Splinters, control, and absorption.

[Xanpheon]

So, going from this WoB:

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Alex M

What's the difference between avatar and Splinter?

Brandon Sanderson

These are all very weird terms that I'm just using.

*mistakenly answering for Sliver* A Sliver is a person who has held the power of a Shard, and then let go of it. A briefly held time, holding the infinite power of a Shard, but no longer does. So what does that do? That changes your soul, and leaves markers on it. It's a real physiological thing.

An avatar is... a Shard manifesting a semi-autonomous piece of themselves that is still connected to who they are. An avatar, for instance, of Autonomy - depending on how Autonomy creates that avatar - might know, might not know, but they are still an aspect, they are still part of Autonomy. And when you get down to it a part of them knows that, and it's almost a god roleplaying, but in a way that only a Shard, or a lowercase-g god in the Cosmere, can do.

Brandon Sanderson

*realizes that he answered for Sliver earlier, and clarifies*

A Splinter is a piece of a Shard that is fully autonomous, where an avatar is not. So something that is Splintered does not consider itself - and would not be considered by the definitions  - an actual piece of it [the Shard], and has free will. So once it has free will, and/or could develop free will (because some of the Splinters haven't gotten there yet), but is fully cut off from the direct control and self-identity of the Shard, then it is called a Splinter.

YouTube Spoiler Stream 2 (June 3, 2021)  

Specifically, here, we have the definition of a Splinter given as "fully cut off from the direct control and self-identity of the Shard". 

At the end of WaT, we see that Retribution would have been able to absorb all the sentient splinters that remained of Honor's Investiture in the form of the Spren (though, interestingly, this doesn't seem to apply to the Honorblades - though it's possible they would have been hit too). However, he didn't seem to be preparing to absorb the fragments of Honor that split off as Dalinar abandoned it and Odium was about to absorb it. We also know that it's possible for even lesser sources of power to prevent Shards from reabsorbing their Splinters (see the Oathpact Reforged).

Is it, perhaps, possible for a Splinter to fully resist absorption by it's parent Shard, should it come to that? Obviously I'm drawing off a small pool of evidence here, but considering the statement of it having free will and is fully cut off from the direct control of the shard, I'm not sure about the overall chances of the Splinter. 

[Treamayne]

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35 minutes ago, Xanpheon said:

Is it, perhaps, possible for a Splinter to fully resist absorption by it's parent Shard, should it come to that? Obviously I'm drawing off a small pool of evidence here, but considering the statement of it having free will and is fully cut off from the direct control of the shard, I'm not sure about the overall chances of the Splinter. 

I think it depends on Identity. The True Spren (Radiant Spren) may have been Splinters (combined Honor and Cultivation), but they Identified as being "of Honor and Cultivation." They still felt they were parts of Honor.

In stories you have not yet read (Elantris, Warbreaker and Yumi), you will encounter other kinds of Splinters. But, I think that if the Spren had not self-identified as being "of Honor" (at least partly) then Retribution would not have been able to grab them back. I also think the honorblades are the foreshadowing of that point - they have some sentience, but almost no sapience and are fully-separated Splinters - which is why Retribution did not, and possibly could not have, reclaimed them (Connection would also be a factor). 

WoBs:

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Questioner

Is there a specific Shard that most of the spren come from?

Brandon Sanderson

Most of the spren are going to be related to a combination of Honor and Cultivation, weighted certain directions for certain types of spren. But the spren are mostly both of them. 

Questioner

Are they considered Splinters?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, you could call spren Splinters if you wanted to. They work in the same way as a Splinter, so yeah.

LTUE 2020 (Feb. 15, 2020)

Argent (paraphrased)

Is Cultivation's Shardholder still alive.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Good question, what do you think?

Argent (paraphrased)

I want to say, but that's based on my knowledge before I read Lift's interlude from Words of Radiance. Now I am leaning towards no. Based on that interlude, it looks like spren have essence from both Honor and Cultivation. It's almost like they exist in a spectrum, on one end of which is Honor, and on the other - Cultivation; so there are spren that are, for the lack of better example, 90% Honor and 10% Cultivation, and there are spren that are 15% Honor and 85% Cultivation.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

That's a very astute observation!

