How did the Parshendi get Shards

[KnightoftheCosmere]

In the Stormlight Archive, it is mentioned how there are relatively few Shards and that individual Shards have history and lore associated with them. But in Rythm of War, we learn the the Parshendi had eight full sets of Shardblade and Plate. I have read all the current books, and I don't understand how the Parshendi could have gotten so many Shards.

[PanicPug]

My guess is that they found most of them in the ruins of Narak/Stormseat

Spoiler

which was formerly the capital of the Silver Kingdom of Natanatan

 

Edited November 29, 2024 by PanicPug

[KnightoftheCosmere]

According to the Coppermind, Narak was destroyed during Aharietiam or possibly earlier, which is before the Recreance and the formation of Shards.

[Treamayne]

5 hours ago, KnightoftheCosmere said:

In the Stormlight Archive, it is mentioned how there are relatively few Shards and that individual Shards have history and lore associated with them. But in Rythm of War, we learn the the Parshendi had eight full sets of Shardblade and Plate. I have read all the current books, and I don't understand how the Parshendi could have gotten so many Shards.

On the one hand, we know the blade and plate originate from after teh recreance - not simply because of BAM and the Nature fo Deadeyes (because we do not know enough about that yet, and teh WoB referenced blow implies that at least some blades originnate from before the false Desolation - which was only 2000 years before WoK) - but, more significantly (to me at least) because the Listener Blades had Bonding Gems - which was a discovery from about 2 centuries after the Recreance.

On the other hand, it has been 2000 years - and a lot can happen in that time.

While we do not have any specific WoBs or other sources for where their Blades and Plate originated - the one WoB we have about missing Shards can certainly apply here. WoB:

Spoiler

<Edited for Length and Relevance>

Brandon Sanderson

You can assume that there are more deadeyes wandering Shadesmar whose Shardblades have been lost, than there are ones that the Shardblades are kept. Probably about an equal number, I would say, 50/50. Though I would have to really crunch those numbers. I'd say that across 5000 years-ish... not quite, but you know. That a lot of those weapons, even though they are powerful and things like that, are gonna get lost. Ships are gonna get sunk; things get covered over with crem on Roshar; people go up to cross mountain passes to go attack, and they end up freezing and dying. And I think that over the years, there's been a ton of those that have been lost.

YouTube Spoiler Stream 4 (June 16, 2022)

It is not hard to believe that over 2000 years, at least 8 shard bearers died on the Shattered Plains in some way (Greatshells, Highstorms in the Chasms, Exposure, Loss of plate Stormlight, etc.). Just because we know that by Eshonai's time, there was no known significant interaction between Humans and Listeners before Gavilar's expedition; does not mean that there was no interaction whatsoever over those 2000 years. Especially since over-land travel to/from Natanatan would likely cause at least some groups/caravans to pass through or near the Shattered Plains.

Hope that helps.

Edited November 30, 2024 by Treamayne
SPAG

[KnightoftheCosmere]

Another slightly related point is that during the time of TWoK, Alethkar had "some twenty blades" (Ch. 52). This was after they had gotten seven of the eight Parshendi Blades, which implies that around a third of Alethi Blades originated with the Parshendi.