere-aware people use the term for the observable universe including the three realms; and that Kaladin was only talking about material reality in general and not what we think of as The Universe with its solar systems and galaxies.

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4 minutes ago, Kyn said:

That one might just be Wax, who has reason to believe in the reality of the god he follows, struggling to understand a less-religious person ascribing things like fate and chance to the rules and vagaries of an impartial universe instead of to the intercession of a sentient and powerful godly being.

Especially when said godly being has acted to screw up his life so badly too :lol:

7 minutes ago, Kyn said:

I originally glossed this as the term “universe” being a translation for whatever Rosharan word would mean something like “all that is,” but now I’m wondering, wouldn’t Cosmere be the right word in that case? It’s also possible that this is a mistake, the author using our Earth term instead of the one Rosharans would use. Or it’s possible that different people on Roshar use different terms to refer to the universe.

Or even that Ym was referring to a more spiritual sense of universe when he said Cosmere, because he was thinking about his religious beliefs; that more Cosmere-aware people use the term for the observable universe including the three realms; and that Kaladin was only talking about material reality in general and not what we think of as The Universe with its solar systems and galaxies.

I could definitely see different terms being made for scientific use, whether to refer to the Realms only vs including the afterlife, or just to be more specific if the common word just meant a vague concept of "stuff that's out there I guess". (On a similar note, "reality" or "existence" vs "universe" could be an example IRL of different words being used for the same thing, without necessarily having any substantive difference besides some just sounding weird in certain contexts but fitting better in others. Though I'd say "universe" is by far the one most likely to be actually used to refer to the universe, so it's not a perfect example by any means.)

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12 minutes ago, Frustration said:

were did you get that?

I might be overeating to what he says but he mentioned the God Beyond a few times

Quote

“That’s different. She was a woman. Good at lying, they are. The God Beyond made’m that way.”

Alloy of Law, chapter 10

(Also, am I the only to whom, after reading the Stormlight Archive, it feels weird that the Alloy of Law's chapter 10 is at the middle of the book?)

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36 minutes ago, mathiau said:

I might be overeating to what he says but he mentioned the God Beyond a few times

Yeah, it's apparently an emerging belief in Scadrian society.

Quote

Brandon Sanderson

Chapter Ten

The Carriage Ride to the Forge

...The other little worldbuilding item of note here is the idea of what Wayne calls the "God Beyond," which is an idea that has begun to creep into society, the idea that there is a greater God of the universe beyond people like Harmony or Kelsier. It's somewhat analogous to some of the Gnostic beliefs in early Christianity. The Alloy of Law Annotations (March 14, 2014)
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12 hours ago, Serack said:

Steris knowing and Wax being ignorant:  Perhaps "Cosmere" has become a Survivorism term that was injected in by Kessler's interactions with Spook after the Cataclysm, and Wax as a Pathian is unfamiliar with it.  

Or by Kelsier manipulating his own religion to make it more Cosmere aware. He does want it known eventually.

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