Argent (paraphrased)

And since we know that Honor is Splintered, then it might be the case that Cultivation is also Splintered, and their Splinters form the spren.

Footnote: Brandon has previously stated that Cultivation's Vessel is in fact alive.
Steelheart Chicago signing (Oct. 5, 2013)

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Questioner

Did the spren that we know of as the Cryptics exist before Honor and Cultivation came to Roshar?

Brandon Sanderson

Ah, good question! No. Cryptics would be one of the forms of spren that were a later creation. Creation is the wrong term, but yeah. 

Billy Todd, Moderator

Later development? Evolution?

Brandon Sanderson

All of the sapient spren are later developments. 

Billy Todd, Moderator

Are they evolved from the earlier spren?

Brandon Sanderson

Evolution doesn't work the same way on the spren, right? The spren were created more than evolved, I would say.

Billy Todd, Moderator

Maybe cultivated?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, cultivated. *laughter*

JordanCon 2018 (April 21, 2018)

 

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Wetlander

Please explain what you will about Shards and Splintering and Slivers.

Brandon Sanderson

An event happened long ago which destroyed something called Adonalsium into 16 pieces. And 16 people took up that power.

Questioner

People?

Brandon Sanderson

I call all intelligent species people. If someone takes up the power and lets go of it, it has the effect much like a balloon that's been stretched and then the air is let out. I call that a Sliver; based off of the Lord Ruler calling himself the "Sliver of Infinity". The Lord Ruler is someone who held the power and then released it. And so, current Slivers are the Lord Ruler, Kelsier, and there may be others around who at one point held the power and let go of it. A Splinter is a term used by certain people in the cosmere for power of Adonalsium which has no person caring for it, no... no person holding it, which has attained self-awareness.

Wetlander

So is that like the mists and the Well? Are they...

Brandon Sanderson

They are not, because they have not attained self-awareness. But, the Seons are self-aware. So, any piece, for instance there were some spren on Roshar before Honor and Cultivation got there. Those were already Splinters of Adonalsium where he had left power which attained sentience on its own. So, it can be intentional is what I am saying, does that make sense? You have seen other Splinters.

Wetlander

Are the highstorms related to the Splintering of Honor?

Brandon Sanderson

The highstorms are more related to the mist from Mistborn which terminology we have not discussed yet. You have seen Splinters quite a bit on various planets.

Steelheart Seattle signing (Oct. 14, 2013)

Elantris Spoilers:

Spoiler

little wilson

Are Ruin and Preservation separate in Sazed or are they fully combined together like can he give one of them, or does he have to give both.

Brandon Sanderson

They are not fully combined. I mean that's not the way this works. He could pull off a piece of one even and make-- stuff like that. That's totally, totally viable. I mean it's basically what happened with the spren. The spren existed before even Honor was destroyed and things like that.

little wilson

So, did the-- my gosh, on Sel-- the Aons-- not the Aons-- the seons did they exist before the Splintering?

Brandon Sanderson

They did not. That's a good question. But they are not the majority of the power. They're just little pieces, they are like the sparks when something gets destroyed. The sparks are not the majority but they are the sparks that were thrown off, if that makes sense?

Holiday signing (Dec. 12, 2015)

Spoiler

DoritoJH

We know that there are spren that are partially of Honor, partially of Cultivation, and Odium. Can there be spren made of any combination of Shards?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. Well, you would have to call them... Under that definition if you call a seon a spren, then yes. If you don't call a seon a spren, if you define a spren as, "On Roshar, related to the natural world of Roshar," then no. Theoretically yes, but it wouldn't really work. But it depends on how you define spren. If a Shard were to come and reside on Roshar like the other ones have, then you could theoretically see other new spren appearing out of them.

DoritoJH

Could there be a spren of all 16 Shards combined all at once?

Brandon Sanderson

*hands out RAFO card*

DragonCon 2019 (Aug. 31, 2019)

 

Hope that helps