Dor
The Dor is a source of spiritual energy on Sel that powers AonDor, ChayShan, Forgery[1] and Dakhor.[2]
Appearance
The Dor often shows its presence through some sort of bright glowing, whether through Aons, the twists of the Dakhor bones, or in the wake of the movements of someone using ChayShan.
Composition & Nature
What, exactly, the Dor is made up of is still unknown. There are hints that AonDor is of Devotion and Dakhor is of Dominion. Contradictorily, both AonDor and Dakhor draw from the Dor, while Devotion and Dominion are separate Shards. In any case, it appears to consist of a large amount of power left behind after Odium visited Sel.[3] The Dor exists in the Cognitive Realm and is very dangerous as a large source of mindless, uncontrolled power.
The "programming-esque" way Investiture is drawn from the Dor is the result of "a mixture of the Vessels' personalities, the fact that the power's in the Cognitive Realm, and the nature of Sel's focus".
Culture
In Jesker, a religion practiced by many Dulas, the Dor is the overspirit, an unseen energy that permeates the world. They believe that Dor is a force that controls the world. Those who follow the Jesker think that the Dor leads those who understand it towards harmony.[4] It also keeps balance in the natural world. The followers of Jeskeri think that the Dor provides the motivation for all events in nature. It is responsible for everything from water "wanting" to flow downhill to teaching captive young birds how to fly.[5] The Jeskeri Mysteries, a splinter group, look at the Dor in a slightly different way. Instead of a simple passive energy, they see the Dor as fate. The people who follow the Mysteries perform rituals to try to harness the Dor, instead of trying to become in harmony with it like regular followers of the Jesker. They try to invoke it to bring good or bad luck on other people. How the followers of the Jesker became aware of the Dor's presence is still unknown.
Notes
- ↑ 17th Shard Forum Q&A
— Arcanum - 2012-09-25# - ↑ Elantris chapter 63#
- ↑ /r/Stormlight_Archive
— Arcanum - 2013-03-11# - ↑ Elantris (book) glossary section D
- ↑ Elantris chapter 19#
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