Mink theory (Mistborn spoilers)

[Erklitt]

Could the Mink be a kandra?

 

(I mentioned this idea in the chapter 16 discussion, but have since dug a little deeper. So far, I think it holds water.)

 

BS mentioned there's a kandra on Roshar:

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Questioner

Have we seen the worldhopping kandra on-screen in Oathbringer?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, I believe you have. Ahhhh, yes, she gets around. 

 

1. Being able to change his body quickly would certainly explain his strange abilities of disappearing and escaping shackles: just make yourself or your hands a little slimmer for a moment!

 

2. In RoW Ch 2 his guards describe a behavior that I find rather odd in a feared and renowned general: he seems to avoid danger.

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The cloak shifted and the body fell limp, exposing rolls of tarps assembled to appear like the figure of a person wearing the cloak. A dummy? What in the Stormfather’s unknown name?

[...]

“One would think he’d avoid playing games,” Kaladin said, “considering the dangerous situation.”

“You… don’t know our gancho, Brightlord,” the man said. “This is exactly how he treats dangerous situations.”

“He is no like being caught,” another said, shaking his head. “When in danger, he is to vanish.”

“And abandon his men?” Kaladin asked, aghast.

“You don’t survive like the Mink has without learning to wiggle out of situations others could never escape,” the tall Herdazian said. “If we were in danger, he’d try to come back for us. If he couldn’t… well, we’re his guards. Any of us would give our lives so he could escape.”

Is he a coward?
Or is it rather that while he wouldn't be in any real danger in a fight, it might be difficult to explain how he survives mortal wounds?

If this theory is true, I would guess the kandra replaced the real general not so very long ago. I doubt the general would have the reputation he has if this had been his behavior all his life. Now his reputation is firmly fixed in the minds of the world and his men just accept him as he is.
Of course there's the question of why no one realized the change. But he might have made it gradually, and his current guards might not have been with him for very long. His entourage probably suffered a lot of deaths and replacements due to the war.

 

3. And a final, though admittedly a very small tell:
In RoW Ch.16 he talks to Shallan about 'Being what you shouldn’t'.
What does that have to do with an ability to disappear?

[the_archduke]

The Mink had a wife and child.  Brandon has been incredibly cagey on whether kandra can have biologically human children.  So that is a small hole at least. 

More convincing to me is that there is a much easier explanation.  The Mink can escape handcuffs.  Isn't it vastly more likely that he has access to the surge of abrasion?  My bet is Edgedancer or Releaser.  In fact, if he is a releaser, the surge of division could be helping in his escapes as well.  Disintegration of a key component will defeat most bonds.  

[Toaster Retribution]

The theory does hold water. My biggest issue would be why a kandra would bother leading a Herdazian war against Odium, which was doomed from the start.

Furthermore, my personal preference would be if the Mink was just the Mink. He is way too fun to be a kandra, in my opinion. 

[Erklitt]

1 hour ago, the_archduke said:

The Mink had a wife and child.  Brandon has been incredibly cagey on whether kandra can have biologically human children.  So that is a small hole at least. 

At first I thought so, too. But then I realized that this hole vanishes once you assume the general was replaced by the kandra after the birth of the child.

 

1 hour ago, the_archduke said:

More convincing to me is that there is a much easier explanation.  The Mink can escape handcuffs.  Isn't it vastly more likely that he has access to the surge of abrasion?  My bet is Edgedancer or Releaser.  In fact, if he is a releaser, the surge of division could be helping in his escapes as well.  Disintegration of a key component will defeat most bonds.

Abrasion: possible. Division: unlikely in my opinion. All those handcuffs and doorlocks that stop working properly after they came in contact with him... unless 'Reintegration' is part of that surge. From a narrative perspective, I think that towards the end of OB, where we saw the Mink for the first time, we were past the stage where Brandon had us guessing at who might be a budding Radiant. Also, the following from RoW Ch. 2 seems to argue against the Mink being a surgebinder, as his own guards have never seen a hint:

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Inside the shed, several very touchy Herdazians pulled daggers on him [Kaladin] as he opened the door. In response, he sucked in a little Stormlight, causing wisps of luminescent smoke to rise from his exposed skin. “By the Three Gods,” whispered one of them, a tall fellow with a ponytail. “It’s true. You’ve returned.” The reaction disturbed Kaladin. This man, as a freedom fighter in Herdaz, should have seen Radiants before now.

 

1 hour ago, Toaster Retribution said:

My biggest issue would be why a kandra would bother leading a Herdazian war against Odium, which was doomed from the start.

Good argument. But depending on when the switch was made, it might not be a question of 'leading a war' so much as of 'leading the last few survivors to safety'. Granted, the WoB would mean that in OB it's already the kandra that we see, and that's about a year ago. But I reviewed the text: it's completely compatible with them already trying to extricate themselves. They are on the Alethi border, and there are more refugees than soldiers in the camp. However the kandra came to be there, there's no proof she ever actively engaged in the war effort. 
By the way: the kandra being a 'she' according to the WoB makes me think of MeLaan. And I believe her to be quite capable of taking up very foolhardy quests...

 

1 hour ago, Toaster Retribution said:

Furthermore, my personal preference would be if the Mink was just the Mink. He is way too fun to be a kandra, in my opinion.

I sympathize. But this theory is fueled by the question: 'Who might the kandra be?' And coming from this side, the Mink is the most fitting answer I can think of right now. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by Erklitt

[LuckyJim]

7 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said:

The theory does hold water. My biggest issue would be why a kandra would bother leading a Herdazian war against Odium, which was doomed from the start.

Furthermore, my personal preference would be if the Mink was just the Mink. He is way too fun to be a kandra, in my opinion. 

In a world filled with magic, sometimes it's fun to have a character who shows that humans can just be amazing on their own. Plus explaining his talents through magic takes away some of the, well, "magic" of him being able to do those things in the first place. It goes from "wow, this guy is really talented!" to "oh, he's just using the same magic as basically everyone else.

[Malim]

Frankly I think that whoever the Kandra is, we will find her somewhere around Hoid.  We know he contacted Harmony, and that Harmony was a little put off.  Wouldn't it be in character for him to send a representative to keep an eye on Hoid?  If nothing else, it might keep lines of communication open, something that Harmony does seem open to.  In that light, however fun it would be for the Mink to be a Kandra, it doesn't quite fit.  Personally, I would look for the Kandra a little closer to Urithiru, or at least the Alethi court.

[+robardin]

I love how intense this Rosharan Kandra Hunt is, somewhere Brandon is chortling away.

And then in the end, all along the kandra was simply a chouta vendor or something. Because everybody eventually breaks down and gets a street cart chouta, and people always talk while they wait for their chouta, and unlike a pub or a bar, a chouta stand can be moved to wherever the kandra needs it to be.

[Karger]

Considering Mink claims to have had a wife and child, is not working on anything so important to the overall fate of the war, and identifies as a he I am going to say no(although I admit that a kandra who identifies as female could easily take male form is she wanted to).

[Lidolas]

On 10/20/2020 at 9:51 AM, Toaster Retribution said:

The theory does hold water. My biggest issue would be why a kandra would bother leading a Herdazian war against Odium, which was doomed from the start.

Furthermore, my personal preference would be if the Mink was just the Mink. He is way too fun to be a kandra, in my opinion. 

The same reason an Awakener would defend Kholinar against the singers. 

But I agree.  I like the idea of the Mink being a 'normal' person.  Most of my favorite characters are Herdazians.  The Lopen, Paloma, the Mink,