Jezrien, Shards, and the identity of the Broken One

[FirstSelector]

This idea has been kicking around in my head for a while, but I was a bit unsure if I had sufficient factual evidence to back it up.  I'm sure there are people who have contributed to this idea (via comments or threads), so if you have prior art on this stuff let me know and I'll give credit.

 

NOTE: Realm-wide spoilers abound (in particular, for Elantris and Mistborn)

 

Theory: Jezrien picked up the remaining pieces of Honor after Tanavast died.  He is the Stormfather and the face in the highstorms.  However, the long years of immortality combined with other factors has rendered his mind unhinged, hence the name "The Broken One."

 

But wait, you say - Odium is clearly The Broken One!  Let us look at the source of this quote:

 

“Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns.” — Way of Kings, epigraph 11.

 

We know from WoB that there were three primary Shards on Roshar.  With the new info from Lift and Brandon we can now analyze this quote.

 

* Honor - Tanavast died and his power was let loose in some way (see below).

* Cultivation - Her Shardholder no longer cares about the humans on Roshar.

* Odium - At the time of the quote, Rayse was on his home planet Braize.

 

What happened to Honor's power?  Well, there was something similar to what happened when Leras, Skai, and Aona died (see here for more):

 

No, Roshar does not have the same problem [of uncontrolled power making Shadesmar dangerous on Sel]. There are some differences going on. (One reason being that the spren are far more extensive on Roshar, and provide something of a "release valve." The Seons and the Skaze on Sel are not numerous enough to fulfill a similar function. Though, of course, that's only one part of the puzzle. Raw power is dangerous.

It's one reason everyone should be thankful Kelsier was around on Scadrial.

 

From this, we learn that the uncontrolled power of a Shard is extremely dangerous.  The power "builds up," as we saw from Raoden's POV's in Elantris.  On Sel, there was some measure of relief in the form of Seons/Skaze, but it was not enough and Shadesmar there is overwhelmed in some way.  But cruically, we learn about what one person can do to wrangle the power, even if it is just a small part.  There is also WoB that Splintering a Shard is a long process.

 

Finally, there is a WoB somewhere (it elludes me at the moment) that connects the highstorms and the mists from Mistborn, with Brandon stating there is a term we have not yet discovered to describe them.  We know that the mists resulted from Leras sacrificing his mind, and therefore control over Preservation, to imprision Ruin.

 

Let's put the pieces together.  Jezrien is known as the Stormfather, and as Jasnah points out in WoR Ch 3, the mythology surrounding him seems to be independent of the notions of Honor and Cultivation.  There is something intelligent that Kaladin interacts with in the highstorms (the enormous face).  And, by the combination of spren and something else, the power that was held by Tanavast is kept in check on Roshar.

 

From these facts (and Brandon's almost hint about Kelsier), I propose that Jezrien actually picked up some large part of the Shard Honor when Tanavast died.

 

EDIT:  With the great comments below, I have a better explanation for what is going on in the following paragraphs in a response below.

 

The immediately preceeding statement was an idea I have had for a long time, but there was an important snag - Darkness (almost certainly Nalan) references Jezrien as "drooling." This seems to imply that Jezrien has suffered some severe mental trauma that has left him weak-minded.  How can we reconile these two pictures?

 

I propose that Jezrien wasn't able to take full control of the Shard pieces or there was something about his mental damage (due to 4500 years or so of immortality) that rendered him weak-minded.  I would love to back this up with data, but we have never seen someone running around with only half of a Shard.

 

I think the current state is that most of Jezrien's mind is occupied with Honor, leaving behind his body with only a token consciousnes behind.  His body hasn't been "vaporized" by Honor because he doesn't command the whole Shard, just a large chunk of it.

 

This is where the name "The Broken One" comes in - Jezrien (as everyone would interact with him) is a drooling, mentally weak mess.  And the part of his mind that is wrangling Honor still has scars from the Desolations and then abandoning the Oathpact, so it's not doing well either.

 

Why hasn't Odium come back to finish the job?  His modus operandi is to be the only Shard at his power level - something which the mostly-Splintered Honor could not hope to match.  Thus, Odium would be content to just leave Jezrien scrambling to pick up whatever pieces he can, laughing as the latter's mental demons haunt him.

 

There is one last important quote, from the face in the storm itself.  He says "Odium reigns," and many people take this to be the reason that Odium is "The Broken One."  However, we can now interpret this as Odium having the upper hand on Roshar.  The constant infighting, the failure to follow Nohadon's example, and so on could be construed as a failure of Honor and Cultivation to lead their world.  And in doing so, they have let Odium take control.

