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|world=Sel
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[Elantris]],
}}
{{spoiler|sa4}}
{{quote
|You look at things as a human, young master. You see rank and distinction; you try to order the world so that everything has a place either above you or beneath you. To a seon, there is no above or beneath. There are only those we love. And we serve those we love.
}}
'''Seons''' are sapient magical beings that originate on [[Sel]]. They are [[Splinter]]s of [[Devotion]]{{wob ref|5991}}
== Appearance and Characteristics ==
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}} There is only one seon for each Aon.{{wob ref|14410}} 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}}
Each seon has an individual personality. They are generally agreeable, but can be affected by stress.{{wob ref|2068}}{{book ref|sa4|115}} Raoden and Sarene each note that their seons are incredibly wise.{{book ref|Elantris|5}}{{book ref|Elantris|10}} Seon personalities are very similar to those of humans and they are able to convey emotions easily; they may even have superstitions.{{book ref|Elantris|2}}
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}} Unbound seons are quite rare.{{book ref|sa4|115}}
== Powers and Abilities ==
They are able to link to each other over long distances to allow their masters to communicate instantly. They can temporarily transform into a three-dimensional image of the person speaking on the other end of the link.{{book ref|Elantris|2}}{{book ref|Elantris|12}} The image shows only the person's features and not anything else in their surroundings.{{book ref|Elantris|2}} It is not clear if they can transform for any other purpose.
Although [[Sel]]ish magic generally does not function properly away from Sel
[[Ashe]] noted that Elantris was once "overflowing" with seons{{book ref|Elantris|2}} and that nearly all Elantrians had one.{{book ref|thoe}} After the Reod, seons became increasingly rare as more of them went "mad".{{book ref|Elantris|5}} They remained common enough that some people in larger cities still ignored them,{{book ref|Elantris|23}} but Ashe mentioned that many people had become wary or even fearful of seons, since they associated them with the fall of Elantris.{{book ref|Elantris|5}} This attitude was more prevalent in Arelon, the presumed source of seons, than it was in Teod.{{book ref|Elantris|32}} ▼
Many people in [[Fjordell]] did not believe that seons existed,{{book ref|Elantris|2}} or that they were "heathen magic" that should be be shunned
After Elantris was restored and Raoden and Sarene became king and queen, seons were once again seen as desirable in Arelon.{{book ref|thoe}}▼
== History ==
=== Creation ===
Seons were created by the Splintering of [[Devotion]], a [[Shard of Adonalsium]].{{wob ref|7103}}{{wob ref|4679}} [[Odium]] traveled to [[Sel]] and killed both [[Aona]] and [[Skai]], the [[Vessel]]s of Devotion and [[Dominion]].{{wob ref|7103}} After they were killed, the power of their Shards
The people of [[Opelon]] and [[Teod]] did not know the true origin of the seons. The most common assumption was that they were created by Elantrians through AonDor,{{book ref|Elantris|12}}{{book ref|Elantris|34}}
=== The Reod ===
The [[Reod]] had a significant effect on the magic used in Arelon, including seons. The Reod disrupted the Elantrian connection to the Dor and corrupted the [[Shaod]].{{book ref|elantris|1}}
Seons that were not bound to an Elantrian were unaffected by the Reod. During this time (and possibly earlier) [[Wyrn (title)|Wyrn]] [[Wulfden the Fourth]] used seons to communicate with his [[gyorn]]s, an embarrassing and closely guarded secret.{{book ref|Elantris|12}} It is not known how Wyrn and the [[Derethi]] obtained their seons.
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}}▼
▲Upon the restoration of Elantris's magic, the mad seons recovered their sanity and returned to their former state.{{book ref|Elantris|63}} However, they were unable to remember the time that passed
▲=== Cultural Role ===
▲[[Ashe]] noted that Elantris was once "overflowing" with seons{{book ref|Elantris|2}} and that nearly all Elantrians had one.{{book ref|thoe}} After the Reod, seons became increasingly rare as more of them went "mad".{{book ref|Elantris|5}} They remained common enough that some people in larger cities still ignored them,{{book ref|Elantris|23}} but Ashe mentioned that many people had become wary or even fearful of seons, since they associated them with the fall of Elantris.{{book ref|Elantris|5}} This attitude was more prevalent in Arelon, the presumed source of seons, than it was in Teod.{{book ref|Elantris|32}}
=== On Roshar ===
▲Many people in [[Fjordell]] did not believe that seons existed,{{book ref|Elantris|2}} or that they were "heathen magic" that should be be shunned.{{book ref|Elantris|12}} In reality, [[Wyrn (title)|Wyrn]] [[Wulfden the Fourth]] used seons to communicate with his [[gyorn]]s, an embarrassing and closely guarded secret.{{book ref|Elantris|12}}
{{quote
|I'm … supposed to stay. I’m not supposed to talk. To you. To anyone.
▲After Elantris was restored and Raoden and Sarene became king and queen, seons were once again seen as desirable in Arelon.{{book ref|thoe}}
|[[Ala]], to [[Shallan]]{{book ref|sa4|115}}
}}
The [[Ghostbloods]] were able to bring at least two seons to [[Roshar]] through unknown means. [[Ala]] was kept in captivity and given to [[Shallan Davar]] for use as a communication device with [[Mraize]], who possessed another unknown seon. Ala, who seemed traumatized by the Ghostbloods, was eventually freed by Shallan with assistance from [[Kalak]]. [[Hoid]] informed Shallan of the nature of seons and the rarity of finding one that was not bound to someone.{{book ref|sa4|115}}
== Similarities to Spren ==
Seons have many similarities to the spren that live on Roshar.
== Notable Seons ==
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