Spren – Description, Biology, & All Types – Stormlight Archive

Of all the interesting magical concepts and creatures in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series, perhaps most fascinating are the spren. These physical manifestations of human thought and emotion are omnipresent on Roshar, and come in all shapes and sizes. But what the heck are they, really? In this article, we’ll explain exactly what spren are — where they come from, what they’re doing, and anything else you might be wondering!

This article contains spoilers for all five books of the Stormlight Archive books, specifically for events that reveal information about Spren, Radiants, and the Nahel bond.

What are Spren?

In short, spren are tiny fragments of Adonalsium’s power, given life by human thought and/or emotion. They are native to the planet of Roshar, and some types even predate the arrival of Honor and Cultivation. Most of the spren on Roshar are either made up of Cultivation’s power, Honor’s power, or a blend of the two.

That’s all there is to it! …just kidding, there is a lot more to learn about spren, though you now know enough to understand what the heck people are talking about when they say spren.

While the definition of “spren” can be broad in some contexts, and include things like the souls of objects, Cognitive Shadows, and Shards, for simplicity’s sake (and because it feels more accurate) we will stick to the strict definition of spren here: Splinters of power that are alive.

Types of Spren

There are two basic types of spren: True spren are sentient, while Lesser spren act purely on instinct. Spren can also be divided into two groups based on what gives them life, with Emotion spren being more of Honor and Nature spren being of Cultivation.

Lesser spren are far more common than True Spren, and behave much like lower forms of life in the Physical Realm — they spend most of their time hanging around where humans are having the thoughts or emotions they like. These spren appear in the Physical Realm to varying degrees: Windspren almost never manifest at all in Shadesmar, appearing fully in the Physical Realm, while only the orb-shaped “head” of Gloryspren appear in the Physical Realm.

True spren are sentient (thinking) spren, and tend to gain existence from more complex concepts than lesser spren — Honorspren being formed from the concept of Honor, Highspren from law and order, and so on. True spren can communicate with humans and each other, and often have complex culture in Shadesmar. They can form Nahel bonds with people, allowing the spren to enter the Physical Realm, while the person they bond gains access to Surgebinding. True spren appear humanoid in the Cognitive Realm, but when they cross over to the Physical Realm (via a Radiant Nahel bond) they take on a smaller, simpler form, and must regain their sentience as their Nahel bond strengthens.

There are also unique spren, like the Stormfather, the Sibling, and the Unmade, that don’t fall into the other categories. These can be sentient or not, based on emotions or thoughts (or not), and so on. These spren are often intentionally created by a Shard, rather than arising naturally from the thoughts and feelings of people.

For a complete list of known spren species, see the complete list of Spren.

Spren Biology

For a spren to be formed, there must be a Splinter of a Shard or similar power. A Splinter is a fragment of divinity, the power of creation, taken from a Shard. These Splinters can be created intentionally by the Shard, caused by the Shard being injured or destroyed, or simply created by accident. Some True spren seem able to create more of themselves, though it is unclear where the power for this comes from.

For whatever reason, Splinters on Roshar are able to soak up the collective emotions or thoughts of the people of Roshar, and then come to life. The thought or emotion that forms the spren determines the species of spren the Splinter becomes. Because they are born of thought or feelings, the actual physical substance of a spren forms in the Cognitive Realm of Shadesmar. While many spren appear to some extent in the Physical Realm, they are insubstantial while there — seen but not felt.

Spren are attracted to whatever concept or emotion formed them, and are drawn to sites where that concept or emotion is present. A battlefield will often draw anticipationspren, for example, while a chasm filled with plants will contain lifespren. While it has not been confirmed, it is possible that Emotion spren and Nature spren feed off of the concepts they are drawn to. It is also possible that spren draw sustenance from the Highstorm, as spren become more alert and energetic when a storm passes, and Highstorms attract huge numbers of spren.

Spren are are directly affected by the thoughts and feelings of people, which makes sense given how they are formed. Scientists on Roshar have determined that by measuring and writing down the size of a flamespren, that spren will remain fixed at those measurements — while an unmeasured flamespren will vary in size. It would follow that other spren have similar properties.

Unlike most living things, spren do not seem to age, and cannot die simply by growing old. However, True spren can be killed if their Nahel bond is broken — it is unclear exactly how dead they really become, as it seems swearing another oath, or returning to the broken oaths, can bring the spren back to life (see Nahel Bond below).

