Difference between revisions of "Spren"

'''Spren''' are fragments of the [[Adonalsium|powers of creation]] that have gained sentience through the influence of sapient beings on [[Roshar]].{{book ref|sa2|3}} They are vastly varied in their appearances, characteristics, and levels of intelligence.{{book ref|sa2|1}} They are deeply connected with the [[Knights Radiant]], as a [[Nahel Bond]] between humans and spren areis what allows the former to use [[Surgebinding]].{{book ref|sa1|57}} They are also used to create [[fabrial]]s.{{book ref|sa3|33}}

In the strictest sense, however, spren are [[splinter]]s of one of more Shards, with a single spren being composed of one or more types of [[Investiture]]. Most spren are [[splinter]]ssplinters of [[Honor]] and [[Cultivation]], or a mixture of both that leans towards either one [[Shard]] or the other.{{wob ref|11949}} There are said to be thousands of different kinds of spren, each named for a different type of phenomenon.{{book ref|sa1|49}} They vary vastly in size, with the smallest being the size of a thumbnail, while the largest can dwarf buildings.{{file ref|Rosharan Wines.jpg|Rosharan Wines}}{{book ref|sa1|i|5}}

Spren are generally personification of certain cognitive ideals and concepts;{{wob ref|4135}} as such, they come into being in the realm of thought, the [[Cognitive Realm]]. There, loose [[Investiture]] left behind by the [[Shard]]sShards comes alive, shaped and given cognizance by the ideas and concepts of the collective experience of sentient creatures. Over time, those ideas and concepts, imprinted upon scraps of Investiture, become personified as an external entity, becoming spren.

Some spren predate the arrival of Honor and Cultivation to Roshar, and perhaps even the [[Shattering]]. These are [[Splinter]]sSplinters of [[Adonalsium]] itself that it left behind intentionally and that have attained sentience on their own since then.{{wob ref|10563}} This tendency towards sentience, which can be seen both in Shard-derived spren and Adonalsium-derived spren, is a result of [[cosmere]]-wise phenomenon of Investiture attaining sentience when left on its own.{{wob ref|1473}} However, while comparable entities exist on other worlds -- most notably, [[seon]]sseons and [[skaze]] -- the sheer amount of spren created is unique to Roshar.

Spren do not need to sleep,{{book ref|sa1|14}} but they can die.{{wob ref|96}} Spren with a [[Nahel Bond]] can die if their bonded [[Surgebinder]] breaks their Oaths to an untenable degree. However, there are stages to spren death, and it's not necessarily one-way. If the Radiant who broke their Oaths is not yet at the point where they would acquire a [[Shardblade]], the spren simply seems to disappear.{{book ref|sa2|69}} Such a spren can be brought back to life if the Radiant returns to abiding by the Oaths, and re-swears them. It's possible that swearing the next level of the Ideals is a necessary part of the process.{{book ref|sa2|84}}

By contrast, a spren that has been killed after the Third Oath leaves behind a dead [[Shardblade]], while in the Shadesmar, they take the form of a [[deadeye]].{{book ref|sa2|87}}{{book ref|sa3|101}} A deadeye is a zombie-like figure with scratched-out eyes, constantly striving to mindlessly reach the location of its Blade.{{book ref|sa3|101}} Whether it can be brought back to life is uncertain, although it has nevennever happened before.{{book ref|sa3|28}}

In Shadesmar, spren appear to feed off [[StormlightHighstorm]]s, growing more lively and energetic when one passes over them.{{book ref|sa3|101}} They are attracted to the particular phenomena they are named after, popping up around the affected area or person -- for example, someone who is scared will attract fearspren.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} However, the causal link between spren and their namesake is not fully understood on Roshar, as some spren, like rotspren, are believed to cause their namesake rather than being attracted by it.{{book ref|sa1|57}}

[[File:Shadesmar Spren.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Several types of lesser spren (and a [[Reacher]]), as seen in Shadesmar]]

Lesser spren vary in how much they appear in the [[Physical Realm]]. Some, like windspren, exist almost entirely in the Physical, having next to no imprint on Shadesmar. By contrast, others exist mostly in Shadesmar, with only parts of them, like tongues or drool, visible in the Physical.{{book ref|sa3|95}} There are also spren like [[mandra]]s (luckspren), who will often and easily switch between existing in the Cognitive and the Physical. In Shadesmar, this phenomenon is called "dropping", as the spren appears to drop out of existence, and then drop back in.{{book ref|sa3|99}}

While the lesser spren are often invisible, they are said to be ever present and will pop up around the phenomenon they are named for.{{book ref|sa1|7}} This is with the exception of [[Shinovar]], where spren rarely appear.{{book ref|sa1|i|4}}{{wob ref|8714}} Some spren are easier to find than others, though even the most common will, at times, fail to appear.{{book ref|sa1|i|5}} In [[Shinovar]] in particular, all types of spren are exceptionally rare.{{book ref|sa1|i|4}}{{wob ref|8714}}

There is a small number of spren that are one of a kind, with no other like them in the world. Those include the native spren of Roshar, such as the [[Nightwatcher]], the [[Stormfather]], [[Cusicesh]] and the [[Sibling]], as well as the nine great spren of Odium called the [[Unmade]]. Each of them appears to have a unique power or ability -- for example, Nightwatcher can grant boons and banes, [[Moelach]] can induce [[Death Rattle]]s, and the Stormfather commands the [[highstorm]]s. The intelligence of unique spren varies greatly -- while some have almost humanlike minds, others are animalistic and act more as forces than they do as people.{{epigraph ref|sa3|104}} The former are capable of communicating with humans, and picking who can and cannot hear them.{{book ref|sa3|83}}

At least some unique spren can be bonded. [[Bondsmiths]] gain their powers from such bonds, with the Stormfather being one of the three great Bondsmith spren.{{book ref|sa2|89}}{{epigraph ref|sa2|44}} Some Unmade also bond with people -- [[Yelig-Nar]] grants the use of all ten [[Surge]]s to whoever swallows a gem containing him, and [[Re-Shephir]] attempts to displace a Nahel Bond.{{epigraph ref|sa3|95}}{{book ref|sa3|30}} Whether an Unmade can become a Bondsmith spren is unknown at this point in time.