 

In conclusion, I propose that Jezrien picked up a large chunk of the Shard Honor before it fractured completely.  This is the source of the name Stormfather, since the part of the physical embodiment of Honor is the highstorms.  Cultivation and Odium are not currently involved with events on Roshar.  Jezrien was termed "The Broken One" due to the mental state of his physical body and what issues he still has from the Desolations and immortality.

 

EDIT: New conclusion: I propose that Jezrien picked up a large chunk of the Shard Honor before it fractured completely.  This is the source of the name Stormfather, since the part of the physical embodiment of Honor is the highstorms.  Cultivation and Odium are not currently involved with events on Roshar.  Jezrien was termed "The Broken One" due to his mental health at the end of the cycle of Desolations and subsequent abandoning of the Oathpact.

 

Sorry for the long post, I wanted to be sure that I was clear on all of my points.  Thanks for reading!

Edited January 17, 2014 by FirstSelector

[Bremen]

I like it.

 

It's been bugging me for awhile that "The broken one" just doesn't make sense for Odium.  Honor would obviously fit as broken, however with Tavanast dead it can't really reign.  Jezrien picking up the largest piece would fit very nicely.

[flowers he/him]

Seems to make sense.

[HydrogenAlpha he/him]

It's clearly well thought out - I like it ! 
I always thought that Odium is called the Broken One because every other shard seemed to be a good influence in their shardworlds, creating life and such things, but Odium is the only one that seeks power and causes destruction ( except Ruin who wanted to destroy the stuff he created togheter with Preservation ). Thus being broken in the sense of not functioning correctly. But i like yours one more !
​

[Jaconis]

I've seen these hints about Kelsier before, but I'm not sure what they reference. I read the Mistborn trilogy and AoL, admittedly awhile ago, but I don't remember anything about him obtaining any part of shard. Did I miss something or is it in another book?

[Maresia he/him]

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

—Dated Palaheses, 1173, unknown seconds pre-death. Subject: a wealthy lighteyes. Sample collected secondhand.^[14]

 

  I think this reinfoce your theory. 

Edited January 17, 2014 by Maresia

[bartbug he/him]

I like this a lot because of how fun it would be for the base ideas (Stormfather = Jesrien) to be right. Just like how I love the thought that telling the future is not bad but Odium corrupted the old Vorin people into believing it to be.

Very well thought out and very well supported. Upvote for you, good sah!

[Swimmingly he/him]

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

—Dated Palaheses, 1173, unknown seconds pre-death. Subject: a wealthy lighteyes. Sample collected secondhand.^[14]

I think this reinfoce your theory. </p>

I assumed that referred to Taln getting extra torture after his buddies left him dead in hell.

[Asha'man Logain]

I have long thought that the Broken One =/= to Odium. I also thought Honor fit better, but as mentioned Tanavast is dead. I absolutely love this theory, and if I ever figure out how to espouse things, this will be one of them.

[Argent he/him]

I like most of this, but I am not sure it's entirely consistent. Namely:

• If Jezrien had taken up a large chunk of Honor's power, it would make him something unique - not a Sliver (which would require him to only hold the power briefly), and not a Shard (which would require him to, well, have the Shard). Slivers don't go insane, but they also don't hold the power for too long. Shards do hold the power for a long period of time, and they also avoid the insanity part. So while it is possible that holding a fraction of the power has some weird side effects, nothing points to that.
• Why would his mind be separated from his body? 
• Jezrien's age is unlikely to be the cause for any kind of mental damage. My best guess is that he has been alive for the 99 Desolations before the Everstorm, and unless those used to happen every generation or so, 4,500 years is not a very drastic amount of time for him. 

[Mysty she/her]

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

—Dated Palaheses, 1173, unknown seconds pre-death. Subject: a wealthy lighteyes. Sample collected secondhand.^[14]

 

  I think this reinfoce your theory.

I thought that death quote refered to the herald Taln stuck with holding up the oathpact when the other nine heralds gave up and left.

[Daishi5]

I thought the death quote referred to Taln as well, but "Why must I carry the madness of them all" doesn't seem to make much sense.  However, "The burdens of nine become mine" doesn't seem to make much sense for Jezrien either.  

 

In conclusion, I am just less certain about what that quote refers to.

