Prophesy in the Stormlight Archive and the Old Testament

[Frustration]

So as I was reading Wind and Truth, specifically the last chapters something kept standing out to me, specifically regarding the Death Rattles, and that is that they started receiving double fulfillments. Why do I notice that? Because it's a staple of Old Testament prophesy.

Take for example a very famous one, in Isaiah 7:14

Spoiler

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This prophesy was doubly fulfilled in the births of Maher-shalal-hash-baz(try saying that five times fast) see Chapter 8 of Isaiah, and the birth of Jesus Christ, see Luke 1.

 There are of course other examples of this Isaiah 14 poetically referring both to the future downfall of Babylon, and the pre-mortal downfall of Lucifer, Ezekiel 37 referring both to the future unification of the tribes of Israel, and the unification of the Book of Mormon with the Bible(though I recognize that one isn't intuitive from the text as it stands).

So why do I bring this up? Well, because I believe that it inspired Brandon while he was planning out the Death Rattles in the Stormlight Archive.

Aside from the textual evidence I'll get to in a moment I'll add that the examples listed above from the old Testament were included in the old Testament Study guides for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'd provide a link to the relevant pages but the Church made a new updated one on the website that no longer includes these listings, and I really don't want to type out word for word from the printed version. Maybe later I'll send photos.

I'd also like to add this WoB

Spoiler

Brandon Sanderson

Chapter Eighty-One - Part One

Prophecy

I wasn't certain how I wanted to treat prophecy in this book. On one hand, it's a staple of fantasy books—and my goal in this series was to take the fantasy staples and turn them upon their heads in a way that hadn't been done before. That meant I needed to include and use them, and so I did. In book two, the prophecies turned out to be false, and Ruin used them to trick Vin into releasing him.

However, the fact that he twisted the prophecies left me with the implication that they had once been true. What does that mean, though? If you look at prophecies in our own religions, very few of them are used like fantasy prophecies. In fantasy novels, it seems like prophecies are intentionally obscure, abstract things intended to confuse people and act as some kind of twisted guidebook for the hero to live his life. Yet, in modern religion—specifically Judaism and Christianity—prophecy is more general. Prophecy in these religions means things like "in the end, the faithful will win." They're general or symbolic. Of more use to the population as a whole, rather than applying to one distinct individual.

Sazed and Tindwyl have a great discussion about this in book two. Regardless, I make use of the prophecies here in the final book. As far as I'm concerned, they were given to the original Terris people by Preservation as a means of maintaining hope. They were a promise—a hero will come; that hero will protect you. Have faith.

The Hero of Ages Annotations (June 1, 2010)

So I'll take a look at some of the dualistic death-rattles here and apply this kind of thought process to them.

Spoiler

Three of sixteen rules, but now the Broken One reigns.

This death-rattle could refer both to Rayse, as the Stormfather tells Kaladin that Odium reigns during WoK, or to Taravangian at the end of WaT as the only shard in the system.

Spoiler

The burdens of nine become mine. Why must I carry the madness of them all? Oh, Almighty release me.

This could refer both to Taln as the only Herald left in the Oathpact, or to Ishar taking some of the burden from the other eight Heralds during the same event where he plead for Honor to release him.

Spoiler

I stand before him, above the world itself, and he speaks the truth. The Desolation is near … The Everstorm. The Night of Sorrows.

This could be Dalinar seeing the Vision of Honor as the world breaks away beneath them. It could be Gavilar and Taravangian in the Wind and Truth Prologue, it could well be Dalinar and Taravangian at the top of Urithiru during the Climax of Wind and Truth. And I'll actually break all of these down.

I stand before him above the world Itself:

Dalinar stands before Honor overlooking all of Alethkar

Taravangian stands before Gavilar overlooking a map of Roshar

Dalinar and Tarvangian stand before each other(either PoV works) on top of Urithiru, the highest point in the world.

 

He speaks the Truth:

The truth that Honor is dead, that Odium reigns etc etc

Gavilar speaking honestly with Taravangian after what he feels for a long time is deception

Dalinar realizing that it is Gavilnor, and that he can't beat Taravangian, or Taravangian realizing that Dalinar is right about not being able to kill family/the Sun makers gambit.

