Origins of Feruchemy

[continuumg]

Hi, all!

I’ve been thinking lately about Feruchemy, and its place in the cosmere canon. A few things have been nagging at me, and so I searched the forums here to see what anyone else has been talking about in regards to this issue. Not finding anything, I figured I’d best get this conversation started.

It has always bothered me that Feruchemy was considered a system of both Preservation and Ruin. Particularly now that we know a third entity has been influencing the system. It makes sense to me, then, that Feruchemy might be based in the investiture of this third party.

Now presuming Trell is an avatar of Autonomy, our first piece of evidence should be in the very way Feruchemy functions; A Feruchemist draws their power from themselves. If nothing else, I feel this alone makes a reasonably convincing argument.

Ummm...

I had other points, I think. Sorry, I just finished work. My brain died a little.

[+Invocation]

I don't think Autonomy has been Invested enough on Scadrial for long enough to affect the magic, particularly since Feruchemy's use has been around longer than the common uses of Allomancy and Hemalurgy (particularly Hemalurgy, though Allomancy has undergone many changes over time). Feruchemy is the power of the merging of Preservation and Ruin because it doesn't interact with either Shard's power directly. Allomany is end-positive, with things gained from Preservations power, while Hemalurgy is end-negative, with power decaying and benefiting Ruin. With Feruchemy, there is no extra power, there is no loss of power, there is only a change in when, how, and how much is being used of that attribute.

[continuumg]

But has this been verified explicitly by Brandon, or is it simply the in-world explanation we have been given?

[Elegy he/him]

It is confirmed that additional systems of Investiture develop when several Shards are on the same planet, so if Feruchemy wasn't a combination of both, there would have to be yet another one on Scadrial, and I don't think that's the case because we probably would have seen it by now. Furthermore, the Intent of a Shard doesn't necessarily fit the abilities the magic system grants its users. Allomancy isn't particularly preserving after all, and Sand Mastery doesn't have an apparent connection to Autonomy's Intent either (aside from a symbolic one). Lastly, we know that First of the Sun has also been influenced by an avatar of Autonomy and the still none of the supernatural things we have seen on that planet are connected to Autonomy, so it's unclear whether the presence of an avatar is enough to manifest a system of Investiture (although, strangely enough, it seems to have been enough to manifest a perpendicularity).

I definitely see where you are coming from and it's an interesting thought, and I'm not saying the arguments above are disproving it. But I don't feel there are any strong clues for it either.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Elegy

[RShara she/her]

Feruchemy's been around for at least a thousand years before Trell started interfering on Scadrial. If my theory about it being a power granted by a previous Ascension, then at least two thousand years before then. It's very very unlikely that Feruchemy is from anything other than Preservation/Ruin.

[Weltall]

The intent of a Shard is relevant to how you get access to a magic system, it has no relation to what you can do with the magic once you've got it. With allomancy, you preserve yourself by reaching out to an external power, with hemalurgy you must intend to ruin someone else or it won't work. We don't know how Initiation for feruchemy began but the magic can easily be seen as an interaction of the two Shards. You must weaken (ruin) yourself for a time in order to preserve that strength for when you have a greater need for it.

Also, Brandon has been quite explicit about this:

Quote

Argent (paraphrased)

Feruchemy is the "balance" between Ruin and Preservation. Would any combination of Shards create a "balance" magic, so to speak, or are only certain Shards compatible?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Feruchemy ended up being a balance system, because of how polar Ruin and Preservation were. Any world with at least two Shards will result in a similar phenomenon.

Steelheart Chicago signing (Oct. 5, 2013)

 

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Czanos

Preservation can fuel Allomancy, (minus atium.) but can Ruin fuel Hemalurgy? (Or atium?) And could Sazed fuel all three Metallic Arts?

Brandon Sanderson

Both gods could, if they wanted, fuel all of the Metallic Arts. Preservation is stronger at fueling Allomancy, Ruin stronger at fueling Allomancy or Feruchemy when it has been given via a spike. Both are balanced when it comes to Feruchemy. But this rarely comes up in the books, as it required expending power in a way that the gods were hesitant to do.

Hero of Ages Q&A - Time Waster's Guide (Oct. 15, 2008)

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Questioner [PENDING REVIEW]

With Allomancy is of Preservation, and you have Hemalurgy, which is of Ruin. Is Feruchemy a joint effort between the two? Or is it a third party?

Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW]

Joint effort.

FanX 2018 (Sept. 8, 2018)

Sorry, the argument that feruchemy is a magic system involving a third Shard is simply a non-starter.