Shard blade lighteye’s children

[Cavani Kholin]

Do Shardblades change the genetic makeup of a darkeyes, when they bond?

Shardblades change a darkeye’s eyes, and make them lighter. However, would this make them truly, genetically a lighteyes?

I was rereading WoK, and during a conversation Kaladin had with his mother, it was written that if he married Laral, their children ‘would have a chance of being lighteyed or darkeyed’. 

If Kaladin (with lighter eyes) conceived a child, would the child have a 100% chance of being a lighteyes, or would it be about 50/50? 
Or are Radiants different, as Kaladin’s eyes went back to normal after a short while? Does this only apply to darkeyes who won a Shardblade?

I don’t think this can ever be answered apart from WoB, but I think it’s interesting

Edited June 1, 2022 by Numuhukumakiakiaialunamo
Grammar

[Chaos he/him]

Hi there. You're looking for the Stormlight Archive board. The 17th Shard Discussion forum is for discussion about the website itself, not book discussion. I have moved this to the appropriate place.

[Treamayne]

12 hours ago, Cavani Kholin said:

Do Shardblades change the genetic makeup of a darkeyes, when they bond?

This is unlikely. The bond changes eyes based on the blade's spren:

 Kaladin has dark brown eyes (faintly amber when glowing with Stormlight) until the third ideal, when they become blue because Syl is an Honorspren. But the always revert backif he goes too long without using the Sylblade.

 Moash, whose brown eyes become a light Tan after bonding his blade also has his eyes revert after the blade is taken from him. Note: they become tan not because they are lightened from brown, but because the blade is a deadeye from whichever order is associated with that color. Likely Stonewards and Topaz

AFAIK, the only confirmed Connections are:

Spoiler

• Windrunners - Sapphire - Blue
• Skybreakers - Smokestone - Gray
• Edgedancers - Diamond - Clear
• Lightweavers - Garnet - Garnet

WoB

Spoiler

Darkness (paraphrased)

When a darkeyed person obtains a Shardblade. Does their new eye color reflect the specific type of blade they bonded?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes.

 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Treamayne
Edgedancer Data

[cometaryorbit]

I think it has to be hereditary in some way since its strongly implied that lighteyes are descended from Shardbearers, Knights Radiant, or both.

It is weird that their eye color changes are only temporary though, while their presumed descendants are permanently lighteyed.

...although everyone we've seen change eye color, like Kaladin and Moash, hasn't had the Blade for all that long. Maybe someone who was a Knight or Shardbearer for a decade would have a permanent change?

[EmulatonStromenkiin he/him]

In ROW, I believe it says that Kaladin has had the blade long enough that his eyes were permanently lighter.

[Stormtide_Leviathan]

In the cosmere, there's normal dna like we have in the real world, but also spiritual and cognitive "dna" as well that plays by different rules. Probably shardblades affect spiritual dna, cause we do know lighteyes have those eyes because they're descended from shardbearers.

[Letryx13]

4 hours ago, Treamayne said:

This is unlikely. The bond changes eyes based on the blade's spren:

 Kaladin has dark brown eyes (faintly amber when glowing with Stormlight) until the third ideal, when they become blue because Syl is an Honorspren. But the always revert backif he goes too long without using the Sylblade.

 Moash, whose brown eyes become a light Tan after bonding his blade also has his eyes revert after the blade is taken from him. Note: they become tan not because they are lightened from brown, but because the blade is a deadeye from whichever order is associated with that color. Likely Stonewards and Topaz

AFAIK, the only confirmed Connections are:

  Reveal hidden contents

• Windrunners - Sapphire - Blue
• Skybreakers - Smokestone - Gray
• Endgedancers - Emerald - Green

WoB

  Reveal hidden contents

Darkness (paraphrased)

When a darkeyed person obtains a Shardblade. Does their new eye color reflect the specific type of blade they bonded?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes.

 

It’s not conclusive, but I think the blade is described as having vines on it. That sounds like a cultivation spren. I’d think that would mean green eyes. 

[Treamayne]

2 hours ago, Letryx13 said:

It’s not conclusive, but I think the blade is described as having vines on it. That sounds like a cultivation spren. I’d think that would mean green eyes. 

Looks like I had Edgedancer wrong - I found in the Coppermind:

Spoiler

Quote

Her skin is tan and she has the rounded features of the Reshi. Her eyes were originally brown, but by the time Dalinar meets her in Azimir, her eyes are a pale, clear color, likely the result of her being an Edgedancer.