All of these have to do with the true desolation, everstorm and night of sorrows

Spoiler

Victory! We stand atop the mount! We scatter them before us! Their homes become our dens, their lands are now our farms! And they shall burn, as we once did, in a place that is hollow and forlorn.

This could be both the human invasion of Roshar, or the Singer invasion of Azamir. Reminds me a lot of the Isaiah 14 example earlier.

Spoiler

A man stood on a cliffside and watched his homeland fall into dust. The waters surged beneath, so far beneath. And he heard a child crying. They were his own tears.

This could be both of Dalinar or Szeth.

Dalinar watched Alethkar crumble to dust in the visions. Szeth in WaT saw his homeland in the sorriest, most broken state, far from its own ideals and formerly peaceful way of life.

The waters surging beneath could be both the creation of Retributions eternal storm or the waves of the sea where Szeth used to live. The Child could be both Gavilnor for Dalinar, or Szeth himself at the Elsecaller monastery.

I'll admit the Szeth one has to stretch at times here, but I think it still fits.

Spoiler

Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red.

I still want this to be black red and white, so that white can rhyme with alight, but alright.

This one was pretty obvious and was the first to catch my attention.

This could be the Heralds holding back the desolations, or the Unoathed fighting for Azimir.

Spoiler

I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw.

This can be both Gavilnor and Dalinar, or the silent gatherers collecting death rattles

Spoiler

He must pick it up, the fallen title! The tower, the crown, and the spear!

This one is my favorite, and the one that made me decide to do this.

The He in this case can be either Dalinar or Kaladin.

The Fallen Title can be any of: Herald, Honor, Knight Raadiant.

The Tower could be any of: Urithiru, The Tower, The Pinnacle, the glyphpair of the Kholin princedom

The Crown could be: The Shard Honor, The Kingship of Urithiru, Elhokar, Dalinar The other Glyph in the Kholin Princedom.

The Spear could be: Kaladin, Syl, the Honorblade Kaladin got at the end of WaT.

 

Was this prophecy fulfilled when Kaladin swore the second ideal, finally taking up the Spear to fight again at the end of WoK, fighting his way to the Royal highprince Dalinar at the Battle of the Tower?

Was it fulfilled when Kaladin fully entered the order of Windrunners, took up a shardweapon(that would later become a spear) while defending the King Elhokar at the Pinnacle?

Was it fulfilled when Dalinar with Kaladin at his side claimed the order of bondsmiths and kingship of the Tower Urithiru?

Was it fulfilled when Dalinar as King, at the top of the tower took up Honor, and thought so highly upon his Spear Kaladin?

Was it fulfilled when Kaladin took up the mantle of a Herald, Syl as a potential shardspear, while given an Honorspear, while wearing the Tower and Crown?

I would like to submit my belief that it is all of them.

Edited December 16, 2025 by Frustration

[NerdSandwich she/her]

Nice

[Unintelligenius he/him]

3 hours ago, Frustration said:

 

This is awesome!

[Nitpicking]

That prophecy interpretation is, let's say, limited to Christians. Non-Christian (and rationalist Christians) have other interpretations.

[bmcclure7]

On 12/16/2025 at 2:43 PM, Frustration said:

So as I was reading Wind and Truth, specifically the last chapters something kept standing out to me, specifically regarding the Death Rattles, and that is that they started receiving double fulfillments. Why do I notice that? Because it's a staple of Old Testament prophesy.

Take for example a very famous one, in Isaiah 7:14

  Hide contents

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This prophesy was doubly fulfilled in the births of Maher-shalal-hash-baz(try saying that five times fast) see Chapter 8 of Isaiah, and the birth of Jesus Christ, see Luke 1.

 There are of course other examples of this Isaiah 14 poetically referring both to the future downfall of Babylon, and the pre-mortal downfall of Lucifer, Ezekiel 37 referring both to the future unification of the tribes of Israel, and the unification of the Book of Mormon with the Bible(though I recognize that one isn't intuitive from the text as it stands).

So why do I bring this up? Well, because I believe that it inspired Brandon while he was planning out the Death Rattles in the Stormlight Archive.

Aside from the textual evidence I'll get to in a moment I'll add that the examples listed above from the old Testament were included in the old Testament Study guides for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'd provide a link to the relevant pages but the Church made a new updated one on the website that no longer includes these listings, and I really don't want to type out word for word from the printed version. Maybe later I'll send photos.