* [[Cryptic]]s ([[Order of Lightweavers|Lightweavers]])

[[Bondsmiths]] powers are granted by some of the unique spren, including the [[Stormfather]].{{book ref|sa2|89}} The names of spren of the orders of [[Stonewards]] and [[Truthwatchers]] are not known at this point, although the spren themselves have been seen. A Truthwatcher spren appears as a patch of light, as if reflected from a mirror, while in the Physical Realm;{{book ref|sa2.5|20}} a Stoneward spren looks like a humanoid figure with skin of cracked stone and molten light glowing from within while in Shadesmar.{{book ref|sa3|102}}

* Unnamed [[Truthwatcher]] spren of [[Stump]]

* Unnamed [[Truthwatcher]] spren of [[Ym]]

=== Alespren ===

=== Angerspren ===

=== Anticipationspren ===

=== Ashspren ===

A type of sapient spren that forms Nahel Bonds with the Knights Radiant [[Order of Dustbringers]], granting them their powers.{{book ref|sa3|107}} Ashspren grant the [[Surge]]s of Division and Abrasion. In Shadesmar, they havahave a humanoid form with ash-white skin that falls away when the ashpren moves, revealing boness underneath before quickly growing back.{{book ref|sa3|102}} Their appearance is unknown, as they seem to have the ability to hide from both other humans and other spren.{{book ref|sa3|107}}

=== Awespren ===

=== Bindspren ===

=== Coldspren ===

=== Concentrationspren ===

=== Creationspren ===

=== Cryptics ===

=== Cultivationspren ===

=== Deathspren ===

=== Decayspren ===

=== Exhaustionspren ===

=== Fearspren ===

=== Fermentationspren ===

=== Flamespren ===

=== Gloomspren ===

=== Gloryspren ===

=== Gravityspren ===

=== Greatshell Spren ===

=== Groundspren ===

=== Heatspren ===

=== Honorspren ===

=== Hungerspren ===

=== Inkspren ===

=== Joyspren ===

=== Keenspren ===

=== Laughterspren ===

=== Lifespren ===

=== Lightspren ===

[[Timbre]], [[Ico]], and his [[Ico's father|father]] are lightspren.

=== Logicspren ===

=== Luckspren ===

=== Mistspren ===

=== Musicspren ===

=== Painspren ===

=== Passionspren ===

=== Rainspren ===

===Riverspren Rainbowspren ===

=== Rotspren ===

=== Shockspren ===

=== Starspren ===

=== Windspren ===

== Corrupted Spren ==

Unique spren are spren that are one of a kind, or at least exceedingly rare and powerful. Most of thethem appear to have been created, or at least heavily affected, by direct [[Shard]]ic influence. They include:

The Nightwatcher is a [[splinter]] of [[Cultivation]],{{wob ref|9207}} and has been raised by Cultivation akin to a child.{{book ref|sa3|114}} She holds court in aan overgrown, fertile region known as the [[Valley]] of the Nightwatcher, slightly south of [[Urithiru]], in the mountains of [[Greater Hexi]].{{map ref|Roshar}} Any visitor there can ask for a boon; she might bestow something that strives to fulfill that boon. However, each boon is also associated with a curse, which is not necessarily matching.{{book ref|sa1|i|7}} Boons can range from mental alterations, such as renown or skill, or physical gifts, like wealth or magical objects. However, the Nightwatcher has some problems understanding more abstract requests, like forgiveness or unchanging. For this reason, Cultivation monitors her closely, intervening if need be.{{book ref|sa3|114}}

Apart from the real spren, Rosharan folklore has a small number of creatures whose existence is questionable, but which are also referred to as spren. Chief among them are the '''[[Dawnsingers]]''', which the [[Vorin]] theology teaches were servants of the [[Almighty]], sent by him to care for mankind on Roshar.{{book ref|sa1|45}} In the lore, Dawnsingers are credited with bestowing numerous gifts upon humanity, including the [[Dawnchant]], humanity's original written language, and [[Dawncities]], a group of ancient settlements following [[cymatics|cymatic]] patterns.{{book ref|sa1|33}}{{book ref|sa1|54}} The [[ardent]]s of [[Palanaeum]] claim that their library was constructed by the Dawnsingers.{{book ref|sa1|7}} It's eventually revealed, however, that the Dawnsingers aren't spren, but rather the ancient [[singers]], the orignaloriginal inhabitants of Roshar.{{book ref|sa3|11}}

* [[Dalinar Kholin]], a [[Bondsmith]], brings together an incredible amount of [[gloryspren]] during the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]]. Notably, people around him often draw a gloryspren or several, despite the type's supposed rarity.

* [[Nightwatcher]], whom Brandon has previously stated is on the same level as the Stormfather{{wob ref|174}}

* The [[Sibling]], based on their connection to [[Urithiru]] and the Stormfather's comments about how humans had harmed them before{{book ref|sa3|111}}