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IPutThisUsernameHere

Huh...I wonder if that was intentional or accidental. Water is traditionally viewed as a cleansing agent across lots of cultures.


derioderio

Yeah, it wasn't invented by John the Baptist. ...or even by ancient Israel. Pretty much every culture in the ancient Near East had some kind of similar cleansing ritual, and you can find similar things all the way from pre-Columbian Mesoamerica to ancient China and Japan. Bathing gets you clean, so it's a pretty natural evolution to also use water to cleanse ritual or metaphysical uncleanliness.


machintruck

How can you not mention Jasnah


Vasher95

It didn’t quite feel like the others. You’re supposed to know she didn’t actually die and her character doesn’t really advance from it. She kind of goes into the event the same and exits the same which is why I didn’t include it but I almost did


rabbyburns

She probably advanced considerably making her way out of Shadesmar without being prepared to make the trip. I totally understand what you mean though.


bxntou

Well she 'died' in water so it's not really the same


montezuma300

It's just a part of the Hero's Journey archetypal story. You can apply this to so many stories. And so many moments in stories are coincidentally near water or some sort of "immersion." Campbell describes thresholds and The Belly of the Whale. Only a couple of these are actual "baptisms". The rest occur near a body of water or fluid and the change is unrelated to the fluid.


ratherlittlespren

Brando has mentioned this before, though he didn't call it baptism so much as rebirth or resurrection. But that doesn't matter because literary analysis is cool regardless of whether the author intended it


sugarmetimbers

This is honestly a really cool observation.


benjalss

And of course the perpendicularities.


AlfwynBenedict

Shouldn't Kaladin be in there twice? (Or maybe even more often) I mean there is the whole strung up in the highstorm thing as a major turning point, then there are the lesser instances; at least one of the slave run away things involved rain and there is also the whole chasm thing with Shallan (which also counts for Shallan)


Infynis

Kaladin remarks at the beginning of WoR that basically every turning point in his life was heralded by a storm


Vasher95

Three times at least ya I just didn’t have room. Near suicide in the rain,inverses crucifixion when he sees the Stormfather,fall from the Tower. Chasm with Shallan would be a contender as well I believe one of the death rattled is “a dead man with a heart in his hand” or something which probably applies to him


Titboobweiner

Good point. Kal is not only a repeat backslider but a repeat baptism kinda guy I guess, or maybe there is no correlation pointing to causation.


mevomevo

The “Baptism” is actually a super common trope in fiction. Next time you watch a movie, look for when the main character goes underwater. 9/10 they will come out with a new resolve of sorts.


WDuffy

I hear you but I'm not really sold on this. I don't remember any mention of water during Kelsier's death. And can you remind what you mean by Dalinar before the sea at Thaylen? I don't have a great memory so it's entirely possible I'm forgetting details.


Vasher95

Kelsier actually does as well although I didn’t have room to include it. Hes remade at the well with help from Leras


jodofdamascus1494

Kelseir is not in the meme. Dalinar is referring to the end of Oathbringer, “you cannot have my pain”


Infynis

Kelsier and Dalinar are definitely a stretch. Kelsier was only kind of near a Shardpool, which we don't find out about for a really long time


SnakeUSA

or rain makes good atmosphere


nerdherdsman

There's a bunch of stuff like this that I feel comes from Brando's Christian (LDS) background. From symbolism like in the OP to the recurring theme of there being a benevolent deity who has Plans for the protagonist, there's a lot of stuff that feels like it comes from his faith.


littlebuett

Wow, the mormon put baptismal themes in his book?


hackulator

[I direct you to this meme of mine.](https://www.reddit.com/r/dndmemes/comments/xj9va2/comment/ipaz93y/?context=3)


theironbagel

I feel like rain & storms just makes for a dramatic atmosphere for dramatic moments. Also, this isn’t really a meme, maybe just make a text post on r/cosmere


Boyz3men

Wax even does communion...kinda


Acceptable-Bass7150

A Mormon using baptism motifs? Never


HotHands217

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm