Difference between revisions of "Immortal Words"

The primary purpose of the Ideals was to serve as a restraints to help guide and control the [[Knights Radiant|Radiants]] for how they were to live their lives. {{book ref|sa2|Epigraph=42}} [[Nohadon]] may reference some of these in his book, [[The Way of Kings (in-world)|''The Way of Kings'']] as [[Nohadon]] was a [[Surgebinder]] himself.{{book ref|sa1|59}}

A nascent [[Surgebinder]] speaks the first Ideal and with each subsequent Ideal they gain greater ability to infuse both themselves and other objects with [[Stormlight]] and lowers the amount of Stormlight they require to actualize an effect. It is also important to note that simply having the ability to infuse does not make one a Radiant, simply a [[Surgebinder]]. Only after Ideals are spoken does one become a Radiant. The Ideals were not simply a means to greater power, they were a way of life for the Radiants.{{book ref|sa1|59}}

The First Ideal of the Knights Radiant is shared among all of the orders. Because of this, it serves as the motto for the entire order.{{book ref|sa1|59}} While saying the other Ideals appear to be essential to their corresponding increases in Surgebinding ability, speaking the First Ideal does not seem to be a prerequisite to gaining a basic capacity to Surgebind, as [[Kaladin]] first hears of it long after he first begins to infuse himself with [[Stormlight]].

It should be noted that the Oaths are about each individual Radiant and his or her [[spren]]'s perception of them and,{{book ref|sa3|121}} since Teft was not a Radiant when he explained the Ideal to Kaladin, he may not have realized the extent of the room for variation in interpreting the First Ideal. Furthermore, as he eventually becomes a [[Order of Windrunners|Windrunner]], his explanation of the First Ideal likely hews closer to how that Order would interpret it. Notably, the [[Order of Skybreakers]] and the [[Order of Elsecallers]] would accept a more Machiavellian interpretation of the First Ideal and the Elsecallers in particular view the "journey" as that of the entire species.{{wob ref|2525}}{{wob ref|4163}}

After the First Ideal, each Order has unique words that serve as a path to increasing the [[Nahel Bond]] and becoming a [[Knight Radiant]]. The exact words used may vary, but generally, the concepts implied by them are shared. A [[Surgebinder]] progressing along the path will know the words when they are ready to say them. Each order has four sets of words before the final culmination of the [[Nahel Bond]].{{book ref|sa1|67}}

The Ideals of the [[Order of Windrunners]] may be tied to the divine attributes of protecting and leading, as those are related to [[Jezrien]]{{book ref|sa1|part=ars}} This idea is enhanced by the Second Ideal of the Order of the Windrunners, which has to do with protection.

The third Ideal, also called the Ideal of Dedication, this is a specific oath to dedicate oneself to a greater truth. A Skybreaker Squire must first bond their [[Highsprenhighspren]] before taking this oath, and it is the minimum oath required before the [[Surge]] of Division can be used.{{book ref|sa3|90}}

The Ideals of the [[Order of Bondsmiths]] seems to be tied to uniting men and possibly surgebindersSurgebinders. They seem to be the Ideals most closely connected to governance.

All Ideals seem to have in common that they reflect in some way on the respective person's character, self-awareness and motivations, their soul, so to speak, and reinforce that person's bond with their [[spren]] in accordance to that reflection. For instance, Windrunners are people who seek to protect others from harm and evil and advance their Ideals when they realize more and more, what that drive to protect entails and embrace those precepts. Therefore, [[Kaladin]] is unable to speak the Fourth Ideal, as he is not yet able to actually live up to the demands of that stage. Furthermore, the actual wording used when swearing an Ideal seems to matter significantly less than the mindset of the person and their accomplishments in their journey to self-awareness. Finally, it is impossible to swear an Ideal prematurely, as the [[Stormfather]] "refuses" to acknowledge [[Lopen]]'s oath when he swears it at first, presumably during his training. However, after the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]], when Lopen speaks to an injured soldier who had lost his arm in the fighting, he repeats them while explaining the concept of the oaths to the soldier. At this moment, he is not earnestly expecting his words to hold any meaning, as he uses the phrase "journey before pancakes" in the First Ideal, and repeats the Second Ideal only while mentioning to the soldier how hard it is to say those words and mean them. Nevertheless, the Stormfather accepts his words, as Lopen appears to have actually achieved the required personality this time around. All of this points to the possibility that all Ideals are Truths spoken by a Knight Radiant about their inner self, speaking about their respective goals and ideals (protecting others, seeking order and justice, helping and caring for the weak, etc.). Thus, the Lightweavers would not be different from the other orders in that they require Truth ''instead'' of an Ideal, but in that they are much more liberal and varied with respect to what Truths, and therefore, what character, are needed in order to advance.