Difference between revisions of "Spren"

|image=Emotion Spren by HollyMarie D'OenchSeeberger.jpg

|magicabilities=[[SurgebindingNahel bond]]s, [[Fabrial]]s, [[Singer]] forms

'''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 Bondbond]] between humans and spren is what allows the former to use [[Surgebinding]].{{book ref|sa1|57}} They are also used to create [[fabrial]]s.{{book ref|sa3|33}}

By contrast, a spren that has been killed after their Radiant acquires a [[Shardblade]] leaves behind a dead Shardblade, and while in 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}} Deadeye spren can be at least partially revived.{{book ref|sa4|94}} [[Mayalaran]], [[Adolin]]'s deadeye shardbladeShardblade, regains consciousness during Adolin's trial by witness in [[Lasting Integrity]] while under extreme emotional stress.{{book ref|sa4|94}}

Similar to a [[Cognitive Shadow]], a spren can be permanently killed by the use of a [[raysium]] dagger embedded with a gem of anti-Stormlight (though a spren in Shardblade form would be more resilient to this).{{book ref|sa4|104}}{{wob ref|15334}} Through unknown methods, a spren can have their cognitive form pulled into the physical realm, where the new body will spontaneously form organs and muscles, but the spren will die within minutes. The [[Stormfather]] calls this act an abomination, and claims that it should not be possible. Cryptics and Ashspren cannot be brought over properly, because the process of creating bodies for them results in a physical form that collapses upon itself immediately. [[Ishar]] speculates that their physiology does not conform to the natural laws of the Physical Realm.{{book ref|sa4|111}} These bodies can be made into [[Lifeless]] and affected by [[Forgery]].{{wob ref|14989}}

Larger spren have the ability to shape-shift, often mimicking faces, as well as being able to mimic voices.{{book ref|sa1|i|5}} They also have the ability to pick up small objects and give small pinches of energy.{{book ref|sa1|6}} They will often appear to a singular person, who they will taunt and play with.{{book ref|sa1|2}} Some humansof the [[Unkalaki]] have the ability to see these spren, even if the spren in question does not explicitly reveal itself to the viewer. These people are called ''[[Sighted|alaii'iku]]'' byin the [[Unkalaki]] language.{{book ref|sa1|21}}

Spren can be combined, similar to Shards.{{wob ref|215}} Some spren are also related to the physical phenomena of [[wikipedia:wave-function collapse|wave-function collapse]] -- one can fix certain spren's dimensions simply by the act of measuring it.{{book ref|sa1|i|8}} Spren notice when they are being watched and will change based on direct individual perception.{{book ref|sa4 |34}}

In contrast, spren that do possess sapience are referred to as true spren.{{book ref|sa3|4}} They seem to all represent higher concepts, such as honor for [[honorspren]] and truth and lies for [[Cryptic]]s. Nine types of true spren bond with humans to grant them [[Nahel Bondbond]]s and thus, the power of [[Surgebinding]]; however, there might be more types of sapient spren.

Non-crustacean creatures forming spren bonds include the [[Ryshadium]], a breed of horses which have evolved to attract some type of spren -- most likely musicspren.{{book ref|sa3|26}} This bond is the possible reason for the Ryshadium's unusually high intelligence, as well as their prodigious strength and other adaptations to Rosharan environment.{{book ref|sa3|10}}{{au ref|Rosharan}} The "magic fish" of the [[Purelake]] are another example of Rosharan fauna forming symbiotic bonds with spren.{{wob ref|2109}} Eating the fish grants numerous benefits, ranging from medicinal, like curing aches, to outright supernatural, like predicting when someone will come to visit or locating missing persons.{{book ref|sa1|i|5}} Whether or not the RyshadiumsRyshadium and the fish have gemhearts is unknown.

Each Order of the [[Knights Radiant]] forms a [[Nahel Bondbond]] with a different type of true spren.{{wob ref|6651}} This bond is similar in nature to the bond between a [[seon]] and its master, albeit unlike a seon bond, a Nahel bond grants numerous benefits to both parties.{{wob ref|3035}} The spren gains the capacity to retain higher mental functions while bonded; their partner gains access to [[Surgebinding]].{{book ref|sa1|57}} Though historically, only humans could become Surgebinders, during the [[True Desolation]] some spren have managed to form a Nahel Bond with a singer, although how this changes things is unknown.{{wob ref|7005}}{{book ref|sa3|120}} It's theoretically possible for someone to bond multiple spren, although this would require a lot of upkeep on the bondee's side in an effort not to break the rules of either bond.{{wob ref|6647}}

* [[Winnow (Roshar)|Winnow]]: Highspren of [[Ki]]

{{image|Deathspren by Marianne Eie.jpg|side=right|width=200px250px|Deathspren}}

It is also possible that only the dying can see the deathspren because they can temporarily see into the other Realms (either Spiritual or Cognitive); when Kaladin sees [[Syl]] defending him from the deathspren, she appears differently than before, as a solid figure of glowing light as opposed to her normal translucent manifestation in the Physical Realm.{{book ref|sa1|38}}

A large number of gloryspren appeared around [[Dalinar]] right before he summoned [[Honor's Perpendicularity]] at the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]] however when he summons it later on, they do not appear.

A type of spren that represents the power or force that causes things to fall. [[Zen-daughter-Vath]] sometimes found them around heavy objects.{{book ref|sa2|3}} [[Singers]] can bond them to enter [[workform]].{{book ref|sa4|11}} It is possible that they are the same as gravityspren.

