Dawnshard Spoiler about Hoid! And everything else!!

[Eternal Khol he/him]

Ill just jump right in, with some major spoilers

 

 

 

—    the Dawnshards aren’t what they were anymore(confirmed by Honor), and they aren’t weapons(not in the traditional sense). They are Commands(confirmed in dawnshard) on the godly level that can like bond with individuals. They were used to kill Adonalsium(confirmed in Dawnshard) and we know that Hoid’s immortality comes from the remnants of the “weapon” used to kill/shatter Adonalsium(WoB) 

so if we put all of that together, we get the new(not stated) spoiler, that ... Hoid is bonded to a Dawnshard!!! Or more correctly. Hoid is a Dawnshard!!!!

 

also the Dawnshard are described as “the four primal Commands that created all things” and then were used to “undo” Adonalsium

—   the four Dawnshards were used to Shatter Ado into 16 Pieces. And each Dawnshard seems to have created four Shards, which gives credence to the “Four Shard grouping” theories

more evidence is a mural that depicts a White sun Shattering into four pieces and then each piece shattered into 4 more pieces(16 shards total. 4 from each of the original 4 shards)

—    The original 4 Shards in the Mural were described at “mostly symmetrical”

so maybe this is a small hint that maybe some of the “4 shard groupings” have ever so slightly more investiture than some of the other groups

 

 

—    Rysn got A vibe from looking at the mural. she felt that Adonalsium(she just thought of it as “the sun” in the mural) wasnt angry from being shattered.

More words used to describe what Ado felt during his Shattering “Resignation? Confidence? Understanding?”

The resignation and confidence part seem(to me) to suggest that Adonalsium was fighting some sort of war(most obvious, is the vessels themselves) and had finally given up, but was still confident to the end.and Understanding of why his enemies did what they did.

Edited November 6, 2020 by Eternal Khol

[Brgst13]

Holy crap!  I didn't put that together but it makes total sense!  I wonder if that is why he is unable to hurt other beings.  It would explain why he does not fear Jasnah's Shardblade.

[Elsecaller_17.5 he/him]

His command is probaly to protect ot grow or something, like Rsyn's to change.

[Eternal Khol he/him]

6 minutes ago, Brgst13 said:

Holy crap!  I didn't put that together but it makes total sense!  I wonder if that is why he is unable to hurt other beings.  It would explain why he does not fear Jasnah's Shardblade.

He physically couldn’t hurt things for a while before the Shattering So he must’ve been bonded to it for a while

a couple hundred years probably 

Edited November 6, 2020 by Eternal Khol

[Squashed]

Totally agree that Hoid is a Dawnshard! I was wondering where the other three are and thought, well who else was arround when Big A was shattered and thought of Frost. If you look through the Letter you find:

Quote

Old friend, I hope this missive finds you well. Though, as you are now essentially immortal, I would guess that wellness on your part is something of a given. I realize that you are probably still angry. That is pleasant to know. Much as your perpetual health, I have come to rely upon your dissatisfaction with me. It is one of the cosmere's great constants, I should think.

Let me first assure you that the element is quite safe. I have found a good home for it. I protect its safety like I protect my own skin, you might say.  (Emphasis mine)

Could the immortality of Frost be from a Dawnshard as well? Is Rysn being remade into an immortal as well? So many questions!

[Pagerunner he/him]

"The element" has been confirmed to be lerasium, so not a Dawnshard: https://wob.coppermind.net/events/245/#e5483

There were some relevant WoBs given out yesterday:

Quote

Brandon Sanderson

Hoid was a Dawnshard at some point in the deep past, and the reason he (even still) cannot physically harm people, or even eat meat, is related to the changes this made to his spirit. (Consider this the same fundamental principle as savanthood.) The few of you who have read Dragonsteel know that him being a Dawnshard was also the source of his immortality in that book, though the terms were different back then. (The word Dawnshard was never mentioned, for example--though the primary story of Dragonsteel (which is no longer cannon) was about several people who unwittingly become Dawnshards.)

And a preemptive RAFO to all questions on this point.

Dawnshard Annotations (Nov. 6, 2020)

Quote

Phantine

Would that make Hoid a "Dawnsliver", or is there some other fancypants terms for it?

Brandon Sanderson

Depends on a variety of things, Phantine. But I'd be okay with that terminology. It's basically accurate.

Dawnshard Annotations Reddit Q&A (Nov. 6, 2020)

Quote

DracostarA

When the Sleepless refer to 'Surgebinding' with the Dawnshards do they mean it specifically in the Rosharan sense, or just because that is the word Roshar has for magic.

I.e. if this occurred on Scadrial would they still call it 'Surgebinding' or something else?

Brandon Sanderson

Surgebinding is kind of a catch-all for cosmere magic here, as you're assuming. Literally binding (using) surges (a word for what we would call types of magic.)

Dawnshard Annotations Reddit Q&A (Nov. 6, 2020)

So Hoid was a Dawnshard, but he's not anymore. I believe he gave up his Dawnshard before the Shattering; that was his opportunity to particpate, and he declined it, and somebody else got his Dawnshard (either freely given or forcibly taken; might that be part of Hoid's grudge against Rayse or Bavadin?) and used it in the Shattering. But he had held it long enough that its effects on his spirit still lingered.