theory The dead reside in stone

[Farnsworth]

Before reading this theory, I recommend you read this one, as my theory is strongly based off it. The gist that theory it is that there is something wrong with Roshar's afterlife, and souls are unable to go to the Beyond, and instead stay in the Cognitive Realm. Anyways, here's my idea.

What we know

1) Stone is important in the Shin religion. Shin will not break it, step on it, or mar it in any way. 

2) When Parshmen die, other Parshmen "wrap them in linin and carry them out into the wilderness and leave them on slabs of stone". This is one of the only sapient actions they are seen doing.

3) Talenel is the Herald of war, and his essence is stone.

4) Living things are represented by flames when alive, and become like ordinary objects when dead.

What I think

When a sapient being dies on Roshar, their physical aspect becomes their corpse, and their cognitive and spiritual aspects go into stone. The Shin feel that breaking stone would harm the dead people, and the Parshmen want their dead to be near stone so they can move easily to it. Talanel probably isn't leading the current fight to reclaim the Tranquline Halls or their equivalent at the moment, but if he had been in the past, stone is his element and he would probably have an easy time accessing souls who are in stone. When Shallan went into Shadesmar, she was unable to tell the difference between something that had never been alive and something dead. If stone contained the cognitive and spiritual aspects of the dead, it wouldn't be bright or anything like that. 

 

Ideas?

Edited July 25, 2017 by Figberts

[Fatling]

So this isn't from Roshar, but there's a similar idea among the Kerztians in Taldain. From White Sand, Kenton says this right after he and Khriss & company are attacked by the Kerztians (chapter 4)

Quote

Kerztians never abandon the bodies of their fallen--they believe a man must be buried in deep sand lest his soul be lost to wander the Kerla.

This could also be more evidence of a migration from Taldain to Roshar too

[Betrail]

I might also add that the alethi also soulcast their dead to stone, or it is preferred.

[Farnsworth]

On ‎7‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 8:31 PM, Fatling said:

So this isn't from Roshar, but there's a similar idea among the Kerztians in Taldain. From White Sand, Kenton says this right after he and Khriss & company are attacked by the Kerztians (chapter 4)

This could also be more evidence of a migration from Taldain to Roshar too

That's really neat! It would be extra interesting to figure out what the Irali do with their dead, because we are more aware of where they have migrated from.

10 hours ago, Betrail said:

I might also add that the alethi also soulcast their dead to stone, or it is preferred.

This is an interesting bit of information that I forgot about. Could this be so that their Cognitive and Spiritual aspects stay with their physical body?

[Betrail]

Well it is said that the dead will slumber until called on to fight in the tranquiline halls.  Or at least just the skilled... maybe those who die with investure aka knights? Which if given a way to manifest into the physical world then bam instant army.

[Farnsworth]

I see what you're saying, but I think the point is that the dead in stone are in the Tranquiline halls.