Nohadon in Wind and Truth

If you read my article about the many names of Hoid from a week back, you saw that I had been working on the mystery of Nohadon in Wind and Truth. During one of his visions within the spiritual realm, Dalinar ends up encountering a very lucid version of Nohadon. They not only interact (something that wasn’t always possible in previous visions) but they were able to speak of current events. For Dalinar, this helped guide him towards clarity during the Contest of Champions, but for us, this brings a really interesting question: just who exactly was Dalinar talking to?

Who was Nohadon in Wind and Truth?

There are many posts and fan theories circulating around this question, I’ll link to the ones I found the most insightful below.

https://www.17thshard.com/forums/topic/198541-nohadon/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Stormlight_Archive/comments/1hrcgxi/wat_nohadon_theory/

In general, there seem to be a few groups of theories…

Frost

Some have pointed to the dragon Frost as the force behind this vision. Some of these theories tie in to Words of Brandon (WoBs) that are a bit too nebulous to tie together in a coherent thought. Cosmerelogically it is sound: dragons have the ability to communicate in ways normal invested beings cannot, and it’s possible that Frost would be responding to Hoids plea for help in a way that’s as non-confrontational as it gets. 

As some pointed out in the comments, this is unlikely. Frost had previously stated that he felt that the arrangement of Shards on Roshar was best for the whole Cosmere, so stepping in to attempt to subvert that now might be considered out of character. 

Another Shard

There are some that suggested that Nohadon could have been the shard of Reason, or potentially even Valor. Again, I think this is unlikely. Like Frost, most of the shards are completely OK with the way things are playing out on Roshar. We also know that shards are very aware of each other’s actions, and while Valor has been able to hide for quite some time, direct action with someone so closely connected to Roshar and Odium would likely not be possible. 

Hoid

I don’t recall if I read this theory in the two posts I listed above, but some argued that it could possibly be Wit / Hoid doing his “story at the right time” thing. I don’t hate this, but Hoid has never needed to hide his appearance when telling a story to someone he knows in the past. He’s even spoken directly to Dalinar in this manner before.

I don’t think Hoid would have any reason to conceal himself at that moment, but it certainly is possible.

Spiritual Realm 

A really solid theory, and one that skirts closest to my own, is that Nohadon was Dalinar’s own manifestation, coming to life in the spiritual realm.

This could be very possible: in a lot of ways, Dalinar knew, or was capable of knowing, what he needed to do in the contest. He really just needed to confront himself about the choices he was about to make. 

On the other hand… There's one sticking point that actually sent me on this journey to begin with: Nohadon called Hoid “Midius.”

Nohadon is Nohadon

I think the Nohadon that Dalinar meets and has real conversations with is the actual Nohadon, preserved in the spiritual realm. 

We know that continuing to exist, I hesitate to call it “living”, in the spiritual realm is possible, and that even time isn’t really a factor. I think that the living Nohadon, who was likely a Bondsmith in his time, found a way to pin himself to the spiritual realm and has been influencing Bondsmiths throughout the eras as a mentor. We only have evidence that this happened to Dalinar, but the logic is sound.

What led me to this theory was the use of the name Midius. I went on my journey to understand who uses the name Midius for Hoid, and found that it is primarily used by the Heralds. This means that the name dates back to his time on Ashen, and his early days on Roshar. Dalinar himself only learns the name directly by interacting with the Heralds in the visions he just experienced only days before.

If it were Frost or another Shard, he would have used Topaz, or potentially Cephandrius as they are related to Hoid’s time on Yolen, or closely linked to the time before the Shattering.

If it were Hoid or Dalinar’s manifestation of Nohadon, it would have used Wit, which would be more familiar and connected to Dalinar.

I think we must add this to the growing list of funkyness that crops up as we explore space and learn what is and isn’t possible in the spiritual realm.

Hope for a WoB

I don’t anticipate that we’ll see this version of Nohadon in the future. Regardless if this was a manifestation of Dalinar’s will, or the actual old king kicking it in the spiritual realm, the connection felt very personal to Dalinar’s personal journey.

I expect that someone will eventually ask Bradon direct during a live stream or at an event for clarity, but until then, I will hold on hope that the great king of Roshar’s history is still living large in the spiritual realm, baking dope bread, and waiting for the next generation of Bondsmiths to inspire.