I'd also like to add this WoB

  Hide contents

Brandon Sanderson

Chapter Eighty-One - Part One

Prophecy

I wasn't certain how I wanted to treat prophecy in this book. On one hand, it's a staple of fantasy books—and my goal in this series was to take the fantasy staples and turn them upon their heads in a way that hadn't been done before. That meant I needed to include and use them, and so I did. In book two, the prophecies turned out to be false, and Ruin used them to trick Vin into releasing him.

However, the fact that he twisted the prophecies left me with the implication that they had once been true. What does that mean, though? If you look at prophecies in our own religions, very few of them are used like fantasy prophecies. In fantasy novels, it seems like prophecies are intentionally obscure, abstract things intended to confuse people and act as some kind of twisted guidebook for the hero to live his life. Yet, in modern religion—specifically Judaism and Christianity—prophecy is more general. Prophecy in these religions means things like "in the end, the faithful will win." They're general or symbolic. Of more use to the population as a whole, rather than applying to one distinct individual.

Sazed and Tindwyl have a great discussion about this in book two. Regardless, I make use of the prophecies here in the final book. As far as I'm concerned, they were given to the original Terris people by Preservation as a means of maintaining hope. They were a promise—a hero will come; that hero will protect you. Have faith.

The Hero of Ages Annotations (June 1, 2010)

So I'll take a look at some of the dualistic death-rattles here and apply this kind of thought process to them.

  Hide contents

Three of sixteen rules, but now the Broken One reigns.

This death-rattle could refer both to Rayse, as the Stormfather tells Kaladin that Odium reigns during WoK, or to Taravangian at the end of WaT as the only shard in the system.

  Reveal hidden contents

The burdens of nine become mine. Why must I carry the madness of them all? Oh, Almighty release me.

This could refer both to Taln as the only Herald left in the Oathpact, or to Ishar taking some of the burden from the other eight Heralds during the same event where he plead for Honor to release him.

  Hide contents

I stand before him, above the world itself, and he speaks the truth. The Desolation is near … The Everstorm. The Night of Sorrows.

This could be Dalinar seeing the Vision of Honor as the world breaks away beneath them. It could be Gavilar and Taravangian in the Wind and Truth Prologue, it could well be Dalinar and Taravangian at the top of Urithiru during the Climax of Wind and Truth. And I'll actually break all of these down.

I stand before him above the world Itself:

Dalinar stands before Honor overlooking all of Alethkar

Taravangian stands before Gavilar overlooking a map of Roshar

Dalinar and Tarvangian stand before each other(either PoV works) on top of Urithiru, the highest point in the world.

 

He speaks the Truth:

The truth that Honor is dead, that Odium reigns etc etc

Gavilar speaking honestly with Taravangian after what he feels for a long time is deception

Dalinar realizing that it is Gavilnor, and that he can't beat Taravangian, or Taravangian realizing that Dalinar is right about not being able to kill family/the Sun makers gambit.

All of these have to do with the true desolation, everstorm and night of sorrows

  Hide contents

Victory! We stand atop the mount! We scatter them before us! Their homes become our dens, their lands are now our farms! And they shall burn, as we once did, in a place that is hollow and forlorn.

This could be both the human invasion of Roshar, or the Singer invasion of Azamir. Reminds me a lot of the Isaiah 14 example earlier.

  Hide contents

A man stood on a cliffside and watched his homeland fall into dust. The waters surged beneath, so far beneath. And he heard a child crying. They were his own tears.

This could be both of Dalinar or Szeth.

Dalinar watched Alethkar crumble to dust in the visions. Szeth in WaT saw his homeland in the sorriest, most broken state, far from its own ideals and formerly peaceful way of life.

The waters surging beneath could be both the creation of Retributions eternal storm or the waves of the sea where Szeth used to live. The Child could be both Gavilnor for Dalinar, or Szeth himself at the Elsecaller monastery.

I'll admit the Szeth one has to stretch at times here, but I think it still fits.

  Hide contents

Ten people, with Shardblades alight, standing before a wall of black and white and red.

I still want this to be black red and white, so that white can rhyme with alight, but alright.

This one was pretty obvious and was the first to catch my attention.

This could be the Heralds holding back the desolations, or the Unoathed fighting for Azimir.

  Hide contents

I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw.

