Herald: to Foretell

[Corax]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed, (and point me at the thread!), but what if the Heralds didn't exactly protect humanity from the Desolations. What if they protected humanity from Odium by causing the Desolations?

Odium is hatred, loathing, disgust and all the things that have brought near-constant war to Roshar. So long as those wars are fought with swords and spears, the death toll is contained and the Desolations ensured that humanity was brought back to the bronze age (at least) each time. Without the Desolations, though, humanity has been able to progress. If left too long, humanity could invent weapons of greater destruction than even the Shardblades and Shardplate. Just imagine what humans influenced by odium could to if they progressed technologically to WMDs? My foilhat theory here is that the Heralds brought the Desolations in their wake, their goal to see that some humanity survived the planned culling of any technological progress that had been made, thereby cultivating a sustainable population even though they were likely to be subject to Odium's influence.

Okay, please feel free to poke all the holes in my weird ideas. 

[Yata he/him]

Well It could be (there are other topic with similar Theories).

 

While reading your theory there are two problems who come in my mind.

 

1) If the Herald are a Tool of reset for Roshar's Peoples, why Odium send them the Voidbringer aganist them?
 

Without any menace to the Mankind, the Herald have a bad day to "reset Roshar"

 

2) This mechanics are quite the opposite two the Shard's Intents who are on Roshar.

     Honor: Preventive genocide.....I don't see the old Tanavast with this compromise.

     Coltivation: Is quite "Progression" and the Resetting are quite far.

[Corax]

Well It could be (there are other topic with similar Theories).

 

While reading your theory there are two problems who come in my mind.

 

1) If the Herald are a Tool of reset for Roshar's Peoples, why Odium send them the Voidbringer aganist them?

 

Without any menace to the Mankind, the Herald have a bad day to "reset Roshar"

 

2) This mechanics are quite the opposite two the Shard's Intents who are on Roshar.

     Honor: Preventive genocide.....I don't see the old Tanavast with this compromise.

     Coltivation: Is quite "Progression" and the Resetting are quite far.

 

These are good points. But we do know that the Heralds go willingly into Damnation between Desolations, so there is some interaction with Odium on that level. Furthermore, there is a WoB that states that if the Heralds just stayed around, their very presence would cause another Desolation. There is something linking them tightly together.

 

To the second point, the act of cultivation often requires pruning and weeding. Cultivation's intent had been said by Brandon (I don't have the link atm) to be similar in some ways to Ruin. So that seems to me to fit just fine with periodic "pruning" of humanity's tech levels.

 

PS: Here's the quote about the Heralds and Desolations: 

QUESTION ()

What caused a Desolation to end? Was it just the defeat of Odium's forces? Because the Desolations start when the Heralds break under torture.

BRANDON SANDERSON

Because the Heralds can no longer be in existence. There is a certain period of time that they can be there, and after that, if they're there, they will start a new one. So the Heralds do need to leave for a Desolation to end.

QUESTION

Oh. So they've got a time limit.

BRANDON SANDERSON

They do. Otherwise the Desolation will start again. What they discovered is not all of them have to. As long as one remains, the Desolation will not start again.

QUESTION

So, by the nine leaving, did that actually break the Oathpact for them? Did it change the cycle of Desolations?

BRANDON SANDERSON

They have not completely broken the Oathpact, despite what they may think.

[Corax]

Here's the quote about Ruin and Cultivation:

 

NEPENE

I have a question, if you are willing. Would Ruin be more compatible with Rayse, would he pick up that shard had he visited Scadrial and shattered him? All the shards we have seen that he has shattered seem rather different in intent than him—Honor, Cultivation, Love, Dominion. But Ruin seems more in line with Odium. Rayse has ruined the days of quite a few people.

BRANDON SANDERSON

Technically, Ruin would be most compatible with Cultivation. Ruin's 'theme' so to speak is that all things must age and pass. An embodiment of entropy. That power, separated from the whole and being held by a person who did not have the willpower to resist its transformation of him, led to something very dangerous. But it was not evil. None of the sixteen technically are, though you may have read that Hoid has specific beef with Rayse. Whether you think of Odium as evil depends upon how much you agree with Hoid's particular view.

