The Five Ages of Roshar - History and Predictions

[Confused]

HIGHLIGHTS

First Age – Pre-Shattering Bondsmiths manipulate Stone and Wind. Their magic relies on tones and rhythms, not Investiture or spren. It’s unclear if spren-less Singers have gemhearts.

Second Age – Honor and Cultivation Invest Roshar. Spren proliferate. Singers change forms based on gemheart capture of spren. Singers personify and Nahel bond peakspren (Stone) and honorspren (Wind).

Third Age – Humans and Odium arrive. Nahel spren betray Singers and bond only humans. Singers accept Odium. Desolations begin. Heralds enter Oathpact. Knights Radiant are born.

Fourth Age – Odium kills Tanavast and Splinters Honor. Honor’s Cognitive Shadow merges into Stormfather. Sja-anat helps BAM launch False Desolation. Radiants imprison BAM and abandon Oaths.

Fifth Age Predictions – Dalinar becomes Roshar’s Bondsmith and wields all 16 Investitures. Lift Ascends to hold Cultivation. Dalinar binds Lift and new Honor and Odium Vessels with mutual oaths, ensuring their loyalty to him.

INTRODUCTION

There’s a lot of history mystery about Roshar. We know Adonalsium creates the planet to be special. We know ancient gods once ruled there. We know the Shattering brings the Avasts, Tan and Koravellium, as Honor and Cultivation. And we know Rayse as Odium later joins them.

Beyond that? In truth, not much.

Dalinar will give us answers soon. Before then, here’s some rank speculation to sift through. (Hopefully not too rank...Just hold your nose.) From this point forward, assume everything I say is speculation except for text and WoBs. I will not preface each sentence with “I speculate...” Assume I speculate. (I don’t want you to be Confused about that. There’s already too many of me.)

Cosmere 101

Adonalsium creates every planet with its own “inherent Investiture.” Pre-Shattering magic systems and those on Minor Shardworlds generally use lower levels of Investiture and involve magical “interactions with nature” like the Aviar. Post-Shattering, Major Shardworlds have higher levels of Investiture and support “people with magic” systems. In those magic systems, sapient beings direct the magic. Roshar follows this pre- and post-Shattering pattern.

Adonalsium “Designs” Roshar

I imagine the cosmere’s creation as a Big Bang in the moment of Adonalsium’s “awakening.” Adonalsium creates Roshar afterwards, about “12,000, 13,000 years” before the True Desolation. Frost’s Second Letter to Hoid says the Rosharan system bears “the touch and design of Adonalsium.” (WoR, Chapter 66 Epigraph.) Brandon confirms Roshar has a magnetic field but its surface consists of only one tectonic plate, with no tectonic activity: “It’s a weird planet, let's just say that. It's a pretty weird planet...a created planet.” The WoB RAFOs what Roshar’s interior is like.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF ROSHAR’S FIVE MAGICAL AGES

I think Roshar has four historical Magical Ages and predict a coming Fifth Age:

Age One – From Creation to the Shattering

This period spans about 2,000-3,000 years, from creation to about 10,000 years before the True Desolation. Singers are the dominant humanoid lifeform. Roshar’s gods are Stone, Wind, and Night. Singer Bondsmiths use Roshar’s tones to bind Surges directly, without Investiture. There are few if any spren in Age One other than Stone, Wind, and Night. There is little ambient Investiture. If Singers have gemhearts during Age One, the gemhearts may act as tuning forks, to help the Singers sing.

Age Two – Honor and Cultivation Arrive

This period spans about 3,000 years, from the Shattering until humans and Odium arrive, about 7,000 years before the True Desolation. The two Shards massively Invest Roshar. Honor’s perpendicularity sows Stormlight throughout the continent. The Singer “Rider of Storms” first appears. Singers personify fire, life, and rain as flamespren, lifespren, and rainspren. Bondsmiths become unnecessary, as Singers enter into Nahel bonds with spren that personify the old gods: honorspren (Wind) and peakspren (Stone). Night leaves. Cultivation creates the Nightwatcher. Singer gemhearts now hold spren that determine their changes of form. With Night gone, the Eila Stele mentions “Spren, Stone, and Wind.” “Spren” IMO refers to transformational gemheart spren. Honor and Cultivation add their tones and rhythms to Roshar’s native tones and rhythms.

