**SPOILERS! The Shards of Adonalsium

[melbatoast]

The Big Bang Theory for Brandon's Universe:
In the beginning, there was God (Adonalsium). Until one day he exploded.

[Alatar]

I have been assuming that Adonalsium was a person or god of some sort.

I believe this concept is too simple. Maybe not "a god" but "the GOD", that's why I named it Creation, not the force actually used to Create, but the Universe itself, should it be conscious. You know, something BIG.

The Big Bang Theory for Brandon's Universe:
In the beginning, there was God (Adonalsium). Until one day he exploded.

 
That's it.
also, as you said in the previous post, I agree if they are Shards, they should have been united before.

And, why is it that we have Humanity in every Shard world? Maybe the biblic conception "at his own image"? I believe BS to have one explanation for that, because he is so orderly....

[Reaves]

I suspect sarah is female

Oh, no, my secret is out!  (What was your first clue?)   

Wh- what? Don't make fun of me, make fun of him, lol

[Peter Ahlstrom]

It's possible Adonalsium was not the god of the entire universe but just of a small section of it where Brandon's planets are. If we're thinking there are only 16 shards, and two of them ended up on the same planet (and Hoid is hopping between Shard worlds), it's possible the shards are spread over a relatively small astronomical area. If that's the case, it might be because that's the area that was Adonalsium's domain.

[Chaos]

It's possible Adonalsium was not the god of the entire universe but just of a small section of it where Brandon's planets are. If we're thinking there are only 16 shards, and two of them ended up on the same planet (and Hoid is hopping between Shard worlds), it's possible the shards are spread over a relatively small astronomical area. If that's the case, it might be because that's the area that was Adonalsium's domain.

Going off that thought, Ookla, even if Adonalsium's domain was a single galaxy, that's still a vastly huge area compared to what we currently experience. And a single galaxy is tiny compared with the universe. Adonalsium need not be God of the entire universe (as the universe is unfathomably vast), but could control a region so large from the perspective of a single planet, he may as well be considered a God.

Also, there doesn't have to be just 16 Shards. I thought 16 was Preservation's number, not necessarily anything that we could apply to all Shards. Now, there could be 16 Shards, but I don't know yet. We shall see.

I would think that Adonalsium would have a conscious aspect to it, considering how important a conscious aspect is to a Shard.

[douglas]

Also, there doesn't have to be just 16 Shards. I thought 16 was Preservation's number, not necessarily anything that we could apply to all Shards. Now, there could be 16 Shards, but I don't know yet. We shall see.

I'm pretty sure one of Sazed's chapter headings says something about the number 16 being fundamental to a lot more than just Preservation and Ruin.

Edit: Found it.  Chapter 71.

As for the other aspects of the number . . . well, even I am still investigating that.  Suffice it to say that it has great ramifications regarding how the world, and the universe itself, works.

[Chaos]

It's quite possible. I'll check my copy of Hero of Ages for a confirmation on that. I'd like to get that chapter heading explicitly quoted here anyways. It would be better for the hypotheses

[douglas]

Bah, should have checked for a new post before editing.

[Miyabi]

Here is the entire quote.  From Chapter 71 epigraph.

There is something special about the number sixteen.  For one thing, it was Preservation's sign to mankind.

Preservation knew, even before he imprisoned Ruin, that he wouldn't be able to communicate with humankind once he diminished himself.  And so, he left clues - clues that couldn't be altered by Ruin.  Clues that related back to the fundamental laws of the universe.  The number was meant to be proof that something unnatural was happening, and that there was help to be found.

It may have taken us long to figure this out, but when we eventually did understand the clue - late though it was - it provided a much-needed boos.

As for the other aspects of the number . . . well, even I am still investigating that.  Suffice it to tsay that it has great ramifications regarding how the world, and the universe itself, works.

So it is more important than just in the Hamland.

[Chaos]

Thanks miyabi. That definitely hints at it being extremely fundamental.

[Alatar]

I see. Point taken.
So maybe there are 16 entites like Adonalsium, and... who knows where it may end? Maybe there are 16 universes, and so on.......... 
I hope BS will stop at Adonalsium, or we can get dizzy 

[happyman]

I actually postulated sixteen shards some time ago.

Then I thought "Why not 16 squared?  256 shards?  Or how about 16^16, which is about 1.84x10^19?"

So while I still think sixteen shards makes the most sense, I'm not about to restrict myself to that idea.

[Cosmic_AC]

Thing is it might be a moderator's view too.  He was trying to help you, really.

I suspect sarah is female

Ahahahahahaha I forgot to look at who was posting what!  And I can't pretend it was a typo because I capitalized the "H"!

Back on the Shards, though.  Is it possible that some of the Shards themselves split into lesser Shards or "Slivers"?  Meh, I guess 16 is a big enough number to make a good number of books with.

One question to ask, I guess, is how the number 16 ties in with what we've observed about the magic systems in Elantris and Warbreaker.  Yeah....I can't think of anything right now.

[Alatar]

Back on the Shards, though.  Is it possible that some of the Shards themselves split into lesser Shards or "Slivers"?  Meh, I guess 16 is a big enough number to make a good number of books with.

One question to ask, I guess, is how the number 16 ties in with what we've observed about the magic systems in Elantris and Warbreaker.  Yeah....I can't think of anything right now.

Maybe there are 16 tiers in Awakening, but surely there are more than 16 Aons, although maybe there are only 16 basic lines to draw Aons.

Anyway, I liked that word, "Slivers". Don't you remember having seen it written somewhere? Oh, yeah, about hundreds of times in Mistborn: Final Empire.
So, that's kind of a thought. 

[melbatoast]

Back on the Shards, though.  Is it possible that some of the Shards themselves split into lesser Shards or "Slivers"? 

No, not slivers! We want no possibility of Brandon dying before he finishes writing about all 16 shards and their 16 slivers.

Anyway, I liked that word, "Slivers". Don't you remember having seen it written somewhere? Oh, yeah, about hundreds of times in Mistborn: Final Empire.
So, that's kind of a thought. 

Well, the Lord Ruler may have known some things about the cosmology of the universe since he did use the power in the well of ascension. Sazed appears to understand a lot, although he does have two shards. I guess "sliver of infinity" actually makes sense.