That said, Ruin would have been one of the 'safer' of the sixteen for Rayse to take, if he'd been about that. Odium is by its nature selfish, however, and the combination of it and Rayse makes for an entity that fears an additional power would destroy it and make it into something else.

[Yata he/him]

 

These are good points. But we do know that the Heralds go willingly into Damnation between Desolations, so there is some interaction with Odium on that level. Furthermore, there is a WoB that states that if the Heralds just stayed around, their very presence would cause another Desolation. There is something linking them tightly together.

 

Sorry I was a bit unclear.

 

My point was: If the Heralds are a Reset System to counter the mix Odium-Technology. Odium would the "Humans' Advance" and he don't want to attack Roshar. Wait, wait and eventually all Roshar could destroyed himself.

 

But after the previos post I thought: The Heralds thinks about their leaving as a betrayal againist the People of Roshar. Something much direct of "If we leave you, in n centuries you could destroyed yourself.

 

In my opinion, the main theory are more likely: The Herald's torture are seal that protect Roshar from direct action of Odium. When they break under torture, Odium is free to do what he want (or maybe not "all") to Roshar. If at the end of the time, the Heralds don't return in the Damnation to recreate the seal, Odium have a new "bring the Hell on Roshar" ticket. 

[kaellok he/him]

The entire concept that is in OP runs pretty much directly counter to the First Ideal of the Radiants.  It seems logical to me that it would also run directly counter to Honor at the same time.  After all, (to paraphrase) the choice of honor is leave the baby alive, even though killing it would save the world.  Deliberately murdering millions of people on a cyclical basis just to keep them from getting too advanced?  No way in Braize I'd believe that was a plan initiated or condoned by Honor or his followers.

[AerionBFII he/him]

I always thought of the Desolation's as a game of chess between Odium and Honor..

[Corax]

The entire concept that is in OP runs pretty much directly counter to the First Ideal of the Radiants.

 

That's a good point, of course, but the spren began bonding humans independantly and seem to have been something of a surprise to the Heralds. Their ideals don't necessarily apply to Tanavast's implementation of Honor. 

 

Reading over how the Heralds speak about their trials in the prologue and the bits and bobs we've been given elsewhere, it seems like they are... almost sponges. I'm looking particularly at a couple of passages here.

 

The burdens of nine become mine. Why must I carry the madness of them all? Oh, Almighty, release me.”

 

 

 and 

 

Words echoed in the hallway, coming from up ahead. “I’m worried about Ash.”

 

“You’re worried about everything.”

 

Jasnah hesitated in the hallway.

 

“She’s getting worse,” the voice continued. “We weren’t supposed to get worse. Am I getting worse? I think I feel worse.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

 

Yeek. I think they might be soaking up something Odium-ish (Odi-yummy?) and then are purged (or something?) in Damnation. By leaving Taln alone in Damnation, they managed somehow to syphon whatever taint/madness they would normally draw to Talenel instead. 

 

The point of my title (which I realize I forgot to actually say) is that perhaps they're called Heralds not because they are attendants of the Almighty, but because they or their very presence foretells a coming Desolation. 

[kaellok he/him]

That's a good point, of course, but the spren began bonding humans independantly and seem to have been something of a surprise to the Heralds. Their ideals don't necessarily apply to Tanavast's implementation of Honor. 

 

This is true.  However, that was for surgebinders in general.  Ishi, a Herald, was largely responsible for the formation of the Radiants as they are.

 

"But as for Ishi'Elin, his was the part most important at their inception; he readily understood the implications of Surges being granted to men, and caused organization to be thrust upon them; as having too great power, he let it be known that he would destroy each and every one unless theyagreed to be bound by precepts and laws."  -- Epigraph from our WoR, taken from in-world WoR.

 

Of course, this could be false, but there's not much reason to suggest so.  

 

The overall function of the Heralds that you describe in last post seems to have more merit--the reasoning behind it in your OP, not so much imo