Bonds with Other Animals

Roshar is home to numerous creatures that appear to defy the laws of physics and/or biology. They do so by bonding one or more spren — such creatures may have a gemheart that holds the spren. Greatshells such as Santhids or Chasmfiends can grow to prodigious sizes that would be impossible without spren — luckspren are often found around greatshells, as well as around skyeels, which can fly despite lacking any obvious mechanism to allow such movement. While their affect on creatures in unknown, Luckspren are likely to either be decreasing the pull of gravity on the greatshell’s body, or else strengthening the creature somehow.

Parshendi have gemhearts, which they can allow a spren into during a highstorm. This is done in order to change into different forms, dependent on what kind of spren inhabits the gemheart. Spren bonding is an essential part of the Parshendi biology, as they cannot enter mateform and reproduce without a lifespren in their gemheart.

There are other creatures on Roshar that are suspected to have spren bonds of some kind. The fish of the Purelake have magical healing properties and sometimes allow people to sense things they otherwise shouldn’t, like when someone is going to arrive somewhere. Ryshadiums’ incredible strength, and their intelligence, may also be attributable to some kind of spren bond.

Nahel Bond

True spren are able to form a special kind of bond with people, a Nahel bond. This bond involves the swearing of Oaths, also known as Ideals. The Nahel bond makes the person bonded to the spren a Knight Radiant, granting them access to Surgebinding, and the ability to heal from Stormlight and use it to Surgebind. The bond begins to form before the swearing of the first ideal, but each ideal strengthens the bond between the spren and their knight. Oaths vary depending on the Order of Knight Radiant, with each type of True spren belonging to a different order.

When True spren enter the Physical Realm, they lose most of their memories and sapience. Through the bond, they begin to regain both, with memories and intelligence returning more with every oath their knight swears. Different types of True spren (also referred to as Radiant spren in this context) grant different types of powers to the person they bond, generally two different surges. Both highspren and honorspren grant the Surge of Gravitation, for example, but the former also grants Division while the latter grants Adhesion instead.

The Nahel Bond can be dangerous to Radiant spren — if the bond is broken, the spren can be hurt or even killed. Radiant spren whose knights have reached the Third Ideal are left behind as a Shardblade in the Physical Realm, while in the Cognitive Realm they become a deadeye — a spren with “scratched out” eyes who cannot communicate.

Spren Culture

While Lesser spren are essentially wild animals, True spren have culture in much the same way people do on Roshar. Some live in cities, many have jobs, and some types of true spren travel and live in various places across Shadesmar. The personalities of True spren of a certain type are similar — honorspren are generally obsessed with oaths and traditions, while ashspren like destroying things — but just as with people, individual True spren have unique personalities.

All Known Spren Varieties

Lesser Spren

Emotion Spren

The following spren are attracted to emotions. Unless otherwise indicated, they will move around the person or persons feeling the emotion in question.

