[SH, BoM spoilers] Survival Shard theory

[Muzgrob]

I am not sure if this has come up before. I have tried looking but didn't see anything, so I apologise if it has. I am also quite short on textual evidence to back this up, as it's just something that has been in my mind for a while. So sorry if things sound disjointed. I also hope that title is ok.

Considering Kelsiers expanding knowledge of the cosmere now has anyone considered the possibility he may have become the 'Survival' shard that Brandon has mentioned?

Harmony seems to imply something about Kelsier being missing or not around for him to talk to any more. Most people seem to believe he was the Sovereign and while this makes sense, it means he has a spike so would have been able to communicate with Harmony. So following this logic he has left the Scadrial realms in search of greater cosmerlogical(is this a term?) knowledge.
Given we know he has taken up a shards power before it stands to reason he may desire/covet that power again and left Scadrial to go seek this power. Many people thought he had taken up Ruins excess power and is Trell, but the ends of Bands seem to indicate otherwise. So I hypothesize that he has run off to go become a shard and the knowledge he has found after doing so has scared him so much he has decided to flee until he could work out a way to get the upper hand.

As far as I can tell, but I am sure others have more knowledge on questions Brandon has answered about this shard then I do... Is that it just wants to hide and survive and this is due to its knowledge of Cosmere events, so if Kelsier took out the previous holder of this shard(somehow) and with his vastly expanded awareness saw the true scale of events in which he just joined it may have spooked him. We also know that the intent is only tangentially linked to its desire to hide.

 

I don't know, it just makes weird sense for me that the Survival shard is the hands of the Survivor.

Thank you for reading, I hope it makes some sense.

[Shardmancer he/him]

Its an interesting theory but Kel is not a Shard, he had obtained a portion of Preservation Power - as a sliver. I believe Brandon was referring to a shard holder during this, but I am sure we will all RAFO.

[emailanimal he/him]

I believe there are followup WoBs to the original "There is a Shard that just wants to survive" revelation that pointed out that "Survival" is not necessarily the actual Intent of the Shard, it is more like the Shard/Shardholder are smart enough to see that everything is going to hell in a handbasket and wants nothing to do with it.

 

My money is on the Intent of the "Survival Shard" being something like Knowledge, Wisdom or Understanding, because getting the hell out of there (with Odium, Trell, whatever the heck else is going on) sounds like a very  smart thing to do.

[natc]

And, simultaneously, a very un-Kelsier thing to do.

The guy went and pushed himself to continue living in the pits instead of the easy way out, and then when he escapes the first thing on the task list after training with his new powers is to kill God.

And then he defies God to his final moments, breathes his last breath, dies, and then locked himself up possibly forever for all he knew, just to survive death itself. Then he risks it all to help bring down an dark force of destruction and survives that.

The thief Kelsier hid for the sake of practical concerns as part of the underground, but even then he's know for his crazy impossible stunts rather than playing it safe. Kelsier the Survivor? He doesn't run and live so much as stares down impossible odds head-on and survives by sheer force of will and ingenuity.

[Muzgrob]

And, simultaneously, a very un-Kelsier thing to do.

The guy went and pushed himself to continue living in the pits instead of the easy way out, and then when he escapes the first thing on the task list after training with his new powers is to kill God.

And then he defies God to his final moments, breathes his last breath, dies, and then locked himself up possibly forever for all he knew, just to survive death itself. Then he risks it all to help bring down an dark force of destruction and survives that.

The thief Kelsier hid for the sake of practical concerns as part of the underground, but even then he's know for his crazy impossible stunts rather than playing it safe. Kelsier the Survivor? He doesn't run and live so much as stares down impossible odds head-on and survives by sheer force of will and ingenuity.

I did think about this, but it's also stated that a shards intent shape the wielder. So Kelsier being the shard would have altered his personality.

Thanks everyone for the replies, there are holes in this theory. It's just something I have a feeling on and it will more then likely be wrong. I just wanted to hear the opinions of others who have more information then I do.