Parshendi Use Cultivations System

[18th Shard he/him]

So, if the Parshendi use one of the three magic systems as mentioned in the Ars Arcanum, they are using Surgebinding, Voidbinding or a "more esoteric" system.

 

Surgebinding: No. Reread the book if you have questions.

 

Voidbinding: Humans can apparently do it since it is considered evil from the Hierocracy as well. Parshendi are not humans.

 

This leaves the third system. Cultivations, as Surgebinding is probably Honor's and Voidbinding is probably Odium's. So if this is so... maybe Sprenbinding is Cultivation's system.

[Moogle]

I'd guess that Surgebinding is both Honor and Cultivation's system, actually. It seems to have its roots in both - you swear oaths (Honor), but you also have to slowly grow as a person and work your way through multiple oaths (Cultivation). It reminds me of Vorinism, and how people reach new Elevations as they try to emulate an ideal. We also have precedence in the form of AonDor being of both Devotion and Dominion.

 

This leaves the question of what the Old Magic and Voidbinding are. Wild guess: the Old Magic is just Cultivation acting directly on the world, and Voidbinding is Odium's corruption of Surgebinding.

 

We also have the Parshendi's system of binding with spren. Anyone else want to join me in betting that there's going to be 10 different forms?

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Of the thirty magic systems on Roshar ten are part of surgebinding, ten are part of voidbinding, and the last ten involve fabrials in some way.  We also know that all the surges can be replicated by fabrials.
 
As for the Parshendi only having ten forms:

I sincerely doubt it, in the Eshonai Interlude she mentions that the old songs speak of hundreds of forms.

[Moogle]

Thanks for the WoB, Weiry.

 

With that in mind, I'd guess that 'sprenbinding' forms the third system, which includes both the Parshendi and fabrial making.

[Aether he/him]

With that in mind, I'd guess that 'sprenbinding' forms the third system, which includes both the Parshendi and fabrial making.

I just love how my "sprenbinding" is becoming a thing. Help me, Moogle, in my crusade for making "Sprenbinding" an acceptable Cosmerian (Cosmeric? Cosmerpolitan?) word!

[Moogle]

Your will shall be done. Sprenbinding for all!

[Kurkistan he/him]

Of the thirty magic systems on Roshar ten are part of surgebinding, ten are part of voidbinding, and the last ten involve fabrials in some way.  We also know that all the surges can be replicated by fabrials.

 

As for the Parshendi only having ten forms:

I sincerely doubt it, in the Eshonai Interlude she mentions that the old songs speak of hundreds of forms.

 

That is not what that WoB says.

 

 

RAGS

You have told us there are more than 30 magical systems on Roshar. I am assuming there are 10 surgebindings and 10 voidbindings. Do the next 10 belong to another such classification? If yes, can you give us the name for it.

 

BRANDON SANDERSON

Fabrials are part of it.

 

You can certainly interpret the WoB as you have (though I do not), but you could also interpret the "it" in Brandon's answer as referring to Roshar's magic as a whole, rather than just the third classification. Brandon doesn't even confirm that the "10 surgebindings and 10 voidbindings" are 20 or the 30, when it comes down to it.

[Zionite]

Parshendi forms existed before Honor,Cultivation,or Odium came to roshar. This very likely means that Parshendi forms are actually connected to Adonalsium magic sytem.Odium just hijacked it by introducing his own spren into the system.

 

As for Cultivation magic system-I have no idea.Random guess is that it turns out to be like a Pokemon-like system with Spren instead of Pokemon.

[Wrath]

Parshendi forms existed before Honor,Cultivation,or Odium came to roshar. This very likely means that Parshendi forms are actually connected to Adonalsium magic sytem.Odium just hijacked it by introducing his own spren into the system.

 

As for Cultivation magic system-I have no idea.Random guess is that it turns out to be like a Pokemon-like system with Spren instead of Pokemon.

 

What's your source for the Listener forms existing before Cultivation came to Roshar? The Listeners themselves existed, but there's WoB implying that both Cultivation and Odium have meddled with them while Honour has not.

[Numb]

What's your source for the Listener forms existing before Cultivation came to Roshar? The Listeners themselves existed, but there's WoB implying that both Cultivation and Odium have meddled with them while Honour has not.

 

I believe the stormfather refers to the Listeners as "the ancient ones" in the Eshonai interlude but it could have been elsewhere. Also the Listeners talk about the spren "betraying" them for the humans because the humans could give them what the Listeners could not. The listeners/Amians also seem native to Roshar since they are both similar where as humans are completely different. There's nothing to suggest that non-humans also migrated to Roshar. Add all these together and it suggests that the Listener forms existed before the shards came.

 

The meddling the shards did most likely has to do with giving them their own kind of spren(Stormspren for example) and the making of the unmade.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Numb

[Rhyzoor]

I believe the stormfather refers to the Listeners as "the ancient ones" in the Eshonai interlude but it could have been elsewhere. Also the Listeners talk about the spren "betraying" them for the humans because the humans could give them what the Listeners could not. The listeners/Amians also seem native to Roshar since they are both similar where as humans are completely different. There's nothing to suggest that non-humans also migrated to Roshar. Add all these together and it suggests that the Listener forms existed before the shards came.

The meddling the shards did most likely has to do with giving them their own kind of spren(Stormspren for example) and the making of the unmade.

[DSC01 he/him]

Cultivation probably created the Listeners, along with all of the distinctive plants and animals that are adapted to Roshar's harsh weather. I think the local humans and the more Earth-like plants and animals from Shinovar are from a different planet. My guess is that it's Braize, and that it was originally Honor's planet and the source of the legends of the Tranquiline Halls.

 

I'd be surprised if the Parshendi spren-bonding magic isn't from Cultivation. Something about the way it changes their form strikes me as belonging with the idea cultivation. The idea is kind of vaguely formed, but it makes enough sense to me. I'll let someone else take the time to reason out concrete explanations for why that is.

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Cultivation probably created the Listeners, along with all of the distinctive plants and animals that are adapted to Roshar's harsh weather. I think the local humans and the more Earth-like plants and animals from Shinovar are from a different planet. My guess is that it's Braize, and that it was originally Honor's planet and the source of the legends of the Tranquiline Halls.

 

I'd be surprised if the Parshendi spren-bonding magic isn't from Cultivation. Something about the way it changes their form strikes me as belonging with the idea cultivation. The idea is kind of vaguely formed, but it makes enough sense to me. I'll let someone else take the time to reason out concrete explanations for why that is.

 

We have WoB however that the listeners are not originally of Cultivation (or Odium) and they are not of Honor at all:

 

 

Q:  Are the Parshendi of Odium?

A:  Not originally.

Q:  Are the Parshendi of Cultivation?

A:  Not originally.

 

Q:  Are the Parshendi of Honor?

A:  No

 

(source)

[DSC01 he/him]

Huh. That is interesting. I bet they were created pre-Shattering.

[PorridgeBrick he/him]

Huh. That is interesting. I bet they were created pre-Shattering.

Indeed, that is very likely, especially since we know Adonalsium was on Roshar on some point, and created the first spren there. The name Ancient Ones helps too.