The true nature of the Shard's intent

[Dofurion]

I think that Wind and Truth Interlude 2 has been quite revealing regarding the nature of Shards, especially how they affect their bearer. And I think it's clear now that all shards, while they are forces of nature, are more than anything the natural inclinations of living beings (with consciousness).

Before continuing, I would like to recall these definitions of splinters that Sanderson has conveniently left us with a similar structure:

Quote

The infinity of a note held perfectly, never wavering. The majesty of a painting, frozen and still, capturing a slice of life from a time gone by. It was the power of many, many moments compressed somehow into one.

-Preservation according to Kelsier

This force was time infinite. It was the winds that weathered, the storms that broke, the timeless waves running slowly, slowly, slowly, to a stop as the sun and the planet cooled to nothing. It was the ultimate end and destiny of all things.

-Ruin according to Kelsier

It was the scream of a thousand warriors on the battlefield. It was the moment of most sensual touch and ecstasy. It was the sorrow of loss, the joy of victory. And it was hatred. A deep, pulsing hatred with a pressure to turn all things molten. It was the heat of a thousand suns, it was the bliss of every kiss, it was the lives of all men wrapped up in one, defined by everything they felt. 

-Odium according to Dalinar

So far we've used these descriptions to summarize the Shards' intent, and Sanderson will presumably introduce similar lines as the characters come face to face with a Shard. But this has always been from an external point of view, now we have the internal one and we have new nuances.

For example, what Taravangian says it feels like to be Odium is not far from what Dalinar thinks, except for the part about the suns exploding. This has made me think two things:

• First, now that Taravangian's description is almost the same as Dalinar's, this means that it stops being a metaphor and becomes a literality, the shard turns its user into a receiver of all those impulses from all conscious creatures, which in essence turns him into a psychic without control of his ability, one who instead of controlling the minds of others, sees his own being manipulated by all other minds.
• And second, are other Shard users going through the same thing? This adds another perspective regarding their behavior and the nature of their decisions.
  • Leras was overwhelmed by the need for things to remain as they are, this does not mean that they should remain calm, it is simply the impulse to maintain the status quo. Because there will always be people who want things to stay the same either because it suits them, they need predictability or because it's the way of life they know. That's why Reshek was so good from their point of view, for the same reason that Sixth would want his traditions to be maintained even if they imply a greater chance of dying (only multiplied by several million).
  • In Ati's case, it would be facing the primordial desire for destruction: Seeing fire burn, the laughter of something exploding, the shock of seeing a mountain collapse, how fascinating it is to watch a time-lapse video of food rotting and turning into compost.

This leaves us with a very interesting perspective on the other users and what it actually feels like to wield a Shard. An interesting case is that of Honor and Cultivation, which must affect their users with impulses very similar to the Ideals of the Knights Radiant.

• Tanavast constantly felt compelled to be where they were needed, to protect those who could not protect themselves, to create rules and laws to regulate coexistence, and to question those that were unjust (Stoneward, Windrunner, Skybreaker and Willshaper). But he must also have felt overwhelmed by other codes of honor that exist in the Cosmere.
• As for Koravellium Avast it is difficult to know since her case as a dragon may be different but in case this does not affect her at all she could be influenced by the impulse to cultivate, but this may be different from what is normally interpreted with respect to her, here we are taking cultivate in the fullest sense of the word: Pruning to make it grow as desired (Dalinar), removing weeds, building irrigation systems and planning where each plantation will go. That is why many of her actions so far seem to go against the Intent of the Shard, because it was always misunderstood and she is not a goddess of nature and growth, she is a goddess of systems. She is a divine Bonsai gardener who will not hesitate to leave you small or prune you if that is within her long-term plans for her garden.
  • Finding the optimal way to do something (Elsecallers).
  • Destroy what is just and necessary to give something the desired shape (Dustbringers)
  • Listen to the 'plants' to refine the details (Edgedancers)
  • All in all it is an art {according to gardeners/growers} (Lightweavers)

As a final reflection, I find it curious that this line of thought leads me to think that Edgli is influenced by the stereotype of the Christmas spirit, that is, the need to give things to others.

I also apologize if I used a lot of modern metaphors for these examples, they were the ones I felt communicated the idea best.

Edited September 19, 2024 by Dofurion