Malchin
| Malchin | |
|---|---|
| Era | Heraldic Epochs |
| Mundo natal | Roshar |
| Universo | Cosmere |
Malchin was a warrior on Roshar during the Heraldic Epochs. He attempted to become a member of the Order of Lightweavers, but was unable to do so.[1]
History
“ Malchin was stymied, for though he was inferior to none in the arts of war, he was not suitable for the Lightweavers; he wished for his oaths to be elementary and straightforward, and yet their spren were liberal, as to our comprehension, in definitions pertaining to this matter; the process included speaking truths as an approach to a threshold of self-awareness that Malchin could never attain. ”
Malchin is said to have been a skilled warrior who wished to become a Lightweaver. Malchin wanted his Radiant oaths, the Immortal Words, to be straightforward.[1] However, the spren of the Lightweavers (known as Cryptics) required their bonded Radiants to speak personal "truths" in order to progress beyond the First Ideal,[2] and Malchin did not have enough self-awareness to do so.[1] It is not clear whether the Cryptics declined to bond with him at all or if he bonded a Cryptic and then failed to progress, but he did not become a Lightweaver.
Significance
Malchin is only known from Words of Radiance, which was written at least hundreds of years after his lifetime,[3] so the historicity of his story is not known. If it is accurate, he likely lived near the beginning of the Heraldic Epochs when the nature of the Nahel bond with Cryptics was not well-understood. Malchin's story illustrates the fact that not every individual would be suited to join a given Order of the Knights Radiant.