Age Three – Humans and Odium Arrive

This period begins about 7,000 years before Roshar’s present and continues for about 4,500 to 5,000 years. With Odium’s help, humans burn Ashyn. Honor and Cultivation extort some promise from Odium to permit his entry to Roshar. Human refugees settle in Shinovar. Ishar brings a Dawnshard. Odium Invests Roshar enough to become resident there with his own tone and rhythms. Emotion spren first appear on Roshar. Humans begin to spread out from Shinovar. At some point, spren betray Singers by forming Nahel bonds exclusively with humans. The Rider of Storms becomes the Stormfather. Singers turn to Odium and become Fused. Desolations begin. Honor grants the Heralds Honorblades. The Heralds form the Oathpact. Their torture begins. Mortals personify the Honorblades into Radiantspren. Ishar imposes Order among Surgebinders and creates the Knights Radiant with the First Oath. Nohadon’s Way of Kings adds four additional Oaths for each Order. Desolations continue for about 2,500 years until Aharietiam, the “Last Desolation.”

Age Four - Tanavast Dies and Honor Splinters

My best guess is Odium kills Tanavast around 2,000 to 2,500 years before Roshar’s present. It takes Tanavast a while to die. Honor’s Cognitive Shadow merges into the Stormfather. The Stormfather becomes more cranky. Honor Splinters, and much of his power becomes spren. The Heralds, already crazy, start killing incipient Radiants because they believe without Honor’s guidance Radiants will cause another Desolation. About 2,000 years ago, Ba-Ado-Mishram Connects with Singers and launches the False Desolation. I think Sja-anat helps her by “enlightening” Singer spren. BAM’s capture and subsequent imprisonment in the Spiritual Realm cause Singers to become “Parshmen,” dull-witted slaves. Radiant dismay over what happens to Singers, among other things, causes Radiants to break their bonds with their own spren. Human society looks upon Radiants as “recreants.”

Age Five? Predictions

RAFO – Look at this post’s last section. In short, Dalinar become Roshar’s protector, the Bondsmith of Roshar. He wields the Investitures of all 16 Shards on that planet, without the limitations of Intent. I think after Taravangian’s repeated betrayals, Dalinar kills him. Dalinar binds Odium’s “divided” nature and arranges for Honor and Odium to be held by allied Vessels. I think Lift Ascends to Cultivation. Maybe...

ANALYSIS

Let’s take a closer look at each of Roshar’s Magical Ages:

Pre-Shattering Roshar

I speculate elsewhere that Adonalsium “designs” Roshar as a living planet with its own mind. I think of Roshar as Adonalsium’s Avatar, a massive amount of self-conscious Investiture at its core.

I believe the living planet Roshar manifests to mortals as Stone, Wind, and Night. IMO, Stone represents birth, building the Rosharan continent from the ocean floor in the form of a Juliet fractal set. Wind represents change, as an erosion agent and spreader of life. Night represents death, the destructive power of Ruin, setting the stage for rebirth in a full “Transformation” cycle. I describe Stone, Wind, and Night in detail in this post.

Humanoids, mostly Singers, come to live on Roshar. Since Adonalsium creates Roshar only a few millennia before the Shattering, it’s doubtful humanoids evolve on Roshar. Presumably Adonalsium creates them fully formed. Humanoids are more or less the same throughout the cosmere, since life follows certain “natural pathways.”  The other possibility is humanoid migration from other worlds. Brandon implies people visited Roshar millennia ago.

While I assume the multi-colored Singers are native to Roshar, we don’t really know that. Do their three colors represent Stone (red), Wind (white), and Night (black)? Stone tells Venli she descends from the Dawnsingers, but we don’t know when and how Dawnsingers appear on Roshar. They’re “Dawnsingers” only relative to humans. But they are attuned to Roshar early on, which suggests they’re part of the native environment.

Even ranker speculation:

Spoiler

Adonalsium creates Ashyn and Braize at more or less the same time as Roshar. Frost’s Second Letter cites the “worlds” Hoid treads on. Ashyn populates with humans, Roshar with Singers. They barely meet until Ashyn burns. (Burnin’ Ashyn takes Passion!) Is this happenstance or part of Adonalsium’s design?

