Kesamijr

This is such an interesting observation. Especially because I'm in the "Nohadon is Ado's CS" fan theory group currently, could she even be referring to him? I also like the "Dalinar is claimed by Endowment and will Return" theory and the HIM here doesn't make sense in that, though it obviously could just be referencing the fact that she's going to give Taravngian the shard of Honor, something that probably doesn't happen if Dalinar becomes the Blackthorn. And as the Retribution he's potentially very dangerous if also potentially impotent in ways.

I've heard theories that Nohadon is Adonalsium's Cognitive Shadow. There's clearly so much foreshadowing in WoK about Nohadon stepping down and abdicating from power, and how it's posited in WaT it seems like Nohadon is going to be Honor's cognitive shadow. It seems clear he is not, but it does feel like that's there for a very intentional reason, and I like the theories saying Nohadon is Ado's CS. Also I personally LOVE Potential Returned Dalinar lmao. Gets to literally fight the worst version of himself, Endowment says she "has it in hand" to Wit, potentially implying this, and with all the CS floating around there'd be really interesting tension between Dali and all the others (Kels, Sahel, potentially Vivenna and Shallan?) plus he'd be the Returned we see the most of pre-Returning, adding more tension to the whole disconnect of Pre and Post Return identities.

Hate this thought because his rock-bottom, to me, is killing Kaladin. First Elhokar, then Teft, then the final blow is killing Kaladin. What a HEEL moment that would be though lolol My Crackpot Theories: 1. I like the theories that Jasnah is going to take up all three shards and become the Shard of Evil. I can't find the Reddit comment, but it says something along the lines of: "I am, unfortunately, the Villain of Ages," -Jasnah, as she takes up all three shards and becomes the Evil shard. Tbh if you told me that that's how the whole series ends and Jasnah becomes Wit's antagonist (or vice versa) for the Space Age Cosmere, I'd totally believe it. The fact they have a relationship right now seems destined to build tension for eventual opposition 2. I also think that young Shallan was trained as a Ghostblood (explaining why she remembers Seons, and why she's so good at sneaking and fighting despite her very limited training in those things.) 3. And new head canon: lots of birds sing to their babies and those songs affect their development, I think and hope singers do the same.

Didn’t even do my math, yall are so right, great points thank you!!

I have a big post coming about all my theories I’ve picked up on reread, and I actually haven’t finished/gotten to El in RoW yet, but a theory hit me that I really wanted to discuss. Is El a kandra? We know that there’s a kandra (at least one, maybe more I guess) on Roshar. We also know that Jezrien, in talking to Dalinar, references “The Faceless.” That might just be a coincidental name similarity, but it caught my eye. I then remembered reading about El, the singer (no caps, his words, very interesting choice there) who - Had his rhythms stripped, something presumably possible with Singers but intuitively seems easier with someone non-native to the rhythms - Is known as he who quiets (a term only given to a non-singer in our reading experience) - Is obsessed with humans - Adds metal to his body every rebirth through some combination of his healing powers and his own innate abilities - Is an agent of Odium (so not Harmony, as Brandon has said the Kandra isn’t) - Is more favored by the new Odium than old. (Potentially for dissent but also potentially because the new Odium is less Cosmere aware.) Now, the counterpoint is I think B Sandy said we’d seen the kandra (or one of them) by WoR. My original guess, and one of my theories still, is that one of the Davar brothers is the Kandra. (Disappear in a lampshaded, mysterious way and are transported by a Scadrian organization with deep knowledge and awareness of kandras + very close to Mraize and an important radiant, free reign of a tower, and one person who loves pulling things apart.) And I like people’s theories about Mrall and Maben as well, but I wanted to posit El because what little we’ve seen of him seems to line up fairly well to Kandra behavior.

Rushu is confirmed not worldhopper by B Sandy, that said, both she (they?) and Navani feel like excellent Dustbringers, feels like Navani’s second Radiant home to me. Besides how could Rushu be the Kandra when the Kandra is clearly one of the Davar brothers.

Rereading… RoW pg. 57, Kaladin curses: “What in the Stormfather’s unknown name?”

No I totally agree, in a way this actually supports OP’s point. Renarin is socially ostracized, even in name. One could argue his ostracization began with his name actually, but it’s funny that is simultaneously a name that means nothing, given by the author, and the fact that it means nothing is also part of his characterization.

