Sibling
Sibling | |
---|---|
Abilities | Nahel bond, Bondsmith magic |
Species | Spren |
Homeworld | Roshar |
Universe | Cosmere |
“ There is ... a third sibling. They are not with us. ”
— The Stormfather[1]
The Sibling is a notable spren on Roshar.[fn 1] It is related to the Stormfather and the Nightwatcher, and is thought to be the third spren historically associated with the Order of Bondsmiths.[3][1] The Sibling is also somehow connected to the tower city of Urithiru.[4][5]
Attributes and Abilities
The Sibling is known to have been alive for at least thousands of years[1] and possibly much longer, since they likely predate the founding of the Knights Radiant. Despite being inactive for millenia, they still exist in their previous form;[6] this implies that they are functionally immortal. The Sibling does not view themselves as having a gender.[7]
Bondsmith Spren
Although the Nightwatcher and the Stormfather are known to be connected to Cultivation and Honor respectively, the origins and nature of the Sibling are obscure. The Stormfather considers all three of them to be "siblings", and the fact that they are the only three spren that can bond with Bondsmiths[3] inidicates that they share some characteristics.
Urithiru
A series of notes presumably left by an Elsecaller in drawer 1-1 of the Urithiru gem archive directly linked the presence of the Sibling to the health of the tower city. The entries related the decline of the tower's functionality (particularly with respect to habitation failures) to the withdrawal of the Sibling, although some functions remained operational.[4][8]
History
“ My research into the cognitive reflections of the spren at the tower has been deeply illustrative. Some thought that the Sibling had withdrawn from men by intent—but I find counter to that theory. ”
The Sibling was presumably active during the Heraldic Epochs. Although they were capable of forming a Nahel bond, it is not confirmed that they did so; although there could never be more than three Bondsmiths, there were long periods where only one existed.[9]
The Sibling was somehow the key to certain magical aspects of the tower city of Urithiru that served as the base of the Knights Radiant. Notably, the Sibling's presence was linked to the climate of the city, allowing the temperature to stay unnaturally warm given Urithiru's elevation. This allowed the Radiants to cultivate crops in the city to sustain the large population there.[4][8] At some point, the Sibling began to withdraw from the tower. The Sibling's withdrawal caused some—but not all— of the city's magical systems to fail; it soon became uninhabitable, and the Radiants were forced to abandon the city.[10][8][11] It is not clear why the Sibling disengaged with mankind; an Elsecaller who left notes in the gem archive argued that the spren's disappearance was neither intentional nor a result of internal strife among the Knights Radiant.[4][8][12]
After the Sibling's departure, they were not hiding but rather "slumbering" in the millenia following the abandonment of Urithiru and the Recreance.[1] The Stormfather has generally been reticent to discuss the Sibling with Dalinar because they were somehow harmed by mankind in the past.[3][1]
Trivia
- The Sibling will appear in the first arc of The Stormlight Archive.[6]
Notes
- Footnotes
- References
- ↑ a b c d e Oathbringer chapter 111#
- ↑ JordanCon 2016
— Arcanum - 2016-04-23# - ↑ a b c d Oathbringer chapter 64#
- ↑ a b c d e Oathbringer chapter 68 epigraph#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 87 epigraph#
- ↑ a b DragonCon 2019
— Arcanum - 2019-09-02# - ↑ Skyward Pre-Release AMA
— Arcanum - 2018-11-03# - ↑ a b c d Oathbringer chapter 69 epigraph#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 67 epigraph#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 65 epigraph#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 72 epigraph#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 70 epigraph#