DataPath

What if the cosmere is a sort of a man-made sub-universe of ours, created with special conditions that allow for something like adonalsium to exist, and Hoid is "something else" because he entered the cosmere from "outside"? Additionally, what if all of the original shardholders were people also involved in the experiment, and the shattering was, in its way, both upsetting as well as presenting possibilities, each according to the individual's involvement and personal inclinations. For example, Hoid speaks of the disposition of Rayse (what a good man he was) before taking up Odium. What if Rayse knew what he was doing when he took up Odium, and did it to try to contain the damage that Odium could do? Take one for the team, as it were.

Hope I'm the one getting the spike, and not the one charging it.

Excellent... another pressed cellulose module of Sanderfun.

*sigh*. What a waste of a perfectly good theory.

Sigzil was the apprentice. Sigzil the Worldsinger. No, Hoid in TWoK is, I believe, Midius, the apprentice Jesk from LoP.

The Jeskeri are more important than is immediately obvious. If you've read the chapters of Liar that Brandon has posted: The original Hoid was a Jesk. I think Midius is actually the Hoid we see in Way of Kings: I think Odium's visit to Sel resulted in the death of the Shardbearers, and the collapse of the Jeskeri "religion". As for Sel-ites being able to challenge Odium, it might still be possible for someone to take up the power of the Shard, or maybe the spliters of the Shards; I'm not willing to write them off yet.