Alaswha?

[Millennium]

I thought the world the Heralds and Rosharan humanity came from was called Ashyn. That name does get used once or twice (at least in the Kindle edition), but "Alaswha" seems to be more common. Is this an older name for the world or something? An endonym used by the people who lived there, as opposed to Ashyn being an exonym? Have I just missed something?

[+Oltux72 he/him]

1 hour ago, Millennium said:

I thought the world the Heralds and Rosharan humanity came from was called Ashyn. That name does get used once or twice (at least in the Kindle edition), but "Alaswha" seems to be more common. Is this an older name for the world or something? An endonym used by the people who lived there, as opposed to Ashyn being an exonym? Have I just missed something?

Alashwa is presumably an endonym. It is definitely older and the world got renamed/gained an additional name due to its state. "Ashyn" is presumably a translation from an Alashwan language.

[Nef]

I remember a sentence that mentioned that the Ashyn name came about because the world was wrecked from surgebinding.

Edited December 10, 2024 by Nef

[a Faceless Immortal he/him]

Ashyn is the name the planet is given post being set on fire, named for the ash that is now everywhere. I believe that this is mentioned in the flashback where the humans make the crossing, but I'm not exactly sure. 

[hansolo44]

Nail mentioned while with Caladen that it was called something different before it burned 

[Treamayne]

On 12/10/2024 at 9:37 AM, a Faceless Immortal said:

Ashyn is the name the planet is given post being set on fire, named for the ash that is now everywhere. I believe that this is mentioned in the flashback where the humans make the crossing, but I'm not exactly sure. 

Tanavast Flashback - Ch 107:

Spoiler

MY FOLLOWERS ON ALASWHA HAD DIED WITH HONOR. TO THE POWER, HONOR IN DEATH WAS THE SAME AS HONOR IN LIFE. THAT WAS ALL IT CARED ABOUT, WHICH TERRIFIED ME.

I COULD FEEL ALL OF THESE DEATHS DIRECTLY, PARTICULARLY OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAD COME TO FOLLOW ME. THEIR SOULS FLED TO THE BEYOND, ESCAPING THIS PLANET, RENAMED ASHYN FOR THE SMOKE AND DESTRUCTION THAT WAS NOW ITS ONLY BIOME.

I WEPT FOR THEM.

<snip>

NALE WAS SEARCHING AMONG THE DEAD. HE COULD NOT SEE ME, BUT HE SCREAMED WHEN HE FOUND THE BODY OF HIS SISTER, AND HELD HER.

A MAN APPROACHED, BADLY BURNED, FOLLOWED BY A SMALL FORCE OF SOLDIERS. THEY DID NOT ATTACK NALE, THOUGH AT THEIR HEAD WAS A MAN I RECOGNIZED. LEADER OF ONE OF THE CITY-STATES THAT HAD JOINED THE EMPIRE, ADOPTED ITS WAYS. THEY CALLED HIM JEZRIEN. 

This implies the First Planet was renamed by its inhabitants before the exodus to Roshar.

Ishar mentions it in passing in Ch 131, but I can't find Nale mentioning the old name. The name is also the used for Ch 46, when Navani and Dalinar see the Elsecalling bringing the refugees to the mudflats, but the name is not used in that chapter itslef (except the Chapter name - much like Eshonai as the chapter name in WoK, but not used in-text until WoR).
Ch 131:

Spoiler

“You were there?” Kaladin asked. “From the very beginning? Is it true that we … came from another world?”

Ishar turned, ponderous as a shifting mountain, and regarded Kaladin. “Yes. We called our world Alaswha. There was a time when I loved it very much. We are literally the last pieces of our lost homeland here.”

Interesting that he does not realize life persists there. . .

 

Edited December 29, 2024 by Treamayne
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