RhythmofLost Posted December 12, 2020 Posted December 12, 2020 I’ve been thinking a lot about this. How can Parshmen mate if they can’t turn into mateform? Humans bred them in pens. Is mateform even needed? I’m assuming it’s done through conventional human ways as Herdazian and Horneaters have Parshmen blood in them. Reminds me of my musings on how someone had Koloss blood and could cross breed with humans on Scadrial. Welcome anyone’s ideas. 1
Weltall Posted December 12, 2020 Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) Welcome to the Shard! Your question has been asked and answered: Mateform isn't the only singer form that's able to reproduce, it's just the one specialized for it. Quote RenegadeShroom You said earlier that Parshendi are primarily asexual, does that extend to all Listeners -- parshmen, and those descended from Listeners, like Horneaters and Herdazians -- or is it just the Parshendi? Brandon Sanderson Most Listener forms are asexual, but several forms are different, including slaveform. Horneaters and Herdazians are not, as a rule, though there are higher instances of asexuality among them. uchoo786 I was actually wondering about how Parshmen would reproduce if they are only in slaveform? I thought one had to be in mateform in order to reproduce? Also, could Horneaters and Herdazians change forms as well? Brandon Sanderson For the first, mateform is not the only form capable of producing--any more than warform is the only one capable of swinging a sword. The forms are specializations. For the second, RAFO. /r/books AMA 2015 (May 19, 2015) Edited December 12, 2020 by Ookla the Crimson King 2
Raven Wilder Posted December 12, 2020 Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) I'd note, "slaveform" is not technically a form at all, but rather the absence of a form. So while mateform makes them hyper-fertile and sexual, and other forms make them asexual and/or un-fertile, parshmen don't have forms influencing their sexuality, so their ability to breed is just left at a sort of baseline. Edited December 12, 2020 by Raven Wilder
RhythmofLost Posted December 13, 2020 Author Posted December 13, 2020 (edited) So the Herdaziens and Horneaters came from cross-breeding. Would this have been from raping the Parshmen slaves or was there a period of harmony after humans came over from Asyhn? The Shins look so distinctly different that it makes me think there was a period of growth and migration for the humans and they once did co-exist and crossbreed with the Singers since Herdaziens and Horneaters have much different physical characteristics compared to the Shins. Perhaps Urithiru is a midway point between where the Humans use to live on the left of Roshar, where it’s more plush and green, and the singers lived closer to Alethkar, with inter-breeding happening as the humans pushed toward the Origin. Sanderson isn’t big on rape so they had to peacefully co-exist at some point. Edited December 14, 2020 by RhythmofLost More to say
Recommended Posts