Oathbringer Ch 65

Quote

He leaned forward, pushing the two bowls of dried fruit toward her. She attacked them. Dalinar leaned back in the seat. This girl seemed so out of place. Though she was lighteyed—with pale, clear irises—that didn’t matter as much in the west.

 

But you were right that Abrobadar's blade that Moash receives has a vine pattern:
 

Spoiler

WoR Ch 66

Quote

The armorers removed the sheets, revealing a shimmering silvery Blade. Edged on both sides, a pattern of twisting vines ran up its center. At their feet, the armorers uncovered a set of Plate, painted orange

WoR Ch 68

Quote

He stepped up to Kaladin, then knelt down on one knee, Plate clinking. He saluted, arm across chest.

His eyes . . . they were lighter in color; tan instead of deep brown as they’d once been. He wore his Shardblade strapped across his back in a guarded sheath. Only one more day until he had it bonded

 

So either the Edgedancer "clear" color manifests as a lightening effect with Deadeye blades, or Moash didn't have the blade long enough for his eyes to finish changing color. Unless, of course, non-CultivationSpren blades also sometimes have vine patterns.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Treamayne

[Letryx13]

4 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

Looks like I had Edgedancer wrong - I found in the Coppermind:

  Hide contents

Oathbringer Ch 65

 

But you were right that Abrobadar's blade that Moash receives has a vine pattern:
 

  Hide contents

WoR Ch 66

WoR Ch 68

 

So either the Edgedancer "clear" color manifests as a lightening effect with Deadeye blades, or Moash didn't have the blade long enough for his eyes to finish changing color. Unless, of course, non-CultivationSpren blades also sometimes have vine patterns.

I always assumed that, since it was a dead-eye blade, the effect just wasn’t as strong. After Kaladin speaks the third ideal, his eyes turn pale blue instantly after he summons Syl as a blade. The same way that dead blades and plate aren’t as powerful or versatile as living radiant blades and plate, the eye changing effect is lessened. 

[Cavani Kholin]

16 hours ago, Chaos said:

Hi there. You're looking for the Stormlight Archive board. The 17th Shard Discussion forum is for discussion about the website itself, not book discussion. I have moved this to the appropriate place.

Thanks very much, I’m quite new to the website so I just threw it up on the first place I could

[Cavani Kholin]

13 hours ago, cometaryorbit said:

I think it has to be hereditary in some way since its strongly implied that lighteyes are descended from Shardbearers, Knights Radiant, or both.

I don’t have the exact quote, but I remember an interviewer asking were lighteyes descended from Radiants and Shardbearers, and Brandon said RAFO. 
 

Hopefully we learn this in a future book, as it will tell us more about the nature of dna and spiritual dna in the cosmere

[Treamayne]

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1 hour ago, Cavani Kholin said:

I don’t have the exact quote, but I remember an interviewer asking were lighteyes descended from Radiants and Shardbearers, and Brandon said RAFO.

Hopefully we learn this in a future book, as it will tell us more about the nature of dna and spiritual dna in the cosmere

Here's the relevant WoB:

Spoiler

Steeldancer

If Kaladin created a kid while he had not summoned Syl in a while. Then he made another kid right after he summoned Syl, would they have different colored eyes?

Brandon Sanderson

Wow! I'll RAFO that for now.

Note that it is not really about "is this hereditary" - the question was much more specific (which probably drew the RAFO). Also this about Heterochromia.

Since, in a mundane fashion, eye color is still a normal genetic trait, I'm sure that over the millennia the Vorin nobility has been "breeding" for eye color. That said, *if* Shards affect the genetic make-up for eye color in a way that is inheritable, I would guess that only applies to living blades, not Deadeyes (since there is no Nahel bond with a Deadeye, just a fabrial based false-bond)

 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Treamayne
SPAG/Content

[cometaryorbit]

On 6/2/2022 at 4:30 AM, Cavani Kholin said:

I don’t have the exact quote, but I remember an interviewer asking were lighteyes descended from Radiants and Shardbearers, and Brandon said RAFO. 
 

Hopefully we learn this in a future book, as it will tell us more about the nature of dna and spiritual dna in the cosmere

Yeah I don't think there is 100% confirmation, but Hoid's comment that there was once a reason for the lighteye/nobility link is I think a pretty strong implication.