Why no mention of ferrings in the original trilogy?

[kroen]

Were there only full feruchemists? 

 

 

And also, how are full feruchemsits called? in the wiki page about feruchemy it says

 

Like Mistborn and Mistings, there are Feruchemists that can utilize one or all of the metals. The former are known as "Ferrings".

 

What about the latter?

[WeiryWriter he/him]

During the time of the Final Empire Ferrings did not exist.  It was only after when the genes for feruchemy and allomancy mixed that feruchemy "split-up."

 

Currently there isn't a separate name for someone who can use all the feruchemical powers.  It is probably because for the longest time you either had all the powers or none.  There was no need to come up with a name for something that didn't exist.  Of course now that leaves us with a lexical gap.

Edited April 17, 2013 by WeiryWriter

[Kurkistan he/him]

Sounds like an excellent question to put in an FAQ...

 

EDIT: Oops, never mind, it's already been submitted.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Kurkistan

[kroen]

Well, if we go by Misting and Mistborn, then we should have Ferring and... Ferrborn? Doesn't sound as cool, but still...

[Windrunner he/him]

I would absolutely be shocked if Brandon ended up going with Ferringborn. The "Mist" prefix was due mostly to Allomancy's connection with the Mists. I really doubt the Feruchemy would follow that same convention. He might just go with "Feruchemist" which doesn't seem unreasonable. On the forums, to avoid confusion, we usually default to "full Feruchemist"

[kroen]

Doubt he would go with feruchemist, as all ferrings are feruchemists but not all feruchemists are ferring. It's the same with allomancy (all mistings are allomancers but not all allomancers are mistings).

[Voidus]

Doubt he would go with feruchemist, as all ferrings are feruchemists but not all feruchemists are ferring. It's the same with allomancy (all mistings are allomancers but not all allomancers are mistings).

That's true but they didn't both exist at the same time so it's not that anyone could confuse them, in-universe it actually seems fairly logical, it used to be that full feruchemists were the only type of feruchemist, then they were replaced by ferrings but then there were no more full feruchemists so calling ferring feruchemists wouldn't have caused confusion. A

[WeiryWriter he/him]

I wonder if there will ever be any more "full feruchemists" at some point in the future.  Maybe if someone does a breeding program like the one Wayne's uncle is doing for Mistborn.  It would be a shame if they never made an appearance again since Mistborn are coming back (or at least I think they are... I remember reading somewhere the modern trilogy was going to involve a Mistborn serial killer).  Hopefully if they do come back Brandon will come up with another name.

[kroen]

Well, in a modern setting genetic engineering can be used maybe?

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Well, in a modern setting genetic engineering can be used maybe?

 

I wonder if that's actually possible...  Allomantic/Feruchemical genes are part of the spiritual DNA/spiritweb and so doesn't exist in the physical realm, i.e. you can't just take a sample from a cheek swab.  It sounds a lot like hemalurgy.  (Actually it sounds exactly like hemalurgy... woohoo new metaphor!)

[Observer]

Probably a lot of breeding, hemalurgy, and exploitation of the ambiguous new snapping system.

[Millennium]

I wonder if that's actually possible...  Allomantic/Feruchemical genes are part of the spiritual DNA/spiritweb and so doesn't exist in the physical realm, i.e. you can't just take a sample from a cheek swab.  It sounds a lot like hemalurgy.  (Actually it sounds exactly like hemalurgy... woohoo new metaphor!)

IIRC, there have been hints that sDNA is at least partly about literal, physical DNA. But even if you have the right physical genes, there might still be a spiritual component that regular genetic engineering cannot transfer.

 

As for the differences in terminology: before the Lord Ruler, there were no Mistborn. All Allomancers were Mistings, and "Allomancy" was the generic term for burning a metal. It was only after the Well of Ascension (and, more to the point, lerasium) was discovered that people needed a new term to describe those who could burn more than one metal, and since "Allomancer" was essentially already taken, the name Mistborn was coined.

 

With Feruchemy, though, it was the reverse: until the death of the Lord Ruler, there were no Ferrings. Any Feruchemist could use all metals (though some metals hadn't been discovered), and so no separate term was needed for them: one Feruchemist was much like another, except for varying specialties. It was only during the time of Harmony, and the subsequent weakening of the feruchemical bloodlines, that a new term was needed for people who could use only one Feruchemical metal.