djammmer

Of the 4 books you mentioned.. 2 are YA books, and 2 are what BS has described as "serials". All four with the main (or second main) character a comic/jokester. None of the four are (IMHO) intended to be what BS would describe as Epics. I'm highly certain w/ Oathbringer, and Elantris sequel, we'll see Epics.

Yeah - I like this. I'm thinking I need to go back and read the interlude in Way of Kings... where the scientists are testing spren; and the connectivity between them. I think there might be something there about spren being connected; or things in the physical being connected by something you can't see in the physical. Another thought... is there something going on related w/ spanreeds? Are they a hive mentality across great distance connected by something in the cognitive realm?

I don't think that it's such a stupid plan. Of the current KRs we know, only Jasnah has extensive knowledge due to her studies... and that is from books 100s/1000s years old. Outside of Jasnah, pretty much all the KRs knowledge about KRs come from their single spren. So if that spren was inclined to mislead them... he/she could really mislead them.

Maybe he's a cognitive realm being... that manifests or projects into the physical realm by controlling cremlings to create a projection of a physical body. But really just exists in the cognitive realm.

Love this. Maybe Nightblood himself is a Skybreaker initiate.

Why not? We just call that divergent. I humbly disagree. Seems all Knights, regardless of order, have similarities... they are all broken. And also, if some characteristic attracted spren w/ progression... why wouldn't both spren types with progression be attracted by that characteristic? And Wyndle said they were watching to see if they should bond Ym... but isn't the implication that they decided to bond Lift instead... imply they didn't choose Ym? I don't think there's a reading that they bound Ym first, and Lift second. Either they decided to bond Lift instead of Ym, or bound Lift and then bound Ym at a later time. But I think most likely is the bound Lift instead of Ym.

Also, i find it interesting... that as the leader of the Bondsmiths, Ishar is doing the opposite of bonding. He's dividing. And i find it intriguing that "tension" could have potentially opposite meanings. Tension as in a tense rope when "pulling" things together. Or tension as an emotional state... as in all the emotional chaos he is causing.

Additionally / Alternatively (take your pick), he could be doing it to keep this oath he made ages ago: That as surgebinders are popping up without precepts and laws... he is destroying them like he promised to. Using Nale to do his dirty work.

This was my assumption. My assumption, was that he became a ginormous fork (i.e. a sword sized fork)... making my metal picture of that scene even more absurd/hilarious. Like a child aqua-man eating pancakes with a trident.

And if the planets named for numbers... then since the Heralds are each associated with numbers (http://coppermind.net/wiki/Herald), then aren't each of the planets implicitly associated to a herald?

BTW - I'm willing to be there's some "in-world" event related to the alignment of planets... Especially if the planets are sometimes referred to by herald names. "Ash is visiting (aligned) with Taln today."

Although who says planets have to have only one name? Even in our "earth" world... planets have different names in different languages. And many of the older languages actually name the planets after "gods" (i.e. Jupiter, Mars, Neptune are all Roman Gods). Chicken & Egg. Surely someone in-world saw ten planets (or "moving stars in the sky") and named each one after the 10 heralds. Or the ten essences...

That Shallan quote is amazing! I love that I can read Sanderson, and then come here and get something like this pointed out; that completely changes my paradigm - and makes me want to read the whole thing again. And the fact that Pattern (who is quite excelled at recognizing patterns) sees a pattern between what Shallan can do explicitly with her powers... and what she does implicitly with people (w/o her powers)... (lies & transformation)... And pattern sees that as the "same pattern". She "soulcast people". Count me as an initiate of this theory. I love it!

whoa - how did I miss that Vasher could shape-shift? Is that in warbreaker?

How very "Hoidish". Sneaking into other classes (worlds) he wouldn't normally be... to learn and observe?

I'm happy to be wrong - but I can't think off the top of my head of these examples. Where do we see magic healing the soul? Do we even know of anything that can damage the soul in the physical - except a shardblade? I probably need to do some research... but just off the top of my head, that's what I thought made shardblades so unique.

I agree. Power to heal doesn't seem to be that impressive... even if it is a severed head... even if it is one's OWN severed head. Ok, a little impressive. But this is much more intriguing: We know physical or cognitive reflect the spiritual, and it's 'easier' to get physical things to change back to their cognitive or spiritual truths, then away from them. That's why shardblades are so dangerous... is they sever things in the spiritual realm. The fact that Hoid can heal things there is very interesting.

So all of the Knights we know of have experienced unnatural death of their immediate family? coincidence? Dalinar = brother kalidan = brother lift = parents Shallan = whole family renarin, jasnah = father and in many cases they feel (or are) responsible.

I love this theory!! 10 heralds = 10 fools!?!?!?

This old thread might me smile... As my son literally has the "survived bridge 4" shirt. Did the idea really just come from this thread, then they started selling shirts? Does anyone know if you can still get the shirts, and where?

Now that's an interesting comparison.... Seth ~= Anakin?

I don't have the quote, but someone asked Sanderson about the teleportation used in Elanris... And if it could be used to world hop. He said something to the effect (Iirc) that "I guess technically it could, but it would be really difficult due to distance and that planets are moving targets" (I.e. The two targets do not stay constant distance and direction from each other.). And don't the spanreed fabrials have the same limitation, and that's why they can't be used on ships? I'd speculate that transportation fabrials could suffer the same limitation (I.e. You can't build a moving oath gate.). Just speculation. on a side note, if possible this means we might have world hopping capabilities on 3/4 worlds based on their magic system. Roshar=Oath gate fabrials, elantris = teleportation, mist born= Alomancy powered FTL ships. Wonder what endowment magic can do.

So I think we have a high level of confidence that we've only seen 3? Taln, Ash and Nale?

Good point. However is Harmony actually stronger, or just perceived stronger by odium (being that he never held 2 shards before.) I perceive that that 1+1<2 in the case of Harmony; as he can't do everything Ruin could once do, nor everything Preservation could once do... as he is now balanced between them.

I think it may be more about the personality or type of shard, then the # of shards (whole or partial) involved. For example, Ruin could more easily see the future than Preservation could. So maybe on shard (autonomy for example) has a power that makes it hard for other shards to see into what it's doing?