Difference between revisions of "Seon"

'''Seons''' are sapient magical beings on [[Sel]]. They are [[Splinter]]s of [[Devotion]]{{wob ref|5991}} that serve human masters.

 

Seons take the form of floating orbs of light, each with a glowing [[Aon]] at their core for which they are named.{{book ref|Elantris|2}}{{book ref|elantris|part=ars}} They are described as "small"{{book ref|Elantris|2}} and "melon sized".{{book ref|Elantris|2}} Seons have control over the level of their brightness,{{book ref|Elantris|17}} and they often pulse while speaking or laughing.{{book ref|Elantris|5}} It can be difficult to discern their Aons through the light without close examination.{{book ref|Elantris|2}}{{book ref|Elantris|32}} Seons are tangible, although they weigh very little; they cannot pass through solid matter.{{wob ref|7816}} [[Hrathen]] believes that seons need to sleep.{{book ref|Elantris|12}}

 

 

Known seons tend to have soothing voices. [[Ashe]]'s voice is described as "deep" and "sonorous", with well-enunciated words.{{book ref|Elantris|2}}{{book ref|thoe}} [[Ien]]'s voice is "indulgent",{{book ref|Elantris|16}} [[Dio]]'s is "melodious",{{book ref|Elantris|45}} and [[Riika]] needs [[Mai]] to tell her a story when she goes to sleep.{{book ref|thoe}} However, [[Opa]]'s voice is formal and unemotional, which [[Sarene]] notes as unusual, particularly compared to seons in [[Teod]].{{book ref|Elantris|32}} It is not clear if the seons have a gender, but some of them sound masculine while others sound feminine.{{book ref|Elantris|12}}

Seons can form bonds with individual humans. The human does not have to be an [[Elantrian]]. They love their masters and act as loyal companions and advisors.{{book ref|Elantris|16}} The bond works through [[Spiritual Realm|Spiritual]] [[Connection]]{{wob ref|10049}} and has similarities to the [[Nahel bond]] on [[Roshar]].{{wob ref|3488}} The seons are bound only by love and are not obligated to serve.{{wob ref|1965}} The bond typically makes the seon and its master very close. Raoden sees [[Ien]] as more than a servant or even a friend; he sees him as the embodiment of his god's love.{{book ref|Elantris|16}} A seon could theoretically abandon its master,{{wob ref|893}} but how and why this could happen is not known; [[Hrathen]] views seons as heresy and is shocked upon learning that [[Wyrn (title)|Wyrn]] [[Wulfden the Fourth]] uses them. He uses his seon as a necessary tool to achieve higher goals, hating it and keeping it in a box, but it is always ready and willing to serve him when called upon.{{book ref|Elantris|12}} Unlike the [[Nahel bond]], the bond between seons and humans has not been shown to give either party any new abilities.

 

The bond can be Passed from person to person.{{book ref|Elantris|5}} The Passing is initiated when the seon's master instructs it to form a bond with a new person,{{book ref|Elantris|34}} but the mechanics of the change in bond is not clear. Passing can occur even if the human is an infant.{{book ref|Elantris|5}} It is not uncommon to keep a seon in the same family for hundreds of years.{{book ref|Elantris|5}}{{book ref|Elantris|34}} Raoden believes that the seons inherently need to serve and that they would seek out a new master if theirs suddenly died.{{book ref|Elantris|34}} In some cases, it appears that seons can be assigned by an authority figure; Wyrn gives one to Hrathen{{book ref|Elantris|12}} and Raoden gives two seons to [[Dashe]].{{book ref|thoe}}

 

As [[Splinter]]s of a [[Shard]] of [[Adonalsium]], seons are a sapient form of [[Investiture]] and possess several magical qualities. They are immortal.{{wob ref|3885}} They generate their own light and have control over their brightness, to the point that they can become nearly invisible.{{book ref|Elantris|32}} They move by floating and seem to be able to change their speed and altitude quickly.{{book ref|Elantris|32}} They are able to mimic human speech and mannerisms, which they may have perfected over time.{{book ref|Elantris|5}} Their senses are superior to those of humans.{{book ref|Elantris|32}} They have an innate sense of direction and can point the way to any place they have ever been.{{book ref|Elantris|32}}{{book ref|Elantris|62}} They cannot be harmed by conventional means.{{wob ref|7439}}

 

== History ==

=== Creation ===

 

 

=== The Reod ===

Upon the restoration of Elantris's magic, the seons recovered their sanity and returned to their former state.{{book ref|Elantris|63}} However, they were unable to remember the time that passed while the Shaod was incomplete{{book ref|Elantris|63}} and they may have been fundamentally changed by the experience.{{wob ref|7182}}{{wob ref|9561}}

 

 

 

 

Seons have many similarities to the spren that live on Roshar. Brandon has called them "the same thing"{{wob ref|9432}} but he has also noted that there are some differences that would not make them interchangeable.{{wob ref|6928}}{{wob ref|141}} Like spren, a seon's appearance in the Cognitive Realm would be different from their appearance in the Physical Realm.{{wob ref|8663}} The Nahel bond with a spren can theoretically be Passed like a seon bond.{{wob ref|885}}. Like spren, seons can turn into [[Shardblade]]s if they have something to pull them more into the [[Physical Realm]].{{wob ref|6197}} Seons can also be used to build a [[fabrial]], where the power of the Aon in the seon would influence what kind of fabrial can be made.{{wob ref|12918}}

 

{{for|:Category:Seons|a complete list of seons|Category:Seons}}

* [[Ashe]]

== Trivia ==

* Seons were inspired by a series of paintings by [[Michael Whelan]] called ''Passage''. Brandon saw the paintings in high school and wrote a story involving balls of light, which later became the seons.{{wob ref|1965}} The paintings can be seen on Michael Whelan's [https://www.michaelwhelan.com/gallery/personal-visions/passage/ website].

* The origins of seons and their connection to AonDor will be explored further in a sequel to Elantris.{{wob ref|7816}}