[Maresia he/him]

I assumed that referred to Taln getting extra torture after his buddies left him dead in hell.

 

 

I thought that death quote refered to the herald Taln stuck with holding up the oathpact when the other nine heralds gave up and left.

 

 

thats true, mi mind totally skip that part. My bad

[Asha'man Logain]

The source of the death rattles seems to be giving a mixture of 'types' of statements. Some seem prophetic, some seem to be from various deific viewpoints (heralds, gods etc), some even seem to be nothing more than what that person sees transitioning from the Physical through the Cognative to the Spiritual.

 

Perhaps this quote is in fact some insight into Heralds thoughts. Perhaps not just one. Is there any reason that the source giving mystical insight must have a person's last words all be from the same source? Maybe each person gives a type of death rattle, some has a view of Shadesmar or something, while another gives a prophecy. But in the case of insight into deific minds, could they not have three flashes from three minds, using a different sentence for each?

 

Perhaps this is not explained very well. My point was basically I could see both it referring to both Heralds.

[Bloodfalcon he/him]

Odium is away, Honor's holder died, wouldn't that make it more likely that Cultivation is the Broken One? After all, she is the only one who is still kickin, right? We also know she has gone through a bunch of trauma including Honor's fall and her new disinterest in mankind. I'm not trying to debunk this theory or anything, it just looks like Cultivation gets overlooked with both the Odium and Honor theories. I mean, Tanavast died and Odium is off on an evil vacation. That kind of only leaves one, right?

[hoser he/him]

I think this is an excellent theory.  It is also presented beautifully.  Without challenging the base of the theory, I would like to suggest that part of the supporting evidence is more ambiguous than presented.  Specifically, it is unclear whether Darkness is referring to Jezrien or the new Azish ruler when he says "drooling."

Specifically, the nitpick I have is with the following:

This ... Darkness (almost certainly Nalan) references Jezrien as "drooling." This seems to imply that Jezrien has suffered some severe mental trauma that has left him weak-minded.  ...

The actual quote follows:
 

Clothing bloodied, his eyes wide, Gawx clutched a piece of paper in his hand. He thrust this at Darkness. “I pardon this girl. Release her, constable!”

“Who are you,” Darkness said, “to do such a thing?”

“I am the Prime Aqasix,” Gawx declared. “Ruler of Azir!”

“Ridiculous.”

“The Kadasixes have spoken,” said one of the scions.

“The Heralds?” Darkness said. “They have done no such thing. You are mistaken.”

“We have voted,” said a vizier. “This young man’s application was the best.”

“What application?” Darkness said. “He is a thief!”

“He performed the miracle of Regrowth,” said one of the older scions. “He was dead and he returned. What better application could we ask for?”

“A sign has been given,” said the lead vizier. “We have a Prime who can survive the attacks of the One All White. Praise to Yaezir, Kadasix of Kings, may he lead in wisdom. This youth is Prime. He has been Prime always. We have only now realized it, and beg his forgiveness for not seeing the truth sooner.”

“As it always has been done,” the elderly scion said. “As it will be done again. Stand down, constable. You have been given an order.”

Darkness studied Lift.

She smiled tiredly. Show the starvin’ man some teeth. That was the right of it.

His Shardblade vanished to mist. He’d been bested, but he didn’t seem to care. Not a curse, not even a tightening of the eyes. He stood up and pulled on his gloves by the cuffs, first one, then the other. “Praise Yaezir,” he said. “Herald of Kings. May he lead in wisdom. If he ever stops drooling.”

Darkness bowed to the new Prime, then left with a sure step.

The new Prime is being announced. It is logical to wish that he lead in wisdom.  He is also a young incompetent thief taking a job many others don't want.  Darkness echoes the lead vizier in the formulaic reference to Jezrien, but the "drooling" could apply to the new prime, Jezrien or both. 

It looks to me like 'Darkness (...) references Jezrien as "drooling."' overstates the certainty of the interpretation. I think 'Darkness may reference Jezrien as "drooling."' or something similar would be more accurate.

[Darkness he/him]

I like the theory simply because it's something that would appeal to Brandon's method of writing. He hasn't done something like this before. A broken God, who exists on two levels, one mostly consumed by Honor, one the vestige of what was not taken. Driven to madness and drooling in his own duality. It would be a fascinating view to write, and a beautiful dichotomy to explore!

