Theories galore

[firstRainbowRose she/her]

Okay, I'll cite where I can, but I doubt I'll stick around to post much.

First theory: Hrathen's religion in ELANTRIS is from the same source as the early one in TWoK.  The one where it mentions the people worshipped the priests.

Theory Two: Axies the collector is a shardholder/world hopper.  Proof for this one will come later when I can type it up properly.

Theory Three: Urithiru was built in shinovar.  See the quote at the beginning of chapter 35 (page 519)

Theory Four: the ten high princes are each from the knights raident.  see page 306, about half way down.

Theory Five: Teft is one of the radients left to wander roshar.  I can only assume that they were immortal, and since they didn't return to the place they would go to, they just wander the world immortally.  And his line of "the envisagers were gone.  Dead, because of what he had done." (page 557) makes me think he is one.

[firstRainbowRose she/her]

Another point (I'll add it to my other post when I have access to a computert).  Page 607 he uses one of the radients sayings, and they're obviously not common known by that point.

[Munin he/him]

Yeah, but he's a Worldsinger. It's his job to know stuff like that.

[Silus - Shard of Flame he/him]

Munin, Zigsil(sp?) is the Worldsinger, not Teft.

Gonna take these out of order.

The Radiants weren't immortal, but the Heralds were, sort of.  Is that what you mean?  If you do, that still doesn't work cuz the Heralds would all know about the magic, which Teft doesn't.

Can we get page references on theory one?  I don't think they ever mention worshiping the priests in either book.  In Elantris, you had people be servants to the priests in a chain of obedience all the way up to Wyrn.  Now I'm not sure if you're referring to the events that led to the Recreance in Vorinism or not, but I'll assume that until you say otherwise.  In WoK, the Ardents became corrupt, taking power, but they never had people worship them.

[leinton]

Old Vorinism required them to worship the priests. That ended with the Hierocracy. Page 185, very top.

Men were not in command of their own religious paths; the priests controlled the doctrine, and few members of the Church were allowed to know theology. They wre taught to follow the priests. Not the Almighty or the Heralds, but the Priests

In Elantris, the religion Shu-Dereth states that only Wyrn, who is both the emperor and the most holy man in the world, can serve their god, Jaddeth directly. Everyone else can only serve Wyrn, because they aren't holy enough to serve Jaddeth. Top of page 104.

"No one serves Jaddeth but Wyrn," Hrathen said offhandedly as he considered how to best answer her objections.

I think though that it's more likely just a case of men with power trying to retain power, not a direct correlation to their deities. In old Vorinism, it was definitely just power hungry priests, because they knowingly lied to their people, saying that they had visions from the Almighty when they didn't.

[Earendil]

You're reading way too deeply into Teft's origin story.  Later in the book, Teft describes growing up with a group of people who awaited the return of the Knights Radiant--the envisagers.  He also describes how he broke off from the group when he was a young man, and from his repeated comments, it seems clear that he inadvertently betrayed them to destruction.  Certainly, there were plenty of people angry at the Knights Radiant, so it seems likely that the Envisagers were not a state sanctioned religion, and may have even been under condemnation in Vorin lands. 

[Finallity he/him]

(Spoilers)

Maybe the common theme of indirect worship is something related to Rayse, and was caused in Shu-Dereth because of Rayse's visit to Opelon. Just a thought. Brandon has said that he strongly relates the themes in his books to the cosmere part of them (or something of the sort).