Physical Realm
The Physical Realm is one of the three Realms that compose reality in the Cosmere, Brandon Sanderson's shared fictional universe. It is the realm of matter and ordinary physical experience, the world as its inhabitants normally perceive and inhabit it.
Nature
In Cosmere cosmology, everything exists across three Realms at once:
- The Physical Realm — the world of matter, energy, time, and ordinary perception.
- The Cognitive Realm — the realm of thought and perception, called Shadesmar on Roshar.
- The Spiritual Realm — the realm of connection, intent, and essential nature.
The Physical Realm is where the events of daily life on Roshar and the other Cosmere worlds primarily take place. It is the most familiar of the three Realms and the one in which human characters, cities, and battles exist in solid, tangible form.
Relationship to the other Realms
Though most beings experience only the Physical Realm directly, the three Realms are interconnected. Spren, native to the Cognitive Realm, cross into the Physical Realm to take on more concrete form, and certain abilities and transitions allow travelers to move between the Physical Realm and Shadesmar. The Spiritual Realm underlies both, governing the deep connections and identities of all things. Powerful manifestations, such as the bond between a Knight Radiant and a spren, draw on all three Realms at once.