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{{literature
|type=Treatise
|related=[[Vorinism]]
|world=Roshar
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
}}
'''''Arts and Majesty''''' is an ancient work of [[Roshar]]an literature that has come to define the [[Vorinism|Vorin]] ideas of masculine and feminine arts.{{book ref|sa2|25}}{{wob ref|6245}} It defines certain topics and practices as feminine or masculine; the feminine arts are generally those that can be practiced with a single hand, while the masculine arts involve both hands, associating delicacy with women and brute force with men.{{wob ref|4447}} The idea of the [[safehand]] comes from this distinction between one-handed and two-handed arts.{{wob ref|6245}}
== History ==
{{quote
|A woman wanting to come to the battlefield was like … well, like a man wanting to read. Unnatural.
|Dalinar{{book ref|sa1|26}}
}}
''Arts and Majesty'' was written by a female artist{{wob ref|6245}}{{wob ref|4447}} well before the [[Day of Recreance]].{{wob ref|900}} It may not have had much influence on culture before the Recreance; soon afterward, however, some men in power came across it and began emphasizing it to justify keeping [[Shardblade]]s and [[Shardplate]] away from women.{{wob ref|5898}}{{wob ref|12662}} As retaliation, a movement of women ensured that writing and literacy moved fully into the domain of women.{{wob ref|6245}} [[Hoid]] jokingly observed that the female author of the treatise made sure to categorize "fun" activities as feminine, while leaving more dangerous activities to the men.{{book ref|sa2|55}}
The division between masculine and feminine arts became part of Vorin culture over the next few decades{{wob ref|900}} and remained solidly in place thousands of years later, with the safehand and the femininity of writing being especially prominent in day-to-day life. ''Arts and Majesty'' itself also stayed well-known despite its age, at least among upper-class lighteyes.{{book ref|sa2|25}} The division in duties was among the reasons that the Alethi set up large warcamps on the [[Shattered Plains]] where families could live, as women were in charge of various essential household functions.{{book ref|sa1|28}}
In modern Vorin culture, practices that were explicitly mentioned in ''Arts and Majesty'' could be considered "prime" or "major" arts.{{wob ref|6245}} The gender division of these arts was strictly adhered to, and even simple interest in an art of the opposite gender was thought of as "unnatural".{{book ref|sa1|26}} In some cases, the distinction between the arts moved beyond a mere cultural norm and gained religious overtones; men who could write, for example, could actually be seen as blasphemous and not just strange.{{book ref|sa2|12}} [[Ardent]]s were considered genderless and could technically pursue the arts of either gender.{{book ref|sa1|33}} However, cultural norms still influenced ardents; for example, it was rare for a female ardent to practice swordsmanship.{{book ref|sa2|44}}
Practices that were not categorized by ''Arts and Majesty'' could generally be performed by anyone.{{book ref|sa2|25}} Arts that combine a masculine and feminine discipline—such as carving, which has elements of both carpentry and art—could be practiced by men, women, or a team of both depending on their personal faith and interpretation of the doctrine.{{wob ref|13919}} If a new art was developed, church leaders and traditionalists would likely have discussions about how to categorize it.{{wob ref|13264}}
The re-emergence of female [[Knights Radiant]] who capably wield [[Shardblade]]s has challenged Vorin notions of female propriety.{{book ref|sa3|9}} Some lighteyes have proved that they can quickly adapt to the notion of a female military commander.{{book ref|sa3|73}}
== Arts ==
{{columns|count=2|
}}
=== Feminine ===
* reading and writing{{book ref|sa1|3}}
* painting and drawing{{book ref|sa1|5}}
* science{{book ref|sa1|3}} (e.g., zoology, botany, and natural history){{book ref|sa1|7}}
* logic{{book ref|sa1|3}}
* playing musical instruments{{book ref|sa1|57}}
=== Masculine ===
* combat{{book ref|sa1|26}}
* tactics{{book ref|sa3|39}}
* politics{{book ref|sa3|65}}
* carpentry{{book ref|sa1|31}}
* commerce{{book ref|sa1|8}}
=== Unspecified/Neutral ===
* horseback riding and the care of horses{{book ref|sa2|25}}
* knitting{{wob ref|6564}}
* singing{{book ref|sa1|57}}{{book ref|row|76}}
== Trivia ==
* The idea of the safehand and the division between one-handed and two-handed arts arose from [[Brandon]]'s fascination with different taboos across real-life cultures.{{wob ref|5898}}
* Brandon acknowledges that it is relatively easy to find examples wherein maintaining the one-handed limitation of the feminine arts would be illogical for everyday life; however, he notes that real-life cultural norms can also be impractical.{{wob ref|13264}}
* LEGO building would probably be considered a feminine art; since it is difficult to do one-handed, though it might end up being mostly done with two hands behind the scenes anyway.{{wob ref|13264}}
== Notes ==
<references />
{{complete|[[User:Big Smooth|Big Smooth]] ([[User talk:Big Smooth|talk]]) 18:53, 12 October 2020 (UTC)}}
{{Stormlight}}
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