Warbreaker Changes?

[+hwiles]

I'm doing a reread of warbreaker (just picked up the learbound edition!) and noticed that some of the verbiage around nightblood felt...kind of off...in the end of the first chapter from what I remembered. I checked it against the old ebook edition and, sure enough, some of the words got flipped around.

My main question is, didn't Nightblood used to be unusually heavy instead of unusually light, and is this just a retcon? OR! Am I just misremembering or does this get explained and wrapped up some other way?

Thanks in advance if anyone knows!

[Treamayne]

2 hours ago, hwiles said:

I'm doing a reread of warbreaker (just picked up the learbound edition!) and noticed that some of the verbiage around nightblood felt...kind of off...in the end of the first chapter from what I remembered. I checked it against the old ebook edition and, sure enough, some of the words got flipped around.

My main question is, didn't Nightblood used to be unusually heavy instead of unusually light, and is this just a retcon? OR! Am I just misremembering or does this get explained and wrapped up some other way?

Thanks in advance if anyone knows!

Here's the WoB:

Spoiler

Questioner

Warbreaker. Any modifications to it to fit it better to Stormlight?

Brandon Sanderson

No, I think that the connections are where I want them to be. We will do, when we do the tenth anniversary leatherbound, we do small continuity error changes and typos, but there shouldn't be any major changes.

Questioner

I was just thinking because of the whole Breath, the colors, and the Stormlight, I'm assuming...

Brandon Sanderson

It is where I want it to be right now, in those relationships.

Skyward release party (Nov. 6, 2018)

And here are the references to Nightblood being heavy in the original ebook (so you can compare to your leatherbound):

Spoiler

Ch 5:

Quote

Vasher moved through the crowds, carrying the overly heavy sword in one hand, sheathed point nearly dragging on the ground behind him. Some people shied away from the sword immediately. Others watched it, eyes lingering far too long. 

Ch 53:

Quote

Lap, lap, lap.

Ah, very nice, the voice said, much clearer now. I hate the water. So wet and icky down there.

Transfixed, Old Chapps reached out, picking up the weapon. It felt heavy in his hand.

I don’t suppose you’d want to go destroy some evil, would you? the voice said.

 

Keep in mind there are two things possibly affecting this (which may also relate to any changes):

1. Nightblood was patterned after Shardblades, which are themselves, heavy, but described as light for their size (See below):
2. Nightblood's influence can affect its weilder's perceptions of him - so "feeling heavy" might also be a heaviness of the mind as Nightblood influences the person

WoR Ch :44

Spoiler

“I’m no fool,” Moash said, holding the sword up, pointing it outward. A single gloryspren faded into existence near his head. “It’s heavier than I expected.”

“Really?” Yake said. “Everyone says they’re light!”

“Those are people used to a regular sword,” Zahel said. “If you’ve trained all of your life with a longsword, then pick up something that looks like it has two or three times as much steel to it, you expect it to weigh more. Not less.”

Moash grunted, delicately swiping with the weapon. “From the way the stories are told, I thought it wouldn’t have any weight at all. Like it would be as light as a breeze.” He hesitantly stuck it into the ground.

Hope that helps

[Dunkum he/him]

the prologue says he has an "unusual weight" which I always interpreted as meaning he is heavier than he should be, but I'm having trouble finding other references in Warbreaker to his weight. they might be there, but i'm skimming through the physical book, so easy to miss them if they are.

[+hwiles]

Thanks @Treamayne ! That's literally perfect, glad you've saved me from thinking I was crazy. Lightweight Nightblood it is!