Nah El

[Aminar]

So

, I was listening to the audiobook today and I got to Chapter 94. In the Epigraph Kalak mentions knowing the truth of the Nahel Spren. I think it breaks up as Nah El bond. Nah is something like "of" if I'm remembering right from Renarin's name. I think the bond is of El. He found a way to convince the Spren to bond humans. There's more, I'm not sure how or what it is. But there's something there. 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Aminar

[cozz95]

Copermind says Renarin was a combination of the Riran name Re, and the Alethi words Nar ("like unto") and In ("to be born unto"). 

Also this: The word "Nahel" is a Rosharan word that means "the bond to divinity", while the word "bond" was added to the term to avoid confusing readers.

So I guess that completely disproves your theory. Sorry.

[Aminar]

1 hour ago, cozz95 said:

Copermind says Renarin was a combination of the Riran name Re, and the Alethi words Nar ("like unto") and In ("to be born unto"). 

Also this: The word "Nahel" is a Rosharan word that means "the bond to divinity", while the word "bond" was added to the term to avoid confusing readers.

So I guess that completely disproves your theory. Sorry.

I'm not sure that disproves anything yet. It disproves the Renarin part but the rest can be language shifting over time. My dad's name is Michael and that means "Who is like God" But it has other linguistic origins. 

[quackquack]

There are also many different languages on Roshar.  The singer's/fused have their own language.  I dont know if I'm being pedantic.  

I dont think sapien spren existed before humans migrated to Roshar.  

But I'm also not sure if humans did or didnt have spren on their home planet.   

Roshar always did since singers use them symbiotically to function.  

[cozz95]

It would be neat if your theory is true, at least partially, but I still think you might be grasping at straws. 

[Frustration he/him]

Questioner

Why is it called a Nahel bond?

Brandon Sanderson

That is a word in Rosharan. I'm not sure what it meant in 2002, but it basically just means "the bond to divinity." I'm not sure what the 2002 version of the linguistics played out as. I actually just called it Nahel in the original draft. I added "bond" in as I prepared this [Way of Kings Prime excerpt] for reading so it would make more sense to people.

Skyward Chicago signing (Nov. 16, 2018)

Questioner

In the reading that you did, the Nahel bond, has it changed?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. So, spren were added, and things like that. What he had would still be called a Nahel bond. A Nahel bond in the original definition means bond to divinity, but that's come to encompass a lot more in the cosmere, any time you're bonding with-- the bond between a soul and Investiture. But in the original version, it was more only with a Shard of Adonalsium or something like that.

Skyward Houston signing (Nov. 19, 2018)

Good theory though

[Shuffel]

I think EL has to do with the 10th name of honor Jasnah mentions in twok. I can never spell it, it's elethenal or something like that. 

 

[Sylvass]

Quote

The word "Nahel" is a Rosharan word that means "the bond to divinity"

Quote

 I think EL has to do with the 10th name of honor Jasnah mentions in twok.

So El means something like divinity?

[Tacitus he/him]

Elithanathile. And maybe that means something, maybe it doesn't. El's a real mysterious boy.

[Honorless he/him]

I think Brandon chose the name "El" because it could just mean "him". So that the character would seem nameless, unknown, mysterious, y'know?

[teknopathetic he/him]

On 2020-12-04 at 5:52 PM, Aminar said:

So

, I was listening to the audiobook today and I got to Chapter 94. In the Epigraph Kalak mentions knowing the truth of the Nahel Spren. I think it breaks up as Nah El bond. Nah is something like "of" if I'm remembering right from Renarin's name. I think the bond is of El. He found a way to convince the Spren to bond humans. There's more, I'm not sure how or what it is. But there's something there. 

I was wondering if the new character EL was the namesake of the Nah EL bond.

[GregMourad]

So is this a coincidence, or a clue:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_(deity)

[Trutharchivist he/him]

Someone probably wrote it somewhere, as I'm not the only Hebrew speaker here, but... "El" in Hebrew is god, and I believe Brandon said once that the Alethi language has some Semitic roots. It's also probably connected to the Wikipedia article GregMourad linked here.

[Eri she/her]

On 11.01.2021 at 9:37 PM, Omi the Counselor said:

Elithanathile. And maybe that means something, maybe it doesn't. El's a real mysterious boy.

Huh. Elithanathile menas "one who changes" and while it is mentioned as one of Honor's names, I believe it means Honor as much as "Stormfather" means Jezren or Kalak, ie a cultural messing up of the actual lore. DS spoiler: 

Spoiler

I think Elithanathile is actually a name of the Dawnshard.

Des El's name refer to it? Maybe. (Also, I have no idea how to do inline spoilers).

Edit: I'm sure the "El means God" is there too, but I think there's also some in-world linguistics here. Des it mean this in proto-Rosharan too? Maybe.

Edited January 14, 2021 by Eri

[+Child of Hodor]

On 1/12/2021 at 2:41 AM, Honorless said:

I think Brandon chose the name "El" because it could just mean "him". So that the character would seem nameless, unknown, mysterious, y'know?

Probably something along these lines, it makes him stand out. The Singers, Listeners and Fused typically have longer names than this. It could be he had a different name and it was taken from him just as the Rhythms were. If El means god or divinity though, I don't know that they'd give him that name. Maybe he gave himself that or it means something else to the singers. 

 

20 hours ago, GregMourad said:

So is this a coincidence, or a clue:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_(deity)

Good find! I had no idea about this. Further support that the El in Nahel means god. As stated in a previous post in this thread we know god or divinity is in the word because Nahel means connected to divinity. 

As an aside, he is described as having torn out his carapace and grafted metal in its place including metal horns. I imagine he looks something like this:

Edited January 14, 2021 by Child of Hodor

[LuckyJim]

Rather than being related to "Nahel" specifically, I think "el" as a prefix or suffix can be a sign of a name related to divinity.

In addition to "Nahel" which means to bond to divinity, there's the Almighty's tenth name (the one so holy only ardents are allowed to speak it) Elithanathile. There's also Elin, the title the heralds had at the end of their Vorin names.