[FirstSelector]

hoser, that's a really good point.  In fact, with that and Argent's very good trio of objections I would like to amend my theory below.  My only counterargument to the "drooling" line is that the Emuli people hold the Heralds in very high regard.  It seems to me that both the vizier and Darkness seem to apply the line "may he lead in wisdom" to Jezrien in much the same way (In the Wheel of Time) the Seanchan would add "may she live forever" when referencing the Empress.

 

I do agree with you - perhaps Darkness was turning the phrase around to reference (in his mind) the incredibly foolish decision to let Lift go free.

 

Then, with those objections in mind, I can actually revise the last third of the theory.  In particular, being "Broken" would simply refer to many Desolations worth of torture and then the pain of betraying a friend and giving up the Oathpact.  Kalak (in the prelude) even refers to Jezrien as such:

 

 

Almighty above, Kalak thought. You're [Jezrien] broken too, aren't you?  They all were.  - WoK Prelude

 

As for Jezrien's status?  I would call him Shard-level power, as it would be equivalent to a Shard who has simply Invested a great deal into his world.  In this case, it wasn't by choice.

 

Thanks to everyone who read and commented!

[Colby Jack he/him]

Holy crud, I like this theory a lot. It's too early to tell if it's actually true or not, but gosh darn it, you deserve a cookie!

[Stoneward]

I approve! Well thought, FirstSelector.

 

The new Prime is being announced. It is logical to wish that he lead in wisdom.  He is also a young incompetent thief taking a job many others don't want.  Darkness echoes the lead vizier in the formulaic reference to Jezrien, but the "drooling" could apply to the new prime, Jezrien or both. 

It looks to me like 'Darkness (...) references Jezrien as "drooling."' overstates the certainty of the interpretation. I think 'Darkness may reference Jezrien as "drooling."' or something similar would be more accurate.

 

Ah, the ambiguity of pronouns:

• Praise Yaezir,” he said. “Herald of Kings. May [Yaezir] lead in wisdom. If [Yaezir] ever stops drooling."
• Praise Yaezir,” he said. “Herald of Kings. May [the Prime] lead in wisdom. If [the Prime] ever stops drooling." 

It's generally considered bad form to have a pronoun point to something other than the first preceding noun that qualifies, though. I think that makes it much more likely that we're referring to Jezrien drooling, here.

 

If Brandon intends the "he" to reference the Prime, than he's probably breaking the grammar rule* deliberately in order to deceive us.

 

*more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. For example, I broke the rule two sentences after describing it.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Stoneward

[dionysus]

I don't want to sidetrack a thread about a good theory, but what gives us surety that Honor was splintered? Is it only because that is what Odium did on Elantris?

 

The lack of rampant power running wild could perhaps be because the shard is still intact just without Tanavast as the holder?

[Colby Jack he/him]

Source

[WeiryWriter he/him]

I don't want to sidetrack a thread about a good theory, but what gives us surety that Honor was splintered? Is it only because that is what Odium did on Elantris?

 

The lack of rampant power running wild could perhaps be because the shard is still intact just without Tanavast as the holder?

 

 

Andrea Digney

 

Was Honor Splintered?

Brandon Sanderson

 

Was Honor Splintered? ooh someone's been paying attention, very much. I would say that yes Honor was Splintered. That is a very important question to be asking, someone really knows their stuff.

 

(source)

[duladen he/him]

I like this theory a lot. I'm interested in what the distinction would be between Jezrien's standing and a Sliver.

<p>

I like most of this, but I am not sure it's entirely consistent. Namely:

• If Jezrien had taken up a large chunk of Honor's power, it would make him something unique - not a Sliver (which would require him to only hold the power briefly), and not a Shard (which would require him to, well, have the Shard). Slivers don't go insane, but they also don't hold the power for too long. Shards do hold the power for a long period of time, and they also avoid the insanity part. So while it is possible that holding a fraction of the power has some weird side effects, nothing points to that.
• Why would his mind be separated from his body?
• Jezrien's age is unlikely to be the cause for any kind of mental damage. My best guess is that he has been alive for the 99 Desolations before the Everstorm, and unless those used to happen every generation or so, 4,500 years is not a very drastic amount of time for him.

I always thought of a Sliver as holding a small amount of the Shard, but larger than a splinter. Do we have WOB stating it is the full shard but for a short time? TLR held it for quite some time, didn't he?

If splinter<Sliver<Shard is true, would Jezrien as the Stormfather be somewhere between Shard and Sliver?

[Darkness he/him]

Source

 

Well, I just spent another 2 hours of class time