A common type of spren that appears around plantlife, particularly just after [[highstorm]]s. They look like motes of glowing green dust, or swarms of tiny, translucent insects.{{book ref|sa1|3}} In the Cognitive Realm, they look very similar, but they have tufts of white hair that ripple as the lifespren move.{{book ref|sa3|93}} Singers view them as having white spines in addition to the glowing green mote,{{book ref|sa4|45}} and can bond them to enter [[mateform]].{{book ref|sa4|62}} They can be used along with Stormlight and music (specifically one of the [[Rhythm]]s) to make plants grow faster; this drains Stormlight and can crack gemstones, similar to a fabrial.{{book ref|sa4|15}}

A type of spren that flies around [[skyeel]]s and some [[greatshell]]s. In the Physical, luckspren have the appearance of tiny, blue, arrowhead-like fish that dart around the skyeel in the general direction of its travel. It is commonly believed by Rosharans that they allow the skyeel to fly in some manner, but the accuracy of this belief is not known.<ref name=luckspren />{{file ref|Skyeel.jpg|Shallan's Sketchbook: Skyeels}} [[Larkin]] and other greatshells bond to mandrasluckspren as they grow.,{{book ref|sa3.5|19}} allowing them to reach much larger sizes without being crushed than would otherwise be physiologically possible.{{wob ref|1227}}{{wob ref|183}} Occasionally, one around a chasmfiend will drift away from the rest and disappear, briefly puffing into a plume of smoke,{{book ref|sa2|70}} and when a chasmfiend dies, its remaining luckspren leave in a similar way.{{book ref|sa2|72}}{{book ref|sa1|15}} This does not seem to happen around other creatures, however, and the knowledge these spren are luckspren does not appear to be widespread.{{book ref|sa1|15}}

In Shadesmar, luckspren are known as mandras. There, they are far larger, with long, sinuous bodies and arrow-shaped heads. They are often harnessed by various spren to pull ships through the seas of beads, as there is no wind to sail on. They have a habit of "dropping out", vanishing temporarily into the Physical Realm, and then reappearing in Shadesmar, necessitingnecessitating any single ship to have several mandras hitched to it.{{book ref|sa3|99}}

A common type of spren that appear around those experiencing pain. They have the appearance of sinewy, orange hands.{{book ref|sa1|1}} They crawl out of the ground and swarm the pained, latching on to the wounded areas.{{book ref|sa1|16}} Singers bond with them to enter warform.{{citebook ref|sa4|68}}

ListenersSingers can bond stormspren to attain [[stormform]], granting them the ability to shoot red lightning.{{book ref|sa2|i|11}} They also cause the listenersinger to be more callous and feel superior to others, and give access to Odium's Rhythms.{{book ref|sa2|i|8}}

A common type of spren that appear in the presence of wind. As one of the larger types of spren, windspren are able to change their appearance at will, though they often appear as ribbons of light.{{book ref|sa1|2}} The leading edge of a highstorm is home to thousands of them.{{book ref|sa1|34}} They are also common at the tail of a highstorm, as if chasing after it.{{book ref|sa1|4}} They are a rare sight in Shadesmar, as they spend almost all their time in the Physical Realm. A windspren in Shadesmar is described as a pinprick of light trailing a long luminescense behind it, moving much like it would in the Physical Realm.{{book ref|sa3|108}} Windspren also seem attracted to Radiants moving particularly fast, such as Windrunners and Edgedancers utilizing Gravitation and FrictionAbrasion.{{book ref|sa2|52}}{{book ref|sa2.5|1}}

Windspren are closely related to [[honorspren]], such as Sylphrena.{{wob ref|4071}} This is evidenced by their ability to stick things together,{{book ref|sa1|2}} making use of a rudimentary version of the [[Surge]] of Adhesion.{{wob ref|3260}} They generally use this ability to play pranks on people, doing things like sticking shoes to stone or sticking shoelaces together to cause someone to trip.{{book ref|sa3|77}} Additionally, windspren form Windrunner [[Shardplate|Plate]].{{book ref|sa4|110}} Kaladin Stormblessed occasionally attracts windspren, and has been able to control them-and by extension, the wind itself-on at least one occasion; it is unclear if this is unique to him or if any Windrunner can do it.{{book ref|sa3|31}}

A"Keenspren" typeis a nickname for one of the types of Radiant spren, mentionedalthough bywhich one has not been clarified.{{wob ref|15692}} [[Wyndle]], who considers '"growing a garden for keenspren'" to be a comparison point for the weirdness of a conversation.{{book ref|sa2.5|6}}

* '''Windspren''': the corrupted windspren arelook onlya describeddifferent color, being difficult to see as "...trailingthey are transparent, and also trail red light."{{book ref|sa3|78}}{{book Whether this means thatref|sa4|113}}{{book the ribbons of light themselves were red is unclear.ref|sa4|epilogue}}

The Stormfather is one of the oldest entities on Roshar, having existed in some form prior to the [[Shattering]].{{wob ref|9266}} He is the Cognitive manifestation of peoples' impression of the [[highstorm]].{{book ref|sa3|31}} He exists mostly in the Physical Realm, with only a minor presence in Shadesmar.{{book ref|sa3|107}} He commands the highstorms that circle the planet, with the ability to choose when to send one.{{book ref|sa2|83}} While he generally accompanies storms, his level of power allows him to be much more omnipresent.{{wob ref|4268}} He's one of the three main [[Bondsmith]] spren, granting the [[Surge]]s of [[Adhesion]] and [[Tension]].{{book ref|sa2|89}}

* [[Jasnah]], an [[Elsecaller]], is surrounded by a glow of geometric patterns for a moment during the Battle of Thaylen Field.{{book ref|sa3|120}} However, it has been confirmed that her Plate is formed of logicspren.