4th Realm?

[CrystalShadow]

Do we have any direct words from Sanderson that there are 3 and only 3 realms? I come to this idea by basic division, believing that perhaps each shard has a particular realmatic focus. 

 

The thing that first inspired this theory was in WoK prologue, with Sazed declaring his shard blade to be from "damnation", with some thinking that meant the spiritual realm. While the significance of that may seem less so, it made me think that perhaps some of the shards are physical, cognitive or spiritual. But with 16 shards (just as there are 16 metals in mist born), wouldn't they need to divide evenly?

[Armless writer he/him]

it seems hard to categorize the shards by realm we would have to ask Brandon and have some more specific information on each shard. But nice idea you just need to start categorizing the known shards.  

[CrystalShadow]

If this were true, I would say Ruin/Preservation/Harmony are physical, Cultivation physical and Honor cognitive (Iffy on cultivation, but they make the difference of Honor makes "mental" spren like angerspren while Cultivation creates gravityspren. Given the nature of spren though, cultivation might be more cognitive just because of that)

 

Thats all I feel pretty certain about. Perhaps throw Endowment into the 4th realm purely because we know Endowment as a whole seems a bit more "divine"

[Argent he/him]

I am not sure if a categorization like this is a valid one. The Shards' power is mostly Spiritual, and they can affect the physical realm, but beyond that... I don't know, it's late, but I don't feel putting them in groups like this is any more valid than saying that certain people are physical, cognitive, or spiritual. In fact, I think in the case of the Sixteen, it makes less sense to do so.