Yelig-nar

Yelig-nar
by Petar Penev
Abilities	Splinter of Odium
Bonded With	Aesudan (formerly), Amaram (formerly)
Titles	Blightwind
Groups	Unmade
Species	Spren
Homeworld	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere
First Appeared	Oathbringer

“Yelig-nar, called Blightwind, was one that could speak like a man, though often his voice was accompanied by the wails of those he consumed. ”

—Traxil, line 33, from Jasnah's notebook

Yelig-nar, also known as Blightwind, is one of the Unmade, an ancient and terrible spren of Odium. Unlike many of the Unmade, Yelig-nar does not appear to have a physical form, seemingly reliant on a bonding with a human or a singer, granting his host a variety of abilities. Most recently, Yelig-nar joined with Meridas Amaram to fight in the Battle of Thaylen Field. Exactly what level of intelligence Yelig-nar himself has is uncertain, as the people he bonds with appear to initially retain aspects of their own memories and personality.

Appearance and Abilities

“Yelig-nar had great powers, perhaps the powers of all Surges compounded in one. He could transform any Voidbringer into an extremely dangerous enemy. Curiously, three legends I found mention swallowing a gemstone to engage this process. ”

—From Hessi’s Mythica, page 27

Instead of having a specific physical appearance, Yelig-nar is capable of joining with people or singers who swallow a gemstone. This gemstone seems to serve as a housing for Yelig-nar. It appears that the people who bond with Yelig-nar maintain their personality and memories, at least initially, but they must control him if they do not wish to be consumed by him.

In Shadesmar, Yelig-nar takes the form of a swirling figure of black smoke the size of a normal person. When a person has swallowed a gemstone and bonds Yelig-nar, a dark smoke swirls around them. Their eyes darken to a red color that occasionally shifts between specific shades such as crimson or a dark blood red. They gradually grow carapace and amethyst crystals that glow with a deep violet light from all over their bodies, including their limbs and heads. Eventually even the organs within the person's chest cavity will be replaced with an enormous amethyst overgrown with dark veins. The central amethyst in the torso is a weak spot for Yelig-nar; when it is damaged its glow will flicker. Once the amethyst sustains sufficient damage, it will explode. When the person Yelig-nar has bonded is killed, a dark smoke escapes from the corpse.

A bond with Yelig-nar grants a person the ability to make use of all ten Surges, although it is unclear if he can grant Adhesion, as it is unusable by Fused.It is uncertain where the power source for these Surges comes from, but it is possible that Yelig-nar makes use of Voidlight. It also seems possible that Yelig-nar grants preternatural skills in combat, as Amaram fights seemingly impossibly gracefully with two Shardblades.

According to mythology, Yelig-nar supposedly consumes souls, but it is not known for certain what this means. It is likely that it simply refers to the people he bonds with, since he feeds on their Identity and Connection, but it is uncertain if the damage is permanent. Yelig-nar consumes his victims entirely, like Nightblood, meaning they would not appear in Shadesmar before traveling to the Beyond upon dying.

History

Early History

Yelig-nar's origin is unknown. It is uncertain when he came into being. Yelig-nar was involved in the past Desolations; he once broke into Nohadon's chancery and killed all of Nohadon's scribes. Following Aharietiam, Yelig-nar seems to have remained on Roshar, although any actions he may have taken are unknown. Yelig-nar was mentioned in a work of writing by Traxil that was often cited, but some, including Jasnah Kholin, doubted its authenticity.

“If you wish for the promised power, ingest that—then try to control the one who follows. But be warned, the queen at Kholinar tried this, and the power consumed her.”

—Odium to Meridas Amaram

True Desolation

Aesudan

Following the arrival of the Everstorm and the beginning of the True Desolation, Yelig-nar became active again. Alethi Queen Aesudan Kholin, inspired by her father-in-law King Gavilar, began an investigation into the Unmade. She successfully managed to bond Yelig-nar, beginning her transformation during the Siege of Kholinar during Kholinar Wall Guard's attack on the palace. She and her Queen's Guard followed Kaladin and King Elhokar down into the eastern gallery of the palace, but she did not pursue them after Elhokar's death. However, Aesudan was not strong enough to control Yelig-nar and sometime afterward the power consumed her.

Amaram

During the Battle of Thaylen Field, Highlord Meridas Amaram swallowed an amethyst and bonded with Yelig-nar in fulfillment of the promised power Odium had offered him. He and some of the Fused fought Kaladin as Amaram transformed, growing amethyst crystals from his body. Kaladin successfully managed to crack the gemstone that had replaced Amaram's heart, heavily injuring him and knocking him out of the battle for a time. Later, when Nergaoul was captured, Amaram confronted a heavily wounded Kaladin who had exhausted his Stormlight. Amaram nearly killed Kaladin with a Shardblade. However, Rock arrived in time to shoot Amaram in the head and chest with arrows from a grandbow, shattering Amaram's central amethyst, killing Amaram and separating Yelig-nar from his host.

Notes

This page is complete!

This page contains all the knowledge we have on the subject at this time.
Windrunner (talk) 16:06, 24 November 2017 (MST)