Aon Rao Theory

[Sandastron]

Hi everyone! This is my first post, so I am not sure if it will have all the correct citations and such (if anyone sees anything I do wrong, please let me know!). But, I have been stalking this site for a long time now(as well as anything with Brandon Sanderson on the cover) and I had a theory and... well I just have to share it.

 

My theory has to do with Elantris and two WoBs. First, we have a WoB that there is a "Big hint" in Elantris as to the nature of world hopping. Many people have believed that this big hint is the mural of an elantrian jumping into a pool that looks like a gate. I think this is a good theory, however Brandon never confirmed this (despite the scene in WoR showing Hoid appearing in a, possible, shardpool). 

 

After much pestering, someone finally got a hint about the hint about world hopping out of Sanderson, and now we have the WoB, "Raoden misinterpreted an Aon." A popular opinion about this misinterpreted Aon is that he misinterpreted Tia, the travel Aon. I think not, however.

 

My logic is as follows. In order for it to be an "obvious hint" we would have to have, somewhere, a correct translation of the Aon and be able to compare it to the incorrect translation by Raoden of said Aon. So I checked Tia in the Ars Arcanum in the end and it was pretty much what Raoden thought it was, travel or transportation. No go there. 

 

So I checked some of the other Aons in the Ars Arcanum against Raoden's descriptions of them (interestingly enough, Raoden only describes a few Aons). Quickly I found the following. Raoden describes the aon Rao as, "Spirit or Spiritual Power" but the Ars Arcanum translates Rao as "Spirit or Essence". 

 

This may seem like a minor detail, but if you think about it, it isn't.

 

First of all, Raoden's mistranslation makes sense. After all the result of Aon Rao is an increase in spiritual power (the ending of Elantris providing a dramatic example of this). However, I am suggesting that this isn't the primary action of Rao but the result of it.

 

Second, we know from SA that the cognitive realm, or shades mar, contains ideas and ideals. Things exist in the cognitive realm based on how people view them, on what people believe they are. You might say that the Cognitive Realm contains the Essence of things.

 

Suddenly, it all comes together. We know from Sanderson that the Dor is really the cognitive realm where all the power of the shattered shards, aona and skai, is running rampant without a proper channel. (This is where my theory gets a little fuzzy and could use some refinement but the basic idea is) Aon Rao creates a greater connection to Essences and Spirits and since there is so much uncontrolled energy in the cognitive realm it poors immediately across this bridge creating a burst of spirit energy. 

 

It follows, however, that one could go the other direction across said bridge. 

 

That's the end of my theory folks! Let me know what you think!

 

Ps. (SA3 spoilers):

The Jasnah reading of her in the cognitive realm lends further evidence to my belief that Rao(Spirit, Essence) brings about a connection to the cognitive realm when she sees little glowing orbs that she thinks are people's spirits.

Edited September 11, 2014 by Moogle
tagged sa3 spoilers

[Moogle]

I like this theory a lot. I'm not sure "ideals" live in the Cognitive, since those are in the Spiritual, but you've definitely hit on the right mechanism I think. The idea that Rao increases the power of other Aons by weakening the "barriers" between realms, or forming a bridge that lets the Dor through more easily, and you can use this to travel the other way, is elegant and simple. The post is also well-supported by WoB, which is always nice.

 

Very good first post. Welcome to the forums!

Edited September 11, 2014 by Moogle

[Voidus]

I had a similar thought on this about Rao being the mistranslated Aon, I had some weird thoughts about the shape of the Aon. But yeah, good theory.

[Dellexe he/him]

Ideals do partially exist in the cognitive realm. They're ideals based on human perception, though, not "true" ideals.

[killersquirrel59 he/him]

I like the theory. Definitely possible. However I'm not sure it's the "big hint" that we've been looking for. Seems too undefinable and esoteric to be what Sanderson describes as a big hint. It requires 3 different leaps of possibility:

 

1) that Aon Rao is the misinterpreted one and Essence isn't just being used as a synonym

2) that Aon Rao works by lowering the barriers of the Cognitive realm

3) that any such bridge would be two-way

 

I rather doubt that something requiring 3 unprovable leaps like this would be constituted as a "big hint". 

 

As a theory in its own right however, I really like it though. It makes a lot of sense and is clearly well thought out and well reasoned.

[Sandastron]

I'm glad you all like it! 

 

I like the theory. Definitely possible. However I'm not sure it's the "big hint" that we've been looking for. Seems too undefinable and esoteric to be what Sanderson describes as a big hint. It requires 3 different leaps of possibility:

 

1) that Aon Rao is the misinterpreted one and Essence isn't just being used as a synonym

2) that Aon Rao works by lowering the barriers of the Cognitive realm

3) that any such bridge would be two-way

 

I rather doubt that something requiring 3 unprovable leaps like this would be constituted as a "big hint". 

 

As a theory in its own right however, I really like it though. It makes a lot of sense and is clearly well thought out and well reasoned.

 

And you are right Steel Inquisitor, it does require several leaps of possibility. However, I would argue that it only requires 2 1/2 leaps of possibility.

 

What I mean is that I think Rao was definitely misinterpreted. Spirit and essence are basically synonyms, but spiritual power is not a synonym with either spirit or essence. It would have to be "power from an essence" or something of that sort to be a synonym for spiritual power. But to assume that that is THE misinterpretation is a leap of possibility, as well as the other two you mentioned, so the validity of my theory remains to be seen.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Sandastron

[JJRosso]

Maybe you're right.

If Roaden put a modifier on aon tia that was correct for travel to Roshar, would he not travel there? Thats a long way from Elantris so he couldn't get back.

World hopping has to do with shadesmar. Can you get to shadesmar through the dor? Can you get to shadesmar through a shardpool?

Did BS not say worldhopping to Sel through shadesmar is difficult.