[Full Book Spoilers] Parshendi Bonding Nahel Spren

[Moogle]

We know from the epigraphs that the more intelligent spren refused to bond with the listeners because humans were so much more tempting. The reason is apparently that listener minds are too close to the Cognitive, so they offer less to intelligent spren who gain from a Physical connection.

 

This reason was enough, apparently, that every member of some types of spren bonded with Surgebinders.

 

You need to act in a certain way to attract a spren, but the Parshendi managed to find a way around that. You trap spren in gemstones.

 

Well... we've also got 'trapped' Nahel spren. Shardblades.

 

What if listeners could, at the apex of a highstorm, when they're in the Cognitive and seeing the Stormfather, summon forth their Blades and bond with the dead spren within more fully? The dead spren can't really resist, and they might be thankful for the opportunity.

 

This would offer a way to resurrect the spren of old, and of course it would protect listeners from becoming Voidbringers, since Honor/Cultivation's Investiture would resist Odium's. It's a compelling way to protect listeners like Rlain.

 

Also: Eshonai hears a screaming inside of her head constantly. Particularly when she tunes into the Rhythm of Peace. Makes me think that becoming a Voidbringer has benefits similar to being a Surgebinder. I'd guess the voice she hears screaming is her Shardblade.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Moogle

[Dru]

If I remember correctly she only hears the screaming after she bonded the storm spren. I thought the screaming she heard was just "her old self" trying to fight the storm spren.

[Moogle]

If I remember correctly she only hears the screaming after she bonded the storm spren. I thought the screaming she heard was just "her old self" trying to fight the storm spren.

 

I thought that too initially. Eshonai even thinks it sounds like her own voice, which is good evidence. The more I think about it, though, it doesn't really work. The stormspren are influencing her, but they didn't take her over (that's not how the bonding works). Eshonai has gone nowhere, she's not a prisoner in her own mind. It's only when she tunes into the Rhythm of Peace that she hears it. Eventually, she hears it all the time. I think it's possible that she's hearing her Shardblade.

 

Consider how it sounds:

That rhythm! It sounded like . . . like her own voice yelling at her. Screaming in pain.

 

In pain. Compare it to...

 

Screaming. Why could he hear screaming? Inside his head? Was that Syl’s voice?

    It reverberated through Kaladin. That horrible, awful screech shook him, made his muscles tremble. He released the Shardblade with a gasp, falling backward. Relis dropped the Blade as if bitten. He backed away, raising his hands to his head. “What is it? What is it! No, I didn’t kill you!” He shrieked as if in great pain, then ran across the sands and pulled open the door to the preparation room, fleeing inside.

 

There are certainly similarities.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Moogle

[PorridgeBrick]

If I remember correctly she only hears the screaming after she bonded the storm spren. I thought the screaming she heard was just "her old self" trying to fight the storm spren.

I do believe that it did say something to that effect.

[Youngy]

Mistborn Spoilers

I feel Eshonai heaing her own voice screaming in the background was too close to Marsh in The Hero of Ages hearing himself in his more lucid moments. I'd say they are the same situation.

There are terrifyingly haunting similarities between the two situations (and should be, as both are most likely being controlled - or at least manipulated, by a shard)

[cris34b]

I thought that too initially. Eshonai even thinks it sounds like her own voice, which is good evidence. The more I think about it, though, it doesn't really work. The stormspren are influencing her, but they didn't take her over (that's not how the bonding works). Eshonai has gone nowhere, she's not a prisoner in her own mind. It's only when she tunes into the Rhythm of Peace that she hears it. Eventually, she hears it all the time. I think it's possible that she's hearing her Shardblade.

 

The Stormspren, though, are creatures of Odium's big bad spren like the evil equivalent of the Nightwatcher and such. These Parshendi "Gods" are splinters of Odium, not only that, but Odium himself is still alive. How I see it is that this is almost identical to Ruin controlling the Steel Inquisitors through their Hemalurgy, which is a forced change in the Spirit Web. Odium controls his Voidbringers through their corrupted spren, and as we see here when Eshonai transforms.

 

"No," Eshonai said, stepping back from that spren. In a moment of panic, she cast from her mind the preparations that Venli had given her. "No!"

The spren became a streak of red light and hit her in the chest. Tendrils of red spread outward.

