How important is Devotion's Perpendicularity to Elantris?

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

Just had a stray thought. 

Is Elantris near Devotion's Perpendicularity because it was important for the city to be built in the same region as it?

Like, if Elantris was built somewhere else, or if the Perpendicularity was placed somewhere else, could Elantris exist without it? 

I know it probably doesn't make much sense, but AonDor is so far, by far the most powerful Selish Art, any practitioner literally becomes immortal the second they get it so long as they stay relatively close to the city. But does anyone think that the Perpendicularity plays some kind of role in how the city functions?

[Treamayne]

9 hours ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

Is Elantris near Devotion's Perpendicularity because it was important for the city to be built in the same region as it?

There simply is not enough information to determine correlation or causation (or both or neither). We know:

• Elantris City predates the Splintering of Devotion and Dominion
• AonDor was a discovered art, and that art was used for making Elantris City
• The Current Arelenes are immigrants (from the area now called Teod), and not the original inhabitants of that land and did not make Elantris City
• The Walls of Elantris City and the border cities (Aon Rao) are only one of the Fabrials that run "Elantris"

What we do not know

• Was Devotion's pool there before she was Splintered?
• Did Devotion assist in the creation of Elantris?
• Did the Shaod predate Elantris City, or is it a function of the fabrials in city's construction?
  • Alternately, was there some precursor to the current Shaod that was happening before Elantris City was built?

 

WoBs and Annotations:

Spoiler

Quote

Evilsmiley

Was Elantris built before the Shards were [Splintered] on Sel or not?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, in my outline right now Elantris existed before Odium did his dirty work on Elantris.

It's unlikely to change, but I do have to point out this isn't strictly canon yet, and likely won't be until I write the Elantris sequels.

General Reddit 2021 (Feb. 22, 2021)

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zas678

Did Sel's early magic users have Aona's help in building Elantris?

Brandon Sanderson

That's a RAFO.

Holiday signing (Dec. 12, 2015)

Annotation to Ch 55:

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Only Elantrians can draw Aons in the air, so someone taken by the Shaod must have developed the writing system. That is part of what makes writing a noble art in Arelon–drawing the Aons would have been associated with Elantrians. Most likely, the early Elantrians (who probably didn’t even have Elantris back then) would have had to learn the Aons by trial and error, finding what each one did, and associating its meaning and sound with its effect. The language didn’t develop, but was instead ‘discovered.’

There are likely Aons that haven’t even been found yet.

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Locke219

How long ago (before Elantris 1) was Elantris built?

Brandon Sanderson

Hundreds of years if not over a thousand years.

Tor.com Q&A with Brandon Sanderson (Jan. 10, 2011)

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Brandon Sanderson

Weak Aons

Elantris is like a massive power conduit. It focuses the Dor, strengthening its power (or, rather, the power of the Aons to release it) in Arelon. This far away from Elantris, however, the Aons are about as powerful as they were before Raoden fixed Elantris.

If you consider it, it makes logical sense that the Aons would be tied to Elantris and Arelon, yet would work without them. The Aons had to exist before Elantris–otherwise, the original Elantrians wouldn't have known the shape to make the city. Their study of AonDor taught them a method for amplifying Aon power.

Elantris Annotations (May 12, 2006)

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Chris King

Did seons exist when the Aonic peoples discovered Elantris?

Brandon Sanderson

When the Aonic peoples discovered Elantris, did seons exist-- Okay let me go back to my timeline... It kind of means you have to define what you mean by Aonic. The problem is if you dig back too far in history it's kind of like asking "What's a German?" You know what I mean?

Chris King

Because the Aons are based upon Elantris itself and so they don't become Aonic until they are writing the Aons.

Brandon Sanderson

And Aonic is also-- You are talking about the people and so it's like are the Normans Brits? Or are they Vikings? Or are they Frenchman?

Chris King

Why don't we phrase it as the people of Sel when they discovered Elantris.

Brandon Sanderson

No, no, that's getting, okay-- Let's go ahead and RAFO that one, just because the history of Elantris is very interesting to the cosmere. When people are starting to get an inkling of that.

Chris King

Odium was there once upon a time.

Brandon Sanderson

Yah... And the question of who built Elantris and how they built Elantris. What's going on with the Elantrians back then and things like this. So let's just RAFO that.

Chris King interview (Sept. 24, 2013)

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Argent

The updated Elantris map (from the anniversary edition) includes a city map, and the interior of Elantris looks awfully like Aon Ela. Was it indeed designed so the streets for Ela, and if so - does this merely augment/support the giant Aon Rao, or does it have a separate effect?

Brandon Sanderson

This was designed this way! It is separate from the shape of the city itself.

Argent

But does it have an actual effect, or is it just aesthetic?

Brandon Sanderson

It doesn't have an effect at the moment. It might once have.

Worldbuilders AMA (Dec. 3, 2015)

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Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

The Shaod is an effect of Elantris.

Alloy of Law 17th Shard Q&A (Nov. 5, 2011)

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chalkonthewall

In Elantris did Elantris ever not exist? like before it was built did the Shaod choose people? and if it did was their power the same? I'm mostly asking that if they were to build another Elantris in Teod would Elantrians be just as powerful over there?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, there is a point where Elantrians didn't exist. Excellent question. The rest is a RAFO.

Stormlight Three Update #5 (Nov. 20, 2016)

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Questioner

Was the wall around Elantris Soulcast?

Brandon Sanderson

Ah, good question! It was not Soulcast. Excellent question.

Questioner 2

So what was *inaudible* find out later, maybe?

Brandon Sanderson

Their own magic was involved in the creation of Elantris. The local magic was involved.

Legion Release Party (Sept. 19, 2018)

 

Hope that helps

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

Thanks.

I guess it'll be another question for the sequels, good thing those are coming out in a few years.