Wubdor he/him Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 (edited) So I've been wondering why the people of Roshar call Shardblades and plate it the way they do? The speak of having "shards", but I haven't found out why they do this. Who named them like this, and was this person aware of the Shards of Adonalsium? If the language from when the Knights Radiant is no longer around, then a word like Shardblade wouldn't be the same either. So it has to be a more modern word. Is it just a coincidence or is there an actual meaning to it related to the Shards, and if so, how? Edited January 8, 2017 by Wubdor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exalted Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 I expect that the term came from the Heralds, since there's a good chance they were Cosmere-aware. At the very least, they entered into a pact with Honor himself, who may have referred to himself as a Shard, and then the name stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oversleep Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Because they are: weapons of a Shard (you could make Shardblades in different magic systems - Nightblood is a Shardblade and it comes from Endowment) literally made of a Shard (spren are pieces of Honor and Cultivation or a mix of them) So yes, that's completely intentional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wubdor he/him Posted January 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 4 hours ago, Oversleep said: Because they are: weapons of a Shard (you could make Shardblades in different magic systems - Nightblood is a Shardblade and it comes from Endowment) literally made of a Shard (spren are pieces of Honor and Cultivation or a mix of them) So yes, that's completely intentional. I know, but the point isn't that it's just intentional, but who named them. It had to have been someone cosmere aware, like Exalted Dungeon Master said, possibly the Heralds. Problem is that their language from back then hasn't survived, so it has to be a more modern term. Heralds are, of course, still around, so there's a good chance they kept it and passed it along, but are we sure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyman he/him Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) Languages can be stupid-conservative at times, especially when nothing much has changed that would drive them to change. I'm guessing that the term shards are very, very old usages, and because their is nothing else like them generally known, the name has just stuck. ETA: As for where it came from: given just how old the history is there, the term "just about anybody" comes to mind. The Heralds would be very high on the list, though. When we see Darkness talking to his nascent Skybreakers, he's quite open about Honor's existence and behavior. Edited January 9, 2017 by happyman grammar and new observation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoser he/him Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Consider the epigraph (below) for the second chapter of tWoK. It seems to be from the point of view of a Knight Radiant. I deduce that the Knights knew about Shards from the Heralds and possibly also through direct knowledge. Since that is where the blades came from, a simple explanation would be that the Knights called them that and the name stuck. Quote Ten orders. We were loved, once. Why have you forsaken us, Almighty! Shard of my soul, where have you gone? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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