Crazy Parshendi and ChasmFiend Theory

[Scriptorian he/him]

I came up with this theory after my third read of The Way of Kings and it's a little weird, but I decided to post it in case I turned out to be right. 

 

(If someone else has already thought of this, feel free to slap me)

 

Essentially, my theory is that Parshendi turn into Chasmfiends. Originally (before the Parshendi Interlude reading) I imagined the Parshendi pupating in to baby chasmfiends, but I think the it works even better now that we know something about their forms. 

 

My reasoning is kind of flimsy, mostly just some random connections. First, Parshendi and Chasmfiend blood smells the same (moldy), second we know that at least one form involves the Parshendi become more crustacean, and third, chasmfiends in their cocoons are waiting for a highstorm, supposedly, and we know that Parshendi change forms during highstorms. 

 

These connections could simply mean that they both have similar means of changing shape, but not that they're necessarily different forms of the same creature. Or this could just be the product of bad theory crafting.

 

Any thoughts?

Edited September 22, 2013 by Serendipity

[hoser he/him]

Very creative! 

 

I find the idea that the Parshendi, who have so much reverence for their dead, would hunt one of their alternate forms, more than a little incongruous. 

 

Given that the Parshendi are social, intelligent and communicate, it seems that a Parshendi chasmfiend would likewise have the ability to communicate.  A combined Parshendi-Chasmfiend force seems like it would be quite formidable. 

[Gloom he/him]

It does point to certain similarities between them. I'd say that, at the least, it's pointing towards the Parshendi and Chasm Fiends being native to Roshar, while humans arrived in Roshar from another world. Humans not being native to Roshar is backed up by the histories about the Tranquil Halls. This would be good evidence that the Parshendi were either, already in place when man arrived, or that an existing life form was reshaped to create the Parshendi after man arrived. It could go either way. I don't think it's enough evidence to suggest that the Parshendi become Chasm Fiends.

[Shardlet he/him]

Here is the fly in the ointment for this theory:

 

Q: Have any Chasmfiends managed to mature? Or have they all been caught before they could finish?
Brandon: You've already seen one. The enormous Chasmfiend that Dalinar fought was one that had successfully matured. You haven't seen what they start out as...

Source

 

So, since we have seen Parshendi, and brandon has said that we haven;t seen what the chasmfiends start out as, I think it is unlikely that the Parshendi are an early stage in the chasmfiend's life cycle.

[Scriptorian he/him]

Yeah, I wasn't particularly optimistic about this. Although, I do wonder if there might be some other connection between the Parshendi forms and Chasmfiends pupating...

 

Why hasn't Words of Radiance come out yet? 

[IceBaka]

I'm not sold on this, but I'm not ready to throw it out because I think it's still viable.

 

I find the idea that the Parshendi, who have so much reverence for their dead, would hunt one of their alternate forms, more than a little incongruous. 

Maybe the reason the living Parshendi revere the dead is because they change into something else.  Something marvelous, like a chasmfiend.  Which then sacrifices it's gemheart to provide for it's brothers and sisters still in their puny Parshendi forms.

 

In order for the transformation to work they may need some spren to combine with a mostly unmutilated Parshendi body.  And that's why touching the dead is considered a foul desecration, it may impede the grand transformation!  So Kaladin (and Bridge 4) have prevented the birth of several chasmfiends by hacking and stripping the Parshendi corpses...

 

So, since we have seen Parshendi, and brandon has said that we haven;t seen what the chasmfiends start out as, I think it is unlikely that the Parshendi are an early stage in the chasmfiend's life cycle.

Perhaps what Brandon meant is that we haven't seen the initial stages of the chasmfiend after it's changed from a dead Parshendi.

[Gloom he/him]

Chasm Fiends have purple blood. Parshendi have orange blood. No one was suggesting that DEAD Parshendi change forms into anything that I'm aware of. You're talking about real void bringing when you start talking about animating the dead not just bonding with spren to change forms.

[Shardlet he/him]

Perhaps what Brandon meant is that we haven't seen the initial stages of the chasmfiend after it's changed from a dead Parshendi.

 

As far as I have seen so far, Bandon tends to be evasive in direct response to a question reather than with volunteered info.

[Scriptorian he/him]

As a silly side note, when I first read WoK and I saw all of Jasnah's notes on Voidbringers, I had come to the conclusion that chasmfiends were voidbringers and that all of the chulls were going to pupate into chasmfiends and eat everyone.

Then I read her conclusion about the parshendi/parshmen, and i thought Oh, that works too.