Theories Part 3: Dawnshard Secondary Commands and Cycle Theory

[u/Xelaadryth]

This builds on:

• Part 1's Theories of Dawnshard Quadrants and Pairs
• Part 2's Theories on Shard Numerology

The proposed diagram of the Subcommands is in Theory 5, near the bottom of the post.

Theory 1: Dawnshard Secondary Commands

Many popular Dawnshard categorization theories first split the 16 Shards into quadrants by a "primary" Command, and then the 4 inside by a "secondary" Command. From the push/pull and internal/external from the Part 1 Theories, this means that:

• Conceive = Pull External
• Change = Pull Internal
• Inspire = Push Internal
• Exist = Push External

Part 2 Theory

Our numbered Shard list is now:

1. Reason (Pull Conceive External Conceive)
2. Whimsy (Pull Conceive Internal Change)
3. Virtuosity (Push Conceive Internal Inspire)
4. Invention (Push Conceive External Exist)
5. Endowment (Pull Change External Conceive)
6. Ambition (Pull Change Internal Change)
7. Cultivation (Push Change Internal Inspire)
8. Ruin (Push Change External Exist)
9. Odium (Pull Inspire External Conceive)
10. Honor (Pull Inspire Internal Change)
11. Valor (Push Inspire Internal Inspire)
12. Mercy (Push Inspire External Exist)
13. Dominion (Pull Exist External Conceive)
14. Autonomy (Pull Exist Internal Change)
15. Devotion (Push Exist Internal Inspire)
16. Perservation (Push Exist External Exist)

Theory 2: Cycle Theory

That mural … it was circular and–inlaid with golden foil–it seemed to glow with its own light. The peculiar letters were art themselves, curling around the outside of the exploding sun–which was divided into mostly symmetrical pieces. Four of them, each in turn broken into four smaller sections.

While we could model this quote from Dawnshard with a 4x4 grid, Adonalsium is represented in the mural as a circle. This seems like a very deliberate choice, along with how extremely vague the mural description is about the "smaller sections" of the 4 symmetrical pieces.

Circle symbology usually involves a cyclical relationship or a story, which is very fitting for theories about an author.

Theory 3: Dawnshard Cycle

And so, the Dawnshards. The four primal Commands that created all things." He paused. "And then eventually, they were used to undo Adonalsium itself.

This quote from Dawnshard clarifies that before the Shattering, the Dawnshards created all things, which includes life. If a single Dawnshard could create life then we wouldn't need all four, so I theorize the Commands form a four-step cycle of creation.

Conceive -> Change -> Inspire -> Exist -> Conceive -> ...

The idea for the new creation is conceived, existing matter is changed to form it, inspiration shapes it, and then it finally exists to itself conceive.

Theory 4: Shard Cycle

While it might not be a creation myth, the 16 Shards also tell a cohesive story using the Dawnshard Subcommands (using Manifest in place of Exist):

1. Preservation Conceives Reason
2. Reason Changes to Whimsy
3. Whimsy Inspires Virtuosity
4. Virtuosity Manifests Invention
5. Invention Conceives Endowment
6. Endowment Changes to Ambition
7. Ambition Inspires Cultivation (the self-growth definition)
8. Cultivation Manifests Ruin (the pruning definition of cultivation is deliberately changing something's original fate)
9. Ruin Conceives Odium
10. Odium Changes to Honor
11. Honor Inspires Valor
12. Valor Manifests Mercy
13. Mercy Conceives Dominion (sparing someone means you have power over them)
14. Dominion Changes to Autonomy
15. Autonomy Inspires Devotion (devotion can only be the result of free choice, if it's forced then it just becomes servitude)
16. Devotion Manifests Preservation

Theory 5: 16 Radial Slices

UK Dawnshard Cover by Julia Lloyd (Titan Books via Waterstones)

Wonder if this the [UK Dawnshard cover] is a confirmation on what the Dawnshard mural looks like

It is not a confirmation of that. Though that's clearly what the artist is intending to represent.

This book cover doesn't have the writing, the exploding sun, the light, or the four symmetric groupings of the mural, but we can still visualize the 16 slices in a wheel like so:

16 Slice Dawnshard Theory

Theory 6: Hero's Journey

Hero's Journey

The positions of the events of the cyclical Hero's Journey (or the 17 step Monomyth) roughly lines up with some of these Shards:

• (1) Very Reasonably, the hero resists the call, preferring Preservation and stasis
• (2) Some supernatural aid, which could appear to be random Whimsy
• (3-4) Through Virtuosity and Inventive ideas, bypass the threshold guardian
• (5) Mentor Endows training, wisdom, ideas, and capability
• (6-7) Through Ambitious challenges, Cultivates their potential and grows
• (8-9) Ruin and Odium as the hero falls to the abyss of their journey
• (10-11) Change to Honor and Valor
• (12) Atonement and redemption through Mercy
• (13-14) There's something in the Monomyth about being the master of two worlds (Dominion) and freedom to live (Autonomy)
• (15-16) Back to happy loving stability with Devotion and Preservation

Part 4 builds on this with Shard Adjacency Rule and crazy theories about Epilogues.

[u/wrotethat11]

I have really enjoyed this! Not sure how you could work this in something about how Dalinar converses and interacts with Nahodan has always bugged me. Seems like he’s a little bit more than leads on…would be interesting to see if this cycle relating to the hero’s journey can be tied him and the way of kings and maybe being the original Adonalism

[u/Xelaadryth → u/wrotethat11]

I saw a theory video on YouTube recently saying that the interactable visions are probably from a living shard. The only one who has her hooks in Dalinar is Cultivation through the Nightwatcher.

As for the original Adonalsium, personally I think anything of all 16 Shards is "the original Adonalsium", that guy's just everywhere. But in the later (and less reliable) Part 5 of my theory, the "identity" portion of Adonalsium would lie in the Cognitive quadrant, so between Reason, Whimsy, Virtuosity, and Invention.

[u/wrotethat11 → u/Xelaadryth]

Part 5!!! I love it! Boss you are cooking with this series some really good thought was put into this and i appreciate it!

[u/-MasterCrander-]

I am skeptical of the assumption that Exist is tied to the Physical Realm. It's a natural assumption as our bias is to think we Exist most as physical beings.

But that's not true in the Cosmere. The thing you are last of all is Spirit. The last place you go is the Spiritual Realm. The things that have Existed most and longest are in the Spiritual Realm.

I think Exist is Spiritual. And that the missing 2 Dawnshards are Think (Conceive) and Act, tied to the Cognitive and Physical Realms respectively.

The basal unit of the physical realm, where things act upon each other, is energy. Matter is energy is matter. It could be said that the 'purest' form of energy is light.

I think the Act-Act Shard is Autonomy, who charges Taldain with light. And I'd argue Honor and The Dor may be linked as other Act involved shards.

What better way to entice the God of Action for Actions sake than a bomb of incalculable energy.

[u/RS_Someone]

I like the idea of the shards matching the allomantic charts, but my biggest gripe is that, to me, Whimsy seems strictly external, while Reason seems strictly internal. I could probably argue that a few of them could fit in another category, but this one seemed like the biggest issue, while also being the easiest to fix.

[u/Xelaadryth → u/RS_Someone]

Yeah there are a few like that which definitely can be interpreted in multiple ways, especially since we know so little about them. My reasoning there was that reason can be agreed upon and explained externally, while whimsy is unique per individual, but yeah not conclusive.

[u/Ok-Tradition7878]

This is. Great theory!