• Agonyspren – Rare spren drawn to suffering. Look like upside down faces carved in stone.
• Alespren – Rare spren found in Iri, appearing only to people who are drunk. Look like small brown bubbles that cling to nearby objects.
• Angerspren – Common spren found near people who are angry. Look like pools of bubbling blood. Dangerous if encountered in Shadesmar.
• Anguishspren – Rare spren found near people in extreme states of suffering. Look like teeth growing from walls.
• Anticipationspren – Common spren found near people who are anticipating something. Look like red streamers waving from the ground. In shadesmar, look like large frogs with 6 legs — the streamer is their tongue.
• Anxietyspren – Found near people who are anxious. Look like twisting black crosses.
• Awespren – Rare spren found near people in awe. Look like an expanding ring of blue smoke.
• Captivityspren – Rare spren found by people who feel confined. Look like taut wires crisscrossing each other.
• Concentrationspren – Rare in Alethkar, but common in Urithiru and Tashikk. These spren look like ripples in the air.
• Confusionspren – Rare(?) spren found near people who are particularly confused. Look like streaks of violet expanding from a central point.
• Creationspren – Uncommon spren that appear near people who are creating (often art). Look like finger-sized versions of nearby objects that move in strange ways.
• Exhaustionspren – Common spren that appear near people who are exhausted. Look like brown jets of dust shooting into the air. In Shadesmar, appear large and birdlike, but indistinct (as if they are mostly manifesting in the Physical Realm).
• Fearspren – Common spren that appear near people who are afraid. Look like small round violet globules that wiggle. In Shadesmar, appear eel-like with many short legs and one large eye — the violet globules are their antennae.
• Gloomspren – Rare spren that appear near people experiencing deep feelings of sadness. Look like long, tattered grey streamers of cloth.
• Gloryspren – Common spren (though generally only a few appear at once) that appear near people feeling great pride. Look like transluscent golden orbs. In Shadesmar, appear as small winged creatures — the orb is their head.
• Hungerspren – Uncommon spren that appear near people feeling extreme hunger. Look like very small brown flies.
• Joyspren – Rare spren that appear near people feeling intense hapiness. Look like blue leaves swirling on the wind.
• Laughterspren – Common spren that appear near people who are laughing. Look like small, silver minnows that dart in circular patterns.
• Logicspren – Rare spren (though more common in Azir) that appear near people who are constructing a very logical argument. They look like tiny stormclouds. Logicspren are the armorspren for Elsecallers.
• Musicspren – Common spren that appear near musical performances. Look like spinning translucent ribbons.
• Painspren – Common spren that appear near people feeling pain. Look like small sinewy orange hands reaching upwards from the ground.
• Passionspren – Uncommon spren that appear near people feeling particularly passionate feelings. Look like tiny flakes of crystalline snow floating downward.
• Persuasionspren – Unknown spren, mentioned by the Sibling in Rhythm of War.
• Shamespren – Common spren that appear near people feeling embarassed. Look like red and white petals floating downard.
• Shockspren – Rare spren that appear near people who are shocked in a negative way. Look like pale yellow triangles breaking and reforming.

Nature Spren

• Bindspren – Spren that appear inbetween objects bound with a Full Lashing (via the surge of Adhesion). Look like small dark blue splaces of ink.
• Deathspren – Common spren that appear to people close to death. Look like fist sized spiders with glowing red eyes, sound like paper being torn.
• Decayspren – Common spren that appear near objects that are rotting or abandoned. Look like many barnacles close together on the object.
• Fermentationspren – Confirmed spren type.
• Flamespren – Common spren that appears near and inside of fire. Look like flame colored lights in an everchanging humanoid shape.
• Gravityspren (may be Luckspren/Groundspren)
• Heatspren – Confirmed spren type.
• Lifespren – Common spren that appears near plants, especially after Highstorms. Look like tiny glowing green specks of light.
• Luckspren – Common spren that appear near greatshells and skyeels. Look like tiny blue arrowheads with waving tails. In Shadesmar, are called mandras, and appear as large, long creatures with arrowshaped heads. They are used in Shadesmar to tow boats.
• Plaguespren – Common spren that appear on people who have the plague.
• Rainspren – Common spren that appears in puddles, especially during the Weeping. Look like hand-height blue candles that glow blue.
• Rainbowspren – Confirmed spren type.
• Riverspren – Common spren that appear in rivers and lakes. Look like eels, and can mimic faces and expressions — often doing so to upset people.
• Rockspren – Known spren type.
• Rotspren – Common spren that appears around infected wounds and corpses. Look like small red insects, and are believed to cause illness.
• Snowspren – Known spren type.
• Starspren – Rare spren that appears in the night sky. Look like small points of light that chase each other like insects. In Shadesmar, appear as massive dragon-like greatshells with seven sets of wings that trail clouds.
• Stormspren – Rare, as of yet unnamed spren that can be seen during highstorms. Look like huge creatures with massive glowing legs.
• Tai-na Spren – Unknown spren that bond the Tai-na, the giant greatshell islands that make up the Reshi isles. Can interact with the world in some ways — slowed the fall of Rysn, preventing her death.
• Wavespren – Common spren that appear at the top of waves. Look like four-legged creatures with big eyes and smooth skin.
• Windspren – Common spren that appears with the wind, and near Radiants that are flying or sliding around. Look like ribbons of light, but can change their appearance to look like other objects. Often pull pranks on people with their ability to stick objects together via Adhesion.

True Spren

True Spren are all sapient. They are humanoid in appearance except where otherwise indicated. With the exception of the Oathgate spren, all True spren listed below are believed to be able to form Nahel bonds.

