Feruchemical Shard Grouping

[Fallen Rope he/him]

This is my first theory, I hope it is ok.

There’s an idea that the shards fit into the allomantic chart. My Idea for grouping the shards works better on a feruchemical chart. Basically the shards will all fit into four groups, physical, cognitive, spiritual and hybrid group. Each of the groups has four shards. Each group is split in half two ways to get four categories.

I have not got many good names for the categories, ruin and preservation need a better name than “Non Improving shards”. I have attached the images for my groupings of the current 8 known shards. Help with better names for the categories is really needed and I also need names for the missing combined shards. Thanks in advance for help.

Edited June 3, 2014 by Fallen Rope

[Shadowspren he/him]

It is hard to tell without knowing all the shards, in Mistborn it says that "with every push, there's a pull" which would prove useful for your theory because on that table there would be opposites such as Preservation and Ruin. Once all the Shards are known then it will be easier to either confirm or disprove that theory. But since the Cosmere often follows a pattern, it should work one way or another. Good theory. 

[Fallen Rope he/him]

It’s good to know my theory makes sense.

It is hard to tell if I have got the groups right, or if the groups are even right. I think I have got the physical group right. Ruin and Preservation is a known pair. There’s a WoB that Ruins intent is closest to Cultivations so that pair is likely right. Endowment looks like it should pair with Cultivation as they both improve things in different ways. Endowment and preservation both put energy in.

 

I think the shard for Honour and Dominion might be Justice as both shards are linked to law.

[Firiel she/her]

Honor and Devotion combined could be Loyalty.

 

Odium and Dominion combined could be Tyranny.

 

Although I don't know what I think about the way you've laid things out specifically, I do like the idea that Shards are related to either the Physical, Cognitive, or Spiritual Realm.

 

Thus far, we've only seen two Shards combine.  They were clearly complementary Shards, and they were also on the same planet.  As Zaci-Chan said, every push has a pull in the Cosmere, so I feel like Adolnasium would be "stasis," or close to it.  So would Shards that oppose each other (a la Ruin and Preservation) combine more naturally?  Would Odium and Devotion combine to create Indifference? I mean, kind of a joke, but you get the idea.  How would the logistics work to combine Shards that are not located on the same planet/in the same planetary system?

 

What if Ruin and Odium had combined? *shudder*

[Fallen Rope he/him]

Ruin and Odium could be jealousy and that shard would cause problems, but what if Odium, Ruin and Dominion combined  .

Ruin and Preservation is the only perfect opposite pair

 

 

CHAOS

Are Shards all paired? Does Endowment have a counterpart?

BRANDON SANDERSON

RAFO. Also, yes and no. Not all Shards have perfect counterparts like Ruin and Preservation.

 

Not all shards have perfect counterparts so you get similar but different pairs like Endowment and Cultivation. One gives what is needed, the other grows things to be what is needed.

I would like to see other ideas on how to order some of the shards if I have used a pair that makes little sense.

Shards can move planet (so can world hoppers) so getting them in the same place is the easy bit, getting someone to give up a shard is definitely harder than the logistics.

Edited June 3, 2014 by Fallen Rope