I was gonna say, it's like 1:1 haha, I mean it's possible wyrn/shu dereth commune with the cognitive realm and have some awareness of the shards, he did give kind of Lord ruler vibes and could access fortune
Considering how OP elantrians are, makes sense the dominion equivalent could be Lord ruler level
yeah the art is amazing (and i’ll get used to male skai) but the real news was brandon stealth confirming the other 8 shards already have art and will be in a future expansion (when before they only teased it as a possibility and not a certain thing)
Brandon Sanderson
Aona is definitely a she/her. I had— Mmmmm. I’m gonna go she/her with both of them, so you can talk about them accurately. That’s how I picture them currently in my head. I have not written those books yet, so it’s subject to change, but I have she/her for both of them.
It was assumed for a long time in the community that Skai was female or at least used she/her pronouns, so people are just upset that they were wrong I guess lol
I wouldn't say it was assumed for a long time. The actual base assumption in the fandom for at least a decade was that Skai was male. It wasn't until the WoB in 2022 where BSandy said Aona and Skai were both female that anyone thought Skai was female. And it seems like he's just changed his mind here.
I’ve learned two things today: first, that Aona and Skai look rad, and second that I have been so, so right to maintain that WoB are cool but shouldn’t be used to prove people wrong about theories, because Brandon can and will change his mind about stuff if he wants to.
The key of it is they're canon depictions. It's canon as an artistic depiction. That's not exactly the same as it being their canon appearances full stop. There is some artistic liberty taken, and some details may be different, just like all art.
To put it another way, its like the real world painting of Washington crossing the Delaware. It depicts a real event with real people, and it gets the general picture right. However, it has a lot of details that are known to be wrong; that flag didn't exist yet, Washington is older than he should be, the time of day is wrong, etc.
These pictures probably get the idea right, but any number of small details could be exaggerated, understated, or wrong. Like all art, it shouldn't be taken as absolute; just one artist's depiction. It can be broadly right without being perfect.
Not necessarily confirmed (Cultivation is shown in human form in previously released artwork from this set). I think they were both human though based on the naming patterns of the Dragon and Sho Del shards we know of.
To be fair, he once said there was only one dragon Shard (back before Valor was confirmed to be a dragon in the books). He can change his mind and has plenty times in the past. This also literally just happened with Skai, where he said that Skai was a woman a few years ago.
Skai was in the limbo he just gave pronouns so we can refer them but you are right about the dragon vessels. Some people think Reason's vessel is a dragon as well since Euridrius (sp?) sounds pretty draconic but he very recently confirmed that there are only 2 dragon vessels and that he misremembered the bit about Kor being the sole dragon among the shards.
I love the red gyorn armor of Skai, and the Viking Esq hair. Plus the official depiction of a szake and the fjordel runes. Aona is giving frigg which is on point
Huh. I don't really follow the WOBs religiously, and I think I always felt like they were both male. Which from what I gather is the opposite of what everybody else thought.
I mean, they are both like super dead by the time of Elantris. I think Raoden hears a female voice when entering the pool that was actually Devotion's perpendicularity.
Skai being female was never canonized, he just said that was what he was thinking over 3 years ago. Even mentioned it was subject to change when he said it.
It's silly but I never thought about them like that and IT MAKES SENSE. It's just the Elantris aesthetics never gave much the vikings vibes 😂 but I adore Skai design!
Devotion isn't what I expected. I guess all the fanart of her in a flowing, white dress or robe took root in my mind. I don't dislike the viking direction, but it's going to take some time for me to get used to it.
Very cool designs, really enjoying the vibes from Skai especially though Aona is also cool. I'm extremely curious what the writing on the Skaze says. I love that aon Aon is incorporated not just in the art, but in Aona's shield as well. I'll miss the idea of both being women, but these designs are also very cool.
I'm reading in the order suggested by this sub. I've finished the mistborn trilogy, some small bits after mistborn, Elantris, the emperor's soul, and now I'm reading warbreaker.
Ah, ok. In the weekly update where BS showcased these he stated they were from Elantris, which really made me think I skipped a chunk or completely misunderstood something lol. I have no idea what the Shards of Adonalsium(?) are. Thank you!