I CANNOT STOP THIS, the Stormfather said. I WOULD SHELTER YOU, LITTLE ONE, IF I WERE GIVEN THAT POWER. I AM SORRY.

Eshonai gasped, the rhythms fleeing her mind, and fell to her knees.  She felt it was through her, the transformation.

I AM SORRY.

The rains came again, and her body began to change.

 

So yeah, looks like this was forced onto her, likely changing her spirit web in a way that allowed Odium to take over her mind, just like how when she began to think rebelliously against this, her mind was suddenly -yanked- back onto course.

 

(edit) I agree with Youngy entirely. The Voidbringers are entirely too similar to Hemalurgically effected people from Mistborn.

Edited March 7, 2014 by cris34b

[xbauks]

Disagree with the Eshonai bit but it would be interesting to see if it would be possible to bond the dead spren to parshendi. If it is possible, maybe that's what finally saves Eshonai.

[Vortaan]

I don't see how that'd be possible though. The dead spren cease to exist as individuals. It seems like Syl was only able to be reformed because of a lingering connection to Kaladin. I take the screaming from the Shardblades to be the screaming of the collective force that the spren in question represent, more than any individual spren.

[xbauks]

I don't see how that'd be possible though. The dead spren cease to exist as individuals. It seems like Syl was only able to be reformed because of a lingering connection to Kaladin. I take the screaming from the Shardblades to be the screaming of the collective force that the spren in question represent, more than any individual spren.

It's specifically mentioned by Syl that spren don't die in the same way as humans. They only die "sort of".

[LightReader]

Also, Syl's  wasn't trapped in Shardblade form when Kaladin disconnected from her, which could make a difference.  That and I think I remember there being a hint in the book that resurrecting a spren would require the person to whom that spren was originally bonded. I can't remember where that was though. I'll have to look for it on my re-read. 

Edited March 8, 2014 by LightReader

[xbauks]

Also, Syl's wasn't trapped in Shardblade form when Kaladin disconnected from her, which could make a difference. That and I think I remember there being a hint in the book that resurrecting a spren would require the person to whom that spren was originally bonded. I can't remember where that was though. I'll have to look for it on my re-read.

Yup. Pretty sure Pattern mentions that there's nothing that can be done. Then says unless their original partner was alive.

[Moogle]

The Stormspren, though, are creatures of Odium's big bad spren like the evil equivalent of the Nightwatcher and such. These Parshendi "Gods" are splinters of Odium, not only that, but Odium himself is still alive. How I see it is that this is almost identical to Ruin controlling the Steel Inquisitors through their Hemalurgy, which is a forced change in the Spirit Web. Odium controls his Voidbringers through their corrupted spren, and as we see here when Eshonai transforms.

 

So yeah, looks like this was forced onto her, likely changing her spirit web in a way that allowed Odium to take over her mind, just like how when she began to think rebelliously against this, her mind was suddenly -yanked- back onto course.

 

(edit) I agree with Youngy entirely. The Voidbringers are entirely too similar to Hemalurgically effected people from Mistborn.

 

While I agree it's similar to Hemalurgically being controlled, this in no way implies that the screaming is Eshonai.

 

The one detailed PoV we had of a Hemalurgically controlled person had no screaming. Their state of mind was extremely similar to Eshonai, with the difference that the person in question was strong enough of will to resist the control occasionally. They never heard screaming in their own mind.

 

I don't see why the comparison to Hemalurgy in any way is evidence against the screaming in her mind being a Shardblade. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest it is evidence against the screaming being herself railing against Odium's control.

Edited March 8, 2014 by Moogle

[Cheese Ninja]

The spren betrayed us, it’s often felt.

Our minds are too close to their realm

That gives us our forms, but more is then

Demanded by the smartest spren,

We can’t provide what the humans lend,

Though broth are we, their meat is men.

 

But it is not impossible to blend

Their Surges to ours in the end.

It has been promised and it can come.

Or do we understand the sum?

We question not if they can have us then,

But if we dare to have them again.

—From the Listener Song of Spren, 9th and 10th stanzas

Epigraphs to chapters 32 and 33.  The first one was already mentioned, but the second one is even more relevant to this discussion.  The spren that once bonded with humans could give their Surges to the Listeners.