This can be both Gavilnor and Dalinar, or the silent gatherers collecting death rattles

  Hide contents

He must pick it up, the fallen title! The tower, the crown, and the spear!

This one is my favorite, and the one that made me decide to do this.

The He in this case can be either Dalinar or Kaladin.

The Fallen Title can be any of: Herald, Honor, Knight Raadiant.

The Tower could be any of: Urithiru, The Tower, The Pinnacle, the glyphpair of the Kholin princedom

The Crown could be: The Shard Honor, The Kingship of Urithiru, Elhokar, Dalinar The other Glyph in the Kholin Princedom.

The Spear could be: Kaladin, Syl, the Honorblade Kaladin got at the end of WaT.

 

Was this prophecy fulfilled when Kaladin swore the second ideal, finally taking up the Spear to fight again at the end of WoK, fighting his way to the Royal highprince Dalinar at the Battle of the Tower?

Was it fulfilled when Kaladin fully entered the order of Windrunners, took up a shardweapon(that would later become a spear) while defending the King Elhokar at the Pinnacle?

Was it fulfilled when Dalinar with Kaladin at his side claimed the order of bondsmiths and kingship of the Tower Urithiru?

Was it fulfilled when Dalinar as King, at the top of the tower took up Honor, and thought so highly upon his Spear Kaladin?

Was it fulfilled when Kaladin took up the mantle of a Herald, Syl as a potential shardspear, while given an Honorspear, while wearing the Tower and Crown?

I would like to submit my belief that it is all of them.

The broken one most certainly refers to retribution 

5 hours ago, Nitpicking said:

That prophecy interpretation is, let's say, limited to Christians. Non-Christian (and rationalist Christians) have other interpretations.

Non-Christians, don’t believe in prophecy that is very different from having a different interpretation

[Frustration]

7 hours ago, bmcclure7 said:

The broken one most certainly refers to retribution 

How so?

7 hours ago, bmcclure7 said:

Non-Christians, don’t believe in prophecy that is very different from having a different interpretation

Not necessarily: Jews, Muslims, zoroastrians, and many other non-Christian religions believe in prophecy.

[Nitpicking]

On 12/20/2025 at 4:17 AM, bmcclure7 said:

The broken one most certainly refers to retribution 

Non-Christians, don’t believe in prophecy that is very different from having a different interpretation

I'm referring to the belief among many (notably Jews) that the "first" fulfillment really happened, but the second "fulfillment" was just Jesus deliberately trying to match a prophecy (riding a donkey into Jerusalem) or made up by Gospel writers long after Jesus's death (notably Joseph's flight to Egypt, which really couldn't have happened as written).

[Frustration]

On 12/16/2025 at 1:43 PM, Frustration said:

This could be the Heralds holding back the desolations, or the Unoathed fighting for Azimir.

  Reveal hidden contents

I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw.

 

I'm so glad this actually got confirmed during the Koloss head munching day live stream

Spoiler

Pagerunner and Legionrip

In a nonspoiler Q&A at WorldCon, you talked about a character who was going to die in Wind and Truth in your outline. But that when you got to writing the book, you realized the character wouldn't make that choice and would go a different direction, and so survived.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. This is a big one. This is the biggest change, I think, I made. I actually saw that email: "What is the biggest change?" It's twofold.

One is boring. I changed Dalinar's flashbacks to being in Book Three, and Szeth's flashbacks to being in Book Five. That's the biggest change, I would say, along with Adolin's increased part and role in the story since Book One. That sent a cascading effect through the outlines. But I was very well-outlined, by the time we got here, that Adolin was gonna do his whole thing that happened in here. The existence of the Unoathed was not in the original outlines; it's a completely new thing. But, I rebuilt those outlines in the years intervening, so you will find them in the outlines, and what not.

