Windrunner Ideals

[TheWanderer he/him]

So, I was reading through some sections of Rhythm of War and I must say the swearing of the 4th ideal was a beautiful scene. However, I am left with a question regarding the ideals of the order of windrunners. The first ideal of the order seems fairly straightforward (and as of now I have not seen any variation), in turn the 4th seems to be acceptance and forgiveness of one's failings. However, the third ideal to me seems a touch elusive given the amount of variation we have seen. For context or a refresher I will put some quotes from the coppermind below.

I will protect even those I hate, so long as it is right.”

— The Third Ideal of the Windrunners (as spoken by Kaladin)^[8]

“I will protect those I hate. Even...even if the one I hate most is... myself.”

— The Third Ideal of the Windrunners (as spoken by Teft)^[9]

“I've got to protect people, you know? Even from myself.”

— The Third Ideal of the Windrunners (as spoken by Lopen) 

I am just wondering if anyone has a particular insight into what the true theme or meaning of this ideal is. Is it something as simple as protecting those you hate? Letting go of hatred for the good of others? Any and all opinions and speculation welcome. Apologies if I am being unknowing obtuse, or did not label this discussion perfectly. Thank you for your time and I look forward to the discussion that will be had.

[Chinkoln he/him]

The Third Ideal of the Windrunners is themed around protection, like all of their other ideals. In order for the Words to be accepted then they all follow the same theme. The theme for the 3rd Ideal is related to removing the Windrunner's prohibitions and prejudices, agreeing to protect everyone equally if they deserve it.

[LewsTherinTelescope]

It's about overcoming your caveats about protecting people. For Kaladin, this was protecting even those he hated. For Teft, it was protecting people despite how he felt about himself and his worthiness to do so. For Lopen, it was admitting he could be hurtful and that he'd need to stop to "protect" fully.

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Q10fanatic

So, the third ideal of the Windrunners. Is it about protecting those you hate or is it more broadly about going against your instincts/wants in order to protect others better?

Brandon Sanderson

For most people, it's going to go along the hatred lines--but it extends all the way to what you're implying. Mostly, I think of it as, "I'll get rid of my caveats about those I'll protect."

You're likely to see the more extreme examples as I write out the oaths for others, particularly in-scene, as I don't want it to feel too repetitive. But you can assume that for most of the original members of Bridge Four (who are slowly hitting this ideal) that it had to do with agreeing to protect a group that they in some way dislike. (So long as it's right to do so, as defined by themselves and their spren, of course.)

[...]

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

Personally, I'd expect some of the other Ideals we've seen so far to be looser than we thought as well. The fact essentially all the Windrunners currently in existence were trained directly by Kaladin or Teft (I think) probably means people will be biased towards those two's interpretations, even where others would be valid. (Granted, I'm not sure what the Fourth Ideal would broaden to. Second Ideal probably can be super vague under the category of "I will protect", though.)

Edited February 3, 2021 by LewsTherinTelescope

[TheWanderer he/him]

Intriguing, thank you very much.