Renarin crying in the corner fr

Bro I'm ngl, this theory has almost totally convinced me. Especially cuz you know who'd have a double eye? Someone who had been both human and immortal. I personally love the idea of: "Tanavast abdicated his power to someone else, and that person died by Odium's hand as Nohadon (Tanavast) ran around cosplaying humanity." I can also see Nohadon being an avatar of Honor, a child of Honor, or Honor just doing a walkabout and leaving the Stormfather to watch the power. There's a part of me that wonders too: the Heralds are affected by supernatural insanity, did that also affect Honor? Because there's a part of me that wonders if: Oathpact lets Heralds share pain, that pain is ALSO shared with Honor, leading him to also share their supernatural insanity + regular insanity from being tortured for thousands of years. Because the Stormfaker theory still FEELS right to me, as much as people think the new WaT chapters disprove it, but I never considered...could the Stormfaker be Tanavast? And the "champion" he's trying to find is a new host/avatar for Honor? We see lots of mentions of the Stormfather's "vastness" in that chapter that we don't really get elsewhere, we know Ishar can't sense regular Herald deaths, but Honor potentially could? It also implies Honor knew about Taln being stuck and was driven as mad as the Heralds because of it? And potentially knew about the Everstorm, and lying about it might've contributed to his death, because we do know that Tanavast was dead by WoK. (Or is alive in hiding if we've been lied to this whole time.) It also means SF never went back on his word, TANAVAST said he'd never work with Kholins again, not SF. Would also mean that maybe what Dalinar summoned was the Tanavastblade when he opened the Oathgate, which is why the Stormfather doesn't even talk about it? More support potentially, if Tanavast did abandon his post:

Back here way late to say I agree with you. I think the Shallan in Chana theory is so cool tbh, but do feel a little bit like it's the type of extra super twist we "years long theorizers" want, not necessarily a regular book reader. When I first heard the "Shallan's mom is Chana" theory my mind was blown, I loved it. It's less thrilling now but that's just cuz I'm more used to it. That said, I don't think the Testament bond disproves the theory. It actually is a necessary piece imo. The only way Chana could be a surge binder would be to be a Radiant. If the base-Shallan personality is actually Chana, I can see her killing her daughter by accident, breaking her spren bond in anger/grief at what she had done not realizing the consequences it would have as opposed to the spren bonds "back in her day." The real hole for me is the Cuz sure in that chapter we see So potentially Chanrach figures out the way to escape her bond. Have a kid, transfer the Oathpact to that kid because the kid is Connected to it, kill said kid (accidentally or otherwise), the kid Herald goes to Braize as they're now in the Oathpact instead of you. Cause a desolation, and create a new personality to hide the fact that you did so with DID and Lightweaving. If anything actually the slightly strengthens this theory. All that was just mechanically how it could happen though, it all feels kind of convoluted to me when laid out like that. So either we'd need some big foreshadowing/change in the 5th book (which I haven't seen in the preview chapters) or it's not this and it's what we all expect, Shallan's mom is Chana. (Alt pitch cuz it's Shallan and there could always be something else: Shallan's DAD was Chana?????>?>) Fun theorizing here y'all.

On a reread, here to say: the Stormfather either DOES explicitly (not by omission but explicitly) lie to Dalinar in Oathbringer. That or, Stormfaker theory, in which I’m still a believer, is correct. Oathbringer, pg. 408 We know from the new prologue that a Herald, almost certainly Chana, does die. So either, the Stormfather is lying here, or, Stormfaker is real and the Stormfather didn’t know about Chana’s death. EDIT: just realized I’m about 3 hours late That said though, still feels like Stormfaker being a Herald/Fused is plenty likely this much of an outright lie feels so anti-Honorspren to me.

Yes! It’s actually in a comment on a post about how someone though Rysn would be the third bondsman! https://www.reddit.com/r/Stormlight_Archive/s/1F7VElS8OO Tell me if the link doesn’t work:) The theory is super cool, though a lot of its points run parallel to the “Lift is a Dawnshard” theory as well though, predicating on the fact that Lift can speak a ton of languages with no issue, breaches Dalinar’s vision, metabolizes Lifelight, evades the suppression, is called “something that shouldn’t exist,” etc. I like both theories equally, but some details (like the suppression evasion, fact that Lift comfortably speaks multiple and made up languages) make more sense in the two bonds theory to me. Side note, have we ever talked about the fact that Lift has traveled all over Roshar, and that usually requires speaking a BUNCH of languages? And I’ve never seen an accent mentioned with her, I don’t think. We see her, or see her referenced, potentially speaking: -Azish -Yeddaw Patois -Alethi? -(Is Tashikki its own language or do they speak Azish? I know it’s probably in the Makabaki family, but still?) -(Same for Marabethia, what language do they speak here?) -Reshi, which might be better extended to Iri? That’s a lot of languages for an uneducated 14 year old, making me again lean towards the bondsmith theory? That or that Edgedancer resonance helps language comprehension? IIRC the Stump’s lack of good Alethi is lampshaded in RoW too, which makes it stranger that I don’t remember mentions of Lift’s linguistic struggles, accent, or lack thereof.