I vote for design. I think Adonalsium is fully omniscient within the cosmere. He is the cosmere, an isolated clump of Investiture (the Spiritual Realm) that becomes sapient (the Cognitive Realm), and makes himself a body (the Physical Realm). He knows everything that happens in the cosmere at all times because he is everything. I believe he knows the conspirators’ intentions before they do. “Et tu, Tanavast?” (This was the noblest Yolen of them all...) IMO, Adonalsium chooses to die. Why is the subject of a longer post, but I believe it has to do with making magic available to all living things.

I argue Adonalsium leaves a sapient Avatar on Roshar. Adonalsium, an anagram of “A mind, a soul,” is dead. I speculate a Bondsmith who bonds the Avatar would wield all 16 Investitures unrestricted by Intent – at least on Roshar and maybe within its system. I speculate that Dalinar becomes Roshar’s Bondsmith. I now think Dalinar will not hold a Shard, except maybe to pass it on to someone else.

So...why separate humans and Singers on different planets? Because (IMO) omniscient Adonalsium foresees everything. He rides all the ribbons of possibility and foresees three Shards invading Roshar. He wants to arm his Avatar with a Protector, someone forged through terrible travail, a mortal of character and strength. I think Adonalsium creates the conditions for war among mortals simply to make Dalinar, someone fit to bond his Avatar.

There’s a lot of holes in all these suppositions. Don’t bother to find them, I already know, especially the philosophical objections. Rank indeed, but there it is...

Dawnsingers know the tones and rhythms of Roshar and can move Stone to build cities. My “Rosharan gods” post argues Singers can make magic on Roshar without using Investiture. The Sibling says Roshar’s early Bondsmiths bond directly with the Surges themselves. IMO, Bondsmiths “sing” Roshar’s songs to directly manipulate the Cohesion and Tension Surges (Stone) and the Adhesion and Gravitation Surges (Wind).

I think the First Age has few spren, if any, other than Stone, Wind, and Night. Compared with the post-Shattering Ages, Roshar has less “free-floating” ambient investiture. This is true of all pre-Shattering planets; but three Shards subsequently Invest Roshar. Brandon says the Realms now compress there. I note the Sibling mentions Stone, Wind, and Night. The later-written Eila Stele mentions Spren, Stone, and Wind. (Obviously after Night leaves.)

As a corollary to the First Age absence of widespread spren, Dawnsingers and Roshar’s fauna should not need gemhearts to hold spren. Gemhearts might exist then, since their vibrations could help Singers reproduce the right tones and rhythms, or they might evolve gemhearts later.

The Age of Honor and Cultivation

After murdering god, the Avasts move to Roshar. Maybe Cultivation likes the planet’s Transformation cycle. The two Shards remake Roshar with vast infusions of their Investitures. The effect on Roshar the entity is unknown. The effect on Roshar the planet is immense.

Honor creates his perpendicularity, spreading his Investiture widely across the landscape. Stormlight becomes Roshar’s primary energy source. Everything on Roshar feeds on it. Easily personified “natural” spren proliferate: lifespren, rainspren, windspren, etc. Cultivation may prefer to nip and tuck her systems; but Honor seems to want to control and bind everything. Roshar learns to respond to the tones of Honor and Cultivation.

The WaT chapters state the Stormfather pre-exists the human migration from Ashyn, though that may reference the Singers’ Rider of Storms. Singers personify the Rider of Storms when the highstorm circulates. I believe (without evidence) Cultivation forms the Nightwatcher later, independent of mortal perceptions.

What happens to Stone, Wind, and Night when the Shards arrive?

Singers begin this Age singing Roshar’s tones and rhythms. Eventually, I believe Singers personify Stone as peakspren and Wind as honorspren. Night just...leaves. Nobody likes her anyway. (I speculate in my Rosharan gods post that Night returns to Roshar as Nightblood.) Cultivation at some point uses the same essence as Night to help create the Nightwatcher.