The big change that I made when I was working on this book specifically is: Szeth was going to die. So, why did it not work? Well, Szeth was going to be consumed, at the end, by Nightblood. He was going to let himself be consumed in a way that was kind of like a suicide, in order to spit in the face of what's going on and refuse what was happening to him. And as I worked on the outline and I worked on who he was, I'm like, "Szeth, of all the characters, can't be the person who doesn't take the next step." The whole theme of take the next step, I'm like, "I cannot have..." Even though it wasn't a full suicide, I couldn't have heroic suicide at the end of Stormlight Five, even if it was only a sideways one. And I realized during outlining... And this, actually, a beta reader pushed me on this. Not that in any version did they read that Szeth died, but he fully renounced in an early version the Skybreakers. And one of the beta readers (I'll not out them, because I don't want people going to the beta readers and be like "you changed what I would have liked!) pointed out that isn't it stronger if Szeth works to rehabilitate the Skybreakers, rather than just renouncing them completely? And I'm like, "Yeah, that's what Szeth would do." It wasn't something that I had been thinking about, because I had been thinking about Szeth dying until I got to the outline for this book, and then I'm like, "It's not right." So there's not a scene written ever where he did that by the time I was working on the outlines for this book. But you've gotta remember, these outlines stretch back fifteen years, at this point, and I have a much better understanding of mental health and the characters and things like this, and as soon as I got to that in my initial outlining, I'm like, "Wow. This was a terrible idea." And you will see that in your early outlines, because you've grown so much as a writer, and your characters have grown so much, where you're like, "What was I thinking by having Szeth essentially give himself up, give up and get consumed by Nightblood at the end of this book?" Just not a very good idea. It never really was going to happen; I don't think I would have ever done that. But there you are.

Adam Horne

As you've written so many stories, has there been a character that has really surprised you about their change or their growth from the beginning of a book, compared to an end of a book?

Brandon Sanderson

It's hard to say, because surprise is such a weird term. Lot of authors use that, in regards to what happens. What's really going on is, as you're writing, you are making connections, you are getting to know the characters better, you are getting to understand the themes better. Almost no one ends up exactly where you imagined them. But I tend to be more on target than most writers, I would say.

Way of Kings is a cheat, because I knew; I'd written Way of Kings before, and I knew what I'd written wrong. But if you look at the entire growth of the Stormlight Archive, it's obviously Adolin. Everyone else basically ended up where I had imagined they would at the end, in some shape or another. But then we did just change Szeth.

Roberto Serrano 2003

What was the difference between the epilogue you wrote in Wind and Truth over a decade ago that went unused due to timing issues, with the epilogue in the published version?

Brandon Sanderson

Epilogue in the published version is very similar, except Wit was on Roshar. And I realized... And this is another thing that happens to you when you're working on books. Like, you don't always see the conundrums until you're in the thick of it. That conundrum was there; Roshar getting stuck in time dilation, and Wit ending at the end on Roshar, just kind of morose, the same sort of morose feeling that you get from it. He's like, "It's gone wrong. I've messed up again." It's essentialy where Wit is; he's like, "I have screwed this up again. I tried really this time, and I messed up." And he was on Roshar. I had to get him off Roshar in order to get around time dilation timing issues. And that, I actually started making that revision in Oathbringer. I was aware of this conundrum by Oathbringer. I don't think it made it into Oathbringer. My original thought was to have seeding him leaving, getting some cultures offworld of himself to try this out. And I don't think it ended up happening. I was gonna send some with Rock, but I didn't ever write the Rock novella in time. But by Oathbringer, I was aware of this, and working on, "All right, he's gonna have to get off." I mean, Odium would vaporize him the moment he found him anyway, so it ended up working out really well.

The other big revision is: a lot of my editors and many of the beta readers were really worried about how downer of an ending Wind and Truth was. Particularly the editors; this wasn't the beta readers as much, this was the editors. And this is, you know, Tor and Gollancz. And I'm like, "It's a downer of an ending, I know; I can maybe give Wit a little of an upbeat turn." And so the epilogue changed just a tad as I had him do something I wasn't planning for anyone to do until the back five, is realize: Dalinar made a decision that nobody was expecting, but that is, maybe, the best decision he could have, if you think it through. At first, it seems like a pretty terrible one. But having Wit acknowledge, "Okay, this is good. This'll work." And so, that's the other big tweak to the epilogue. Otherwise, it's the same epilogue. It's very similar, it's just location change and then a little tweak of it being more upbeat.

YouTube Spoiler Stream 7 (Dec. 19, 2025)

Well not hard confirmed, as I can't tell when the unoathed entered the picture, but I think this is pretty good confirmation that when this death-rattle was written it refered to the Heralds, but was then later repurposed to refer to the Unoathed as well.

Edited December 30, 2025 by Frustration