Siri/Susebron Having a Child?

[Winter Wolf]

So I was reading the annotations for Warbreaker and this one about the Returned being able to have children surprised me:

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Treledees lies to her here about two things. First off, he does know how a God King can have a child, but he knows that the secret is also held by a secure group of priests on the islands. He doesn't think letting Siri in on that one for now is a good idea. But he does want to pass on how to get Susebron's Breaths away from him, should it become necessary. He knows that those need to be passed on, even if the God King does have a child. That's the greater secret, but the one that needs to be known to Siri. Those Breaths cannot die with Susebron.

So, anyway, he's lying about the God King not being able to have a child. (Or at least he sidesteps it. He says that the God King can't sire a child, which is true unless certain steps are taken. He also says that he doesn't know how the First Returned bore a child, which is true—he doesn't know for certain if the First Returned used the same method that Treledees knows. He's also sidestepping the fact that he does believe that the blood of the First Returned flows in the veins of the royal Idrian line.)

So why not bring this up in the book? Well, I learned in Elantris that it's easy to overtwist an ending by having too many reveals. This is a very small point, and there is good rationalization for why Treledees doesn't let on what he knows. So I felt it was better to let the story stand as is, without delving into this.

Of course, there is a hint in the text about it—or at least a question. If they depended only on a Returned child taking Susebron's place, then why were they worried about Siri having sex with Susebron? They didn't need her to sleep with him unless they expected that sex to do something.

 

Warbreaker Annotation

Since the priests knew/know how Susebron can have children, I wonder if that means that they took those steps each time before he went to Siri, which would explain why Treledees was so insistent on them having a child and was relieved they were doing the deed. Any speculation on what needed to be done to make it possible? Maybe Siri is already pregnant.

[Eri]

2 hours ago, Winter Wolf said:

Any speculation on what needed to be done to make it possible? 

Why wouldn't it be possible? The Returned aren't presented as undead (cough, Twilight, cough). I mean, yes, they are brought back to live, but they have all normal functions, like breathing and eating and they bleed. and while they do run partially on the Investiture, they are more like fairies (=not quite human, not quite spitit) than undead (=dead but running around). 

 

All Returned can have kids, same for the Heralds for example. Yes, that's an unusual take on the undead trope, but IMO it makes sense in-setting.

[Knight of Iron]

3 hours ago, Eri said:

Why wouldn't it be possible? The Returned aren't presented as undead (cough, Twilight, cough). I mean, yes, they are brought back to live, but they have all normal functions, like breathing and eating and they bleed. and while they do run partially on the Investiture, they are more like fairies (=not quite human, not quite spitit) than undead (=dead but running around). 

All Returned can have kids, same for the Heralds for example. Yes, that's an unusual take on the undead trope, but IMO it makes sense in-setting.

I believe they were referencing the part in the annotations where Brandon Sanderson says that the God King cannot sire a child unless certain steps are taken. Yes, its possible, but apparently it would not work normally.

As for the original question, I, uh, have no idea.

[Winter Wolf]

Yeah, and in the book it's repeated that Returned can't have children aside from the God King. Then at the end, Treledees apparently lies about even him not being able to, despite pestering Siri about giving Susebron an heir for months. It's one of the secrets they're keeping from the Returned to maintain control of them. I hope the sequel gives more info on this. If it's ever written lol

[dauthleikr]

My theory is that Idrian royalty are partially cognitive beings (like Lift), which is why their hair changes based on their emotional state. This is why they can procreate with an entirely cognitive being (a returned), which is also a good reason why Hallandren made the marriage deal with Idris. The WoB doesn't quite fit with that though :/