Honor
| Honor | |
|---|---|
 by botanicaxu
| |
| Vessel | Tanavast |
| Slivers | Stormfather[1] |
| Splinters | Spren |
| Status | Splintered |
| Magics | Surgebinding[2] |
| Residence | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“I am . . . I was . . . God. The one you call the Almighty, the creator of mankind. And now I am dead. Odium has killed me. I am sorry. ”
Honor is one of the sixteen Shards of Adonalsium, and one of the three, alongside Cultivation and Odium, present in the Rosharan system. The original Vessel of Honor was called Tanavast. Following his death at the hands of Odium, Honor was Splintered.[4]
Intent
Honor seeks to uphold oaths and agreements, and to make things binding.
Associated magic
Stormlight
Stormlight is a gaseous form of Investiture associated with Honor. It was not created by him, as a proto-version of it existed prior to his arrival on Roshar, but in the present day, it has been subsumed into him.[5] The largest splinter of Honor, Stormfather, is responsible for creating and maintaining the highstorms that bring stormlight.[6][7]
Stormlight is crucial to Rosharan ecosystem. Numerous animals form bonds with lesser spren, which most likely require stormlight as fuel. Moreover, large quantities of stormlight are necessary for singers to change forms.[8] In Shadesmar, spren derive susteinance from stormlight.[9] While humans do not normally utilize stormlight themselves, its presence makes them significantly more healthy.[10]
Surgebinding
Surgebinding is a magic system derived from both Honor and Cultivation.[2] To utilize it, a person must bond a higher spren, a sentient splinter that is composed of the two Shards' Investitures in some proportion. Afterwards, this allows the person to inhale stormlight and use it to control Surges, a set of ten fundamental forces, although a single spren bond allows access to only two of them.[11] Some bonds favor Honor, and others Cultivation, although the proportion, and whether there are Surges "purely" of one or the other, is still under speculation.[12]
Lore
Honor is commonly known on Roshar as God, the Almighty, the creator of mankind. It is suspected that he was in some way responsible for the Oathpact that bind his Heralds to fight the Voidbringers. Sometime after the event referred to as the Last Desolation, he was Splintered by Odium.[4] However, before his death, Honor left behind a "journal" of sorts—a series of visions—to warn of what he fears to come, the True Desolation.[13]
The Almighty is said to have ten names, the last being the most holy. Kaladin swears upon this name when promising the return of his little brother Tien to his parents. It is likely this tenth name is the same as the name only the ardents may use.
After the "Last Desolation" and the betrayal of the Radiants, it is said that the Almighty was cast out of the Tranquiline Halls, and left to reside in the hearts of men.[citation needed] This is the reason for the ardentia. They help the faithful hone the skills of their devotary. These devotions are the task each person chooses, or is given, that will be used during their afterlife to aide in the battle to return the Tranquiline Halls to the Almighty. The most important and common is that of warrior, though the skills range from cooking to music to crafting and various others, warriors are needed the most to fight the forces of Damnation. The usefulness of some of the skills during a battle in the spiritual realm is called into question by a few characters, for instance, being a great cook for an army who will not need to eat, seems a little useless.
The Almighty's relationship to the highstorms is unclear. The name Stormfather is used as the name for the deity that controls, or creates the highstorms. It's now known that the Stormfather is a self-proclaimed cognitive shadow of Honor.[14] The visions given to Dalinar are messages from the Almighty that the Stormfather was charged with delivering at the right time.[15] The Stormfather also refers to Syl as his daughter.[6]
During Dalinar's final vision, he asks who the person speaking to him is, the person responds, "I am, I was the Almighty, but Odium has killed me."[3]
According to Syl, mankind brought Odium to Roshar, but turned from him to Honor.[citation needed]
Vorinism
Honor was also known as the Almighty; worshiped as a god and creator of mankind by Vorin peoples. He was also known as Elithanathile, a name only the ardents were allowed to use for the Almighty.[16] He may not be the creator of mankind, however, since Syl revealed that Odium was its first god before turning to Honor.
“He had another name, allowed to pass only the lips of ardents. Elithanathile. He Who Transforms. ”
—Shallan's thoughts[16]
Notes
- ↑ JordanCon 2016
— Arcanum - 2016-04-23# - ↑ a b Boskone 54
— Arcanum - 2017-02-18# - ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 75#
- ↑ a b Google+ Hangout
— Arcanum - 2012-04-17# - ↑ Emerald City Comic Con 2018
— Arcanum - 2018-03-01# - ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 83#
- ↑ Arcanum Unbounded Seattle signing
— Arcanum - 2016-12-01# - ↑ Words of Radiance interlude I-5#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 101#
- ↑ Firefight Phoenix signing
— Arcanum - 2015-01-21# - ↑ Stormblessed.com interview with Brandon Sanderson
— Arcanum - 2010-12-25# - ↑ FanX 2018
— Arcanum - 2018-09-06# - ↑ Alloy of Law Los Angeles signing
— Arcanum - 2011-11-10# - ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 82#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 89#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 7#