| Almighty | |
|---|---|
 Honor | |
| Biographical information | |
| Race | Shard |
| Gender | Male |
| Status | Dead |
| Abilities | Splintering, Surgebinding (assumed) |
| Social Information | |
| Aliases | Honor, Tanavast |
| Title(s) | God |
| Appears in |
The Way of Kings (mentioned), Words of Radiance (mentioned), Oathbringer (mentioned) |
The Almighty is/was a deity, widely worshipped on Roshar. His power stemmed from the Shard Honor, which presumably fuels the ten Surges. The Almighty's Shardholder, Tanavast, was killed - or Splintered[1] - by the Shard Odium sometime after the Oathpact was broken, which was a very long time ago.[2]
| “ |
Whether this was Tanavast's design or not, millennia have passed without Rayse taking the life of another of the sixteen. |
” |
Worship
The Almighty is worshipped by many of the religions on Roshar, chief amongst them is the Vorin faith, prevalent in the Vorin kingdoms in the east.
Within the Vorin belief system, the Almighty is the creator of all things.[4] He is an all seeing, all knowing god.[5] The embodiment of honesty, wholesomeness and purity.[6][7] He is also known as Elithanathile, a name spoken only by members of the ardentia.[8]
| “ |
He had another name, allowed to pass only the lips of ardents. Elithanathile. He Who Transforms. |
” |
Theologians believe that the Almighty is locked in age-old struggle against the Voidbringers, monsters that once dwelled in the hearts of men, much as the Almighty once lived there.[6] Their Heralds (servants of the Almighty) fight to end the cycle of Desolations and reclaim what was lost. They are represented by the divine prism, with the ten facets representing each of the Heralds.[7]
Abilities
The Almighty was able to foresee his own death and, through unknown means, provided Dalinar with a series of visions to warn of what may come: the True Desolation, the end of all by the hand of Odium.
| “ | "I am ... I was ... God. The one you call the Almighty, the creator of mankind. ... And now I am dead. Odium has killed me. I am sorry." | ” |
–Tanavast to Dalinar[2] | ||
Tanavast wasn't solely responsible for the creation of mankind; he had assistance from his lover, Cultivation. He was, however, one of the sixteen who Shattered Adonalsium and took up its power.[9] Following this, he moved to Roshar with Cultivation.[10][11]
Some of the many spren found on Roshar were created by Honor and Cultivation at some point before the Desolations began, by splintering themselves. After Odium killed Tanavast, Honor's bearer, he splintered Honor further, creating the many diverse spren found on modern Roshar.[12][13][14]
In Dalinar's vision, Tanavast said that the spren were responsible for the creation of the Knights Radiant.[2] It follows then that through his creation of spren, Tanavast also* indirectly created the Radiants in his own lifetime.
Cosmere
Honor was one of the sixteen Shards of Adonalsium. Odium was another, as were Cultivation, Devotion, Dominion, Endowment, Autonomy, Ambition, and - possibly - Survival.
Notes
*See Ishar
In-world Speculation
| “ | "Honor might be dead, but I have felt ... something else. Something beyond. A warmth and a light. It is not that God has died, it is that the Almighty was never God. He did his best to guide us, but he was an impostor. Or perhaps only an agent. A being not unlike a spren - he had the power of a god, but not the pedigree." | ” |
References
- ↑ Splintering
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Way of Kings, 75. In the Top Room
- ↑ Words of Radiance, 70. From A Nightmare
- ↑ The Way of Kings, 29. Errorgance
- ↑ The Way of Kings, 43. The Wretch
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Way of Kings, 45. Shadesmar
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Way of Kings, 33. Cymatics
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Way of Kings, 7. Anything Reasonable
- ↑ Mistborn: Secret History, part 3, chapter 2
- ↑ Lover
- ↑ Cultivation
- ↑ Was Honor Splintered?
- ↑ Spren are part of Honor
- ↑ Spren are Splinters
- ↑ Oathbringer, 4. Oaths
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