Memory storing breaths?

[Hmmm lies she/her]

At the end of RoW, Odium removes some Breaths from Hoid that contain his memories. I was wondering if he was imitating a coppermind with them, swapping out the form of Investiture, and constantly filling the Breaths with his new memories. Just a thought I had, and wondering if there is any other explanation as to how he would have memories stored in Breaths

[alder24]

31 minutes ago, Hmmm lies said:

At the end of RoW, Odium removes some Breaths from Hoid that contain his memories. I was wondering if he was imitating a coppermind with them, swapping out the form of Investiture, and constantly filling the Breaths with his new memories. Just a thought I had, and wondering if there is any other explanation as to how he would have memories stored in Breaths

Yes, Hoid is storing memories in Breaths, and in Warbreaker it was shown to us that this is possible.

Spoiler

Questioner

What the heck happened, did Taravangian do to Wit?

Brandon Sanderson

You'll find out more in the next book. He stole a few of his Breaths, and they had memories attached to them.

FanX 2021 (Sept. 17, 2021)

 

Spoiler

Questioner

Memory is tied to some level or portion of Spiritual Identity, or else Feruchemists would not be able to store it. So, Hoid lost memories at the end of Rhythm of War in his exchange with Odium. Would that mean part of his soul was stolen and then absorbed into Odium, and if so, what is stopping Odium from doing that with all of his enemies?

Brandon Sanderson

Basically, what Odium split off is stuff that Hoid is storing in excess Investiture. (Basically, it was Breaths, in Hoid’s case.) And this sort of thing, where this extra memory… One of the reasons that Hoid is able to function better than, perhaps, some other very long-lived individuals is: he has found out how to keep some of this Identity in, shall we say, SD cards made of Investiture. Imagine that sort of thing. So what Odium was stealing from Hoid was straight out of an SD card. Which means that it’s not nearly as deeply ripping into someone’s soul, and it is also not nearly as noticeable.

But the other thing is: Hoid is directly in violation of certain agreements that have been made, which therefore exposes him to… He is lacking protections. As you’ll notice in the end of Book Three, where he’s like, “I need to be careful, because I am in violation.”

And so, there’s a couple things going on here. Number one, much more easy to access those memories. Number two, Hoid’s in direct violation and under no protections of any sorts of agreements and things like this.

Dragonsteel 2022 (Nov. 14, 2022)

Warbreaker ch 50:

Quote

“Child,” he said. “I’m going to say some words to you. I want you to repeat them. Repeat them, and mean them.”
The girl regarded him absently, nodding slightly.
He glanced at Vivenna. “Back away.”
She opened her mouth to object, but thought better of it. She stepped back out of earshot. Fortunately, Vasher was near a lit streetlamp, so she could see him well. He spoke to the little girl, and she spoke back to him.
After opening the cage, Vivenna had taken the Breath back from the thread. She hadn’t stowed it somewhere else. And, with the extra awareness she had, she thought she saw something. The girl’s BioChromatic aura—the normal one that all people had—flickered just slightly.
It was faint. Yet with the First Heightening, Vivenna could have sworn she saw it.
But Denth told me it was all or nothing, she thought. You have to give away all the Breath you hold. And you certainly can’t give away part of a breath.
Denth, it had been proven in other instances, was also a liar.
Vasher stood, the girl climbing back into his arms. Vivenna walked up and was surprised to hear the girl talking. “Where’s Daddy?” she asked.
Vasher didn’t reply.
“I’m dirty,” the girl said, looking down. “Mommy doesn’t like it when I get dirty. The dress is dirty too.”
Vasher began walking. Vivenna hurriedly caught up.
“Are we going home?” the girl asked. “Where have we been? It’s late, and I shouldn’t be out. Who’s that woman?”
She doesn’t remember, Vivenna realized. Doesn’t remember where she’s been . . . probably doesn’t remember anything of the entire experience.

Warbreaker ch 57:

Quote

“That man saw and did terrible things,” Denth said. “I’ve tried, Vasher. I’ve tried going back. But the darkness . . . it’s inside. I can’t escape it. My laughter has an edge to it. I can’t forget.”
“I can make you,” Vasher said. “I know the Commands.”
Denth froze.
“I promise,” Vasher said. “I will take it all from you, if you wish.”
Denth stood for a long moment, foot on Vasher’s arm, sword lowered. Then, finally, he shook his head. “No. I don’t deserve that. Neither of us do. Goodbye, Vasher.”