Newcomer to the Cosmere Explanation

[Shibaru]

Hey all!

 

So I'm pretty new to the cosmere, and I'm a little lost in how people are getting information from Sanderson's novels. I've read all of Mistborn, Stormlight, Elantris, and am working on warbreaker right now, but I seem to missing the bigger picture of what's going on. In just reading these books I noticed a few similarities, but I'm not sure how the whole cosmere explanation came to be. In one of Sanderson's books were the shards ever explained? Or world jumping? I'm a little lost on how these things came to be known. 

 

One big question I have is how the character Hoid is known to be the same person in each book? It seems that these characters could just be like Cid in Final Fantasy where each character is unrelated except by a repeating naming convention. I've seen a lot of people mention that Hoid was among the Terris people at the end of Well of Ascension, and that he is the one who smashed the pot before Vin and Elend arrived, but I don't actually see any evidence for this in the novel itself. 

 

Thanks!

[Shardcellist]

Well, I'm no expert (I discovered the Cosmere accidentally when I found the 17th Shard), but Brandon Sanderson has given a lot of information at book signings, interviews, etc. that people have compiled on this and other websites. This is where a lot of the information is tied together. As far as books go, there is a lot in the Stormlight Archive and Hero of Ages if you are looking for it, although I also was unable to connect it merely from the novels.

 

As to who figured it out first, I cannot help you (although Peter Ahlstrom is always a pretty safe bet...). I would assume more astute readers than I with better connections to Mr. Sanderson started asking questions and receiving answers.

And went on to blow our minds.

[Moogle]

Hi there, welcome!

 

Shards are explained mostly in Hero of Ages. Worldhopping isn't explained anywhere, unless you count the Shardpool-hopping mural in Elantris or Jasnah's Shadesmar adventures, which are more hints than a detailed explanation. (We still don't know how it's done, precisely, just that it happens.)

 

You can know worldhopping happens, for example, when you realize that Zahel in Words of Radiance is Vasher from Warbreaker.

 

You can tell someone was in the Well of Ascension because they see footprints in the dust. (There's no way to know this was Hoid, though. Unless you count seeing him eat metals and use Allomancy in Words of Radiance to be proof.)

 

Hoid is known to be the same person because Brandon's confirmed it everywhere. It's relatively obvious in-world, though - a guy named Hoid with a hawkish face (who tilts his head a lot) always appears as a beggar, information, or jester of some sort. After reading the deleted scene in The Emperor's Soul, it's hard not to see the pattern of Hoid liking to be court jesters, too.

 

Brandon has annotations up for most of his novels here, which have a ton of background information. There's also a ton of information available from signings, events, and such things here.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Moogle

[AerionBFII he/him]

Hahaha i read Way of Kings like 100 times and loved it and during the wait for WOR i stumbled into 17th shard and then the Cosmere.. MindBlown..

 

Welcome i usually Lurk on the theories and coppermind to get my info.

 

Have an upvote

[Bondranx he/him]

For myself, I first noticed that there was more going on when I noticed the name Hoid across multiple books, from there I went searching for more information to see if there WAS a link and stumbled onto the coppermind. The coppermind eventually led me here since a lot of it's references and information lead back here as source, I've been lurking around for a while and keep learning more very day. I personally prefer the Cosmere Theories board, as that's where my interest lies

[WeiryWriter he/him]

What the heck, Zahel is Vasher? I read both books, but that makes sense? How? Is it a WoB thing?

 

It was confirmed in WoB yes but read scenes with him carefully. He is constantly making color-based metaphors (a Nalthian thing to do), he plays Tarachin at one point (the game Lightsong plays with some of the other Returned), he can detect Syl even when she is invisible in his interlude (due to lifesense), he mentions that the highstorms are Invested in his interlude (which would indicate worldhopper status), and he also mentions that there haven't been voices in his head for a long time (a reference to Nightblood).  Vasher was actually in the original draft of The Way of Kings and then Brandon wrote Warbreaker to do his backstory.

[AerionBFII he/him]

Hahaha i read WOR and thought 'haha i like this Zahel guy he's as grouchy as Teft and Vasher'.

Came back on 17th shard and find out he is actually is Vasher...!

 

If you have read WOR i read alot in here there is a lot of info mainly on SA

Edited October 20, 2014 by WEZ313

[Incheoul]

I read stormlight archive before warbreaker and when I realized nightblood was the sword given to Szeth, my mind was blown and I had to reread WoR to figure out if vasher was there too. I completely missed the color metaphors, the game that lightsong played, and the voice in his head line the first time.

[ShyGuy]

Welcome to the 17th Shard. Take some time to read up on WoB and all the awesome theories posted here. If you've read all of the Cosmere novels you won't have to worry about spoilers (There's a ton around these parts) and you stand to be opened up to the overarching epic story made of awesome that is the Cosmere. Make sure you bookmark the Coppermind Wiki also, it will help a ton if you run into stuff that doesn't make sense right away. You could spend hours there if you're not careful. I know I have gone on some crazy fun Coppermind runs  

 

There is a ton of great material out there if you really want to delve into the background story and play connect the dots. Be sure to post any of your own thoughts or theories here as well. Everyone here is really nice and you are sure to find people that will have some great conversations about The Sanderson. 

 

Again, welcome, and have fun getting your mind blown over and over again.