Honorspren
| Honorspren | |
|---|---|
 by Ashley Coad
| |
| Type | Spren |
| Abilities | Nahel bond, Windrunner magic, Splinters of Honor |
| World of Origin | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“ We're each a bit of power made manifest. We honorspren mimic Honor himself. ”
Honorspren are a type of sapient spren capable of forming a Nahel Bond.[2]
They are Splinters of Honor.[3][4] Bonding with one makes someone a Knight Radiant of the Order of Windrunners.
Appearance
In the Physical Realm, honorspren look like windspren.[5] They can change their appearance, including forms like fire or clouds, although they always glow, and are always white-blue.[6][7] This being said, they generally seem to prefer a humanoid form. Usually, it's very small -- only about a handspan tall -- but if need be, a honorspren can make themselves as tall as a regular person.[5][8] They can chose who can and cannot see and hear them, although they cannot hide from their bonded Surgebinder or an Unkalaki alaii'iku.[9]
In Shadesmar, honorspren are blue-white and as large as humans.[10] They cannot vanish, or shape-shift.[1] They appear to be wearing clothes, but the clothes are part of their essence and cannot be changed without Stormlight. Some honorspren buy physical clothes to wear instead.[11]
Of all spren, honorspren have the most human mannerisms.[4]
History
The first honorspren were created by Honor. When his death approached, Honor gave the responsibility of creating them to the Stormfather. The Stormfather made a few, including Sylphrena. All except her were killed during the Recreance, becoming deadeyes. Believing her dead along with the others, the Stormfather went centuries without creating any new honorspren. When he did remake them, he only created ten.[4] Those ten created the rest of the honorspren as their children as did their descendants (the ten created some children of their own, those children created others, and so on).
The honorspren have previously tried to conquer Shadesmar. Their culture is similar to the Alethi, and they both have a reputation as warmongers. [12]
Syl was recently rediscovered to be asleep and brought back to the other honorspren. When she realized a new Desolation was coming, she left Shadesmar and went to the Physical Realm to form a Nahel Bond with Kaladin. This caused the honorspren to post a huge reward for her return.[11] After the Everstorm arrived, other honorspren started bonding with humans.
Culture
Honorspren are generally warlike and oath-bound, with a strong military tradition.[12] While fairly isolationist, they are willing to let other spren live alongside them, though it seems a non-honorspren cannot attain a high rank in their society. The honorspren themselves believe themselves to be oathbound to follow Honor's path and serve what they believe to be his interests. However, they are also highly respectful of the Bondsmiths, and the Stormfather Bondsmith in particular. The latter is likely due to many of them seeing Stormfather as their parent or progenitor.[4]
They are stubborn, and it's difficult to change their mind once they've settled on something.[4] Obedience and order are highly valued in their society, and they're willing to put up bounties for their rebellious kinsmen.[8][11] They are not highspren, though, something they pride themselves on. They are capable of flexibility, and acknowledging reality of a situation.[4]
Honorspren are not liked by other types of sapient spren, and seem to avoid them in turn. In Celebrant, there are none on the streets.[11] Rather, they have their own cities, forming a grand nation with the capital in Lasting Integrity. They have several strongholds, including Unyielding Fidelity, in the region of Shadesmar corresponding to Kharbranth.[11]
Nahel Bond
Windspren and Syl are kind of cousins.[13] She becomes sapient by bonding with Kaladin. This bond gains her the ability to think in the Physical Realm and in return Kaladin gets something from this bond, too.[14]
“I'm willing to stop it, if you want. But I would go back to being as I was before. That scares me. Floating on the wind, never remembering anything for longer than a few minutes. It's because of this tie between us that I can think again, that I can remember what and who I am. If we end it, I lose that. ”
—Syl explains to Kaladin about their bond[15]
The bond is considered extremely intimate, as it involves the mixing of souls.[4]
Notable Honorspren
Trivia
- Honorspren are able to detect the arrival of a highstorm days before it appears.[16]
- Several honorspren have names derived from wind-related myths and legends -- for example, Sylphrena is named after sylphs, wind spirits, while Notum and Borea's names come from Notus and Boreas, the Greek gods of South and North wind respectively.
Notes
- ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 97#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 67#
- ↑ Steelheart Chicago signing
— Arcanum - 2013-10-05# - ↑ a b c d e f g Oathbringer chapter 108#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 2#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 40#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 27#
- ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 37#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 21#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 89#
- ↑ a b c d e Oathbringer chapter 102#
- ↑ a b Oathbringer chapter 47#
- ↑ /r/fantasy AMA 2013
— Arcanum - 2013-04-15# - ↑ Orem signing
— Arcanum - 2012-09-22# - ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 57#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 20#