Why does the stormfather pass on the visions?

[+Wax he/him]

If previous radiants broke their oaths, then how does the stormfather exist? Shouldn't he be dead as well and only waking up to the memory in WoR/WoK, with a new highstorm spren linked to Dalinar.

Also, how can the stormfather keep the vision from tanavast/honor if his mind was also affected by the recreance?

[Oudeis he/him]

He expressly says that he will Bond Dalinar, but not in a way that will allow Dalinar to kill him. Which, it seems, is possible. What this entails or how it was accomplished, that's anyone's guess.

 

Also, we have no way to know that the Stormfather was Bonded to a Bondsmith in the past. Perhaps this is his first Bond, ever.

[Kelek's Breath he/him]

As for the question in the title of the thread, Stormfather tells Dalinar that Tanavast/Honor/Almighty forced him to send the visions to whomever was a good candidate to do Bondsmithing stuff (he had sent them to Gavilar previously).

[kaellok he/him]

As for the question in the title of the thread, Stormfather tells Dalinar that Tanavast/Honor/Almighty forced him to send the visions to whomever was a good candidate to do Bondsmithing stuff (he had sent them to Gavilar previously).

Really all the Stormfather says is that he has to send the visions--sending them to candidates for Bondsmithing, or even Gavilar, is just our interpretation (unless there's WoB out there that adds clarity that I'm not aware of.)

 

Remember that one really nice day/bright light vision-type thing that Dalinar has near the end of WoR, and how the Stormfather says that he wasn't responsible?  That means that Gavilar's visions could be entirely different, and from a different source, than what Dalinar got.

 

 

If previous radiants broke their oaths, then how does the stormfather exist? Shouldn't he be dead as well and only waking up to the memory in WoR/WoK, with a new highstorm spren linked to Dalinar.

Also, how can the stormfather keep the vision from tanavast/honor if his mind was also affected by the recreance?

Answers in order!

 

Not every Radiant broke their Oaths; we know, for instance, that an entire Order didn't.  We don't know for sure that the Stormfather was Bonded before.  And the Stormfather is similar, and yet very different, from other spren; he even describes himself as the spren of the Almighty, but hesitates on the word.  It's clear that he has something else going on, cosmerically.  (Think how the Rosharans are going to see Nightblood as a Shardblade.  The two are similar enough that that's a good enough explanation for them, but we know there's something different happening.)

 

The Stormfather isn't just the highstorm spren, he's the largest remnant of an active god. Although the rules apply to him, we don't know what they actually are--just what they seem to be.  So, I guess I have a whole lot of unhelpful answers, and I'm using a lot of words to say them.

 

Clearly the Stormfather's mind wasn't affected by the recreance, even if his attitude was.  But we don't know, for sure, why that may be.  I'd be a little bit interested to know if a spren can kill a Radiant they're bonded to, and if so, what would happen.  In such a case, perhaps the Stormfather saw what was happening, and acted before they could, in order to preserve himself.

[Kelek's Breath he/him]

Really all the Stormfather says is that he has to send the visions--sending them to candidates for Bondsmithing, or even Gavilar, is just our interpretation (unless there's WoB out there that adds clarity that I'm not aware of.)

You are correct. My assumption is that since the visions are asking to "unite them" and re-establish the Radiants, they would be sent to potential Bondsmiths, who possibly serve that function. No WoBs.

 

I was also under the impression that Taravangian says that Gavilar was having the visions too?

[The Sovereign]

As for the question in the title of the thread, Stormfather tells Dalinar that Tanavast/Honor/Almighty forced him to send the visions to whomever was a good candidate to do Bondsmithing stuff (he had sent them to Gavilar previously).

This is an interesting notion that I hadn't thought of, I don't think the Stormfather ever openly expresses that the visions are intended for a new-gen Bondsmith but I believe this is correct. This actually digs a little more into the mysteries of Gavilar as well; I suspect that Galivar discerned the implication of the visions but was himself unworthy and could not intuit the 2nd Ideal of the Bondsmiths. This brings a new depth to his last words to Dalinar via Szeth.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Iron Eyes