I think Keenspren are Radiant spren? Probably just a soon to be radiant announcing themselves in that case. i can’t strike through here idk why. But this is wrong On the wiki keenspren are listed as Radiant spren, but we know all the radiant spren? So this is actually a great guess yeah. And makes sense that she’d just start seeing them cuz hers and the Sibling’s bond wasn’t necessarily “supposed” to happen. B Sands also says keenspren is a nickname so maybe they are radiant spren? I can’t tell lmao. Also also, saw a theory I really liked the other day that was basically: Lift currently has TWO spren bonds, one of which is the Nightwatcher, so we already have the 3rd Bondsmith. Cuz right now it’s rub-y that the Nightwatcher Bondsmith would have the same platespren as an Edgedancer. Makes me think either: a) It’s just a weird rub that only happens here and their platespren are the same b) we just have it wrong and it’ll be like luckspren or joyspren or something c) lifespan around Lift is a red herring cuz of her condition d) Lift already IS the bondsmith which is why she always has lifespan around her or e) the Nightwatcher isn’t the 3rd bondsmith spren it’s like BAM or something? Maybe the nightwatcher has been confirmed but there’s a weird overlap here but nowhere else based on how we’re theorizing right now.

Happen to be rereading Edgedancer rn, and it almost certainly feels like Lifespren are Edgedancer platespren? Get more mentions around Lift than windspren to Kaladin and creationspren to Shallan. Wonder if Bondsmith use the same spren as other orders, but after reading this I’m 80% lifespren are edgedancer armor

Yeah no you’re right about the red blonde black being weird, but the way she said it kind of left space/lampshades in early book unreliable narrator Shallan fashion. Those ellipses and em dashes are all over Shallan’s POV chapters tbf, but it’s also one of the ways Brandon lampshaded things Shallan knows but is repressing/ignoring and the double “and” here was what made me suspect. But as for being horrified, Shallan is horrified by things like Soulcasting, seeing Cryptics, Shadesmar, things we know (I guess assume tbf, maybe she never Soulcasted as a kid) she’s experienced before but forcibly repressed because of their relation to her past. If Chana IS her mom, Royal Locks feel like the same thing to me! I didn’t know the part about the breaths though! It could totally be that if they can do that. I also did wonder when postulating originally if high levels of Investiture just allow you to change your physical appearance? Cuz the other notable example we get of this is actually Dilaf? And as far as we know he’s not a CS, he’s just very invested? I guess to add to that too the other example is Shai, so maybe it’s just Identity rewriting, which is potentially easier to do with Breath, as you mentioned, but can be done with any understanding (subconscious or otherwise) and potentially some investiture? jk I guess maybe the other example is Yumi, cuz idr if she’s a CS at the beginning of the book? So potentially more evidence for it being an Investiture thing? And Galladon if he isn’t using an illusion in the 1st book interludes?

It struck me as returned-esque too? On my reread, Shallan specifically mentions that the hair of her and Adolin’s child would be “weird” before cutting herself off in early book Shallan fashion. That, plus the girl who looked up, makes me feel like (in conjunction with the Chana Davar theory) Shallan has the Royal Locks. We also know that the Idrians and Denth/Vasher do, so to me, it’s always felt like: the Royal Locks are the result of being descended from CS. CS can totally change their shape. This is where Hoid potentially comes in? His famous “I began life as words on a page” implies he might actually BE a cognitive shadow (or descendent of one) to me? Considering he, CS and descendants of CS are the only ones we’ve seen change physical form (not in an illusory way) this struck me as that, a CS changing his physical form. Also the Navani being trapped makes me wonder about the “Urithiru is a spaceship” theory, and hope we get to see it flying out in space with her as the Starfleet commander lolol. Definitely feels like Arc 1 could end with them losing Roshar, shooting spaceship Urithiru out into space and beginning and interplanetary refugee journey. All of them except Venli and I’m crying in Willshaper And I agree! I postulated Nohadon as the WaT author and this made that even a little firmer for me!

This is real as hell. Still think Shallan could be in there cuz she kind of knows, but not really? And I guess Sigzil by the same measure as well? Jasnah is the queen so probably knows, but yeah this boosts the Veristiralians, a Shin character, Nohadon, A Fused (Leshwi?), Venli, and Lift as guesses to me? Did we mention Renarin or Rlain as well? Feel in the Sig/Shallan, “what’s their quest” Group? Same with maybe Hesina/Lirin? Does feel crazy that immediately after I post about the Syl forwshadowing we get the “I did not know of their quest” line thoughlove being dragged around theorizing though tbh, I’m having a great time, great chapters!!

