Calmseer
| Calmseer | |
|---|---|
| Abilities | Returned, Cognitive Shadow |
| Nationality | Hallandren |
| Homeworld | Nalthis |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“She hadn’t helped the people because she feared that they would stop worshiping, and she had no arrogance of presumed superiority.
Real kindness. Real love. Real mercy.
”
—Lightsong
Calmseer is a Returned from Hallandren on Nalthis.[1] She dies sometime before the marriage between Siri and Susebron.
Appearance and Personality
“Calmseer was the last honorable Returned this city has known...Nobody left has a shred of her decency. Myself included. ”
—Lightsong
Lightsong often reflects that Calmseer was the most divine among the recent generations of Hallandren Returned. Allmother agrees with him.[2] She truly cared about her followers, and even though she did not give up her divine Breath to solve their problems, she often found other solutions.[3] Allmother emulates this, however it is done out of fear of losing the respect of those who worship her, and not out of authentic concern. Calmseer often spoke to Lightsong of her feelings of guilt at refusing to give her life to grant a petition. He believes it was this guilt that drove her to finally grant a request.[3] This is not true, for she sacrificed her Divine Breath for her daughter, which is the reason for her Returning.
History
Before Returning
Calmseer was a mother who cared for those around her. When her neighbors caught an unnamed disease, resulting in the death of the father of the family, it was Calmseer who continued to care for them. It was because of her efforts that the rest of the family survived. She, however, caught the disease and died.[4] Once dead, she was granted a vision of her daughter dying of the same disease, and given the option to Return and prevent that from happening.[5] She accepted the divine Breath, and Returned as Calmseer.
After Returning
“She was the best of us...She would meet with people all day. They loved her ”
—Allmother[2]
She Returned without memories of her previous life or the vision of her daughter's potential death. It would be some time before her daughter caught the disease, and so Calmseer spent several years in the Court of Gods. Her duties included listening to petitions and judging works of art, but she also took Lightsong under her wing and helped him adjust to life as a Returned.[3]
She had dinner with Lightsong and Allmother the night before she gave her Breath away.[2]
Some years before the Pahn Kahl rebellion, she fulfilled her duties as a Returned and sacrificed her divine Breath in order to heal a young girl. Lightsong believes that, after years of listening to and denying petitions, she did so out of guilt. Actually the request Calmseer grants is the reason she Returned in the first place: the petitioner was Calmseer's daughter from her first life, asking for healing from the same disease that killed Calmseer herself. When Calmseer saw her daughter in the petitions line, she remembered her previous life and the reason she Returned, and sacrificed herself to heal her daughter.[4]
Relationships
Calmseer was Lightsong's mentor when he first Returned. Lightsong and Calmseer were intimate, though their relationship grew out of respect, not love.[6] Blushweaver mistakenly believed that she and Lightsong were sleeping together.[1] She was well regarded by Allmother, and despite Allmother’s low opinion of Lightsong, often tried to bring the two together.[2]
Calmseer had a family and a daughter before she became a Returned.[4]
Notes
- ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 7#
- ↑ a b c d Warbreaker chapter 42#
- ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 47#
- ↑ a b c Warbreaker Annotations
— Arcanum - 2011-03-21# - ↑ Warbreaker chapter 57#
- ↑ Warbreaker Annotations
— Arcanum - 2010-11-18#