Editing Weeping

{{culture

|related=[[Highstorm]]s

|type=Weather pattern

|world=Roshar

|universe=[[Cosmere]]

|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]

}}

{{quote

|Never furious, never passionate like a highstorm. Slow, steady. Like the blood of a dying year that was taking its last few shambling steps toward the cairn.

|Kaladin's thoughts on the Weeping{{book ref|sa1|44}}

}}

The '''Weeping''' is a four weeks long period of time on [[Roshar]], marking the end of the planet's five-hundred-day year.{{book ref|sa1|44}} The [[singer]]s call it the lull.{{book ref|sa2|i|11}}

== Description ==

{{image|Shattered plains bg.jpg|side=right|width=200px|Rain on the [[Shattered Plains]]}}

In the weeks preceding the Weeping, [[highstorm]]s grow more and more infrequent, before eventually stopping altogether.{{book ref|sa1|25}} A few days after the last highstorm, the skies cloud over and it begins to rain. The rain continues ceaselessly for two weeks until '''Lightday''', the Rosharan New Year.{{book ref|sa1|44}} On Lightday, one of two things happen. If the Lightday marks the start of an even-numbered year, the day will be calm - such years are called Light Years. At the start of odd-numbered years, the Weeping is instead interrupted by a highstorm.{{book ref|sa2|76}} Following Lightday are two more weeks of constant rain.{{book ref|sa2|46}}{{ref|text=Note that a week on Roshar is five days long, so a full Weeping takes twenty days, not twenty eight.|group=footnote}} At the end of the Weeping, the highstorms return, albeit initially weaker than usual.{{book ref|sa1|4}}

The Weepings are characterized by slow, steady, unstopping rainfall that doesn't deposit [[crem]]. There are no heavy winds or other extreme conditions generally found during a highstorm.{{book ref|sa1|44}}{{book ref|sa2|81}} The sky is perpetually overcast, bathing the land in twilight.{{book ref|sa2|77}} [[Rainspren]] are commonplace.{{book ref|sa1|44}}

Halfway between the Weepings is [[Midpeace]], another prolonged period of time with no highstorms.{{book ref|sa2|45}} In contrast to the Weeping, storms are more frequent before and after Midpeace, and the Midpeace itself doesn't see much, if any rain.{{wob ref|10231}}{{book ref|sa3|58}}

== Influence ==

{{image|Tien by Ari Ibarra.jpeg|side=left|width=250px|[[Tien]] on the roof of his house during the Weeping}}

The people of Roshar are used to the Weepings. While they do wear rain-proof clothing, such as long coats and wide-brimmed hats, it's generally understood that everyone and everything will be utterly soaked throughout.{{book ref|sa3|10}}{{book ref|sa2|78}} Most Rosharans approach this stoically, weathering the rain while enjoying the break from the highstorms.{{book ref|sa2|78}}{{book ref|sa2|79}} Sometimes, they measure their age in Weepings, saying "sixteen Weepings old" or "hadn't reached her twentieth Weeping".{{book ref|sa1|16}}{{book ref|sa1|29}}

In the [[Vorin]] religion, the Weeping is supposed to be a time for self-reflection and contemplating the [[Almighty]].{{book ref|sa2|80}} In [[Yeddaw]], the Weeping is celebrated by eating the city's ten famous pancakes.{{book ref|sa2.5|2}} [[Urithiru]], in turn, isn't affected by the Weepings, as the tower stands far above the clouds.{{book ref|sa2|87}}

The prolonged period of no highstorms leads to a lack of [[Stormlight]]. Rosharans try to preserve it throughout by using enormous gems capable of storing vast amounts of it, with a specific, multi-faceted cut that further prolongs the Stormlight retention. Despite that, few gemstones make it to the next highstorm still infused.{{book ref|sa2|81}} A [[perfect gemstone]] could keep Stormlight for that long, but those are extremely rare.{{book ref|sa3|99}} The lack of highstorms also presents a problem to the [[singer]]s, as they cannot change forms without them.{{book ref|sa2|i|11}}

=== Military ===

The peace of the Weeping is an important factor in strategy. The lack of highstorms allows for greater mobility, as soldiers don't require [[Stormshelter|stormshelters]] during that time, allowing them to resupply and quickly cross large distances.{{book ref|sa2|44}} Among others, [[Alethi]] armies sometimes set out on short military excursions during the Weeping to take advantage of this.{{book ref|sa2|79}}{{book ref|sa2|68}} This being said, actually battling is more difficult -- among others, the rain makes it hard to utilize archers.{{book ref|sa2|82}}

=== Industry ===

Farmers generally don't work during the Weeping, as any seeds or seed-paste planted during that time would be washed away by constant rain, and some plants might even die from excess water.{{book ref|sa2.5|12}}{{book ref|sa3|10}} The period of calm highstorms directly following, however, is a prime time for planting.{{book ref|sa1|4}} In contrast, fishermen work especially hard during the Weepings, as their ships are constantly flooding.{{book ref|sa3|i|1}}

In some places, the Weeping is harnessed for cleaning and washing areas that would normally be too difficult or time-consuming to tidy up.{{book ref|sa2|81}}{{book ref|sa2|i|14}}

== The Weird Weeping ==

The Weeping between the years 1173/1174 was markedly different from the usual, owning to the [[Battle of Narak]], which took place two days before the Lightday.{{book ref|sa2|50}} Even before the battle began, people noted unusually strong winds, far in excess of what could normally be expected.{{book ref|sa2|80}} During the fighting, the [[listener]]s summoned the [[Everstorm]], while the [[Stormfather]] sent a highstorm to oppose it.{{book ref|sa2|83}} This caused the regular pattern of the Weeping to be altered.

Elsewhere in the world, the Weeping stopped, then started, then stopped again.{{book ref|sa2.5|2}} The out-of-pattern highstorm arrived during that time without warning, leading to only some spheres capturing [[Stormlight]].{{book ref|sa2.5|6}} The Everstorm came a few days later, throwing people off further.{{book ref|sa2.5|19}} What followed was a period of drought that lasted until {{Rosharan date|1174|1|4|2}}, when the highstorm returned.{{book ref|sa3|22}} Overall, the strange non-Weeping lasted seven days longer than a regular one.

How this sequence of events, as well as the addition of the Everstorm, will impact future Weepings is yet unknown.

== Trivia ==

* [[Kaladin]]'s [[wikipedia:Seasonal affective disorder|seasonal depression]] affects him the most during the Weeping.{{book ref|sa2|77}} [[Shallan]], by contrast, considers it to be her favorite part of the year.{{book ref|sa2|78}}

* The occurence of the Weeping is influenced by Roshar's orbital position during that time of the year.{{wob ref|2521}} It is not, however, tied to the position of [[Ashyn]] relative to Roshar.{{wob ref|10398}}

* Weepings not carrying [[crem]] is motivated by needs of the narrative rather than any in-universe mechanics, as Brandon didn't want there to be an overabundance of mud and slurry during the finale of ''[[Words of Radiance]]''.{{wob ref|11866}}

;Footnotes

<references group=footnote />

;References

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{{Stormlight}}

[[Category: Events and Eras]]