Difference between revisions of "Voidbringer"

In rural areas, Voidbringers played a wide variety of cultural roles in the culture. Oftentimes the Voidbringers were seen as mischievous, rather than evil, punishing foolish people and causing bad luck.{{book ref|sa1|45}} They were are often blamed for small misfortunes, such as a blighted crop{{book ref|sa1|10}} or laundry going missing.{{book ref|sa1|45}} In more urban areas, stories of the Voidbringers are slightly different. They are said to be a type of evil spren that walk the night and enter the hearts of good men{{book ref|sa1|45}} and make them do terrible things.{{book ref|sa1|61}} The poorly educated oftenSome confuse mental illness for possession by a Voidbringer.{{book ref|sa2|63}} Voidbringers are almost seen as beingoften synonymous with monsters and other superstitions, hiding in corners or under the bed.{{book ref|sa1|42}} The term Voidbringer is even sometimes used as an affectionate nickname for troublemakers,{{book ref|sa2|39}} or a metaphor for difficult past events.{{book ref|sa2|41}}

There are darker rumors of the Voidbringers as well. They are also said to haunt the most violent highstorms{{book ref|sa1|4}} along with the shades of the Lost Radiants, causing the damage left by the storm{{book ref|sa1|16}} and feasting on human flesh{{book ref|sa1|4}} and stealing their hearts.{{book ref|sa1|43}} Other groups claim that the Voidbringers steal souls.{{book ref|sa2|i|9}} Some peoples, such as the [[Unkalaki]], totally deny that the Voidbringers ever existingexisted, believing them to be campfire tales.{{book ref|sa1|43}} Any sort of oddity, like the powers associated with [[Surgebinding]], may be considered to be related to the Voidbringers by darkeyes{{book ref|sa1|73}} and lighteyes alike.{{book ref|sa1|72}} In fact, any oddity such as a talking animal,{{book ref|sa2|45}} a shadow that points the wrong way,{{book ref|sa2|i|3}} or a spren that speaks{{book ref|sa2|81}} may be associated with the Voidbringers. Even only a few generations after Aharietiam, the specifics of what the they looked like were forgotten, with ancient artists drawing pictures of [[chasmfiend]]s and labeling them Voidbringers.{{book ref|sa1|28}} They are often associated with the Lost Radiants, who are said to have betrayed mankind to the Voidbringers,{{book ref|sa1|43}} although in Vorin theology this is not believed to be the case. For instance, [[Dalinar Kholin]] suspected that [[Dalinar's visions|his visions]] might come from the Voidbringers.{{book ref|sa1|65}}

Tales of the Voidbringers are common among the darkeyes, and are occasionally collected into volumes, such as [[Shadows Remembered]].{{book ref|sa1|33}} In these, the Voidbringers are often associated with stories of ghosts and spirits;{{book ref|sa1|33}} in fact in some tales, the dead become Voidbringers.{{book ref|sa2|5}} In one such tale, a boy who left his home at night was chased to a cavern near a lake by the Voidbringers.{{book ref|sa1|33}} He escaped by floating a piece of wood carved in a human shape out onto the lake and tricking the Voidbringers into devouring that instead of him. In another story, a wayward traveler shown kindness slaughtered a whole family, drinkdrank their blood, and writewrote voidish symbols on the walls.{{book ref|sa1|45}} There are other tales of evil men made immortal and tortured over and over again, like the story of [[Extes]].{{book ref|sa1|49}} They also often exist on the periphery of other tales. For instance, Derethil sailed west to discover where the Voidbringers spawned and destroy them there{{book ref|sa1|57}} and [[Parasaphi]]'s people had been slaughtered by the Voidbringers in the Desolation.{{book ref|sa1|61}}