Urithiru's Structure

[+AutonomousJoy]

We found out in Chapter 16 that Urithiru is made up of 10 tiers, with 18 floors per tier: a total of 180 floors. I would assume that there is some level of significance to the make up of the home of the Knights Radiant. 

10 tiers is obviously symbolic due to the importance of 10 on Roshar: surges, heralds, orders of Radiants etc. But where is the significance of 18? Or perhaps the significance of 180? I would think that it would be more likely to end up as 200, a much more round number.

One potential answer is that there are floors yet to be discovered. Or that when the Tower was fully alive, there were more floors available. 

It could be that there are simply 2 tiers that extend into the basement of Urithiru. It is mentioned on multiple occasions that the Tower's structure extends below into the mountains, where they have caverns for fetching water.

 

I have only read Part 1 of RoW so far, so if this is answered later on, please spoiler it in your responses.

Edited November 19, 2020 by AutonomousJoy
adding tag

[Ramona Tehradin she/her]

I absolutely need an interior map of this place. Good luck to Issaik. 

[Dreamwa1ker she/her]

On 11/19/2020 at 8:36 AM, AutonomousJoy said:

We found out in Chapter 16 that Urithiru is made up of 10 tiers, with 18 floors per tier: a total of 180 floors. I would assume that there is some level of significance to the make up of the home of the Knights Radiant. 

10 tiers is obviously symbolic due to the importance of 10 on Roshar: surges, heralds, orders of Radiants etc. But where is the significance of 18? Or perhaps the significance of 180? I would think that it would be more likely to end up as 200, a much more round number.

One potential answer is that there are floors yet to be discovered. Or that when the Tower was fully alive, there were more floors available. 

It could be that there are simply 2 tiers that extend into the basement of Urithiru. It is mentioned on multiple occasions that the Tower's structure extends below into the mountains, where they have caverns for fetching water.

 

I have only read Part 1 of RoW so far, so if this is answered later on, please spoiler it in your responses.

I also had this thought while reading. There are 10 tiers but why is each 18 floors? Part of me thinks it might have something to do with a combination of Cultivations number and Honors number, just as the Sibling is a combination of Honor and Cultivation. But would that mean Cultivation's number is 8 (8 + 10)? I'm not sure if I've seen a lot of 8's on Roshar, or another number of significance besides 9 and 10.

[ScavellTane]

3 is a significant number in ancient Roshar.

Quote

The Alethi traditionally used a ten-note scale—though it was more accurately two five-note quintaves. This was right and orderly, and the greatest and most famous compositions were all in this scale. However, it wasn’t the only scale in use around the world. There were dozens. The Thaylens, for example, preferred a twelve-note scale. A strange number, but the twelve steps were mathematically pleasing.

In researching the tone the tuning fork created, she’d discovered something incredible. Anciently, people had used a three-note scale, and a few of the compositions remained. The tone that drew Stormlight was the first of the three notes from this ancient scale. With some effort—it had required sending Fused to Kholinar through the Oathgate to raid the royal music conservatory—she’d obtained tuning forks for the other two notes in this scale. To her delight, Voidlight responded to the third of the three notes.

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by ScavellTane

[Xerun]

Odium’s number is 9, Cultivation is 2. 9*2=18. SOLVED. 

 

But seriously I don’t know

[+AutonomousJoy]

On 11/20/2020 at 3:23 PM, Ramona Tehradin said:

I absolutely need an interior map of this place. Good luck to Issaik. 

We get a map detailing some of the structure in Rhythm of War. You can find the artwork on Brandon's website.

[Alatar he/him]

I remember that at one moment it's said that it was a mountain itself (can't remember if Venli says that or it was a WoB during release that I read here), so maybe the floors are what fits in the height of the mountain.