I think honorspren and peakspren – Wind and Stone – are the first two spren to Nahel bond Singers. In this Second Magical Age, Ashyn humans have not arrived on Roshar. The spren-bonded Singers replace Wind and Stone’s Bondsmiths. Through their bonded spren, Singers IMO manipulate the same Surges as Wind and Stone Bondsmiths. Leshwi knows an honorspren and might have been bonded to them.

The Eila Stele refers to Spren, Stone, and Wind. With Night’s departure, what does “Spren” refer to? I speculate Second Age Singers begin to hold spren in gemhearts to change forms. Singer forms relate to specific spren. The collective spren responsible for form changes are the Eila Stele’s “Spren.” I presume that includes the Rider of Storms, the source of Stormlight.

I think the Unmade are “Made” during Roshar’s Second Magical Age. I presume, without evidence, that the “Made” spren are of Honor and/or Cultivation. Odium is not present on Roshar. I don’t know what the Made personify in the Second Age. I’m not sure all the Made are spren. Hessi describes BAM as a Singer priestess who commands Singers during the Desolations.

In sum, Surgebinding through at least some spren characterize Roshar’s Second Magical Age. Spren replace Bondsmiths as the medium for magic.

Odium and Humans Arrive

Not much to add to my summary description. All that stuff is well-documented and leaves little room for speculation. Sorry...

Tanavast Dies and Honor Splinters

We don't know how Odium kills Tanavast. I speculate Odium breaks the Connection between Tanavast's mind and the Investiture that keeps him alive. Odium seems particularly skilled at Shard-killing so I don't think he uses anti-Light. The other Shards could do that just as easily to him if they want. To stop a murderer who might seek them out, their oaths and scruples wouldn't stop them, particularly if multiple Shards join in the attempt. Anti-Light causes an explosion that should Splinter Odium's victims, but not all of them (e.g., Dominion and Devotion) are Splintered. 

Brandon seems to place great emphasis on Honor's Splintering. Is this what he means when he says, “Honor lives in the hearts of men”? What does that signal for the cosmere? Will Rosharan humans bind themselves to a common goal as they march off to cosmere war? Most other magic users seem more individualistic in their goals. We've yet to see a magical army other than Rosharans and the Selish Fjordell (the children of Dominion). A fight between these groups seems inevitable.

The False Desolation is interesting. Who is BAM and what does she do? BAM seems to have some power over Connection, but how does she Connect Voidlight to Singers?

I think Sja-anat helps. BAM makes Singers into Regals, not Fused. My guess is Singers until then are mostly in warform when they fight. Like Listeners in warform, Singers bond to Honor/Cultivation spren. I think Sja-anat “enlightens” the Singer spren with Odium’s Investiture. Singer spren accept Voidlight and undergo the form change to become Regals. 

The Recreance follows the False Desolation and BAM's subsequent imprisonment. I think turning Singers into slaves shames the Radiants. They voluntarily choose to break their Oaths and spren bond. I believe the name "Recreance" derives from what humans call the discredited Radiants - the "recreants."

I speculate after the False Desolation Odium focuses on building up the Everstorm and manipulating Listeners into manifesting it. With Honor dead, Cultivation in hiding, the Radiants gone, and the Heralds mad, he can take his time. 

Predictions

I base my predictions on Dalinar’s sense that something “beyond Honor” impels him down his path. I think Roshar, Adonalsium’s Avatar, calls to him to serve as Roshar's Bondsmith. Because Roshar is Adonalsium’s Avatar, I don’t think Shard Intents will restrict Dalinar from using all of Roshar’s Investitures. In addition to its many other meanings, the phrase “Unite them” might refer to Dalinar uniting the Investitures of Roshar.

What, then, happens with Roshar's Shards? Dalinar might assume Honor and/or Odium. “Unite them” might mean uniting all the Shards again into one Vessel. But that seems to me to go backwards. The cosmere moves towards the fractionalization of power not its concentration. Adonalsium becomes Shards, Shards become Splinters. Entropy. If Adonalsium does foresee his death and Shattering, I don’t think he would want to replace himself with someone else to hold and direct all cosmere Investiture.

