Mathologist Posted October 1, 2017 Report Share Posted October 1, 2017 NOTE: This is pretty much copied from my post on reddit. Just wanted to see if anyone here had feedback on it. How does Jasnah know Wit/Hoid? First, she definitely does know him. When they meet up at the end of WoR, they clearly know each other. Furthermore, she already knew him during the events of TWoK, since on Page 571 (Paperback), she says Quote "I prefer my wards to be clever" ... "It gives me more to work with. I should bring you to court with me. I suspect that Wit, at least, would find you amusing." However, the timing of the two of them knowing each other is a bit iffy. We know that Shallan had been chasing Jasnah for six months before finding her in Kharbranth. Quote After chasing Jasnah Kholin from town to town for the better part of six months... [63 (PB)] She was following Jasnah on a ship, so it seems unlikely that Jasnah could have been at the Shattered Plains or in Kholinar at this time, both of which are landlocked. It seems most likely that this time was all spent around the Tarat Sea, since Shallan presumably left from near Vedenar, visited Dumadari (following Jasnah), and ended up in Kharbranth. Meanwhile, Hoid only became the King's Wit recently. Specifically, Adolin thinks Quote This new Wit had been with them for some months, and there was something... different about him. The key phrase here is some months. Definitely more than 1 month, but also less than a year. A year on Roshar is only ten months, so this leaves a pretty slim window for him to have met Jasnah at the Shattered Plains or in Kholinar while he was Wit. This leaves three possibilities. He was Wit for over 6 months, and met Jasnah at the Shattered Plains. This is the most boring and, sadly, I think the most likely. Still it is not definite. We only know for sure that Jasnah was travelling for 6 months, but it seems like a big coincidence that she would start travelling at the same time as Shallan started looking for her. It's more likely that she already had been travelling for longer (If anybody can find info on how long Jasnah had been researching the Voidbringers, it would be very helpful here). The window for them to meet at the Shattered Plains is pretty narrow. Hoid met Jasnah while she was travelling. From Hoid's conversation with Elhokar after the greatshell hunt [274 (PB)] it seems that he hasn't spent all of his time in the camps. Maybe he met Jasnah while she was researching. I can't think of a reason why he would be in the Tarat Sea himself, but he's Hoid. His reasons are mysterious. This is a definite possibility. They met before he became the King's Wit. This is definitely the most interesting possibility. When they talk in WoR, they both seem very cosmere aware, and they also know that each other are aware of it. This could mean that they met, not through Elhokar, but through their mutual supernatural affiliations. Maybe Jasnah was the one who suggested Hoid as the King's Wit. It raises a lot of possibilities. Afterwords, I found some more information that I believe makes this theory stronger. Shallan says to Kabsal that Jasnah had been travelling for two years. This is a significant extension over the 6 months that was previously established for her research. This almost certainly means that she started her research before Hoid has become King's Wit, virtually eliminating the possibility that 1. is true. Quote "And she won't be staying in Kharbranth forever. She's been moving from place to place almost constantly for the last two years." [791 (PB)] I don't have the page for this, but during a message conversation with Dalinar Jasnah refused to return to the Shattered Plains until she finished her research, meaning that she is unlikely to have been back there while she was researching the voidbringers. This fits in with her character, since there are unlikely to be scholastic resources at the warcamps. This is reinforced when Shallan thinks: Quote No, Jasnah was searching for something real. Something so important that it drew her away from the Shattered Plains and the fight to avenge her father. [782 (PB)] Some commenters on reddit pointed out that Jasnah refers to him as Wit, not Hoid, which I feel means it is very possible that she was the one who sent him to Elhokar to become the King's Wit. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catie she/her Posted October 1, 2017 Report Share Posted October 1, 2017 I wish I were smart enough to draw together theories like this, lol. It makes sense to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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