Mraize, the mole and the origins of humanity

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

Am I the only one who felt like Mraize was using the mole as an analogy for how humanity came to Roshar?

Quote

"An invasive species from Shinovar, slowly making a home in the mountains? Where Rosharan creatures cannot live. They lack the fur, the adaptations, you see.” - Mraize, 2020.

The first part, about an invasive species from Shinovar, fits perfectly with how humanity expanded from Shinovar to the other parts of Roshar. The second part, about living where Rosharan creatures cant, and lacking the adaptions, could be some kind of vague hint about how humans bonded with Honor, settled in Urithiru, and gained the Surges and the spren bonds.

Or am I just reading to much into this?

[Innovation]

1 hour ago, Toaster Retribution said:

Am I the only one who felt like Mraize was using the mole as an analogy for how humanity came to Roshar?

The first part, about an invasive species from Shinovar, fits perfectly with how humanity expanded from Shinovar to the other parts of Roshar. The second part, about living where Rosharan creatures cant, and lacking the adaptions, could be some kind of vague hint about how humans bonded with Honor, settled in Urithiru, and gained the Surges and the spren bonds.

Or am I just reading to much into this?

Yeah, that’s definitely what Mraize was alluding to here. 

[+Hoiditthroughthegrapevine he/him]

First, I have to say, your post title sounds like a Little Golden children's book that I would love to read.

Also @asmodeus recently posted a great thread about how Humans are an invasive species in the Rosharan ecology.

It's pretty clear in the scene with Mraize that the mole is meant to symbolize humanity on Roshar, and more specifically to Shallan, the pathetically small scale ambitions of the non Ghostblood aligned citizens of Roshar. 

It's a Machiavellian reinterpretation of the "Whole New World" scene from Aladdin, Mraize with a very brutal analogy is showing Shallan that the world is much larger than she thinks, and Shallan/Veil can either be on the side with the knowledge and by extension the power, or she can, like the rest of the moles on Roshar, continue to live a small life defined by fear and ignorance.

There's also the subtle menace of her role as an infiltrator of the Ghostbloods being compared to the mole, ultimately she is still in Mraize's power because she is largely ignorant of what the ghostbloods are doing, who their members are, and even who on her own team is keeping watch on her.

And the culmination of the choice either to be content with the ordinary state of ignorance (like most Rosharans) or to infiltrate and betray the Ghostbloods is to be swallowed whole by their power (symbolized by Mraize's parrot).

A stark choice, but an easy one, and it's just a restatement of position that Mraize has always maintained, that in life you are either the predator or the prey.

Edited September 29, 2020 by hoiditthroughthegrapevine

[+Wax he/him]

I think Shallan has a hidden persona who is the mole 

[Subvisual Haze]

Knowing that Shallan has pale skin and red hair, and thus at higher risk of developing skin cancer, Mraize was offering her a timely reminder to check her skin for unusual new moles.

[HipsterStick he/him]

16 hours ago, Wax said:

I think Shallan has a hidden persona who is the mole 

Woah.... WOAH....

 

This would make a lot of sense!!! What if one of Shallan’s personas is somehow acting as an informant for the Ghostbloods? What if Shallan is the spy inside Navani’s circle- and she doesn’t even know it?

Not sure if it’s plausible- but it’d be interesting.

[+Child of Hodor]

On 9/29/2020 at 9:53 AM, Toaster Retribution said:

Am I the only one who felt like Mraize was using the mole as an analogy for how humanity came to Roshar?

The first part, about an invasive species from Shinovar, fits perfectly with how humanity expanded from Shinovar to the other parts of Roshar. The second part, about living where Rosharan creatures cant, and lacking the adaptions, could be some kind of vague hint about how humans bonded with Honor, settled in Urithiru, and gained the Surges and the spren bonds.

Or am I just reading to much into this?

Good call, although humans can’t live up in the mountains either without spren help. They can barely grow grow anything without the Sibling. The horneaters needed 3 “gods” (bondsmith spren?) working together to make the peaks live able.  Humans and human-singer hybrids didn’t adapt, they made the spren adapt the mountains for them. 

He’s also trolling Shallan about the fact that they have a spy who killed Ialai Sadeas. Mraize likes to troll. 

[+Wax he/him]

2 hours ago, HipsterStick said:

Woah.... WOAH....

 

This would make a lot of sense!!! What if one of Shallan’s personas is somehow acting as an informant for the Ghostbloods? What if Shallan is the spy inside Navani’s circle- and she doesn’t even know it?

Not sure if it’s plausible- but it’d be interesting.

Particularly, Shallan mentions memory loss as something she hasn't felt yet in the same chapter.

It's so tropey that I struggle with the idea that BS would implement it.

 

 

[+Oltux72 he/him]

2 hours ago, HipsterStick said:

This would make a lot of sense!!! What if one of Shallan’s personas is somehow acting as an informant for the Ghostbloods? What if Shallan is the spy inside Navani’s circle- and she doesn’t even know it?

How would the others fail to notice that they are carrying Blackbane?

[+Hoiditthroughthegrapevine he/him]

On 9/30/2020 at 10:48 AM, Subvisual Haze said:

Knowing that Shallan has pale skin and red hair, and thus at higher risk of developing skin cancer, Mraize was offering her a timely reminder to check her skin for unusual new moles.

This was so good Subvisual, that I did my Inktober sketch on this.

 

[Rainier]

@hoiditthroughthegrapevine

There are many wonderful parts of this sketch, but the expression on the parrot is what seals it.

[+Hoiditthroughthegrapevine he/him]

2 hours ago, hoiditthroughthegrapevine said:

There are many wonderful parts of this sketch, but the expression on the parrot is what seals it.

Thanks brother, it's all in the details.

Incidentally that sketch shows Shallan's hidden persona which is both formless and the mole, it just pops out of her arm and does whatever spy type stuff is required. Like one of her tangible illusions at the battle of Thaylen Fields.

And also, Shallan got her ghostblood tattoo on her mole persona.