But Dalinar is a controlling kind of guy. Even as his redemption story progresses, I don’t think he would relinquish power to any but loyal subordinates. My best guess: Dalinar places the Shards with Vessels he can trust (IOW, not Taravangian). He obtains their promise to follow him and binds the Vessels who agree. I speculate Dalinar picks Leshwi to hold Honor. To bind Roshar’s people to him, he needs support from all Roshar’s people.

I think Lift succeeds Koravellium as Cultivation's Vessel. Lift is the only known person who expresses a pure Cultivation magic system. She Transforms matter (food) into Investiture. She's a natural to Ascend as Cultivation. If nothing else, Lift knows what it's like to be perpetually hungry...

Odium is a problem, though. I think Dalinar as Bondsmith will have to bind the split between Odium’s emotional and logical sides before he allows anyone to hold that Shard. I suspect Dalinar will choose a human Vessel for Odium, but it won’t be Taravangian. It would be ironic if he picks Jasnah, the most unemotional of all Rosharan humans. Maybe that would be the right person to hold emotions in check? Any other candidates?

Though he too is a Singer, El might be an Odium Vessel candidate. His old title, “He who Quiets,” might foreshadow Dalinar fixing Odium’s divided nature: Maybe El will “quiet” his own passions? He likes humans, if only for their passion and willingness to serve as cannon fodder in any invasion.

Spoiler

I sometimes wonder about Superman’s influence on Brandon. Kaladin’s nickname is Kal. Add “El” and you have Kal-El, Superman’s Krypton name. Kal’s childhood friend is Laral. Strike the “l” and you get Lara, the name of Superman’s mother. And “El,” Superman’s family name, is the name Brandon gives El the Fused. Super!

If any of this speculation has merit (and it may not), the cosmere ends up with 16 Vessels holding Shards, all of which are bound and promised to Dalinar. Dalinar’s ability to wield all 16 Investitures will help him bind the Vessels into this new “Oathpact.” (A description that bears no relationship to the Heralds’ Oathpact except as foreshadowing.)

Dal rules!

CONCLUSION

Another grotesquely long and convoluted post. I hope you read it. Maybe you’ll even like it! Regards! C.

Edited November 5, 2024 by Confused

[LewsTherinTelescope]

We know that most of the non-sapient spren predate the Shattering, but otherwise I broadly agree with this, it makes good sense with what little we know so far.

Spoiler

Questioner

Spren. The phenomenon that creates spren. Is that Roshar-specific or is that a general effect?

Brandon Sanderson

Well, yes and no. So the question is, the effect that creates spren, is that Roshar-specific or is it general. The general fundamental rules that create spren are cosmere-wide. Spren are pieces of Investiture, usually pieces of Investiture that come straight from one of the Shards of Adonalsium, split off in some way, that because of human or other sapient creatures thinking about it or interacting with the power, the power starts to take on a life of its own. Develops personalities and comes alive, so to speak. And this can happen on any pla-- in any place where there is Investiture. So it could happen on any planet in the cosmere with significant amounts of free Investiture. The places you've seen this happen most commonly are on Sel and Scadri-- err Roshar. You haven't seen it on Scadrial, and you've seen little kind of hints at it on Nalthis, but not quite. And so-- But it's possible for it to happen anywhere. Seons and spren are basically the same thing with different powers-- powers kind of pushing them in different-- growth out of them-- That said, the non-sapient spren, so the spren that are not quite as-- They're not going to stand up and talk to you. Those all existed-- not all, but most of them existed on Roshar before the Shattering of Adonalsium.

JordanCon 2016 (April 23, 2016)

I'm less sure on the future predictions, but I don't really have any strong competitor theories, I just have very few specific expectations for the future in general.

[Belgarad]

Do we know for sure that Honor and Cultivation both invested Roshar right after the Shattering?  To me it seems more likely that Honor went to Ashyn and Cultivation went to Roshar.  Odium would have corrupted the humans on Ashyn, which led to its destruction.  Honor would have moved to Roshar as a refugee along with the humans.  The fact that Odium thought the Shards had a deal to go their separate ways and Honor does not think he violated any agreement makes me think that would be the case.

