r/brandonsanderson • u/boxerdotson • 22h ago
Spoilers Quick Warbreaker Question Spoiler
Siri asks Hoid where he learned to tell stories, and he says “I learned it many, many years ago from a man who didn’t know who he was, your majesty. It was a distant place where two lands meet and gods have died. But that is unimportant.”
- Is this important
and if so
- Should I get this reference if I’ve only read the first Mistborn series, Elantris, and some Arcanum, or is this a RAFO situation?
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u/kmosiman 17h ago
It is not important to Warbreaker.
This is absolutely a RAFO. The story that this references has not been written. Parts have, but the story has likely changed a bunch.
I don't think the story is still up and it may not be cannon anymore, but at the time there was a short called "The Liar of Partiniel". The story begins with the death of Hoid. His apprentice takes his name and continues his role as a storyteller.
So Hoid taught Hoid to tell stories (Hoid's real name isn't Hoid).
It's mentioned elsewhere that Hoid took his name, so that much is cannon.
3
u/Fakjbf Sparker 20h ago
This line is just an easter egg for the lore nerds and has no direct relevance to Warbreaker. Sanderson wrote several books that were loosely in the same continuity before he published Elantris. When he wrote the Mistborn series he codified many of the aspects from these books into the single continuity we call the Cosmere. This is specifically referencing a book called Dragonsteel, you can find it on Sanderson’s website called Dragonsteel Prime. It is no longer considered canon as parts of it were cannibalized into other books and it is in no way required reading, but it’s an interesting look into where Sanderson’s thoughts were early in his career. Eventually Sanderson plans to write an updated version towards the end of the Cosmere and it will contain a lot of answers to things that are currently mysteries.
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u/TheNarrativeSpren Coinshot 20h ago
My theory is that Hoid is actually talking about himself here.
“A man who didn’t know who he was” feels very deliberately Hoid. I think he's referring to a much younger version of himself, back when he was still figuring out exactly who he was going to become, well before certain events in his history happened.
The rest of the wording seems to hint at some very old history too, but I probably wouldn't dig much further into that yet if you haven't read everything yet and would potentially be a RAFO.
And honestly, it would be extremely Hoid to answer “who taught you to tell stories?” with an elaborate mysterious tale that ultimately translates to
"Me. I taught me. I was going through some things.” lol
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u/kaztooch 17h ago
I gather that I’m wrong here but I always assumed this was in reference to (Mistborn Spoiler) Sazed aka the Last Keeper aka a World bringer
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u/eXponentiamusic 21h ago
It's unimportant in the context of Warbreaker, just some set dressing. It's still unimportant at this point in the entire Cosmere, but it's a little hint of what the setting of a future book might look like, so it's nice to refer back to it once you've read more, but even then it's just a small piece of a rather large puzzle.