Are We Sure That Kabsal Was From Roshar?

[Yados]

I'm listening to Way of Kings on the train and noticed this. It's from Chapter 33, Cymatics. Kabsal and Shallan are discussing Jasnah.

“I see. So she’s a harsh mistress?”

“Actually, no,” Shallan said. “I’m just fond of hyperbole.”

“I’m not,” he said. “It’s a real bastard to spell.”

“Kabsal!”

“Sorry,” he said. Then he glanced upward. “Sorry.”

“I’m sure the ceiling forgives you. To get the Almighty’s attention, you might want to burn a prayer instead.”

Seems innocuous, yes? But there's the thing. I ran a search on the phrasing "looked up" and "glanced up" and it's never used to indicate anyone talking to the Almighty in the whole rest of the book. Just here. And it's Kabsal, an ardent (maybe) who does it. He should know better. Or, more importantly, this shouldn't be his impulse. Unless he's a religious man who isn't from the Vorin kingdoms.

So why does he do that? Why does he address God in a way that no one on Roshar (well, the eastern half) does/would, but that no one on our world would blink at? Why is he pursuing someone who can access Shadesmar? Why is he spending so much time with another person who has the potential to do so as well.

Maybe Hoid and the 17th Shard don't have a monopoly on world-hopping and the Ghostbloods are far more important than a mere secret society.

Edited August 30, 2012 by Yados

[Vortaan]

I'm listening to Way of Kings on the train and noticed this. It's from Chapter 33, Cymatics. Kabsal and Shallan are discussing Jasnah.

Seems innocuous, yes? But there's the thing. I ran a search on the phrasing "looked up" and "glanced up" and it's never used to indicate anyone talking to the Almighty in the whole rest of the book. Just here. And it's Kabsal, an ardent (maybe) who does it. He should know better. Or, more importantly, this shouldn't be his impulse. Unless he's a religious man who isn't from the Vorin kingdoms.

So why does he do that? Why does he address God in a way that no one on Roshar (well, the eastern half) does/would, but that no one on our world would blink at? Why is he pursuing someone who can access Shadesmar? Why is he spending so much time with another person who has the potential to do so as well.

Maybe Hoid and the 17th Shard don't have a monopoly on world-hopping and the Ghostbloods are far more important than a mere secret society.

Hrm. I'd like to point out that the other characters we see aren't exactly the most spiritual people. It might be more common among lower classes to glance upward like that. I'd wager it's at least known since Shallan doesn't make more of a fuss over what he was doing.

[Observer]

I....have no idea what to say about this. It could simply be that on Roshar, like on Earth, there is some built-in concept that God lives upward, or it could be he had a spren he was talking to, or it could be that he had some habit he developed on another world. It's just not anything conclusive to go off of, as sweet and cool as it sounds at first.

[Yados]

Hrm. I'd like to point out that the other characters we see aren't exactly the most spiritual people. It might be more common among lower classes to glance upward like that. I'd wager it's at least known since Shallan doesn't make more of a fuss over what he was doing.

But Kabsal isn't one of the lower classes. He has light eyes.

And it's the most devout people-- Kaladin's mother, Navani-- who we see burning prayers. Shallan is devout and she thinks Kabsal's behavior is strange enough to mock. Plus Dalinar and Adolin may not look spiritual by our standards, but the intricacies of Vorinism allow them to be warriors and religious at the same time because their glories match up with their station.

We never see anyone, devout or high class or low class, speak to the Almighty in such a way. Except Kabsal.

...to my knowledge.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Yados

[Observer]

Shallan is devout and she thinks Kabsal's behavior is strange enough to mock.

[DevilsAdvocateOn]

I interpret that as her trying to be witty, not her finding him looking up as strange.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Observer

[Vortaan]

But Kabsal isn't one of the lower classes. He has light eyes.

And it's the most devout people-- Kaladin's mother, Navani-- who we see burning prayers. Shallan is devout and she thinks Kabsal's behavior is strange enough to mock. Plus Dalinar and Adolin may not look spiritual by our standards, but the intricacies of Vorinism allow them to be warriors and religious at the same time because their glories match up with their station.

We never see anyone, devout or high class or low class, speak to the Almighty in such a way. Except Kabsal.

...to my knowledge.

Could be a lower class light eyes, could be from a non-Vorin region. Strange enough to mock isn't the same as completely unknown. It's an interesting theory but I don't think there's more to it than that one incident. Watch me be wrong though, and Kasbal's actually from the Tranquline Halls or something

[Windrunner]

I don't really find it odd that he looks towards the sky. There are a couple of reasons for why I feel this way. One is, like Observer said, I think Shallan was merely poking fun at him rather then being truly surprised by this behavior. She twists plenty of commonplace actions and words around over the course of the rest of the book.

Another comes with the prayers. They burn them, sending their souls to the Almighty. We don't know much of the theology behind this burning, but smoke does travel upwards, so that is a potential connection there. (although not by any means a definitive one) The last reason I don't find this odd is because Kabsal is Herdazian. He's the only character of any importance from this country. We know next to nothing about their culture and religious traditions. It seems likely to me that this could be a simple Herdazian habit when talking about the Almighty. I don't have anything that can for sure prove this wrong but the evidence really seems circumstantial at best to me.

[happyman]

Is there the possibility that, at one point, Honor really did live in the sky?

I have to go with the others. Apparently, that tradition wasn't really unusual to Shallan. It's a perfectly bog-standard example of her being witty.

[Riddlesinthedark]

Is there the possibility that, at one point, Honor really did live in the sky?

I have to go with the others. Apparently, that tradition wasn't really unusual to Shallan. It's a perfectly bog-standard example of her being witty.

Windrunners and the face in the storm could definitely suggest that.

[Glaring at the Survivor]

I never have thought of this. It is definitely a possibility.

[name_here]

Is there the possibility that, at one point, Honor really did live in the sky?

I have to go with the others. Apparently, that tradition wasn't really unusual to Shallan. It's a perfectly bog-standard example of her being witty.

I don't think Shards can really be described as being in a specific location except when they're focusing in on somewhere and visibly manifest.

[Observer]

On the subject of burning, I noticed something shortly after Kaladin wonders why a God would only hear prayers after you burn them. People burn bodies too, to send them to the Almighty. Could there, perhaps, be something to it? What if burning is Roshar's equiv. of Scadrial's earrings?