Mistwraith

The Coppermind has spoilers for all of Brandon's published works, now including The Sunlit Man. Information about books that have not yet been released, like Stormlight 5, is allowed only on meta-pages for the books themselves. For more details, see our spoiler policy. To view an earlier version of the wiki without spoilers for a book, go to the Time Machine!

This page or section needs to be updated with new information for Shadows of Self!
Be aware that in its current state, it may not include all additional content yet.
Mistwraith
Mistwraith.png
Type Magical creature
World of Origin Scadrial
Universe Cosmere

Mistwraiths are a species of creature on Scadrial. They were created by the Lord Ruler from the Terris Feruchemists after he took the power at the Well of Ascension.[1] It is unclear if mistwraiths survived the Catacendre.[2]

PhysiologyEdit

Like kandra, mistwraiths appear to be amorphous blobs capable of absorbing bones and tissue of other creatures to gain shape. However, unlike kandra, since they do not possess sentience, their shapes are random and mix many different species into one. Contradictory to their typically huge and unnerving appearance, they are actually quite harmless and only eat dead bodies.[3]

Mistwraiths are people who have a blockage between the Physical Realm and the Cognitive Realm, which impairs their ability to think.[4] They have a lifespan of roughly fifty years and are able to breed.[5]

A single Hemalurgic spike is enough to staple a Cognitive Shadow to a mistwraith, though whether this has happened in the past is unknown.[6]

In CultureEdit

They are usually fearful existences in skaa folklore, associated with skaa's fear toward mists.[7] It is believed that mistwraiths can take a person's face or fully impersonate them; one way to be sure a person is not a mistwraith is to take them out into the sunlight and verify that they don't disappear.[8][9]

Post Catacendre, mistwraith statues are placed in cemeteries in order to scare "territorial" mistwraiths away. The need for this is likely just superstition.[2]

Relation with KandraEdit

Through the use of Hemalurgy they could regain the sentience they once possessed, becoming kandra after being implanted with two Hemalurgic spikes.[10] MeLaan mentions that removing both spikes brings the kandra back to their "primal state," once again becoming a mistwraith.[11] The transformation from mistwraith back to kandra is quick, as evidenced when Wayne replaces MeLaan's spikes after she experiences this firsthand,[12] although this could depend on how much time passes in each state.

The transition from mistwraith to kandra requires specific types of Hemalurgic spikes, known as blessings. Other types of Hemalurgic spikes, such as those that create koloss, would not necessarily be enough to transform the mistwraith into a kandra if ingested. However, they would cause weird side effects.[13]

NotesEdit

This article is still missing information. Please help The Coppermind by expanding it.