Theoryland of the Wheel of Time

1. Are Kaladin's parents still alive, and if so, are they actually mad at him?

2. Do dead parshmen turn into Chasmfieds?

3. What is the dark-glowing sphere?

4. What did Szeth do to become a Truthless, and is there anything else involved in being a Truthless that we haven't seen?"

1. Yes, they are still alive. RAFO.

2. No.

3. Major big RAFO.

4. Szeth was perceived as betraying his people in a fundamental way, and you will learn more about that when his book comes along.

Interesting. There will be Parshendi viewpoints in the second book, and you will be able to see a lot more of that.

Question

Are Parshendi like a hive mind sort of culture?

Brandon Sanderson

They are not a hive mind. I thought people might assume that.

Question

But because of the singing, it seems like...

Brandon Sanderson

There is a connection. It's more Union than Hivemind. You know about Jung?

Question

Not particularly.

Brandon Sanderson

Jung's philosophy was that all people are connected.

Question

Oh, like the dream psychologist?

Brandon Sanderson

I believe that collective unconscious was one of his terms. So it's not hive mind, but there is—there's something the Parshendi can tap into.

Question

With the singing?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, like with the singing, where one sings over here, and one sings over there, they are actually in beat with one another even if they start at different times. So there is something there, a connection.

Are we going to find out soon if the Parshendi are actually of Honor?

Yes. (You'll find out.)

I asked if assassination is common among the Parshendi, since they have a tradition of what assassins are supposed to wear.

Brandon said (and I'm paraphrasing) that the Parshendi are a lot more unified than they used to be, and back when they existed as a lot of separate tribes (he didn't say how long ago this was), raids and assassinations were a fairly regular thing.

In The Way of Kings, is Assassination a common thing in the Parshendi culture, because it seems odd that they would have a specific custom for what assassins wear?

It is something that happened quite a bit more in the past than it does now. But yes, you will find out much more about them. They are now more unified, but they used to be a bunch of different tribes, and they would send assassins into each other's camps.

I don't think it's necessary at all. The writer's own fascinations—whatever they are—can add to the writing experience. But yes, some philosophical ideas worked into my fiction. Plato's theory of the forms has always fascinated, and so the idea of a physical/cognitive/spiritual realm is certainly a product of this. Human perception of ideals has a lot to do with the cognitive realm, and a true ideal has a lot to do with the spiritual realm.

As for more examples, they're spread through my fiction. Spinoza is in there a lot, and Jung has a lot to do with the idea of spiritual connectivity (and how the Parshendi can all sing the same songs.)

Nepene

Not completely sure where Spinoza comes in. I guess the shards are part of the natural world and have no personality without a human wielder.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes on Spinoza there, and also the idea of God being in everything, and everything of one substance. Unifying laws. Those sorts of things. (Less his determinism, though.)

They do, good guess! Excellent question.

QUESTION

Do they eat?

BRANDON SANDERSON

Do they eat? Yes.

QUESTION

So, they eat like grains and stuff like that?

BRANDON SANDERSON

You will find out, but they do eat.

Is the city that the Parshendi are in Urithiru?

In the Way of Kings, Jasnah tells Shallan that Urithiru is not on the Shattered Plains. So either Jasnah is incorrect or that is not Urithiru.

QUESTION

In other words, you’re not going to tell me?

BRANDON SANDERSON

I’m just clarifying for you so that you have all the information you need in order to make judgements and ask questions.

Brandon pronounced Urithiru like "You-rith-ir-oo".

It depends on if you're speaking culturally or actually magically.

Question

Magically, I guess.

Brandon Sanderson

Because he would claim to you that he did it all with strength of mind and no magical influence other than enhanced mind. That's what he would tell you. And so in that case it would not be—culturally they'd look very weirdly at it, but spiritually he would say it's not of the Voidbringers.

Question

Right. He would say that.

Brandon Sanderson

Uh-huh.

Historically, the Parshendi were not made Knights Radiant, or the parshmen weren't.

Question

Can they become squires maybe?

Brandon Sanderson

Historically they did not, but it's not impossible.

Both Parshendi and Horneaters are able to see spren ordinary humans can't. Is there a connection between these abilities, or do they come from completely different sources?

Horneaters are human/Parshendi hybrids. (There are several Roshar races that have Parshendi blood in them.)

You could consider it that way, but there is not a one-to-one analogue.

Question

Because it looked like the powers of the voidforms are kind of like anti-Surges...

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, yes, there is definitely something there, but again I say, it's not a one-to-one correlation. They are not going to be exactly opposite.

Hemalurgic spikes can be used on any planet.

Outis

Would it be potential for Parshendi to develop a form using the spikes?

Brandon Sanderson

Wow, that would be a really weird hack of the magic system that would be theoretically possible. But that's a really weird one. I had never even considered that one. Parshendi adopting other Investiture could happen, the spikes is not one I've considered.

Hi Brandon! Love your work!

Quick question: I had a hard time "hearing" the Parshendi's singing in my head while reading The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. Are there any real world examples you drew from you could give me so we have a better idea of what they sound like to you?

17th Shard/JordanCon

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