• Ashspren – Fond of destruction, which they seem to represent. Look like branching patterns of fire on surfaces that leave behind illusory cracks. In Shadesmar, they have ash-white skin that falls off when they move, revealing bone but quickly regrowing. Knights bonded with Ashpren are called Dustbringers.
• Cryptics – Fond of lies and mathmatics. Represent the fundamental mathmatical laws of nature. Look like an infinitely complex swirling pattern that is slightly raised from the surface they sit on. In Shadesmar, they are tall figures with stiff robes, with a swirling, impossibly complex geometric pattern for a head. Knights bonded with Cryptics are called Lightweavers.
• Cultivationspren – Fond of gardens. Represent the Shard Cultivation, and its Intent to make things grow and change. Look like a constantly growing crystalline vine, with enough substance that it can be touched and even climbed on. In Shadesmar, they have bodies made of vines of various sizes mixed with pieces of crystal. Knights bonded with Cultivationspren are called Edgedancers.
• Highspren – Fond of laws, which they may represent. Look like small tears in reality through which darkness and stars can be seen. In Shadesmar, they appear the same, but as full size humanoids. Knights bonded with Highspren are called Skybreakers.
• Honorspren – Fond of oaths. Represent the Shard Honor, and its Intent to… be Honorable, presumably. Look much like windspren, able to change their shape or appear as a ribbon of light, though they are always a glowing blue-white. In Shadesmar, they appear the same glowing blue-white, but cannot change their shape. Knights bonded with Honorspren are called Windrunners.
• Inkspren – Fond of critical thinking. Present logic and foresite. In both realms, appear as jet black humanoids, with a glossy, oil-like sheen. Can change their size in the Physical Realm, going from as small as a finger to as large as a regular person. Knights bonded with Inkspren are called Elsecallers.
• Keenspren – Known Radiant spren.
• Mistspren – Fond of new perspectives. Look like a shimmer of light when moving — when still, light grows upwards in the shape of plants. In Shadesmar, they can alter their shape as they choose, though they often take humanoid form, and wear masks and clothes. Knights bonded with Mistpren are called Truthwatchers.
• Peakspren – Look like humanoids with cracked skin — molten light shines through the cracks. Knights bonded with Peakspren are called Stonewards.
• Reachers – Fond of traveling. Look like a glowing ball of light. In Shadesmar, they have bronze skin with a metallic sheen, like statues. Knights bonded with Reachers are called Willshapers.
• Oathgate Spren – Huge spren that work in pairs to work the Oathgates. They both look like proportional humanoid knights, one black, one white, both shiny. They speak together, perhaps being bonded to one another.

Other Spren

• Cusicesh – A giant spren that lives in Kasitor Bay in Iri, and appears at the same time every morning and remains with its feet planted on the shore for ten minutes. Looks like a large column of water with a constantly changing face that is turned east.
• The Nightwatcher – A Splinter of Cultivation that grants boons and curses to those who seek her. Looks like a vaguely humanoid dark green mist.
• The Stormfather – A Splinter of Honor, and the spren of the Highstorm. A Radiant bonded to the Stormfather becomes a Bondsmith.
• The Sibling – The spren of the ancient Radiant’s tower of Urithiru. A Radiant bonded to the Sibling becomes a Bondsmith.
• The Unmade – Ancient spren, some sentient, some not. All are intentionally created Splinters of Odium.
  • Ashertmarn – The Heart of the Revel, a likely mindless spren of gluttony and debauchery, that drives people nearby to revel.
  • Ba-Ado-Mishram – A sentient spren that grants Parshendi access to Voidlight and Regal forms.
  • Chemoarish – The Dustmother.
  • Dai-Gonarthis – The Black Fisher.
  • Moelach – A likely mindless spren, that causes people nearby to emit Death Rattles — prophetic exclamations — upon their death.
  • Nergaoul – The Thrill, a mostly mindless spren that causes nearby people to feel driven to battle, to kill. Looks like a red mist, with dying horses and other scenes of violence sometimes visible (as seen in this article’s featured image, art by Ashley Coad).
  • Re-Shephir – The Midnight Mother, a spren that can create Midnight Essence — a midnight black mist that can become nearby creatures and imitate their actions.
  • Sja-anat – A sentient spren that can “corrupt” spren, giving them free will beyond what they normally possess.
  • Yelig-Nar – The Blightwind, a spren that can bond with a person to grant them great stength and all of ten of the Surgebinding powers.

We hope this article on the spren of Roshar was informative! If you have questions or suggestions, please let us know in the comments section below.