Goatborn he/him Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Hello everyone! This is my second post on the forum, and I thought I'd open with a theory! After reading through many of the posts on the forum, and cross-referencing with the novels on my shelf, I've come up with an idea I like about Hoid's abilities. Specifically, I postulate that there is a shard that governs Time. This may seem like a "duh"/very basic theory, but I'd like to expand on this with a little bit of Special Relativity knowledge. In my understanding of Einstein's work, light is essentially the universe's timepiece, and control over the speed of light would be tantamount to control over time. Hence, this shard "Time" would allow the user/possessor to manipulate light. Now, if this shard was native to Yolen, then it would explain why the magic system of Lightweaving originated there. Now, a shard as powerful as Time would have to come with limitations: Time travel backwards is impossible. By manipulating light, speeding up or slowing down time would theoretically be possible. But backwards time travel would require light/the universe to act against it's fundamental nature. I understand that the Cosmere is a fantasy universe, but as Sanderson's Laws of Magic state: there's got to be rules. This limitation to Time would also explain Hoid's way of existing since Adonalsium was shattered, yet he hasn't experienced every moment since. Originally, I thought that Hoid might possess two shards: Light and Dark. However, this seemed too simplistic, and WoB stated that there were no other conflicting pairs apart from Ruin and Preservation. Then, I thought about the ideas behind complimentary pairings, and if Hoid was to have a second shard, it would be something like Space. Now, Space is one that I haven't felt through fully, but it could operate on multiple levels. Physical space manipulation could explain Worldhopping, Spiritual space could explain Hoid's ability to be in the right place every time, and Cognitive could make access to/control over the Shadesmar a breeze. I like the idea that he gained access to a shard on Yolen, either through his study of Lightweaving or through his role in Adonalsium being shattered, but that's a theory that's being worked on elsewhere on the forum. Please let me know what you think, and if I'm totally off-base/am missing some contradictory information, such as "WoB says: Hoid has no shards." 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyman he/him Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Please let me know what you think, and if I'm totally off-base/am missing some contradictory information, such as "WoB says: Hoid has no shards." Hate to disappoint you, but WoB is, Hoid has no shards. He's "something else." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goatborn he/him Posted October 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 See, that occurred to me that I'd heard something like that, but I'd already finished typing... Back to the drawing board! Thanks for letting me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyabi She/Her Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Not necessarily, just because the word "Shard" has to be eliminated doesn't mean your theory is wrong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dros Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 I think your theory has merit. Not with use of a Shard, but Hoid is definitely doing or using something that effects time. He could travel by Shadesmar, but I'm not aware of any time distortions of such a magnitude related to travelling through there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goatborn he/him Posted October 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 I don't like the Shadesmar as it stands in theories at the moment - it can be abused as a catch-all "Maybe it was the Shadesmar?" solution. I really want to know more about it and the different regions, but I like the idea that Hoid is doing his Worldhopping and time jumping through other means. (That paragraph sounds kinda harsh/direct in my head, but it's not meant to be!) If I look at the facts as they stand, Shadesmar is the most obvious route to hopping and jumping (wheeee!) but there must be an epic cost to be paid, if a sphere is needed for transmutation of basic items. I'm also holding onto the childish hope that Hoid is on the lighter side of Sanderson's particular variety of good/evil greyscale, so I hope one hop doesn't cost the lives of 500 children or something... But back to the theory: If it's not a Shard, then it might be that Hoid's mastery of Lightweaving has gotten him to the point that he can manipulate time within his vicinity. Then, there's so many questions about how he gets to where he needs to be, and how he knows when and where that is... It's all rampant speculation, but that's what we do! As a follow up, if we discount the idea of travelling through Shadesmar, any interesting ideas about how Hoid does his Worldhopping? I'm assuming that at the very least, he would have made one Shadesmar-less hop to somewhere that the Shadesmar would be more accessible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknowingly he/him Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 Too bad about the Shards not being a viable option. I definitely think that you are on to something with the light/time slowing theory. We definitely know that he can lightweave and with your physics theory (Sanderson loves following physics laws and bending them at the same time) it would explain how he can live so long, by slowing down the light around him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts