Eye Color Listings

[Moogle]

I've assembled a list of the eye colors of characters. I'd appreciate it if anyone could contribute descriptions I've missed. Renarin, for example, never has basically any of his physical features defined so as I can find (which is super annoying).

 

Here's a list of eyecolors I've found:

• Jasnah: "pale violet" (her mother has violet as well)
• Taravangian: "pale grey"
• Gavilar: "pale green" (WoR)
• Shallan: "pale blue"
• Kaladin: "pale blue", but originally "dark brown"
• Szeth: "dark green" but "pale blue" with Honorblade out
• Laral: "bright, pale green"
• Hoid: "pale blue" (plausibly Lightweaved so he can get in important places)
• Teshav: "pale yellow"
• Jackamav: "pale green" (WoR)
• Elhokar: "pale green" (WoR, like his father's) or "light yellow" (WoK)
• Dunny: dark, but violet in the right light according to Sigzil
• Navani: "light violet"
• Adolin: blue
• Almost everyone in Iri has light yellow eyes
• Makabaki are almost all darkeyes
• Moash: tan after bonding his Blade, "dark brown" in WoR, "dark green" in WoK
• Listeners: red in stormform, Venli had a "violet cast" to her dark eyes
• Sureblood (Adolin's horse): dark eyes
• Windrunner in Midnight Essence Vision: "bright blue, almost white"
• Stoneward in Midnight Essence Vision: "light tan"
• Gaz: brown
• Redin: "One of his eyes was intense blue. The other dark brown."
• Baxil's Mistress: "Her eyes were so faintly violet they were almost white."

From this we can tell that eye color seems to be inherited - Elhokar has Gavilar's green eyes, and Jasnah her mother's violet eyes, though whether eye color is passed down based on gender is unclear.

 

Also, going on the theory of every Radiant having eyes the color of their associated gemstone (and their children inheriting the color), we should expect to see red eyes, which we don't see. If anyone has suggestions on theories for why that is, I'd love to hear them.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Moogle

[maxal]

I have always assumed Dalinar and Renarin had blue eyes like Adolin. As for Renarin, didn't it say his hair were more black than Adolin (black with blond locks)? Brandon keeps mentioning how blond Adolin is (I assume he does this because it is so unusual for an Alethki to be this blond), but he rarely mentions anything about Renarin which leads to me to believe he does not stand out, physically, as much as his brother.

 

I may be wrong. Someone may have a quote to contradict me, but I somehow always pictured them as such.

[Sun]

The idea all members within a order share the same uniform eye color, and the mechanics of the eye color change actually affecting the sDNA, not a backlight effect, doesn't seem to fit with the information provided so far. Given the gem color-eye color association and the eye color change being inhertiable, it's strange there isn't more deviation in the eye color spectrum. Red, silver,and orange eye colors being absent is certainly mysterious unless it is simply the retcon product of not wanting to have red eyed characters. However, maybe the missing eye colors are common in other areas not yet introduced? It's possible each order could be connected with a specific area of Roshar: most of Iri's population has golden eyes. Perhaps, the people of Iri are the descendents of the stonewards? Additionally, the common distribution of blue eyes could be explained through the Windrunner's many squires.

Shallan is aware of the concept of genocide: maybe red-eyed individuals were wiped out in mass due to the association red eyes have with voidbringers.

Windrunner=Sapphire=Kaladin's blue eye color.

Lightweaver=Garnet=Shallan getting creepy red eyes?!?!

 

Q:  Will a Surgebinder's eye color change when they Surgebind or have a Blade. Is the color of their eyes corresponding to their Order? So Windrunners would do blue.

A:  Yes.

Q:  So each Order does a different eye color?

A:  Each Order does indeed have an eye color representation.

 

Q:  You very clearly make rules for the wine in this world, like the different colors and different alcohol content.  I was wondering what the inspiration for that is, and also what some of them are actually made from, because it doesn't seem like grapes.

A:  It's not grapes, it's a local fruit.  So we would not probably call it wine, we would probably call it something else.  And it's based on my desire to do funky things with world building in every way I can. [The color is a cultural thing.]

Edited May 29, 2014 by Sun

[Terisen]

Maybe the light red eyes is a recessive type "gene". If the Dustbringers had children with someone who had another eye color, would that, in essence, take over? Seems somewhat tenuous, I admit, but it's the best I've got at the moment.

[Swimmingly]

Well, shallan can turn her creepy eyes brown if she has to, not to mention any Lightweaving she can do.

[maxal]

The issue I have with the WoB is that it contradicts what we have seen so far in the book... I believe we have another WoB stating Shallan is the most advanced KR we have so far and yet she hasn't change eye color. In fact, the only knight we have seen changing eye color is Kal who happens to be the only darkeye knight we have so far.

 

Simply bonding a dead shardblade will change a darkeye's eye color, but not a lighteye. Shallan is an advanced knight and her eyes remained blue. I do not buy any theory she is lightweaving it away as it would require her drawing on stormlight regularly if not always. Besides, there is nothing in her POV that indicates that may be the case.

 

So far, I can only conclude darkeyes are the only ones who's eyes change color upon becoming a KR. Any other lighteyes would retain their eye color. If a darkeye ever break his oath, than his eye color goes back to normal and since nobody has red eyes as "normal" then red eyes do not become transmitted to children. In fact, maybe it is the "real" eye color of the knight that is passed genetically and not the Radiant one.

[wolveryne]

Why would eye color thats caused by a spren bond be handed down genetically? Is there a WoB that states that the bond changes DNA? 

 

As for Shallan being the furthest along as a Knight, we really don't know what that means. Its seems the Orders don't all follow the same progression. Kaladin is "behind" but has the largest understanding of his surges. 

 

It could be that for Lightweavers the last thing they gain is the eye color change, or the way she repressed Pattern for so long did something funky to her eye color change.

[Moogle]

Why would eye color thats caused by a spren bond be handed down genetically? Is there a WoB that states that the bond changes DNA?

 

There's this:

 

Q: If you have a series of Inquisitors, like a family of Inquisitors having children for generations over...

A: Would the Hemalurgy influence the sDNA of the children? Is that what you are asking? That is a hypothesis that has merit in the way the magic system works. It is not a supposition to be discarded out of hand.

 

Inquisitors have sDNA changes, so a Radiant having children will likely pass down some of their sDNA changes. Which, of course, would include eye color.

[Zizoz]

Amaram has "light tan" eyes (WoK Chapter 44), and Kaladin notes in WoR Chapter 77 that Moash's eyes are the same color.

 

Redin: one "intense blue", one "dark brown" (WoR Chapter 39)

[RShara]

Garnets on Roshar are a violet color, rather than a pure red.  So Shallan's eyes should eventually turn violet-ish.

[Moogle]

Garnets on Roshar are a violet color, rather than a pure red.  So Shallan's eyes should eventually turn violet-ish.

 

The hardcover of WoR is supposed to be a "garnet" color, and it's quite red. Do you have any quotes/WoBs?

 

Also:

 

Natanatan, the country Kharbranth is ostensibly in (though it's more a city-state), would have been Nalan's country. Nalan's gem is smokestone (grey?), and Taravangian's eyes are also grey. I find this interesting - were all the kings descended from a Skybreaker, perhaps?

 

The people of Iri (Ishar/Ishi) have light yellow eyes almost exclusively - Ishar's gem was the heliodor, which is yellow.

 

Adolin (and thus probably Dalinar) has blue eyes - Jezrien's, and they lived in Alethela, which was probably Jezrien's (based on how it was supposed to train soldiers to protect the rest of the country). Gavilar/Elhokar, though, had green eyes so probably not.

 

Azir could also be Jezrien's, since they worship him, and apparently the Emuli have a splinter religion which names Jezrien god. So maybe this theory doesn't quite work.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Moogle

[RShara]

Blue or violet.  And sure do:

 

As she reached the exit, she noticed another light approaching out on the balcony. Just before she arrived, someone stepped up to the doorway, holding aloft a garnet lantern.

“Kabsal?” Shallan asked, surprised to see his youthful face, painted blue by the light.

 

Like the grand cavern outside, this hallway was cut from the rock, but it was more richly furbished, with ornate hanging chandeliers made with Stormlit gemstones. Most were deep violet garnets, which were among the less valuable stones.

[Moogle]

Blue or violet.  And sure do:

 

Interesting. Thanks! This puts the hardcover color at odds with the in-world descriptions, and also the Surgebinding chart. Sounds like a question to ask Brandon if anything. Or perhaps an error? I'll put it as a possible error in the thread.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Moogle

[Pathfinder]

So still a loose theory, but upon checking the book, when Kal takes the third oath, it doesn't mention that he has blue eyes. It is after the fight with Szeth that it states he does. So maybe (to expand on what someone said, sorry don't have much time to scroll through the thread again), it has to do with how you view yourself like with healing and the tattoo on his forehead. By that point Kal has truly come to terms with his powers being associated with the knights radiants, what that entails, and on some level his role in the grand scheme of things. He has come to terms with what his order must do, for example protecting even those he hates. Shallan has come to be more confident and capable with using lies, but I think a part of her, due to her hatred for Pattern regarding the death of her mother, she hasn't truly accepted/come to terms with the mantle she is taking on, so no change in eye color. Again loose theory, typed quick and off the cuff, so there are probably numerous holes in its rational. 

[Zizoz]

The hardcover of WoR is supposed to be a "garnet" color, and it's quite red. Do you have any quotes/WoBs?

 

Also:

 

Natanatan, the country Kharbranth is ostensibly in (though it's more a city-state), would have been Nalan's country. Nalan's gem is smokestone (grey?), and Taravangian's eyes are also grey. I find this interesting - were all the kings descended from a Skybreaker, perhaps?

 

The people of Iri (Ishar/Ishi) have light yellow eyes almost exclusively - Ishar's gem was the heliodor, which is yellow.

 

Adolin (and thus probably Dalinar) has blue eyes - Jezrien's, and they lived in Alethela, which was probably Jezrien's (based on how it was supposed to train soldiers to protect the rest of the country). Gavilar/Elhokar, though, had green eyes so probably not.

 

Azir could also be Jezrien's, since they worship him, and apparently the Emuli have a splinter religion which names Jezrien god. So maybe this theory doesn't quite work.

Where does this idea of each Herald having a country come from? I kind of like it, but I've never seen it before.

Anyway, if we go by the Silver Kingdoms, Kharbranth would have been in Thalath.

[Moogle]

Where does this idea of each Herald having a country come from? I kind of like it, but I've never seen it before.

Anyway, if we go by the Silver Kingdoms, Kharbranth would have been in Thalath.

 

There's ten kingdoms, and ten Heralds, and the names of nations are very suspicious. Ten thousand years back, you can easily imagine each nation naming itself after a Herald and taking on a certain duty. Alethela's duty was to train for war, perhaps another nation devoted itself to farming, another metalworking (for Kalak), that sort of thing.

 

Babatharnam - Batab/Beteb

Iri - Ishi (Ishar)

Azir - Yaezir, as Jezrien is called there

Natanatan - Nalan

Thaylenar - Taln (if you stretch things...)

Jah Keved - Kalak (huge stretch)

 

A lot of the names have been corrupted with time, as we know from Alethela -> Alethkar. The theory is pretty decent, but by no means certain.

[Aether]

So still a loose theory, but upon checking the book, when Kal takes the third oath, it doesn't mention that he has blue eyes. It is after the fight with Szeth that it states he does. So maybe (to expand on what someone said, sorry don't have much time to scroll through the thread again), it has to do with how you view yourself like with healing and the tattoo on his forehead. By that point Kal has truly come to terms with his powers being associated with the knights radiants, what that entails, and on some level his role in the grand scheme of things. He has come to terms with what his order must do, for example protecting even those he hates. Shallan has come to be more confident and capable with using lies, but I think a part of her, due to her hatred for Pattern regarding the death of her mother, she hasn't truly accepted/come to terms with the mantle she is taking on, so no change in eye color. Again loose theory, typed quick and off the cuff, so there are probably numerous holes in its rational. 

Great minds think alike, I suppose.

[Sun]

Interesting. Thanks! This puts the hardcover color at odds with the in-world descriptions, and also the Surgebinding chart. Sounds like a question to ask Brandon if anything. Or perhaps an error? I'll put it as a possible error in the thread.

Q: Are the rest of the books in the Stormlight Archive going to be different colors?

A: They are, and you can actually match the color to the order of the Knights Radiant. That's the Windrunners[WoK], that's the symbol of the Windrunners, that's the color. That's the Lightweavers[WoR], and that's the symbol of the Lightweavers, which is the same, and the color.

Garnets do virtually come in all colors; however, I believe red is the most common color representation assigned to garnets. The fact Shallan's book cover is red and the various diagrams released portray the Lightweaver's glyphs as red lead me to believe Shallan is getting red eyes!

For example, I can recall blue garnets are exceedingly rare and quite expensive. Garnets come in nearly all colors. It's just that red is most often associated with garnets.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Sun

[Moogle]

Garnets do virtually come in all colors; however, I believe red is the most common color representation assigned to garnets. The fact Shallan's book cover is red and the various diagrams released portray the Lightweaver's glyphs as red lead me to believe Shallan is getting red eyes!

For example, I can recall blue garnets are exceedingly rare and quite expensive. Garnets come in nearly all colors. It's just that red is most often associated with garnets.

 

Color is important in regards to gems. Impure color results in a "bad alloy" that you could get in Mistborn. So garnets that are not reddish should not be able to hold Stormlight. I think there still might be an error.

[Sun]

Color is important in regards to gems. Impure color results in a "bad alloy" that you could get in Mistborn. So garnets that are not reddish should not be able to hold Stormlight. I think there still might be an error.

Do you have the source quote for this? I think you might be right. Otherwise, maybe the not-red garnet varieties just don't hold stormlight as well?

[Moogle]

Do you have the source quote for this? I think you might be right. Otherwise, maybe the not-red garnet varieties just don't hold stormlight as well?

 

Here you go:

ArsenoPyrite ()

I have a technical question here re: gemstones in The Stormlight Archive. How are the lines drawn between different types of gems? Emerald and Heliodor are both varieties of the mineral beryl. Emerald can get its color from trace amounts of chromium, vanadium and/or iron. Heliodor gets its color from iron combined with microscopic crystal defects. So, is the line between these two defined by color? If so, would a heliodor lose its usefulness if it were heated (which would turn it colorless or pale blue). Is it defined by trace elements—in which case, how do you deal with emeralds, or with aquamarine (the blue variety of beryl, which can also contain chromium or vanadium in small quantities and is mostly colored by iron)? Sorry for getting so technical, but this gem nerd needs to know!

Brandon Sanderson

I actually spent a long time working on this while building the world. You'd probably be amused by how long I spent on it. Chemically, many of them are actually very similar, as you pointed out. I tried doing the book originally with them all being different, not using any that were basically the same crystal with different colors, but it didn't work out. There weren't enough, and so I had to stretch to make it all work.

So, I went back to the original, and decided that color was enough to differentiate them. Just as steel and iron are very similar in the Mistborn world, emerald and heliodor can be very similar—but produce different effects. The idea here is that the physical items (like the metals or the crystals) provide a key by which magical interaction occurs.

So, in a long winded answer, a gemstone with an impure color would be considered like a bad alloy in the Mistborn magic—it either wouldn't work at all, or would work very poorly. The chemical and color signature needs to be of a specific variety to provide the proper key to accessing the power of transformation.

(source)

 

As to the not-red varieties, RShara posted two quotes that shows garnets giving off a violet/blue light. They appear to hold Stormlight, which is odd.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Moogle

[WeiryWriter]

There's ten kingdoms, and ten Heralds, and the names of nations are very suspicious. Ten thousand years back, you can easily imagine each nation naming itself after a Herald and taking on a certain duty. Alethela's duty was to train for war, perhaps another nation devoted itself to farming, another metalworking (for Kalak), that sort of thing.

 

Babatharnam - Batab/Beteb

Iri - Ishi (Ishar)

Azir - Yaezir, as Jezrien is called there

Natanatan - Nalan

Thaylenar - Taln (if you stretch things...)

Jah Keved - Kalak (huge stretch)

 

A lot of the names have been corrupted with time, as we know from Alethela -> Alethkar. The theory is pretty decent, but by no means certain.

 

Except of those, only Iri and Natanatan were Silver Kingdoms. (Theylenar doesn't even exist, it's Theylenah)

 

Aimia

Alethela

Iri

Makabakam

Natanatan

Rishir

Sela Tales

Shin Kak Nish

Thalath

Valhav

 

are the Ten Kingdoms. (And if we do go for the each Herald was associated with a Kingdom I do think Taln and Alethela would be connected.  Taln is the Herald of War, Alethela was the kingdom dedicated to war, "Taln" appears outseide of Alethela's capital)

[Savanorn]

Hold on. I'm thinking.

I could imagine the propensity for binding might be passed on, and there's evidence for this (see most of the living Kholins) but maybe that doesn't include eye colour.

That is, maybe pre-bonding eye colour follows standard genetics.

Like. Say.

If a Dustbringer and a Windrunner both have blue eyes before they bond, after they have blue and red, they have kids, but they'll all be blue-eyed.

Also, as far as bonding Shardblades. Moash's eyes just lightened didn't they? They went from dark brown to light brown.

Buuuuut. Do we know if the children of shareholders are also lighteyed? A dark eyes getting a shard is rare enough to be nearly a myth.

I am spitballing, feel free to poke holes .

[Confused]

Why is it assumed that KR can procreate? There's been lots of speculation that they are very long-lived, if not immortal. While there's no evidence one way or another about KR fertility/virility, it would not surprise if they are sterile, unwittingly giving up children for the spren bond and long life.

 

Put another way, since excessive use of Stormlight causes their bodies to crystallize, it may be difficult for them to get their rocks off...

[Binnut]

I've not heard anywhere that using stormlight causes  their bodies to crystallize, where does that come from?

I know that extensive soul-casting can have an effect of that type, but I thought that was soul-casting specific.