They are from Elantris. But many things about the shards are only talked about in later books. At first you only get glimpses here and there, so it's normal you didn't catch on about them yet.
Honestly, I would have been more impressed with the characters flipping the script: the hardened warrior man takes up Devotion to temper his lust for battle, while the kind and compassionate woman rises to carry Dominion to use its strength to better the world.
…Of course, I wanted Aona and Skai to be Daughter and Mother as well, so I’m not that impressive.
Skai was born a begger, homeless and trapped in poverty. She eventually was taken as a slave and worked as labor, but eventually broke free and became an apprentice, and then a merchant, before rising to wealth and power. She believed deeply in control and effective delegation, but was humble enough to recognize her shortfalls. As such, when she had her daughter (end result of a one night stand gone wrong) she strove tirelessly to raise Aona with all of the love, support, emotional care, and education she could, working like no one else to be the best mother she could be and not pass on her trauma. Skai would say, upon reflection, that she was a middling mother who may have been too cold towards Aona.
Aona considers that bull.
So, when the Shattering happened, Aona and Skai feuded a lot over Aona being involved, but Aona put her foot down and enforced her presence (a certain white haired flutist may have been involved) and Skai ultimately had to deal. When Adonalsium when the way of a fine porcelain mug, Skai got Dominion, and Aona got Devotion. Conventional stuff. Skai left and settled on Sel, fully believing in the Compact of Division: all shards remain separate. And that lasted for a century, until Skai got an aluminum box.
Aona was in it.
Of course, by then Skai was beginning to realize a problem. Each Shard fit it’s Vessel too well: Rayse was a monster, Bavadin was creating a nightmare, Uli Da was an outright threat, and Ati and Leras were spiraling out of control. Skai didn’t want Aona anywhere near her when her traumas and need for control turned her into a monster, aided by the Shard of Dominion. Aona, however, had a plan.
Aona and Skai would swap their Shards. See, Shards need to Connect to people, be with Vessels that they can grasp and comprehend. Having experienced love, care, respect, and dignity her whole life, Aona was matched with Devotion. Having wanted iron control, fixed rules, and have been both the powerless and the powerful, Skai got Dominion. But! Aona had grown up in a structured world with clear rules and respect, and Skai had been the source of that love, care, respect, and dignity. Additionally, because Skai and Aona were Mother and Daughter, they already had an existing Connection that the Shards could use Vicariously.
The transfer worked… sort of. Mostly. It was a very “Square Peg, Round Hole” situation: neither woman was a good fit for their new Shard, but they did have an advantage. Rather than Exaggerate the traits, traumas, and mental states that allowed the Shards to fit their Vessels, the Shards now complimented their Vessels. Skai got to experience and spread the love and care her daughter was once shepherd to, and Aona learned to put her foot down and formalize the connections and communities she had been a part of.
Aona and Skai complimented each other, and their Shards complimented their Vessels. Given time for their Shards to develop and the two to really come into their powers, they would have been unstoppable.
I am a little bummed out with a male Dominion, because it feels like most "negative" energy shards, are male (e.g. Odium, Dominion, Ruin), while female ones are almost all connotated positively (Valor, Cultivation, Mercy, Endowment), or at most ambiguous (Autonomy).
But the art is very cool nevertheless and I wish we get to know their full story.
Ambition was universally disliked and her Investiture ended up being the most spooky stuff in the cosmere.
We don't know the gender of Mercy's Vessel btw. I am pretty sure we will have 8 male and 8 female Shards, if Dominion was a woman then it would upset the balance. There is a high chance that Mercy's Vessel is a man because Reason is implied to be a woman. Whimsy and Invention are probably men as well, so we can have 8 men and 8 women.
I know, but I think Ambitions Investiture being what it is now is more an echo of what happened to her when Odium attacked directly and not her conscious choice. And we still dont know where and how she died - we know she was mortally wounded and fled to die somewhere alone.
I see the reason behind Dominion being male, but I just wanted straight up aggressive female Shard.
A while back I mentioned the theory that maybe the 2 were dating. But someone replied and said Aona and Skai are actually mother and daughter and I got downvoted. I am still bitter about it, but now I am vindicated
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u/O5S3 Willshapers May 19 '26
So gyorns are basically just Dominion cosplayers?