Bondsmiths

[JosephOfHathsin]

I'm re listening to Words of Radiance and one of the descriptions about bondsmiths in the WoR's prefaces is that Bondsmiths only had 3 of their number, and it's made to seem that's the only number they kept. We've seen that the StormFather is alive where other spren have disappeared, is it possible these bondsmiths each have to bond the spren of a shard? Alluding to why there can only be 3 at a time. Also I don't remember at the moment how many honreater peaks there are but reading a recent post that says the peaks are in a the Oathgate deadzone it's made me wonder if it's likely that there are 3 peaks, each being a grave for bondsmiths or even a shards host. The thing about the peak hot springs or "Oceans" as Rock calls them, they very much remind me of the Shard pools from Elantris. This theory doesn't have much ground but it feels like every time I rethink about it, the more it makes some sense. 

[Aleksiel]

What do you mean by spren of a Shard? SF was a bondsmith spren before Honor was splintered and both Cultivation and Odium are still whole. I don't think any radiant spren is of Odium, it would make no sense to me. 

We have a WoB there are 3 BS spren, but the only spren on SF level is the Nightwatcher. We don't know if she's a BS spren or if it's possible for them to bond more than one person. However, I am inclined to say SF could bond someone else, too, because of this WoK quote:

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Kaktach 1173, 16 seconds pre-death. A middle-aged potter. Reported seeing strange dreams during highstorms during the last two years.

 

I think he saw the same visions as Dalinar and at the same time unless I'm confusing the timeline. As for the quote you are referencing:

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But as for the Bondsmiths, they had members only three, which number was not uncommon for them; nor did they seek to increase this by great bounds, for during the times of Madasa, only one of their order was in continual accompaniment of Urithiru and its thrones. Their spren was understood to be specific, and to persuade them to grow to the magnitude of the other orders was seen as seditious.

I don't think it sets three BS as the limit, rather as a preferred upper number. At least the way I read it in theory there could be more than 3, but it would not be an ideal situation.

[JosephOfHathsin]

I mean just that, I know that the StormFather was a spren before honor died and that makes me wonder if shards can have spren without dying, and brings us back to that philosophical question, does fire attract flame spren or do Flame spren attract fire. As for the SF bonding more than one I feel that it's most likely and because it is it can go the same for Cultivation, and yes even Odium. I know it doesn't make sense that any radiant would be of Odium but he is a shard all the same and so if Honor and Cultivation could influence the creation of spren such as SF and the NW, I don't see why Rayse couldn't do the same (We already know that he'll have a champion of his own who's to say that champion won't be another bondsmith bonded to Odiums spren). Of course though this is all riding a lot on assuming the Nightwatcher is Cultivations spren. As for the part where they say only one BS stayed in Urithiru I think that could still make sense to my theory, it would seem likely that the BS bonded to Honor would stay and do their duty (and eventually be called back once a new BS was bonded to Honor as we see with Dalinar) while the other two did their own things on Roshar. Also though if it turns out there can be more than 3 BS then this whole arguements out the window lol. 

[Aleksiel]

Spren predate Honor's splintering, in fact radiant spren are of Honor in Cultivation. I think the Unmade are confirmed to be from Odium, so he has spren, but not in the nahel bonding with humans type.

 

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ZAS

Nohadon mentioned that "All the spren aren’t as discerning as honorspren."

BRANDON SANDERSON

So there has been dissension among them about who gets to call themselves honorspren, if that makes sense, and there is some disagreement among scholars about which ones are really, you know "This is what defines an honorspren".

But the spren you are running into are all (something) of either Honor or Cultivation, or some mixture between them. And you can usually tell the ones that are more Honor, and the ones that are more Cultivation. That should be able to be (something).

 

 

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QUESTION

Is Cultivation's Shardholder still alive.

BRANDON SANDERSON

Good question, what do you think?

QUESTION

I want to say, but that's based on my knowledge before I read Lift's interlude from Words of Radiance. Now I am leaning towards no. Based on that interlude, it looks like spren have essence from both Honor and Cultivation. It's almost like they exist in a spectrum, on one end of which is Honor, and on the other - Cultivation; so there are spren that are, for the lack of better example, 90% Honor and 10% Cultivation, and there are spren that are 15% Honor and 85% Cultivation.

BRANDON SANDERSON

That's a very astute observation!

QUESTION

And since we know that Honor is Splintered, then it might be the case that Cultivation is also Splintered, and their Splinters form the spren.

FOOTNOTE

In a prior signing report it was revealed that Cultivation's shardholder is indeed alive.

 

 

So if we tweak your theory a little, it could still work, but in a different sense - three BS spren, one identifies more with Honor (SF), the other with Cultivation (Nightwatcher probably) and the third - equally.