Shash

[Stylx]

In warbreaker, when siri is teaching theGod King to read, she introduces the letter shash.

In The Way of Kings, shash is the glyph inscribed into kaladin's forehead.

I think Roshar's glyph system might be related to warbreaker's normal writing system (as opposed to the colored dots writing).

[trendkill he/him]

Wow... I just read the two books back to back and I did not pick up on that...

[Emeralis00 she/her]

I believe that the colored dots writing system is actually a form of art.

That would be weird if the WoK and Warbreaker language is the same, since the Roshar writing system is based off of symmetry.

[Andrew the Great he/him]

But the glyphs may or may not be.

I'd guess that it's more likely coincidence, but I can definitely see Brandon doing something like this as well. This is probably something where we'd be better asking him if the two are related or not first. If it's just a crazy random happenstance, he'll probably tell us.

[Tazren he/him]

Weren't the glyphs in TWoK unrelated to the language? I mean, men could read glyphs, although it was frowned upon. So it wouldn't be impossible for one glyph to cross over into another world, if it was brought by someone who world-hopped.

Seems like there should be some correlation; I don't think Sanderson just happened to introduce the word "shash" in both books by accident.

[DariusJenai]

Nice catch.

I'm almost willing to bet that Sanderson wouldn't have introduced something a double glyph like that by accident.  Anyone gonna be at one of his signings before the WoT tour that could check with him?

[Deano Stormblessed he/him]

Maybe it shows that the two human races on warbreaker (can't remember the planet's name) and Roshar come from the same source, maybe a pre-Adonalsium shattering planet, which I have theorised as being the original place known on Roshar as the Tranquiline Halls.

But now I'm going off topic. Basically my theory is that the common language element is due to a common ancestry, rather than these races being created by shards as happened on Scadril.

[DariusJenai]

Sounds like a good theory.

I wonder if the common world is The Cluster, from Liar of Partinel.  If it really is a pre-shattering story, then it makes sense that it could be what eventually became known in Roshar folklore as the Tranquiline Halls.

[Ipood he/him]

It is also a palindrom, in the Roshar glyph system, where sh is one glyph. And aren't palindroms holy on Roshar?

[Earendil]

It is also a palindrom, in the Roshar glyph system, where sh is one glyph. And aren't palindroms holy on Roshar?

Yes.  Kabsal talks about it on pages 510-511.  Do we know if all glyphs are palindromes?  I can't think of any that aren't, but that doesn't mean much.

To the original post--good catch.  On the other hand, there are few enough alphabet-style sounds that we may be reading too much into this.  We at least know that the languages from Sel and Roshar are different, so I'll want to see more than one character before I fall in with even a related-languages theory.

[NotAStick]

I would argue they're connected. First, Vasher and his five scholars clearly spent enough time on Roshar to get an idea of how to make a shardblade. Second, Vasher had a HUGE impact on the kingdom of T'Telir. I think it's entirely possible that a scholar with his religious significance would have an impact on the writing system of a country he all but established. I also think it's entirely possible for Roshar's glyph system to have influenced him. 

I'm also pretty sure the shash glyph is listed in one of the Arcanum appendices as the symbol for Wind Runners, but it was a library book so I can't check. If I'm remembering this correctly, this could be one of the reasons Kal can't seem to get rid of his brand. 

(I know it's been years since anyone else looked at this, but I did a google search specifically for this connection and I wanted to see what others thought... )

[Calderis he/him]

This is not a major connection. More a matter of common roots. 

Quote

llwvyn

My question is in regards to the writing system. In Warbreaker, when Siri is teaching Susebron to read, she mentions the letter "shash," which we now know better as a glyph from [The Way of Kings].

so onto the questions:

Are the two writing systems related, or is this a chance coincidence of names?

If they are related, did they stem from the same source? (i.e., do the people of Nalthis and Roshar both descend from a more ancient group of people?)

If I haven't gotten a RAFO yet, did the separation from these other people create the legends of being cast out of the Tranquiline Halls?

Brandon Sanderson

There are interesting connections around the cosmere between linguistics and some cultures. Though different groups of humans were created on different planets, the Shards all share a single point of origin. However, the Tranquiline Halls legends are not related to a Nalthis/Roshar connection.

source

 

[Fezzik]

Dang. An 8 year necro. A new record.

[NotAStick]

All it needed was a Breath. 

[Fezzik]

You know the one breath commands? All of the upvotes!

[+Invocation]

23 hours ago, NotAStick said:

I'm also pretty sure the shash glyph is listed in one of the Arcanum appendices as the symbol for Wind Runners, but it was a library book so I can't check. If I'm remembering this correctly, this could be one of the reasons Kal can't seem to get rid of his brand. 

Kaladin can't get rid of the brand because he views the brands as part of him. When Stormlight heals you, it heals you to your perception of your healed self. Kaladin no longer views the brands as a wound, just as things that are a part of his forehead. I hope I explained that right.

[RShara she/her]

That's really an impressive necro. I would suggest reading the site rules Topic wise, Brandon answered this in 2012 and 2017.

Quote

Questioner

So I have a question about the cosmere. I recently read The Stormlight Archive books and I love them, and then I reread Warbreaker and I noticed something. When Siri was teaching the God King how to read, she says one of the letters is called shash and this is the name of one of Kaladin's slave brands. I was wondering why.

Brandon Sanderson

It was just a coincidence, that one's been asked of me before, yeah it's just a coincidence.

source

 

Edited August 11, 2018 by RShara