Religion in Stormlight Archive

One thing I’ve really appreciated about this series is the wide spectrum of religious beliefs throughout this book. Jasnah is an atheist, Shallan holds onto the tradition of religion. Most of the characters believe and follow the Almighty. Other cultures have their own beliefs.

Szeths culture believes rocks are holy and the Alethi use rocks as a tool in just about every aspect of their lives.

In Words of Radiance, the characters Ym has a conversation with a local boy about religion. He claims, “Iriali need no preaching, only experience.” He believes people came from one consciousness and live seperate lives that will be reunited later on.

Brandon Sanderson himself is a Mormon but he poses realistic debates about if there is a God, and other perspectives on religion. These conversations aren’t the author screaming their opinions, it’s realistic worldbuilding. I’ve read some books that either don’t touch religion in their worlds, or force their worldviews on the reader every other page.

The debates and practices of religion in these books seems very realistic to me and I’ve loved learning about them.

kingjasnah:

oh my god lift is the BEST character….imagine being like 13 and caring about everything so deeply you refuse to let urself admit how much of what you do is to help others….she’s high int AND high wis but she keeps pretending she shoved all her points into dex….she’s like the definition of neutral good but she keeps trying to pretend she’s chaotic by making as many jokes as she can as fast as she can and also she had a little crotchety grandpa made of leafs floating around her at all times. PEAK character design.

windrunners are not skybreakers. they’re not bound by law; they’re bound by their own internal moral code. you could argue desertion from the army is illegal and violates the oath you make upon enlisting, but so long as the windrunner believes it to be morally wrong to continue serving that oath, they may break it. kaladin made a promise to graves and moash that he broke because he determined it was morally wrong to adhere to it. he could just as easily have decided it was morally wrong to adhere to his oath to dalinar and followed through on the oath to assist in the assassination. the problem was that he’d sworn two conflicting oaths, not that one was objectively wrong and one objectively right. he just had to decide which aligned with his worldview.

Mini Stormlight hardcover pendants I made

don’t forget Kal is soaking wet during the Szeth pinnacle fight

Quick doodle of Kaladin Stormblessed.

Returning to the world of Roshar, in anticipation for the release of The Rhythm of War, the fourth book of The Stormlight Archive. Navani & Jasnah Kholin.

Portrait of Jasnah Kholin.

Kaladin Stormblessed in Bridge Four uniform.

Cosmere fan art of a scene from Words of Radiance. I’ve been trying to sketch this Chasmfiend the right way, but it’s been pretty tough. One of the hardest creatures I’ve sketched. Anyway, I wanted to share this art especially during KaiJune since the creature has some aspects of a Kaiju. Although it’s not necessarily classified as one in the Cosmere. it definitely takes on the characteristics of a Kaiju.

aria-bones:

Lighteyes: *mistreat and enslave darkeyes*

Kaladin: *doesn’t trust and is mean to lighteyes*

Lighteyes: Why are you so mean!!

Shallan: Can you Please stop fighting with your boyfriend right now?

Kaladin: That is literally your husband, not my boyfriend.

Adolin: You tell her, babe!

Kaladin: Rock, are you crying?

Rock: It’s just.. this is such a sad book.

Kaladin: That is a cookbook.

Rock: I know, these recipes fucking suck.

Adolin: Sure, I’m a little stupid. But that’s like 80% of my charm.

Shallan: What’s wrong with you?

Kaladin: Off the top of my head, I’d say low self-esteem, a shitty personal history, and a genetic predisposition for anxiety and depression.

Jasnah: If I disappear under mysterious circumstances, don’t come looking for me. I meant to do that.

Hoid: Shallan, have you ever considered that your little anxiety problems may actually be serious mental illness?

Shallan: What’s *serious* mental illness anyway, are you implying there are carefree, happy go lucky ones? If so, I’d love to trade my anxiety for one of those.

Shallan at a feast, drunk off her ass: If I go to silent hill and there any of those thotty little nurse bimbos trying to stab me I’m fucking stealing shit.

~a few days later~

Renarin, joking: Shallan I liked what you had to say about silent hill but I’m gay so if you could say something about pyramid head?

~a few days later~

Shallan at a feast, dead sober: If i go to silent hill and pyramid head doesn’t have his fucking cock out I’m driving my horse into the lake.

Shallan: Tell me your wildest fantasy.

Adolin: I’m on the Wheel of Fortune and I spin it so hard it lights on fire.

Shallan: No, I meant-

Adolin: Everybody claps.

No. The wind is mine. The sky is mine. They have been mine since childhood. You are the trespasser here. Not me.

- Words of Radiance, chapter 86.

(considering Szeth’s age, he may have already been flying even when Kaladin was a child. It’s still a really cool line.)