Voidbinding Theory

[The Titan God he/him]

Brandon has stated in the past that a Shard's intent is filtered through the vessel, and the vessel can have an effect on how the Shard's intent is portrayed.

Spoiler

Questioner

I was just wondering if a Shard's intent can change over time without changing holders?

Brandon Sanderson

Without changing holders? The holder can have a slight effect on how the-- a big effect on how the intent is interpreted, but what the intent is stays the same. So it's gonna be filtered. The way it manifests can change, and you'll see that happening, but it is the same intent. When it was broken off, it took a certain thing with it.

Salt Lake City ComicCon 2017 (Sept. 21, 2017)

My idea is that Honor's broad intent, without the filtering by Tanavast is that it wants to form Connections. We can see this in Surgebinding (an art which, while being of both Honor and Cultivation, seems to be mostly Honor) is initiated by forming a Nahel bond. I also remember hearing somewhere (although I don't remember where) that because Honor violated the pact the Shards made not to settle on the same world, that they mustn't have been clearly defined well enough. This seems to imply that Honor at least follows oaths and Connections by nature of its intent.

If this is true, then I think it is a reasonable assumption that Odium, without the filtering by Rayse, is about severing Connections.

If these both apply then I think that the method of initiation to becoming a Voidbinder requires you to severe a Connection of somekind. We also know that Voidbinding is usually related to the Unmade, so you might be able to come up with a more detailed theory including that.

Note, I do not think that you necessarily have to break Radiant Ideals or severe a Nahel bond to become a Voidbinder, just that it requires some Connection to be broken.

[apepi]

I don't see Odium about severing connections, that is thinking too black and white.

I see Odium more about retaliation, but with internal emotion built into it. Odium didn't like that Elantris spoils

Spoiler

D&D

, Honor and Cultivation broke a supposed pact(which I believe was they agreed that they would not put the shards back together, which being on the same world isn't really doing that, but it is why some could see it as so). But this gives reason/strength for Odium to go after them, it allows the shard and Rayse to try to splinter them. I believe this is why he could easily splinter D&D and Honor and why splintering Ambition was much harder, Odium's intent didn't match to splinter Ambition like it did the others. It was something that Rayse wanted, not the shard.
 

 

Quote

 

Argent

Some of the few Shards Rayse Splintered included Ambition, I believe, Dominion, and Devotion.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Argent

And those were all way back, in the history. So, we know that the Shards' personalities overrides the Vessel's personality over time?

Brandon Sanderson

Strongly influence, and depending on the individual, override.

Argent

Okay. So did Rayse choose those Shards because--

Brandon Sanderson

He went after Ambition first, but didn't find Ambition until after going after Devotion and Dominion. But Ambition was number one on his hit list.

Argent

Was it because of the Shard or because of the Vessel? Like did he hate the person?

Brandon Sanderson

In this case it was the Shard, primarily, that drove him--

Argent

Oh, he was maybe afraid the Shard would grow too powerful and take over--

Brandon Sanderson

He was afraid that this Shard that would rival him. And so he's like "This one is number one on the hit list. We're taking down Ambition." But then he got trapped in the Rosharan system.

Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing (Dec. 6, 2016)

 

On the Honor part, even Honor(I am guessing Tanavast in this case) didn't even teach the spren to do so. So you are somewhat right on that count.

[bmcclure7]

On 4/11/2022 at 2:44 AM, The Titan God said:

Brandon has stated in the past that a Shard's intent is filtered through the vessel, and the vessel can have an effect on how the Shard's intent is portrayed.

  Reveal hidden contents

Questioner

I was just wondering if a Shard's intent can change over time without changing holders?

Brandon Sanderson

Without changing holders? The holder can have a slight effect on how the-- a big effect on how the intent is interpreted, but what the intent is stays the same. So it's gonna be filtered. The way it manifests can change, and you'll see that happening, but it is the same intent. When it was broken off, it took a certain thing with it.

Salt Lake City ComicCon 2017 (Sept. 21, 2017)

My idea is that Honor's broad intent, without the filtering by Tanavast is that it wants to form Connections. We can see this in Surgebinding (an art which, while being of both Honor and Cultivation, seems to be mostly Honor) is initiated by forming a Nahel bond. I also remember hearing somewhere (although I don't remember where) that because Honor violated the pact the Shards made not to settle on the same world, that they mustn't have been clearly defined well enough. This seems to imply that Honor at least follows oaths and Connections by nature of its intent.

If this is true, then I think it is a reasonable assumption that Odium, without the filtering by Rayse, is about severing Connections.

If these both apply then I think that the method of initiation to becoming a Voidbinder requires you to severe a Connection of somekind. We also know that Voidbinding is usually related to the Unmade, so you might be able to come up with a more detailed theory including that.

Note, I do not think that you necessarily have to break Radiant Ideals or severe a Nahel bond to become a Voidbinder, just that it requires some Connection to be broken.

Odium and honor are completes not opposites. This isn't mistborn.  

[+ShardlessVessel]

On 15/04/2022 at 9:03 AM, bmcclure7 said:

Odium and honor are completes not opposites.

I have to agree. Brandon has said that they would work well together. However, @The Titan God's theory makes me think of SP4 (not sure if i can talk about that here, so I won't elaborate) and the bonding of deadeyes (e.g. Adolin and Maya, potentially Shallan and Testament).

It would be interesting if the "void" in voidbinding turned out to be more literal instead of referring to Odium.

[bmcclure7]

5 hours ago, ShardlessVessel said:

I have to agree. Brandon has said that they would work well together. However, @The Titan God's theory makes me think of SP4 (not sure if i can talk about that here, so I won't elaborate) and the bonding of deadeyes (e.g. Adolin and Maya, potentially Shallan and Testament).

It would be interesting if the "void" in voidbinding turned out to be more literal instead of referring to Odium.

Explain the last part. 

[+ShardlessVessel]

36 minutes ago, bmcclure7 said:

Explain the last part. 

Void. Empty. Missing Connections, or gaps in the spren's spiritweb (do spren have spiritwebs?). I was thinking something along those lines.

[bmcclure7]

1 minute ago, ShardlessVessel said:

Void. Empty. Missing Connections, or gaps in the spren's spiritweb (do spren have spiritwebs?). I was thinking something along those lines.

Ok I get it now.  Is there a theory that enlightened/corrupted Spren were dead eyes before touched by the take of secrets.  

[+ShardlessVessel]

4 hours ago, bmcclure7 said:

Ok I get it now.  Is there a theory that enlightened/corrupted Spren were dead eyes before touched by the take of secrets.  

Not that I'm aware of.

[Olmund]

On 4/19/2022 at 10:50 AM, bmcclure7 said:

Ok I get it now.  Is there a theory that enlightened/corrupted Spren were dead eyes before touched by the take of secrets.  

Interesting idea. I think the biggest issue with this theory is that Sja Anat claims the enlightening process is voluntary (as opposed to unmaking, which is involuntary), and we see deadeyes act with no (or extremely limited) agency -- aside from Mayalaran, of course.