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Odium

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Odium
Shard of Adonalsium; the God of Hatred; the Broken One
House / Order
Race / Culture Shard (divine force)
Status Slain and replaced
Origin Greater Roshar; the Cosmere
Born
Died
Weapon
Fate Killed by Rayse's bargain; the Shard taken up by a new Vessel
Portrayed by
Passion. You call it hatred, but it is so much more.

Odium is one of the sixteen Shards of Adonalsium, embodying the divine intent of hatred, passion, and the full spectrum of destructive emotion. For most of the recorded history of Roshar, Odium was held by a Vessel named Rayse, and it stands as the principal antagonistic power across The Stormlight Archive.

Nature

As a Shard, Odium is a vast fragment of the shattered god Adonalsium, embodying a single primal intent. Where the intent of Honor bound its holder to oaths and bonds, the intent of Odium drives toward hatred, vengeance, and unrestrained passion. Odium frequently insists that it is not merely hatred but all strong emotion, and it cultivates grievance and the desire for retribution in those it influences.

History on Roshar

Odium is responsible for the cycle of Desolations that repeatedly devastated Roshar. Working through the Voidbringers and the corrupted forms of the singers, Odium waged war against the forces of Honor and Cultivation. It splintered Honor (the Stormfather remembers Honor's death) and bound the Heralds to torment through the Oathpact.

Odium long sought to expand beyond Roshar, but it was held in check, unable to leave the Rosharan system. Its champions, the Fused and the Unmade, served as instruments of its long war against humankind and the Knights Radiant.

Vessels

The being known to Roshar as Odium was for many ages the Vessel Rayse, who had taken up the Shard after the Shattering of Adonalsium. By the events of Wind and Truth, the Shard's holder is changed through a contest of champions, and the intent of Odium passes to a new Vessel, transforming the threat it poses to the wider Cosmere.

See also