TravelLog

What if Szeth committed murder with stone as a weapon? That would certainly be about as sacrilegious as possible for a Shin, and would warrant him being deemed Truthless.

Having just finished WoK, a number of things struck my attention. I'll get to them specifically in a moment, but first, I'd like to preface these theories with a few comments. First, as we've all seen, symmetry (as well as Newton's Laws) plays a big role in all of Brandon's novels. Ruin has an opposite in Preservation, a Lurcher can only push with as much force as their weight, Surgebinders can only draw as much strength and power as there is Stormlight for them to draw upon (and the exertions on their bodies have consequences when that Stormlight runs out, much like the effects of Pewter-dragging). Essentially, things have direct effects, and there is no handwaving when it comes to "magic" and the like. That said, let's begin. Theory #1: Hoid is the Seventeenth Shard Now, I'll grant that this one is a bit odd but bear with me. Those of you who've read the available section of the Liar of Parthenil know that the Hoid we all know and love/hate/tolerate is both a man and a title that gets passed on from master to apprentice, in much the same way comic-book superheroes like the Green Lantern aren't necessarily just one person. The obvious question (or at least, one of the many questions) concerning Hoid is: "Why is the Seventeenth Shard looking for him?" At first, I found myself stuck. But in a moment of insight, I wondered at the significance of the name itself. Brandon has told us about the 16 Shards of Adonalsium, so why name an organization after something that doesn't exist? Here is where things become speculative. As we've seen with Preservation in the Mistborn novels, "killing" one of the Shards (or more generally, the "dying" of a Shard) doesn't so much wipe it from existence as it does diffuse the entity across the entirety of the Cosmere. When the entity is in this state, it can't manifest or exert any real direct influence on things, in much the same way a grain of sand is non-threatening but a sandstorm can present a real problem. This also neatly fits with thermodynamics, as no energy can be gained or lost. Shards can't be destroyed or created, but they can be concentrated or diffused. But if you can't get rid of an entity like Preservation entirely, then how can you so cleanly break Adonalsium into sixteen fragments, without a little bit of the original entity/consciousness remaining behind. I propose that there is indeed a 17th Shard, one so faint that it does not grant true immortality to its possessors as the other Shards do. Instead, it gets passed from Master to Apprentice, along with the most fundamental of all energy-manipulations: Lightweaving (which I'll discuss more in depth in a bit). As an organization, the 17th Shard is a group that believes in this lost fragment of Adonalsium and seeks to restore it to its former state. Certainly, Demoux doesn't seem villainous, and the men hunting Hoid on Roshar appear more exasperated than they do menacing. Unlike the other Shards, I propose that rather than any overarching concept, Hoid is possessed of that elan vital that extra...something that gives life its intangible quality. It's a sort of wry understanding of the totality of existence, but one that cannot bring itself to truly hold the rest of life in judgement because of that understanding. So, the Hoids nudge, and they fiddle, and they make their jokes while trying to guide the Cosmere in the right direction without really interfering with things. And Hoid, because of his Shard, and the personality that goes with it, doesn't want to be found, because mankind needs to do things for itself. Theory #2: Syl is Cultivation This theory is relatively simple. I'm of the opinion that Cultivation, much like Preservation in the Mistborn novels, retained a sliver of consciousness through the millenia, though also like Preservation, had minimal awareness, very much in line with Syl, who only gradually through her relationship with Kaladin develops and regains her consciousness. But part of Syl's role and behavior is hard to understand. Why does she stay with Kaladin? She says it's because she likes him and that he is changing her, but their relationship is far more complex. Throughout the book, Syl comes to Kaladin in key moments and, by her words and behavior, helps him transcend his perceived limitations and reach his true potential. In other words, Syl cultivates Kaladin through the book. Now, many of you may be saying "Yeah, and so what?" Well, to that I respond with a quote from Tanavast. When speaking with Dalinar, he remarks that "Cultivation was much better at that than I" (in regards to giving visions that make sense). Now, also remember that at key moments throughout the book, Kaladin experiences flashbacks (note, very very vivid flashbacks, with feelings from all five senses) that help him come to moments of character growth and which help push him towards his destiny as a Surgebinder, Radiant, and general leader of men. Might not these visions be coming from Syl herself? Moreover, as Kaladin grows, so does Syl. As I discussed in the previous theory, Syl becomes more and more concentrated in terms of her "essence" and so regains more and more of her consciousness as her "cultivation" begins its growth.