[MarcieIsForager She/They]

10 hours ago, Belgarad said:

Do we know for sure that Honor and Cultivation both invested Roshar right after the Shattering?  To me it seems more likely that Honor went to Ashyn and Cultivation went to Roshar.  Odium would have corrupted the humans on Ashyn, which led to its destruction.  Honor would have moved to Roshar as a refugee along with the humans.  The fact that Odium thought the Shards had a deal to go their separate ways and Honor does not think he violated any agreement makes me think that would be the case.

When i made a timeline for theorizing i guessed 8000 years pre present, cause Taravodium said something about 8000 years. I assume might be when they got to Roshar

[alder24]

13 hours ago, Belgarad said:

Do we know for sure that Honor and Cultivation both invested Roshar right after the Shattering?  To me it seems more likely that Honor went to Ashyn and Cultivation went to Roshar.  Odium would have corrupted the humans on Ashyn, which led to its destruction.  Honor would have moved to Roshar as a refugee along with the humans.  The fact that Odium thought the Shards had a deal to go their separate ways and Honor does not think he violated any agreement makes me think that would be the case.

We know they came together to Roshar and invested equally in it. Odium arrived to the system when Honor and Cultivation were already settled on Roshar. Lastly, it was Cultivation who at some time in the past visited and invested more in Ashyn - but she didn't settle there (technically Shards settle in the entire solar system, not just one planet).

Spoiler

Lance Alvein

Did Cultivation come to Roshar with Honor, or was she already on Roshar when Honor arrived?

Brandon Sanderson

Good question. They came together.

17th Shard Forum Q&A (Sept. 26, 2012)

 

Spoiler

Volratho

Was Roshar equally Invested by Cultivation and Honor originally?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Volratho

How 'bout now, since he's been--

Brandon Sanderson

So the Investiture is all still there... It is not all accessible. So, at this point, you might say-- I'd say it's a point of disputation. It would be worth arguing either way. I will say at this point, no, it's not equal anymore. But definitions of where the power is and what it counts as is ambiguous.

Volratho

So Cultivation has more active Investiture?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, I would say yes... Well, but she's been very coy. I'm gonna leave it at that.

Skyward Chicago signing (Nov. 16, 2018)

 

Spoiler

Hoidonalsium

What was the order of the Shards coming to Roshar and changing allegiances? Did humans come with Odium?

Brandon Sanderson

So... you're talking about on Roshar specifically? So, Odium had visited Roshar. The humans gave him more of an ear... The Dawnsingers would have considered him the god of the people who had come, but-- I mean, it wasn't like they necessarily brought him. He was capable of getting around before that. I mean, he did kinda come along with them, he was instrumental in what happened there.

Hoidonalsium

Okay, but he was separate, and after Honor and Cultivation had really settled there?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, he was after Honor and Cultivation had settled.

Oathbringer Glasgow signing (Dec. 2, 2017)

 

Spoiler

Questioner

You have talked about writing a book about Ashyn, the first planet in the Rosharan system. You said that they have a magic system based on disease, but they are currently without a Shard. Can you tell us what the source of that magic system is?

Brandon Sanderson

A lot of the magic systems in the cosmere, I kind of in my head differentiate kind of the primary worlds and the secondary worlds. And even on the secondary worlds, there is magic. And any place that a Shard has been in presence is gonna leave behind an aftereffect, but it's not always that. I would call most of the magic on Ashyn Cultivation-based, most likely. And Cultivation's in the system, but has only briefly been to that planet. But it doesn't mean that... basically, it's kind of the level of Investiture. If you go to Scadrial, on Scadrial, you're gonna have a high percentage of the population, cosmereologically, that are gonna have access to one of the Hemalurgic [Metallic] arts, right? Same thing on Roshar. And indeed, the people are going to be Invested on a level that is beyond the others. This is my in-world canon reason that people just don't come down with colds very often or have tooth decay very often, and things like that. On the primary Shardworlds, we're talking about people who are just naturally, highly Invested.

All the other worlds, though, you're still gonna have the occasional pop-up of magic, here and there. You're still gonna have effects of being in the cosmere, and things like that. Just much smaller chances. And the magic's probably going to be less likely to be planet-destroying potential, and things like that, like happened on Ashyn.

Dragonsteel Mini-Con 2021 (Nov. 23, 2021)