Anomaly in WOR Epigraphs

[cometaryorbit]

In the Parshendi song epigraphs of WOR, there are several references to the Parshendi gods that... really don't seem to fit the Unmade, or even an association with Odium at all.

Quote

"Nimbleform has a delicate touch. / Gave the gods this form to many, / Tho’ once defied, by the gods they were crushed.

-- from Ch. 16 epigraph

Quote

	"Stormform is said to cause / A tempest of winds and showers, / Beware its powers, beware its powers. / Though its coming brings the gods their night, / It obliges a bloodred spren. / Beware its end, beware its end."

-- Ch. 22 epigraph

Quote

	"Smokeform for hiding and slipping between men. / A form of power, like human Surges. / Bring it ’round again. / Though crafted of gods, / It was by Unmade hand. / Leaves its force to be but one of foe or friend."

-- Ch. 25 epigraph

The weirdest thing here is "Though its coming brings the gods their night, / It obliges a bloodred spren." That seems to imply that the 'bloodred spren' (presumably the Odium-spren that controls the Stormform Parshendi) is in opposition to 'the gods'. But shouldn't the Unmade be on the same side?

"Though crafted of gods, / It was by Unmade hand" also seems to set up an opposition, or at least to distinguish the Unmade as a separate class within 'the gods' in general.

And how can nimbleform -- one of the "normal" forms, which doesn't take over the Parshendi -- be attributed to the Unmade?

I'm thinking that the original Parshendi gods were the native spren of Roshar, before the Shards ever showed up, and that these are the spren involved in the 'normal' forms like nimbleform, warform, etc. But when the Odium-spren arrived, they took over so completely that the current-day Parshendi don't clearly remember there was ever another set of 'gods'.

[A Budgie]

It's certainly possible that they originally had different gods...we certainly know that the Parshendi are an ancient race.

[Spoolofwhool]

Actually, I've had a similar thought. Also, if you break up the songs, you'll notice three categories essentially: forms of power, forms of gods, and forms umattributed. My theory in the matter is that the unattributed forms are those which existed before C&H arrived. Then they gave the Listeners the forms of gods by creating new spren for them to bond to. Finally the forms of power are those created when bonded to a voidspren, as a result of the Unmade.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Spoolofwhool

[king of nowhere]

I would be careful in the literal interpretation of the listener song. it's not like it's never happened that the lore of the ancients turned out to be inaccurate, or that myths perpetuated orally over millennia gradually changed over time... and it is especially unlikely to happen in a population that to survive basically reduced itself to an average IQ of 50.

[The One Who Connects]

8 hours ago, cometaryorbit said:

And how can nimbleform -- one of the "normal" forms, which doesn't take over the Parshendi -- be attributed to the Unmade?

I feel like this one was something of a trust exercise. The Unmade/their gods showed them how to attain this form to kind of set up positive relations. 

When the Parshendi "defied," they moved to more controllable forms, as demonstrated with Stormform. Their gods would get to maintain a "we're being merciful and still helping" standpoint even if they really aren't helping.

And as a form that let them resist, perhaps they marked that down somewhere in their songs. There is still enough unknown space for them to have made a second stanza on something that important.

Considering how few of the forms they can currently find and get reliably, there should be a good reason for remembering Nimbleform beyond just "stand-in scholars."

[Krandacth]

2 hours ago, The One Who Connects said:

I feel like this one was something of a trust exercise. The Unmade/their gods showed them how to attain this form to kind of set up positive relations. 

When the Parshendi "defied," they moved to more controllable forms, as demonstrated with Stormform. Their gods would get to maintain a "we're being merciful and still helping" standpoint even if they really aren't helping.

And as a form that let them resist, perhaps they marked that down somewhere in their songs. There is still enough unknown space for them to have made a second stanza on something that important.

Considering how few of the forms they can currently find and get reliably, there should be a good reason for remembering Nimbleform beyond just "stand-in scholars."

This does align with events in WoR, as Eshonai suspects that the new songs and mental effects of Stormform are not new to Venli, as she "does not seem to act any different once she attained Stormform" (heavily paraphrased from Eshonai's comment). This suggests that, though muted, Nimbleform imposes the same influence associated with Forms of Power and forms of the Unmade.

[manukos]

it e\seems reasonable , but our knoledge is very limited

[DarkJester]

I'm pretty sure that the parshendi originally worshipped Honor. It's stated that the storm father was once a friend. He was on the side of the parshendi. After Odium showed up though I believe he must have corrupted them, since the storm father turned his back on them. I assume they were no longer honorable. They used to have a mediator form, but the gods changed it to a form of lies. It's like the were given honorable forms that later became corrupted. The parshendi still hold to this natural affinity for honor. Kaladin notes that he saw more honor from the parshendi than any human army he'd fought.