harmonium Crackpot Theory: The Feruchemical Properties of Harmonium/Ettmetal

[NerdyAarakocra They/Them]

Alright, it's godmetal time.

We know(?) that godmetals have the basic three metallic arts properties. This is how they're presented in the Ars Arcani. Therefore, Harmonium should have an allomantic, feruchemic, and hemalurgic property. The allomantic and hemalurgic properties are mostly irrelevant, however, due to Harmonium's high reactivity.

However, Harmonium should still work for feruchemy.

We know(?) that Godmetals can be used allomantically by anyone (see: Atium-electrum WoB), even if they're not an allomancer. Therefore, we have some reason to suspect that they could be globally used feruchemically as well.

This is a stretch, I know - but about Harmonium specifically, this has a bit more grounding. The HoA epigraphs note that feruchemy comes from balance between Ruin and Preservation, and Harmony represents that balance. It'd be strange if Harmonium didn't do something Feruchemy-related.

Therefore, I posit the theory that a) Harmonium has a globally accessible feruchemical property and b) this property is to store Allomantic charges.

This would explain how Malwish technology works.

Incidental support for this theory has been outlined, and it fits well within the framework presented by the book. If this were correct, it would also imply that other godmetals have feruchemical properties.

Tell me why I'm wrong in the comments below!

[Isilel]

I do think that harmonium, or possibly harmonium alloy Feruchemy plays a role in the southern medallion production. 

I am not entirely sure what you mean by storing Allomantic charges? 

It recently occurred to me, though, that kandra are ideally suited to find out Allomantic properties of harmonium - they can take it into their bodies without any contact with fluids, if they so choose. I guess that Sazed keeps it secret from them that they can burn pure godmetals, for some reason*. Hopefully, now that they'd be producing atium for Marsh, a happy accident might reveal it to them.

*If, as many think, Kelsier's soul is stapled to a mistrwraith, this may be why, because Sazed doesn't want him to know that burning godmetals would work for him. 

[NerdyAarakocra They/Them]

On 7/4/2025 at 1:55 PM, Isilel said:

I am not entirely sure what you mean by storing Allomantic charges? 

What the allomantic grenades do in Era 2. Basically, I think that those grenades are (unkeyed?) Ettmetalminds.

[DracoAdamantus he/him]

I've been pondering this topic myself lately, and I think that Harmonium's ability goes beyond just a Feruchemical one, one in line with the idea that godmetals aren't confined to their own magic systems. The other two Scadrian godmetals, Lerasium and Atium, can be burned by anybody according to Brandon, and we've seen that Raysium has a special property too in SLA (it can conduct investiture).

I think that what Harmonium does is replicate investiture. When a source of investiture is used on Harmonium, it will absorb that investiture, then replicates it continually (until stopped by an outside force), using itself as fuel to create the effect ("burning" itself, from an allomantic standpoint). Preservation exists in the replication of the investiture, and Ruin exists in the burning of the metal to do so.

If this is correct, I think that the primer cubes release the allomantic effect in a short burst (instead of running continuously until all the metal is used up) is an effect of other mechanisms within manipulating the metal, likely utilizing aluminum (blocks investiture) and silver (disrupts investiture) to force the process to stop. I do have some ideas on how that works, but that's a much longer theory that will need its own post.