What is the element? *Spoilers*

[Chaos]

Here's a question for all you smart, intelligent, and attractive people out there.

What is the element? It's mentioned on page 211 of Way of Kings, Chapter 14's epigraph.

Let me first assure you that the element is quite safe. I have found a good home for it. I protect its safety like I protect my own skin, you might say.

Thoughts? It could be something like atium, used to bind Odium instead, however. Or, is it something else entirely?

[Zas678]

I think it may be the missing bead of lerasium.

[Chaos]

Hum, maybe?

Certainly, it doesn't need to be something which binds Odium. The epigraphs do not suggest that. It is also possible that Hoid (I'm assuming he wrote those epigraphs) stole something else, and the 17th Shard are trying to get it back. Lerasium could fit the bill.

[Elusive Fehler]

I think it may be the missing bead of lerasium.

I like this theory a freakish amount...thought it all just seems speculation.

It Lerasium, where has he stashed it?  The line makes it seem like he ingested it personally.  If this is true then it makes the rest of the line funny too. 

[Link Von Kelsier Harvey]

That would make Hoid a Mistborn.  Which, while awesome, seems unlikely.

[Aranfan]

I think we have nowhere near enough info to even begin speculating what the element might be. 

[rjl]

But Lerasium is just a bit of Sazed now isn't it?

Doesn't make that much sense for people to be runnign around with that unless they want to be mistborn, or they want to weaken/strengthen Sazed. I can't see Hoid wanting to weaken him, maybe he's found a piece and wants to take it back to Sazed, but I can't really see that tbh.

I think more likely it's something else entirely...

[Ryan]

Could it be that thing that Gavilar gave to Szeth? What *is* that thing, anyway?

[Zas678]

Lerasium is the bead that Elend swallowed to become mistborn. It seems like Hoid would take a bead, because if he didn't, then someone would take that bead, swallow it, and we would have ten more generations of super-allomancers, instead of the normal powers that we are used to now.

But it could be the black sphere that Gavilar gave Szeth. I think that that might be some sort of Anti-stormlight thing. Like it would suck back Stormlight? But then Gavilar would've used it against Szeth. Maybe it has something to do with Parshendi?

[Andrew the Great]

I don't think Lerasium is a viable option for the element. We have no reason to believe that it would allow someone to be a mistborn on Roshar, away from Sazed's power. In fact, if we look at how Aon Dor works in Elantris, we have reason to believe otherwise. The further the Elantrians get from Elantris, the weaker their power. Logic suggests that Mistborn-ness (woot for making up words) would work the same, as both are based off of shards.

The sphere that Gavilar gave to Szeth seems like as good an option as any. I've heard the term 'voidlight' in reference to the black light, but I'm not sure whether that's a term from Brandon or one that someone made up. Or one that Brandon is using for something else, but that someone decided to use for this. Or something else entirely.

I'm starting a re-read, now that I've done my first super-quick fanboy read. I'll look for anything else that seems like a possiblity.

Also, it seems an Elantris re-read is long overdue.

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

That's true.  In fact, all of the Allomancy done in Mistborn takes place within a few hundred miles of the Well of Ascension, that could have a similar relationship to the magic that Elantris has to AonDor.  I hope not, though.  I can't help but wish for a Vin versus Szeth battle.

[Andrew the Great]

Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. I just don't think it particularly likely, and have resigned myself to this fact.

[Zas678]

I don't think there is a distance thing with Mistborn. The only reason that Elantrians are weakened by distance is because the Aons are directly tied to the land. The Dakhor monks don't seem to have any different powers in Arelon compared to Teod, where they would probably be weaker.

In mistborn, Vin goes all the way from Terris to Luthadel, and she doesn't seem to notice any difference in her power as she moves from place to place.

EDIT- The "voidlight" sphere is making more and more sense as I think about it. How would've Hoid gotten it?

In the prologue, it has a man with a long grey and black beard near the Beggars' Feast. It *might* be Hoid, and he could've followed Szeth and tracked down where he put the voidlight sphere.

[Andrew the Great]

Point taken, and you're right. I'm still not sure that we can say that the Shard-fueled magic systems would work on a different planet, thousands of miles away from the Shard.

Also, it seems unlikely that Hoid would be particularly concerned about a bead of lerasium - what good or harm will one more mistborn in the world do?

Hoid doesn't have the "voidlight" sphere - Szeth still does, I believe. Although I might have missed some point when he talks about dropping it. In that case, Hoid could pick it up, which makes a lot of sense, as it would still be the only sphere of its kind, and its apparently important for some reason or another.

If Hoid has another voidlight sphere, then it's the second of its kind that we know of, and it thus becomes less likely to be the element, as a) it becomes less likely to do something incredibly awesome, it becomes less likely that he's been able to protect it, and c) it becomes less likely that it's rare, and if both groups had access to its power (whatever that may be), the advantage of one side having it are negated.

Could it be that Szeth is the home that Hoid speaks of that he's found for the element? But then the line about him protecting it like he does his own skin doesn't make much sense. Hmmmmm.....

[Zas678]

Szeth hides it.

Interlude 1-2:

They bid him farewell, ignoring his broad hints that another cup of beer would prompt him to tell his greatest tale: that of the time when he'd seen the Nightwatcher herself and stolen a sphere that glowed as black at night. That tale always discomforted Szeth, as it reminded him of the strange sphere Gavilar had given him. He'd hidden that carefully in Jah Keved. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't want to risk a master taking it from him.

[Andrew the Great]

Ok. So Hoid could have picked it up in Jah Kevad, wherever Szeth hid it. That makes a lot of sense.

