Tai-na
| Tai-na | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Greatshell |
| Sapient | Yes |
| Native to | Reshi Sea |
| World of Origin | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“The Tai-na is a good place to grow. Good place to live. Except when it's at war. ”
The Tai-na are sapient island-sized greatshells worshiped as gods. They are inhabited by the Reshi of Roshar.
Appearance and Anatomy[edit]
The Tai-na are the largest greatshells on Roshar.[2] They are the size of islands, and entire communities reside on their backs; Rysn believes that the Tai-na known as Relu-na is as large as a town.[3] A single Tai-na eye is described as a "the size of a house" and it is situated more than fifty feet from the top of its head.[1] They have huge mouths with massive mandibles; they enjoy fruit as a snack, although their primary sustenance is not known.[1] Their legs are over sixty feet long, able to reach the bottom of the Reshi Sea as they walk along. The main body of the Tai-na is hundreds of feet tall, and hiking to the top of the shell from sea level is a long, arduous trek.[1] Tai-na have skin that is covered in plates of carapace. The shell is often carved by the Reshi into stairs in order to more easily climb the Tai-na; this is not thought to harm the animal.[1] They are extremely long-lived.[4]
Spren bond[edit]
The Tai-na are able to grow to extraordinary size due to a spren bond[5] related to their gemhearts[6] that allow their bodies to defy the laws of physics.[7][8] Tai-na are able to grow larger than terrestrial greatshells due to their aquatic habitat,[2] although they technically could survive on land.[5] Axies the Collector, who is an expert on spren, believes that the Tai-na spren must be "spectacular" (even in comparison to those of other greatshells) to allow them to grow to such a large size.[1] The Tai-na spren seem to be sapient, and are thought to be capable of limited interaction with the physical world, such as slowing the fall of objects.[1] The Reshi jealously guard the island's spren, refusing to let outsiders investigate it.[1]
Ecology[edit]
A full ecosystem exists on the back of a Tai-na, including grass, trees, and shalebark. Some plants manage to find root in cracks on the Tai-na's plate. Most of the carapace is covered in forest and jungle, while the top of the head contains an open field of rockbuds. Some larkin also lived on at least one Tai-na, despite the belief that they had gone extinct in the scouring of Aimia.[1]
There are dozens to hundreds of Tai-na on the Reshi Sea.[1]
Culture[edit]
The Reshi that make their homes on the back of the Tai-na worship them as their gods; they state that they live to serve and please their gods. They believe that the Tai-na approve of boldness, and interpret the movements of the Tai-na as divine will.[1] They also believe that these movements can be predicted, although sometimes they deviate from the expected course. At times when two Tai-na get close, the two islands may go to war. Each island has soldiers and a king (who may be of either gender) who lead them in these skirmishes.[1] Little bloodshed takes place, with the victory going to the bolder warriors. Other times when Tai-na get close to one another, good things happen. Which occurs is somehow determined by the Tai-na.[1]
The residents of the Tai-na are generally secretive about the Tai-na and their spren. They will not discuss the spren—which they refer to as the "souls" of the islands—with outsiders, and they are not always forthcoming about simple facts like the Tai-na's diet.[1] Their reticence means that even educated people from other parts of Roshar (such as Rysn) are sometimes completely unaware of the existence of Tai-na.[1]
The inhabitants include both native Reshi and expatriates from other Rosharan nations who have sought out the Reshi lifestyle. Vstim notes that the immigrants from other parts of Roshar are only allowed to stay if they give all of their possessions to the king.[1] Many of the inhabitants are somewhat carefree and spend much of their time swimming or high diving, usually in the nude.[1] Some residents are combative, but in both battle and trade they are prone to posturing.[1] The islanders are not primitive, but they do not have a great deal of contact with the outside world and are unaware of political and economic conditions on the mainland.[1] However, they cannot produce all of the goods that they need on the island (such as medicine and textiles), and are forced to trade with outsiders. Therefore, they only trade with those that they respect and trust to be fair.[1] Some Reshi travel to other parts of Roshar for education and training.[1]
Notable Tai-na[edit]
- Relu-na - Saved Rysn's life and somehow gave her a larkin.[1]
- Na-Alind - A family of Tai-na that took the larkin in after their near-extinction.[9]
Trivia[edit]
- The Tai-na were first alluded to in The Way of Kings, during Ashir's interlude.[10]
- The Tai-na are larger than some versions of Godzilla.[2]
- In some Slavic languages "taina" means "mystery" or "secret".
Notes[edit]
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Words of Radiance interlude I-3#
- ↑ a b c Arcanum Unbounded Chicago signing
— Arcanum - 2016-12-06# - ↑ Oathbringer interlude I-13#
- ↑ /r/books AMA 2015
— Arcanum - 2015-05-29# - ↑ a b OdysseyCon 2016
— Arcanum - 2016-04-08# - ↑ Salt Lake ComicCon FanX 2016
— Arcanum - 2016-03-26# - ↑ Words of Radiance Seattle signing
— Arcanum - 2014-03-08# - ↑ Oathbringer chapter 99#
- ↑ Dawnshard chapter 1#
- ↑ The Way of Kings interlude I-8#