Every Unknown Death Rattle In The Stormlight Archive (& What It Could Mean For Arc 2)
Includes SPOILERS for The Stormlight Archive through Wind and Truth!
Death Rattles are one of the most fascinating concepts in The Stormlight Archive, and the still unsolved ones can be studied for clues pertaining to future books. Wind and Truth's ending marks the end of the first leg of Brandon Sanderson's epic on Roshar, concluding several storylines while also laying the foundation for more. Death Rattles are a phenomenon on Roshar where a person, in their final moments of life, will deliver a riddle-like message pertaining to a future (or past) event, such as a character's death or a pivotal plot moment.
The Death Rattles were an idea introduced in The Way of Kings and have persisted throughout The Stormlight Archive books, with many of them shown in various chapter epigraphs as enigmatic, confusing statements. Taravangian's hospital worked to bleed patients to death, essentially farming them for Death Rattles to enforce the precognitive knowledge of the Diagram. An example of a Death Rattle that's confirmed would be the one relating to Dalinar's death. The title of Wind and Truth chapter 137 is "The Suckling Child," which pertains to the following Death Rattle:
I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw.
14 I Climb! I Climb The Wall Of Grief Toward The Light, Locked Away Above! I Climb, The Weight Of My Darkened Twin On My Back, And Seek The Captive! The Light I Love! I ... Storms ... The Light I Love!
From Wind And Truth Chapter 83
One of the most recent Death Rattles readers have experienced is in Wind and Truth, with Szeth hearing the last words of Tuko-son-Tuko after killing him. Importantly, this Death Rattle was heard nearly a decade before the current Stormlight Archive timeline, and it's vague enough that it will likely connect to a matter in arc 2.
"The wall of grief" is an evocative phrase that could pertain to nearly every character, but the remainder of the phrase seems to revolve around redemption. It seems to suggest a character trying to overcome a darker side of themself, which could possibly point to someone like Moash or Gavinor, who we've seen the duality of throughout The Stormlight Archive. Since this Rattle was said to Szeth, an initial antagonist who redeemed himself in book 5, it could be preparing for the next long-term redemption arc.
Some Death Rattles are thought to be confirmed following Wind and Truth or previous books, but Sanderson could still throw readers for a loop with how vague they are.
13 You've Killed Me. Bastards, You've Killed Me! While The Sun Is Still Hot, I Die!
From The Way Of Kings Chapter 1
This is an interesting Death Rattle, as it's so short and non-specific that it's hard to imagine it directly corresponding to something, at least given the information readers have from the first five books. The sample is "considered questionable" by the one who documented it, meaning it could just be the actual words of a man realizing the Silent Gatherers were killing people for Rattles. That being said, it's still the Death Rattle of chapter 1 of the first book, which could imply some meaning, if nothing else.
12 They Are Aflame. They Burn. They Bring The Darkness When They Come, And So All You Can See Is That Their Skin Is Aflame. Burn, Burn, Burn...
From The Way Of Kings Chapter 7
This Death Rattle doesn't seem to connect to any notable events from The Stormlight Archive, but its words suggest it could relate to something from long before. This one could refer to the arrival of humans from Ashyn, which would explain them bringing the darkness of surgebinding to Roshar. The references to skin could also imply this being about the Singers, but both options are still unclear. In either case, the darkness would suggest Odium, but it's possible that this is still something left unknown for the next five books.
11 I'm Cold. Mother, I'm Cold. Mother? Why Can I Still Hear The Rain? Will It Stop?
From The Way Of Kings Chapter 6
This Death Rattle seems to refer to one of the major events caused by Wind and Truth: the Night of Sorrows. When readers return to Roshar, they'll be visiting a world covered in darkness and rain for roughly a decade. The other aspect of this one is the word mother, which could pertain to a few characters, including Shallan, whose pregnancy was one of Wind and Truth's biggest reveals. Aside from Chanarach, Hesina, and a few others, there aren't many characters in the series who are mothers to whom this could connect.
10 Ten Orders. We Were Loved, Once. Why Have You Forsaken Us, Almighty! Shard Of My Soul, Where Have You Gone?
From The Way Of Kings Chapter 2
This Death Rattle has a few keywords to break down: Orders, Almighty, and Shard. The ten orders almost certainly pertain to the Orders of the Knights Radiant, so this could simply be referring to the Day of Recreance, with the shards of their souls referring to the Spren. If the word shard is being used as a proper noun, it could instead be referring to the disappearance of Honor (the Almighty). It's a tricky one that might just be nothing, but it's worth keeping in mind for arc 2, regardless.
9 He Watches! The Black Piper In The Night. He Holds Us In His Palm... Playing A Tune That No Man Can Hear!
From The Way Of Kings Chapter 47
This is another confusing one, as parts of it seem like Kaladin, but others are a bit more confusing. Kaladin "playing a tune that no man can hear" could refer to him playing his flute for Wind, but the terms "black piper" and "he watches" raise confusion, as neither really relate to him.
Music is intrinsically connected with the story of Roshar, given the rhythms of the Singers, Hoid giving Kaladin a flute, and Amaram having a collection of flutes. The Lord Ruler even had a flute in Mistborn era 1. "The black piper in the night" sounds particularly ominous, which isn't really Kaladin's vibe. This could be connected to a character readers haven't met yet or a later narrative development.
8 I'm Standing Over The Body Of A Brother. I'm Weeping. Is That His Blood Or Mine? What Have We Done?
From The Way Of Kings Chapter 52
There are so many brothers in The Stormlight Archive, both in the biological way and in the sense of profound male friendship. The most notable dead brother is Gavilar Kholin, but the phrase "Is that his blood or mine?" seems to suggest a less intentional death than Szeth's assassination. This could then pertain to Adolin, Renarin, Kaladin, or several other characters, but the wording implies someone without control of their mind killing someone they love like a brother, suggesting a tragic and horrible death to come.
7 The Death Is My Life, The Strength Becomes My Weakness, The Journey Has Ended.
From The Way Of Kings Chapter 60
This Death Rattle is an inversion of the "Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination" Knights Radiant oaths, implying the death of a Radiant. With Dalinar out of the picture, Kaladin's death seems like a prime candidate, as these words suggest a self-sacrificial death of some sort, with their strength to stand up for others being their eventual downfall. Kaladin had one of the best character arcs in The Stormlight Archive, and it would be awful to see him go, so hopefully this applies to someone else.
6 They Break The Land Itself! They Want It, But In Their Rage They Will Destroy It. Like The Jealous Man Burns His Rich Things Rather Than Let Them Be Taken By His Enemies! They Come!
From The Way Of Kings Chapter 17
With Wind and Truth's lore reveals in mind, this Death Rattle seems like it would apply to Honor and Odium's conflict. The book explains that for these two Shards to fight directly, it would essentially destroy Roshar, referring to "break the land itself!" The following statements also seem to be indicative of Honor and Odium both wanting control of the planet and wanting to push the other way, which is explored in more sensitive detail in Tanavast's POV chapters. If not that, it could be something pertaining to Shards fighting over the Cosmere universe as a whole.
5 That Chanting, That Singing, Those Rasping Voices.
From The Way Of Kings Chapter 66
This is another Death Rattle that could be a generalized reference to the Singers, but there are interesting details in the epigraph pertaining to this one. The statement suggests that the man who spoke these words was a "middle-aged potter who reported seeing strange dreams during highstorms during the previous two years." This could just be foreshadowing connecting Dalinar's dreams to the Singers and the Parshendi twist, or it could imply something related to the Singers in arc 2, now that Ba-Ado-Mishram is freed and back on the board.
