SA5 Chapters 10 & 11

[Confused]

“[N]ever send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.”

John Donne, “No Man Is an Island” (1624)

[Just can’t help myself...]

Does the Current and “death of a god” stuff remind anyone else of the Wandersail story? People take a boat to a place that holds the “source” of the Current. It’s like trying to reach the Origin. Just saying...

I side with the Ado/Yolen crowd. This is the Grand Knell, the loudest peal from the biggest funerary bell, the one that leaves a trail of something back to Roshar. I hear the opposing reasons, and you all make good points. But this is the 5^th book, right before the break. We know later books get into Yolen and the Shattering. This seems like a good device to introduce the idea of a field trip there.

The Grand Knell is a wonderful metaphor too. RoW introduces the tones of Roshar and the tones/rhythms associated with the Shards. I like the notion of a final, loud, ringing tone – the Grand Knell – signifying Adonalsium’s end. No more sounds from the Big Fella.

One more thing: Do any of you think the red instrument Hoid gave Kal was a recorder and not a flute? (Well, it's kind of a flute.) The first wind instrument most of us learned in school was a plastic, and then red, recorder. The color struck me as curious.

Edited September 3 by Confused

[the_archduke]

5 hours ago, listerfeend said:

But why does that seem more likely than Ado? 

Because we don't know that Ado left anything behind.  The Shards were picked up by others and taken elsewhere.  Ambition was splintered and the power is still there.  Devotion and Dominion we splintered and their "corpses?" thrown into the Cognitive realm.  

[Dreamwa1ker she/her]

So, chapter 11 shows Shallan suddenly seeming to be exhibiting a lot of new abilities. We see:

-substantiation

-hearing a voice, maybe somehow hearing Adolin in context

-beads reacting to her and helping her

This all seems to have started immediately after the big ending we got last week where Shallan reiterated and expanded her prior truth "I'm terrified". Many have said this may be reswearing but to Testament and I agree to that. But I noticed something else. 

The last line of chapter 9:

Quote

“Reality,” Shallan hissed, “is what I decide it to be.”

That sounds a bit like what could be a Lightweaver 5th Ideal/truth to me. It would fit a bit with the "I am the law" example format we have of a 5th ideal. And then we see all these new abilities.

Now, maybe it's unlikely that she has already sworn 5th ideal with at least one of her spren here - but this could be a hint to 5th ideal?

[LewsTherinTelescope]

15 hours ago, alder24 said:

Sja-Anat doesn't corrupt intelligent spren without their consent, which I think it true considering she tries to switch sides (and it explains why this didn't happen in the past as all True Spren were just hostile towards Sja-Anat).

  Keep in mind that she didn't corrupt the Oathgate spren willingly:

Spoiler

Don't do it, Sja-anat pled. Listen, Radiant. Listen to my plea. Ashertmarn fled on purpose. It is a trap. I was compelled to touch the spren of this device, so it will not function as you wish.

We don't know if the consent thing is a requirement or a choice. If it's only a choice, then she could have been "compelled" to do it regardless.

2 hours ago, Dreamwa1ker said:

That sounds a bit like what could be a Lightweaver 5th Ideal/truth to me. It would fit a bit with the "I am the law" example format we have of a 5th ideal. And then we see all these new abilities.

Makes me think of what Hoid says:

Spoiler

"I see," the messenger said softly. "You do not yet understand the nature of lies. I had that trouble myself, long ago. The Shards here are very strict. You will have to see the truth, child, before you can expand upon it. Just as a man should know the law before he breaks it."

[Master Silver]

On 9/3/2024 at 6:06 PM, Dreamwa1ker said:

So, chapter 11 shows Shallan suddenly seeming to be exhibiting a lot of new abilities. We see:

-substantiation

-hearing a voice, maybe somehow hearing Adolin in context

-beads reacting to her and helping her

This all seems to have started immediately after the big ending we got last week where Shallan reiterated and expanded her prior truth "I'm terrified". Many have said this may be reswearing but to Testament and I agree to that. But I noticed something else. 

The last line of chapter 9:

That sounds a bit like what could be a Lightweaver 5th Ideal/truth to me. It would fit a bit with the "I am the law" example format we have of a 5th ideal. And then we see all these new abilities.

Now, maybe it's unlikely that she has already sworn 5th ideal with at least one of her spren here - but this could be a hint to 5th ideal?

I really hope that Brandon doesn't do a this is my truth for Shallan's last ideal. Her journey has been about not escaping from reality and that would seem to undo it. 

[BinarySecond]

On 9/5/2024 at 3:03 PM, Master Silver said:

I really hope that Brandon doesn't do a this is my truth for Shallan's last ideal. Her journey has been about not escaping from reality and that would seem to undo it. 

I also hope not; I think it's got to be more about accepting the world as it is in some way.

[SpiritOfWrath]

The Grand Knell could be the location of the Dor (Or at least where Dominion and Devotion died). It would make sense, because of the philosophy of Elantris (I can’t remember the exact philosophy, but it is something like the Dor corresponding to a current). Also, the Dor is very location oriented, so compasses would be thematically appropriate. The Dor is also the location of the investiture of not one, but two shards. That’s a lot of investiture, so it makes sense it could be pinpointed from far away.