Havah

Havah
by Dan dos Santos
Related to	Vorinism
Type	Garment
World of Origin	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

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A havah is a traditional Vorin dress on Roshar. It is formfitting through the bust, shoulders, and waist, and has a flowing skirt. It is buttoned up the sides, and the left sleeve is longer than the other in order to fully cover the safehand. Said sleeve can also contain a pouch, known as a safepouch, that can be used for storing valuable spheres or other small personal items. They are often made of silk in bright colors.

Cut

“The cut of a havah is similar to a cheongsam, with full sleeves and falling from the hips. Beneath the slitted outer skirt are many thin layers like fine silk which interweave to create a sort of accordion effect. This would (I think?) allow the dress to fall at a sharp angle from the hip when still, while expanding to allow a full range of leg movement. The buttons run from the throat down to the waist, following a line from the jaw down to the collarbone, curving out to follow the bust and then down the line of the torso. I don't think there's a rule for the number of buttons, but when in doubt remember that "10" is significant to the culture. Frog buttons are legit, I think. ”

—Ben McSweeney on havah's cut

Embroidery

“Alethi's don't do the flower thing as much... It's not really an Alethi thing, floral patterns. So you are seeing a lot of designs and hatchings. They may look a little Arabic to you. Or the glyphs and things like that you will see worked in but very stylized. ”

—Brandon Sanderson on embroidery

Replacement hem

The replaceable hem would be a continuous piece attached to the underskirt. This hem piece is not easy to change, so it is probably sewn on and not attached with buttons or some other simple fastener. It is a simple enough operation that it is done with relative frequency, however. Due to the difficulty in finding fabric that is an exact match for something bought another time or place, people often purchase replacement hems in contrasting colors.

Images

• Images of Havahs
• 

  by Sheep Jasnah, Shallan, and Navani wearing havahs
• 

  by Sheep Shallan wearing a havah
• 

  by Sheep Navani wearing a havah
• 

  by Sheep Havah displaying safehand sleeve
• 

  by Sheep Havah worn by Inkima
• 

  by botanicaxuHavah designs
• 

  by akolnoix

Bridal Gowns

“Her sapphire gown was of an ancient style, with twin drooping sleeves that went far beyond her hands. Small rubies woven into the embroidery glowed with a complementary light. A golden vest draped over the shoulders, matched by the ornate headdress woven into her braids. ”

—Shallan Davar's bridal gown

The Vorin wedding gown is a variation of a havah. It is likely an older version of what is now accepted as the traditional havah design. Two Vorin wedding gowns have been described:

The red light from the rubies' Stormlight brings the "red for luck" to Shallan's gown. Using blue for Shallan's wedding gown indicates that Vorin brides are allowed more than one color option in a traditional wedding dress.

“Red, for luck, it was embroidered with gold and shaped much looser style than the havah, with wide sleeves and a graceful drape.”

—Navani Kholin's bridal gown

A bridal crown typically accompanies the wedding gown, and is worn by the bride as a headpiece for the wedding ceremonies in the Vorin tradition. Hair is worn braided for the occasion. The pieces are secured to the hair. Currently only two descriptions are available:

Navani's crown

An "intricate headdress of jade and turquoise complemented [the] wedding gown."

Shallan's crown

A golden "ornate headdress woven into her braids."

Neither jade nor turquoise is associated with Soulcasting. They are not polestones, which are capable of naturally holding Stormlight.

Trivia

• The Vorin bridal dress is likely inspired by traditional Chinese wedding gowns, which are often much looser in cut than a qipao or cheongsam – the more fitted traditional dresses. The wedding gowns are often covered in gold embroidery with designs that are meant to represent luck and other blessings for the couple.

• The Vorin bridal crown is likely inspired by the fengguan, or Phoenix crowns, worn by brides in traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies. Jade and turquoise are both associated with luck in many Earth cultures, including in China and Tibet.

Notes

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