Yeah Syl’s not high on my list of favorite authors either.:/ but I did like reading what felt like foreshadowing to me!

Oh yeah true I guess so far it’s been written as if the author wasn’t there and written as if the author’s human, so maybe Sylauthor was already dead in the water, but did notice this!

Doing my reread of Way of Kings, found some potential foreshadowing in favor of Syl: ”Soon you’ll hardly be a spren at all. You’ll be a little translucent philosopher. We’ll have to send you off to a monastery to spend your time in deep, important thoughts.” - Kaladin, to Syl, page 591, WoK. i keep vacillating cuz I also like Shallan more and more, but if this is the foreshadowing of Syl doing WaT epigraphs that’s actually kind of fire, and Brandon did say he’s got foreshadowing in book one for stuff throughout the 10.

You’re right! But I agree felt very much like a present book. First two felt past, second two felt present, this one could be future!

Quoted this one but thank you for doing the research and being fair!!yeah Brandon’s been vague but red herrings are also a thing so who knows. But I read the line to mean people were less familiar with spren in general! I see your point about it being about spren bonds, but had read it to be about a familiarity with spren in general. And as we’ve seen, Urithiru puts people in close proximity with less sapient spren and is also a symbol of a fully functioning Knights Radiant, so a double proximity with spren. The point is, I think we agree, the author was around in a period where spren, and human interactions with them, were plentiful. And the two periods in which that is the case are Pre-Recreance and the modern day. So the author is either in the future, referring to the time period in WaT, or someone who lived through the past times when that was also the case. I like the future ideas as well and we haven’t had a yet-to-be written book as the epigraphs, but if the book is NOT from the future, my guess would be someone of Nohadon’s ilk. Till we get more we won’t know though tbf, not enough info yet to make certain guesses, just hypotheses!

I’ve always felt he was still floating around somewhere, never seen the body and all that. I also feel there’s a nice symmetry (fitting for Stormlight) to have him write the first and last in world book. First and last are him, 2nd and 4th professionals, 3rd Dalinar. But the biggest thing for me is, of my list of potential authors, he’s starting to fit the best. Things we now about the author: Self-Described Historian and philosopher Not alive in “ancient days” when Singers and Human coexist Seem to have been around pre-Recreance with a more functional Urithiru and Spren around. Probably not an Edgedancer or Kaladin do to the third person natures there? Probably Connected to Honor/Roshar due to being watched by the wind? Tbf, if the book is the first from the future in world, and there’s some kind of cataclysm that make spren sparse again, it could be functionally anyone and Szeth, Jasnah, Shallan et. al could still be up there on the list, but if the book is present day I think Nohadon fits those categories best? Him or I guess Melishi, who has been getting more airtime than him recently, that’s a shout I didn’t think of till now. But no hard proof just my guesses and rust!

My thoughts post these chapters: 1) this chapter probably put Nohadon top of my author’s list? Rosharan native, non-Herald, non-edgedancer, remembers a time (presumably pre-Recreance) when common people (read functioning Urithiru-residents) were closer to more spren and understood them more deeply, not Kaladin. Still also like Veristitalians, Lirin/Hesins, Jasnah, Shallan, but No’s prolly top of my list rn. Also feels like it could be like Kelek/Ishar if one of our MCs take their roles as a Herald. Or I guess presumably Ash cuz she’s the only Rosharan native? 2) Shallan here reminds me of Painter. Extremely Connected to a VERY Invested entity and uses that Connection to create physicality for another being. Radiant looks much more Chana-like to my eye than anywhere else in the books. Hell with the shardblade, tbh it could even be Chana. Because how was a shardblade manifested in Shadesmar if it isn’t an honorblade. Either way Shallan reminds me of Yumi and Painter here in that she’s clearly a highly Invested being warping reality around her. As other people mentioned Vasher does similar things (which we see Shallan do in TGWLU too), but what’s confusing me is the blood. Shard blades don’t make people bleed, but potentially honor blades do? I have to reread the first prologue, but that makes me think it’s an honorblade? Or Shallan just created a new type of shardblade, pure investiture made sword through Honor/Cultivation’s power, technically a shardblade. And conceivable for the child of an Avatar of Honor. (And/or I guess an Avatar of Honor as well? Is that how heralds pro-create? Shallan definitely feels like some kind of pseudo-returned cognitive child but I just don’t know how it works) 3) Dabbid was one of my favorite parts of the last book, glad to see him getting a bond. 4) everyone’s mentioning the possibilities of light weaving and I agree, but I do think some of this stuff, or the power levels of it, is Shallan exclusive, I think we see with Design the type of thing most Lightweavers can do. Again it’s Design vs. Yumi rust for me. Great chapters I’m so hyped for December.