Cryptics

[UpLifted he/him]

Sorry if this topic was already covered..... buuuuut;

 

What exactly are cryptics? Meaning what form of spren are they? They don't seem to be Cultivation spren. So what are they the cognitive representation of? 

 

Longshot answer: Maybe Cryptics are the spren of lighteyes. Jasnah does describe them as the lighteyes of Shadesmar. Also Syl calls them liespren and Kaladin is always going on about how much the lighteyes don't keep their word.

 

[SingTheSorrow]

Welcome!! I am relatively new to the forum as I just finished SA. I could be way off but aren't all spren the remains of a single shard of Adonalsium (Honor)? I thought that when Tanavast was killed, Honor shattered, forming the spren. I'd love to hear from someone more knowleagable than myself! Cheers!

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Most of the spren we see are made of some mixture of the investitures of Honor and Cultivation.  Some are more of Honor, some Cultivation.  Some spren definitely existed before Honor's Splintering (since that only happened after the Recreance) but we think that they are more common afterwards.

 

As for what Cryptics are based off of, there is the following conversation, emphasis mine.
 

"I was not me when the Knights Radiant existed. It is complex to explain. I have always existed. We are not 'born' as men are, and we cannot truly die as men do. Patterns are eternal, as is fire, as is the wind. As are all spren. Yet, I was not in this state. I was not . . . aware"

"You were a mindless spren?" Shallan said. "Like the ones that gather around me when I draw?"

"Less than that," Pattern said. "I was . . . everything. In everything. I cannot explain it. Language is insufficient. I would need numbers."

"Surely there are others among you, though," Shallan said. "Older Cryptics? Who were alive back then?"

"No," Pattern said softly. "None who experienced the bond."

"Not a single one?"

"All dead," Pattern said. "To us, this means they are mindless--as a force cannot truly be destroyed. These old ones are patterns in nature now, like Cryptics unborn."

[SingTheSorrow]

Interesting. How do we know that Tanavast was not killed until after the Recreance? My impression was that he did not create the spren while alive (at least the ones bonding to KR) as it is said that the spren wished to imitate what they saw Tanavast grant the Heralds; it was then that they began bonding with men and those who were bonded began to form orders to emulate the Heralds, thus being a "grassroots" formation. Couldn't this have begun after Honor shattered?

Thanks!

[WeiryWriter he/him]

So I'm not sure we have explicit WoB that "Honor died after the Recreance" but we do have WoB that it happened after Aharietiem, emphasis mine:
 

Question

Was the Almighty still alive when the Heralds packed it in, and did the Radiants pack it in in direct response to what the Heralds did?

Brandon Sanderson

The Radiants did NOT abandon their post as a response to the Heralds. The Radiants abandoned it for some other reason which will become evident eventually. The Almighty was still around when the Heralds did their thing.

 

(source)

 

Also keep in mind the visions that Dalinar receives from Honor, most of which are presumably events Honor himself witnessed, one of which is of the Recreance.

 

You are likely correct that spren started bonding humans in imitation of the honorblades, but Honor himself admits to being surprised by it, implying he was around to see it.

[SingTheSorrow]

Very interesting! Thank you for the clarification! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the SA but there are so many things to remember (in addition to finding gems among WoB) that oftentimes I find myself overlooking/forgetting things. Eventually I will conduct a re-read of the SA books before the next one comes out but in the meantime I've opted to read the other Cosmere novels.

Cheers!

Edited for spelling.

Edited June 30, 2015 by SingTheSorrow