It is odd that Took (Szeth's master at the time) tells a story about a sphere that glows as black as night. It seems like if he was going to make up on object that he'd stolen from the Nightwatcher, he'd choose something a little more exciting.

[HardcorePooka]

I don't think there is a distance thing with Mistborn. The only reason that Elantrians are weakened by distance is because the Aons are directly tied to the land. The Dakhor monks don't seem to have any different powers in Arelon compared to Teod, where they would probably be weaker.

In mistborn, Vin goes all the way from Terris to Luthadel, and she doesn't seem to notice any difference in her power as she moves from place to place.

At the Chicago Q&A the question was asked about how the various powers from the different planets would react away from the planet... and the answer was pretty much RAFO... but there are hints embedded in the various books.

[Deano Stormblessed]

I don't think the element is Lerasium, for the simple reason as despite there being the overbearing theme of the shards, Brandon will still want to keep Mistborn separate from WoK.

In all of Brandon's books, any epigraphs he uses are always in some way related to the actual story (though HoA did include hints about the 16 shards). Therefore when Hoid (i presume) mentions the element, this element will play some sort of role (i have a feeling it might be quite important) in the stormlight archive series. If the element was a bead of Lerasium, that would be bringing allomancy into WoK and would totally mix things up.

(I hope that makes sense, I do tend to have difficulty explaining things  :-[)

[Link Von Kelsier Harvey]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly.  I think the most obvious anything from the other series would get is the Dula in I-1.  And even then, it's cool that he is a Dula, but the important part is that he's looking for Hoid.  Therefore, I concur, whatever the Element is, it is not Lerasium.

[jacobfake]

Actually, I think "the element" being Lerasium might work, even though when I first read that I was like 'how did you even come up with that?'

First: Lerasium doesn't make sense because sure, mistborn are BA but it's not that big of a deal right? Well, although they're not a big deal on Scadrial, having someone eat Lerasium on R would be a pretty major deal. This is further supported because of the addressee's control over/association with the 17th shard + policy of non-interference because the planet hopper part puts him in a position to be very familiar with Lerasium, and the non-interference means he would definitely not want it to fall into the hands of anyone on Roshar. Also, because Hoid is writing a letter I assume he intends it to actually reach the addressee, implying they have contact so I could totally see a conversation with something like H: "Oh by the way I grabbed one of those Lerasium beads." A: "What!? You better make sure no one on Roshar eats it!"

Second: It wouldn't work because Elantrian's power wanes further from Elantris. However, the way the two magic systems work is different. The Elantrians' Dor symbols act as a flood gate sort of thing, letting the power of AonDor through the symbol. This is why the Reod messed it up because the floodgate was now shaped wrong, and why all the light was like bursting through when (oh my god did I forget the main character's name?) discovered it. Lerasium, however, is literally a piece of Preservation's body and functions on it's own; mistborn don't have access to all of the shards power, just that little bit that comes with the piece that they have in them/from lerasium. Also, when asked whether shard magic wanes further from planets (I read this somewhere on this forum) he said RAFO. However, if the Elantrian thing applied to all magic, then we already would have read and found out.

Third: The books don't overlap; Brandon specifically does not want Mistborn to be required reading for WoK. However, this was hardly a main part of the book, it was barely even a part of the epigraph. When Hoid was talking to Kaladin he said that his main purpose was to look for Odium (at least I assume that's who he meant, but regardless he didn't mention the element) and also, Hoid is bound to have more powers than just allomancy (hopping from planet to planet and being apparently immortal and all) so if he ends up displaying some Mistborn powers in the mix, it would hardly be necessary to go back and explain the entire magic system and it would instead make the book better by just being a totally awesome easter egg for fans who recognized it.

Also, the "I protect it as I might protect my own skin, you might say." just seems way too smug for it to just mean he protects it very well.

edit: this would also fit with p 202 "I realize you are probably still angry"-- perhaps the latest reason the addressee is angry is because Hoid took the Lerasium.

[Ryan]

Ok. So Hoid could have picked it up in Jah Kevad, wherever Szeth hid it. That makes a lot of sense.

It is odd that Took (Szeth's master at the time) tells a story about a sphere that glows as black as night. It seems like if he was going to make up on object that he'd stolen from the Nightwatcher, he'd choose something a little more exciting.

You're assuming that Hoid must have the Element in his possession. I don't believe that's true. He says that he's "found a good home for it". That and the fact that he feels he must go out of his way to assure his audience that it is safe lends me to think he doesn't carry the thing on his person.

[Zas678]

Lerasium would make a pretty big difference on Scadrial. If someone were to swallow it, it would mean another 1000 years of super allomancers, probably with them being aristocrats of some sort. True, it wouldn't be as big as a difference as it would on Roshar, but it would cause problems.

And one thing about this letter is that we don't know when it was written. Maybe he gave the element to Galivar, telling him some about Adonalsium, much as he did with Dalinar. Gavilar would be a pretty good bodygaurd for an important element. He was one of the best swordsmen in Roshar, and only went down because Szeth was a Binder. That could be were Hoid kept it safe.

[Munin]

I really doubt it's Lerasium.

Maybe it's the fragments of a splintered shard...

[jacobfake]

^ why though?

[leinton]

Brandon said it was very unlikely that he would do a mistborn vs surgebinder kind of thing, because he didn't want someone to need to read his other books to read The Stormlight Archive. I seriously doubt the element is Lerasium, mainly for that reason. I don't think we have enough evidence to even guess what it is.