Difference between revisions of "Shard"

It is widely believed that there are sixteen Shards. Though this has not been confirmed, there are several passages in cosmere books that hint at there being sixteen Shards. Each Shard is associated with an emotion or idea, and over time, the personality of the [[Shardholder]] changes to more closely match the concept that their Shard embodies. For example, in [[The Way of Kings]], we are told that Ati, the holder of [[Ruin]], was once a kind and gentle man. However, when we see him in the [[Mistborn]] Trilogy, he is known only as Ruin, the essence of destruction, and is currently attempting to destroy the world.

 

 

As of [[The Way of Kings]], it has been confirmed that a Shard of Adonalsium can be further shattered, a process known as [[Splintering]]. The only known instance of this occurred with the Shards held by Aona and Skai after Rayse killed them during his visit to Sel.

==Abilities==

It is not entirely clear what abilities each of the Shards have. They seem to be limited in some ways by the idea their Shard embodies - for example, neither Ruin nor Preservation was able to create on their own (as creation was contrary to the nature of their Shards), but when they worked together, they were able to create life on [[Scadrial]]. Endowment is apparently able to bring certain individuals back from the dead on [[Nalthis]]. The capabilities of the Shards on [[Sel]] are unknown, as both Skai and Aona were dead by the time the events of [[Elantris]] took place. The only known Shards on [[Roshar]] are The Almighty and Cultivation. The Almighty is confirmed to be dead, and we have as of yet seen nothing of Cultivation, meaning we know very little of their influence on Roshar.