Pechvarry Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) Eyebrows. That's right. The magic which ties the entire universe together is linked to your eyebrows. New drinking game: when reading any Sanderson work, have a shot every time you read someone quirking, arching, or otherwise raising an eyebrow. Single brow at a time only. -------- Ok, more seriously, and since I don't drink: I've seen mention of a "Unifying Theory of Magic" from Brandon Q&As a couple times, and I think I've read a couple of questions which boil down to "what question should we be asking?" and the answer (both times, unless I read the same interview twice and didn't realize it) was something to the extent of "you guys should be trying to connect the dots of Cosmere-wide magic." I don't know that we've really delved enough into it. I mean, sure, we have things like the theory of the 3 parts of magic. And I think those are important mysteries to solve. But I feel like we must still be missing some really general rule, or else he'd stop prodding us about what we're missing. Any thoughts? Am I missing any interviews where he says "Yes, that's correct. This is what I've been waiting for you guys to put together"? Assuming I'm not, please feel free to post any theories, as long as it's something we can tie into "The Unifying Theory of Magic." Edited January 22, 2012 by Pechvarry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windrunner Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 Well we some bits and pieces, and have theorized about a bit more. Facts The major thing that all cosmere magics have in common is that in order to obtain use of the magic system you have to follow the intent of the powering shard. The three we understand for certain are these: Allomancy-Snapping occurs when you need to "Preserve" your life Hemalurgy-You have to cause "Ruin" by killing someone to make a spike Surgebinding- You gain powers by being "Honorable" and swearing oaths Speculation Following those patterns, further speculation is simple, but still unverified. DakhorDor(made-up name)-You gain powers by "Dominating" someone, potentially by killing them AonDor-You must be "Devoted" (a synonym to Aona's shard) in order to be taken by the Shaod Cultivation's Magic-Gained by "Cultivating" things, such as plants. Possibly controlled by the farmers of Shinovar Voidbinding- Almost certainly Odium's magic possibly obtained through acting "Odiously" , to parallel Honor's magic How balance magics, such as Feruchemy, and presumably, ChayShan fit into this pattern is still unknown, and probably has something to do with how the intents interact. As you said above, I think the Three Parts of Magic Theory, by Cuair, is one of the biggest pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brassmind Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 My thoughts would be: AonDor involves drawing patterns in the air to create a sort of channel for the Dor to pass through you and create a specific effect. This is why Raoden ends up with it pressing on him before he discovers the missing Aon line. Allomancy involves burning metals to create a channel for the power of Preservation to have a specific effect. (I wish I could remember where Brandon said that that's how it worked, but I think I saw it somewhere. Please feel free to cite it if you know, anyone.) Hemalurgy, on the other hand, punches a sort of gap in your soul when it gives you power, and that gap allows Ruin to sneak in and influence you. I'm not quite sure where Feruchemy fits yet... In Awakening and Surgebinding, your body is literally a container for the Breath/Stormlight that gives you your power. I may be stretching a little — and as a noob on this forum, I'm not familiar with all the theories that are out there — but in my head it seems that all the magics involve ways of making the human body into a conduit for an external source of power, which I presume would be the power of one of the world in question's shards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triasmus Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) It seems like brandon was quoted saying something like all the magics are basically the same, they're just used different way. for example, illusion magic will happen basically the same way for every magic. lightweaving is illusion magic. if there's radiant illusion magic it will be basically the same as lightweaving, just through honor. Soulcasting and aoning () food from garbage is basically the same, they're just through different shards. EDIT: and there's a good chance elantrians don't talk to cognitive aspects to transform things. Edited January 23, 2012 by Lantern13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveAM Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 It seems like brandon was quoted saying something like all the magics are basically the same, they're just used different way. for example, illusion magic will happen basically the same way for every magic. lightweaving is illusion magic. if there's radiant illusion magic it will be basically the same as lightweaving, just through honor. Soulcasting and aoning () food from garbage is basically the same, they're just through different shards. EDIT: and there's a good chance elantrians don't talk to cognitive aspects to transform things. Yeah, I think that's probably our biggest clue to finding the unifying principle behind all the magic systems. Don't forget that Brandon has mentioned that other Shards can "power" the magic systems of others, it's just, i think it was inefficient expenditure? This coupled with effectively similar magics between systems (I think I saw Transformation being discussed somewhere too...) ... Well... 2 clues. It's possible all magic is really just one system, of Adonalsium and the different magics are just different expressions influenced by each Shard's Intent and perhaps inefficiently too by a need of a physical aspect medium (metal, color, symbols, stormlight, etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj26792 Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 I think thats a very good point, magic must have been around before adonalsium shattered, as much as they are anything else, the shards are pieces of Adonalsium and that has to be the crucial fact of their existence, Preservation was the piece of Adonalsium that preserved things, ruin was the piece of adonalsium that ruined things, Odium contains all of Adonalsiums capacity for hatred, and either also or as part of that they control a portion of the magic he made available to humans in some form or another, but however they have the control it is warped by their intent... and I typed all that before I really thought where I was going with it, but when I stopped and though about it I had an idea. I realised that all the intents we've seen have matched up with the method of gaining power, to gain preservations power you have to see a chance at being destroyed and choose to preserve yourself, a cognitive process for a cognitive intent, Honour is more of a spiritual condition, an honourable man doesnt think about being honourable, his spiritual state doesnt allow him the choice, and to receive honours magic system you have to fit spiritual criteria, Kalladin didnt choose to protect people or lead people he literally couldnt live without protecting and leading those who needed him. The others so far as I can tell seem to fit too, ruin is fairly cognitive, and to get access to it all you have to do is choose to ruin someone the right way, endowment, endowing is cognitive and so is the choice to give away your breath, whether to awaken or to give away/sell. We don't know about cultivation, or Skai (assumed to be dominion), Aona as devotion is the only one where we really know the magic that I'm not sure about, because devotion could be considered to be spiritual or cognitive, but then I suppose you just have to be devoted to something so it doesnt really matter whether devotion is spiritual or cognitive, but I think its more likely cognitive. Obviously none of this is earth shattering, these are all things we already knew, phrased a little differently, but I think thats the point, Brandon obviously thinks he's given us the next clue, so we just need to look at what we know differently, as Belgarath the sorcerer (or perhaps Eddings?) taught me everything has a why. I've suggested a reason for why methods of gaining access to power are what they are, what are the whys for other things we already know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windrunner Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) Magic System Similarities Illusion Magic - AonDor (Aons that change appearance), Lightweaving & Surgebinding Transformation - AonDor & Surgebinding Enhanced Magic Powers/Connection to Shard - Aon Dor (Aon Rao) & Allomancy (Duralumin) Block Connection to Shard - FjorDor (Dilaf's power) and Allomancy (Aluminum) Instantaneous Travel - AonDor, FjorDor, & Surgebinding Magic Obtained From Other People - FjorDor, Awakening, & Hemalurgy Healing - AonDor, Feruchemy, and Surgebinding Can anyone think of any others? I had another idea. We know that magic systems are the result of a Shard's intent interacting with the planets they're on. The way magic is obtained has to do with intent, and the powers all have their root in Andonalsium, because all the powers work the same. So what determines the physical aspect of a magic? My idea is the planet is what determines the physical part. I don't know how exactly but it makes sense to me. I know for sure that the Aons are based on the shape of the planet. Also Roshar naturally has a lot of gemstones, because its animals have gemhearts. Maybe Scadrial has a lot of metal? Nalthis naturally colorful? Another major question is what determines the focus of a magic system, and why is it sometimes the physical part, and other times its the cognitive part? Edited January 25, 2012 by Windrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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