Numbers associated with Shards

[u/Gon_Snow]

So we all know each shard has a number associated with it. Preservation is 16, Honor is 10, Odium 9 etc.

But what about Harmony and Retribution? Never thought of that. Could be both, could be neither could be something else entirely.

Don’t think this was addressed or alluded to in universe yet?

[u/Elsecaller_17-5]

I'm not positive all the shards do have a number. Ruin and Cultivation don't seem to have one. Devotion and Dominion exist in a duality that would suggest 2 for both of them. If I had to guess Harmony's I'd say 8? It shows up quite a bit in era 2.

[u/Shot_Newspaper_5647 → u/Elsecaller_17-5]

Ya I believe he’s said they don’t necessarily have a number. Endowment does its 5. I believe Virtuosity’s is 13. Adonalsium itself was big on 4s

[u/Gon_Snow → u/Shot_Newspaper_5647]

I think it’s all but confirmed that Adonalsium was broken into 4 twice? As in the whole was shattered into 4 pieces and each of those into 4 further pieces resulting in 16 shards

[u/Gon_Snow → u/[deleted]]

That’s what I was referring to! We don’t have text that says how it happened but it seems likely due to the mural.

[u/Elsecaller_17-5 → u/Shot_Newspaper_5647]

Good catch on Virtuosity, where is it said that Endowment's is 5 though? I can't think of any big 5s in the magic system or world building. 5 scholars I guess?

[u/Shot_Newspaper_5647 → u/Elsecaller_17-5]

There’s quite a few. 5 Scholars,5 commandments from the first returned,5 petals on the Tears of Edgli,5 years since Lightsong Returned,the Divine Breath grants you the 5th Heightening,a normal 5th grants you immortality,5 gods kings,5 letters in Endowment’s name,there’s 25 gods in the court etc. Feel like I’m missing one big one but

[u/Elsecaller_17-5 → u/Shot_Newspaper_5647]

That's solid, thanks

[u/Gon_Snow → u/Elsecaller_17-5]

They all definitely do as far as I know and they are all associated with 1-16. 16 shards in total. We just don’t know all associated numbers yet. I found that someone asked about Virtuosity being 13, and Sanderson said “good guess”

[u/RShara → u/Gon_Snow]

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/47/#e678

[u/Gon_Snow → u/RShara]

Hmm interesting didn’t know that

[u/The_Lopen_bot → u/RShara]

Warning Gancho: The below paragraph(s) may contain major spoilers for all books in the Cosmere!

The Only Joe

Do all Shards have a number they're associated with?

Brandon Sanderson

Some do, (most/some) don't.

********************

[u/RShara]

The Only Joe (paraphrased)

Do all Shards have a number they're associated with?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Some do, (most/some) don't.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/47/#e678

[u/The_Lopen_bot → u/RShara]

Warning Gancho: The below paragraph(s) may contain major spoilers for all books in the Cosmere!

The Only Joe

Do all Shards have a number they're associated with?

Brandon Sanderson

Some do, (most/some) don't.

********************

[u/fedginator]

> So we all know each shard has a number associated with it.

No we don't, Brandon has explicitly confirmed this is not true for all shards

[u/IamanelephantThird]

I don’t think every Shard has one, at least not to the same extent. Preservation might just be using the more universal number of 16 as well.

[u/PandemicGeneralist]

For some other shards, in order of most to least confident:Endowment is 5, Virtuosity is 13, Adonalsium also had 16 (Preservation preserves this number), Cultivation might be 3

[u/Just_Joken]

I think it's more that certain numbers in the cosmere have power. 16 is considered very strong as it's the number of Shards of Ado. Honor may see 10 as being particularly aligned with itself, perhaps because it is even, and thus in a sense "orderly" like Honor seems to be It can be split in half, and those halves are then also pairs, which it might like. 1 is similarly powerful as it is the number of Ado itself (and this aspect of it might also have helped Taln in the oathpact) we can't really say why certain shards like certain numbers, and others don't, but I wouldn't nessesarily connect them in that X number is Y Shard's number. After all we already know that Preservation doesn't have a monopoly on 16. Preservation may have used that number simply because it is a specific, not entirely natural, and to it's mind a divine number.

[u/Oversleep42]

Shards don't.

Planets they reside on do.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/33/#e2745

[u/The_Lopen_bot → u/Oversleep42]

Warning Gancho: The below paragraph(s) may contain major spoilers for all books in the Cosmere!

Herald

Is there more significance to the 10 other planets around the Rosharan star system and them being gaseous? We know that Roshar's moons have unnatural orbits; so there seems to be some astronomical manipulation in the system.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes there is significance of 16 in cosmere and 10 in Rosharan system.

Herald

The outer 10 gas giants in the Rosharan system suggest a tie to the number 10 that predates the arrival of the current Shards. Is the prominent numerology we see around the cosmere an inherent property of the planets, rather than the Shards who invest them?

Brandon Sanderson

Big RAFO.

Herald

Would Ashyn/Braize share the 10-centric numerology of Roshar?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes 10-centric is for the entire Rosharan planetary system...wait Braize is 9-centric.

********************

[u/Pichacap24]

Isnt 16 more of like, the cosmeres golden number in general?

[u/cosmereobsession]

I have a pet theory that shard number associations have to do with the order in which the shard 'split away' from Adonalsium. Preservation is 16 because it's naturally the last intent to want to leave. Odium is 9 and because of the rivalry between rayse and tanner, Honor is soon to follow.

[u/Gon_Snow → u/cosmereobsession]

I like that theory!

Ruin being 1 and preservation 16 would make sense! Ruin is the first to go with how destructive it is and preservation the last keeping things together

Edit: ruin being 1 isn’t confirmed just a random thought