Sylvrin

One of the strongest parallels I find is that of religious tolerance and openmindedness. The concept that, while there is an absolute truth to be found, no one except God really knows what it is. In the case of Brandon's writing, that God would be the creator of the cosmere. He is the ultimate source of all truth. Religions in general are fragments of absolute truth combined with interpretations, philosophies, and cultural mores of men. Often times religions are sects and splinters from other older religions that can change drastically over long periods of time, still retaining particles of truth, but with widely varying doctrines that may be far from the real truth. Within the LDS religion we believe that we have more of the real truth than other religions do because we recognize that God continues to communicate with his children, through His prophets, and reveal new truths to us. But our prophets also continually warn us not be prideful or arrogant and to recognize the truths that other religions do embrace. If we are close-minded it becomes difficult to relate to others with differing beliefs and it also makes us less willing to accept new truth as it is revealed to us. While we are a missionary church that teaches what we believe to others, it should always be done in such a way that it enhances and adds to the truths that others already hold and respects the beliefs of others even if they differ from our own. I see this very attitude strongly displayed in Siri and eventually in her older sister as they interact with the Hallendrans in Warbreaker. It is a strong theme in Elantris and the Mistborn Series as well. And while it hasn't blossomed fully in the Stormlight Archives yet, there are certainly passages, especially about Jasnah and the devotaries, that point to it and I think it will be a stronger theme as the series progresses.

Thanks!

The whole issue of whether or not Returneds could bear children seemed a little confusing to me. Hoid's history stories would seem to indicate the Returneds can and do bear children. Vo had children obviously, or there would be no royal line from which the 5 scholars and the royal family of Idris sprang. Hoid's historical story also talked of the 5 God Kings that ruled after the Manywar. One of those God Kings had a daughter then a year or so later a male "heir" came along after which the God King "died". But in a scene where Blushweaver is attempting to seduce Lightsong we are told that the Returneds couldn't bear children and later we have this from Treledees: “You cannot bear the God King a child,” he said. “Like all Returned, he is unable to sire children. We have not yet learned how the First Returned managed to have a child all those years ago. In fact. . . .” “You don’t even think he did,” she said. “You think the Royal line is a fabrication.” Of course the priests dispute the record of the royal line coming from the first Returned, she thought. They wouldn’t want to give credibility to Idris’s claim to the throne. He flushed. “It’s what people believe that matters. Regardless, we. . .have a child. . . .” “Yes,” Siri said. “A Returned child you are going to make the next God King.” Now we know the God Kings didn't really die, but basically passed on their breath to the chosen "heir" and then quietly lived out their lives elsewhere, as explained by Treledees before he gets killed. But why did they need to choose an heir rather than letting the God Kings bear children of their own. And if in fact they could bear children why did they tell them they couldn't? Here is my theory on how perhaps the seemingly confusing and conflicting pieces of information may fit together: I think the key to this whole mystery lies in this one insight from Treledees “It’s what people believe that matters." When it comes to Returned Gods, this statement holds even more true for them than for other people. If you convinced a Returned through priestly brainwashing that he could not sire children perhaps that would then become a self-fulfilling prophecy. All Returneds apparantly have a great deal of capacity to control their physical bodies through their own belief system and/or emotional state of mind. The "gods" physical appearance was maintained by what they thought they ought to look like. If that is the case and they were thoroughly convinced that they could not procreate, then perhaps that became reality simply because of their strongly held belief that it was true. Maybe their own strongly held belief that they could not have children prevented it from happening in the same way their bodies were prevented from aging beyond what they believed to be appropriate for their self-image. The priests seem to have done this as a way to maintain control over the God Kings and as a way to release the God Kings from service after a period of time. Also convincing the lesser gods that they could not have children would prevent any unwanted population boom within the pantheon. So in conclusion I do beleive that the Royal God Couple will probably have a family of their own now that they are no longer so oppressed. What do you all think on this topic?

Hello, I'm a newcomer to this site and have just finished reading Warbreaker. I have also read the complete Wheel of Time Series, Mistborn Trilogy and Alloy of Law, Elantris, and Way of Kings. I guess you could say that I am now a fan of Brandon Sanderson's works. I think that so far my favorite is Way of Kings, although all his books seem to captivate my imagination. I came to the site because I was looking for an answer to something that left me puzzled after reading Warbreaker, so I think I'll hop over to that forum and post my question. .