Safehand theory

[Zorben]

So I know Brandon likes to have historical reasons for cultural quirks in his books. I was thinking of a possible reason for the safehand covering and this is what I came up with.

We know that Bondsmiths have access to the Surge of Tension, which seems to be able to take a soft material and make it rigid. We also know from a WoB that Bondsmiths don't get Shardblades or Shardplate. 

So my theory: The safehand covering was part of the Bondsmith uniform to allow for them to quickly create a shield (from the safehand sleeve). And why does it only apply to women? Well we learned there was only one Bondsmith at the last desolation. Maybe the last Bondsmith was a woman.

 

[Lunamor she/her]

I suspect that another reason could be the division between the genders when it comes to who is allowed to write/fight. To wield many weapons, including Shardblades, both hands must be used, so it makes sense that it became taboo for women to use their left hand, as they only need their right for writing.

Edit: Welcome to the Shard, @Zorben!

Edited October 27, 2020 by Lunamor

[Vessel of Theory he/him]

6 minutes ago, Zorben said:

So I know Brandon likes to have historical reasons for cultural quirks in his books. I was thinking of a possible reason for the safehand covering and this is what I came up with.

We know that Bondsmiths have access to the Surge of Tension, which seems to be able to take a soft material and make it rigid. We also know from a WoB that Bondsmiths don't get Shardblades or Shardplate. 

So my theory: The safehand covering was part of the Bondsmith uniform to allow for them to quickly create a shield (from the safehand sleeve). And why does it only apply to women? Well we learned there was only one Bondsmith at the last desolation. Maybe the last Bondsmith was a woman.

 

Here's the coppermind entry for Bondsmiths:

https://coppermind.net/wiki/Order_of_Bondsmiths#Historical_Bondsmiths

 

Yes, in Aharietam there was only one true Bondsmith, Melishi, who was bonded to "an unknown spren". Melishi, however, was a male, so I think that reasoning dies there.

Just now, Lunamor said:

I suspect that another reason could be the division between the genders when it comes to who is allowed to write/fight. To wield many weapons, including Shardblades, both hands must be used, so it makes sense that it became taboo for women to use their left hand, as they only need their right for writing.

I like that... I think you might be onto something there - anyone got more time to check if the Vorin Book of Propriety, when naming male and female jobs, has a pattern of giving men two handed/violent jobs, and women one handed tasks?

[Frustration]

@Lunamor is correct, in fact we have confirmation that it was due to the feminine arts only needing one hand.

[Chanarach]

46 minutes ago, Falkir said:

Here's the coppermind entry for Bondsmiths:

https://coppermind.net/wiki/Order_of_Bondsmiths#Historical_Bondsmiths

 

Yes, in Aharietam there was only one true Bondsmith, Melishi, who was bonded to "an unknown spren". Melishi, however, was a male, so I think that reasoning dies there.

I like that... I think you might be onto something there - anyone got more time to check if the Vorin Book of Propriety, when naming male and female jobs, has a pattern of giving men two handed/violent jobs, and women one handed tasks?

Mel was bondsmith during the false desolation, not Aharietam. The whole reasoning behind "Arts and Majesty" was to bar women from using shards, so yeah, I'd say that had something to do with it. Also,  historically, some cultures considered the left hand unclean because it was used to clean yourself, and that might have had some influence when Brandon came up with it.  

[Vessel of Theory he/him]

8 hours ago, Chanarach said:

Mel was bondsmith during the false desolation, not Aharietam. 

Oops, my bad

Guess those are different things, then.

So Aharietam is the "Last Desolation" where the Oathpact was broken, and the false desolation is another thing. Thx

[Chanarach]

2 hours ago, Vessel of Theory said:

Oops, my bad

Guess those are different things, then.

So Aharietam is the "Last Desolation" where the Oathpact was broken, and the false desolation is another thing. Thx

No big deal mate. The "false desolation" was the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram connecting with singers and giving them forms of power (Stormform, etc), making them "Regals." All the big bads, fused, sentient spren,etc, were locked up in Braize, though.  False desolation was around 2000 years ago, Aharietam was 4500 years ago.

[Vessel of Theory he/him]

7 hours ago, Chanarach said:

No big deal mate. The "false desolation" was the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram connecting with singers and giving them forms of power (Stormform, etc), making them "Regals." All the big bads, fused, sentient spren,etc, were locked up in Braize, though.  False desolation was around 2000 years ago, Aharietam was 4500 years ago.

Okay, that's really helpful  thanks a bunch, that clears some things up for me

[jamesbondsmith He/him]

I thought it was a popular theory (if not full-on WOB) that they did it to restrict women from things requiring both hands in order to keep them in their place. Like a culturally enforced 'stay in the kitchen'.

Although denying literacy to men wouldn't exactly have been useful for keeping power, unless they thought that whacking stuff with sticks was the only way to power (which with the Alethi may not be too inaccurate)