Spren Types

Spren come in many different varieties, each associated with and named for its own phenomenon.
==Emotion/Sensation-based Spren==
*Agonyspren appear like upside-down faces carved from stone.
*Angerspren Accompany a person experiencing a lot of anger. Appear as blood-red pools boiling up from the ground around an angry person's feet.
*Anguishspren are rare and look like teeth growing from the walls of ... .
*Anticipationspren Accompany nervous people, people who are waiting for something. Appear as translucent red streamers rising from the ground, or connected by one side to such as a stone, and whipping as if in the wind around a person who is anticipating something, one end connected to the ground. Rock can see each their true shapes beyond the streamers, a faint shadow of a larger creature at the bottom, invisible to normal humans. He gives them the sign of respect, hand to his shoulder, then his forehead. He believes these are lesser gods, but still holy. As described when seen in full in Shadesmar, they appear as round lurg-like creatures with fat, bulbous bodies and squat legs, all of which are deceptively solid. About the size of a human toddler, when they tip the entire top half of their heads backward, a long tongue shoots up in the air from gaping mouths, and they begin to flap and wave, making them look like said streamers. Further, they are stealthy in Shadesmar, can sense one's anticipation from a great distance, and are tenacious.
*Anxietyspren appear like twisting black crosses.
*Awespren Appear as a ring of blue smoke that bursts and spreads like a ripple from a stone dropped in a pond. They are attracted to the feeling of amazement or awe. 
*Chaosspren are types of Voidspren normally invisible to anyone but the ones they appeared to see sparks in the air.
*Concentrationspren Appear as little ripples in the air, like a raindrop in a pond - only without the rain and without the pond.
*Exhaustionspren Appear alongside painspren among the wounded after a battle, specifically on the Shattered Plains. No physical description of them has yet been given. However, once they've been exhausted, they fade, the spren spinning away to search out more fresh sources of emotion. They puff like little jets of dust.
*Fearspren Are drawn to a person experiencing terror. Appear as small globs of a violet/purple goo wriggling in the air. Seen fully in Shadesmar, they are many-legged lizard like creatures with a large eye and a tongue appendage held in front of them with the glob of goo floating past the end of it.
*Gloomspren Are long, and grey, like a tattered streamer of cloth in the wind. They wind around, fluttering. Kaladin had seen its like only once or twice before.
*Gloryspren Appear to humans "... like tiny golden translucent globes of light ... attracted by ... accomplishment." Or, as glowing golden spheres. Often seen around victorious participants of combat. To the listeners, however, they appear as having " ... flowing tails and long wings ... ." Seen in Shadesmar, they appear as some sort of winged fish flying through the air with a golden globe floating in the air in front of the featureless head.
*Joyspren Appear as blue leaves that rise around a person, beginning at one's feet, then move up in a swirl before flaring out above as if in a blast of wind.
*Laughterspren Appear as little silver fish that zip through the air, this way and that, dancing in the air some ten feet up from where one stands.
*Painspren Appear as " ... small orange hands with overly long fingers ... " crawling around persons in agony. However, in Shadesmar the harmless painspren are known as grinders, which screech as they are drawn by strong emotions, and are extremely dangerous.Grinders
*Passionspren Appear as tiny flakes of crystalline snow around passionate people. May only be applied to a feeling of strong love.
*Shamespren Appear to be " ... shaped like white and red flower petals that [drift] on a wind."
*Shockspren Appear as pale, yellow triangles, breaking and reforming. They are extremely rare.
==Elemental Spren==
*Ashspren From Malata's conversation with Taravangian, it can be inferred that the Dustbringers bond with ashspren. Characteristic of ashspren are the desires to exact vengeance and break things.
*Cold/Heat/Gravity-Spren Mentioned in Navani's Notebook, where she comments that they can be bound to gems to create cold/heat-producing fabrials. (It's likely that those are scholarly names for more commonly used names among the people). Coldspren are described as being "spiky."
*Cultivationspren, such as Wyndle and Maya, are sentient elements of the Shard, Cultivation. Each their bond with an Edgedancer grants a human the Surges of Abrasion and Progression. Unlike other sentient spren, they do not have cities in the Cognitive Realm. They are ruled by a counsel known as the Ring and call the Nightwatcher mother. Further, Wyndle insists that his kind are not very important and that they only moved to bond with humans because the Cryptics and the honorspren and 'everyone' were starting to move. That they jumped right into the sea of glass feet-first, but barely knew what they were doing.
*Cusicesh the Protector Appears at the same time - seven forty-six every morning, without fail - from the inland sea within Iri. It takes the shape of a large jet of water.
*Flamespren Appear as insect-like shapes that dance around the source of a flame (the flame draws them) and are made solely of congealed light. They continually change size, though their size becomes fixed if they are measured and the measurement is recorded, yet they begin to change size again if the record is erased. Some seem vaguely human, with ever-shifting figures.
*Gravitationspren - Zen-daughter-Vath researched spren, sketching spren which appeared around heavy objects which she conjectured to be gravitationspren.Zen
*Groundspren They pull everything downward.
*Lightspren Look like small balls of white fire that give off little rings of light, and trail streaks behind them like a comet. They are more commonly known in Shadesmar as Reachers, and are a subset of sapient spren on Roshar. Timbre is a lightspren.
*Mistspren Lean toward Cultivation,Truthwatcherspren and have been revealed to be Truthwatcherspren. These spren reportedly look like light on a surface after it reflects through something crystalline. They can each choose their own forms, and usually choose a shape like a person, but don't need to. Their free-form shape seems to Shallan like it would be difficult to capture in a sketch. Like steam, somehow trapped into a humanoid shape, contained by clothing and a strange mask.
*Rainbowspren Confirmed by Brandon to exist.Starsight Release Party, Orem, UT, 11/26/19
*Rainspren Found in puddles, they glow with a faint blue light and are shaped like ankle-high melting candles with no flame. "They rarely [appear] except during the Weeping. They [are] said to be the souls of raindrops, glowing blue rods, seeming to melt but never growing smaller, a single blue eye at their tops. They have claws below."
*Riverspren Are eel-like and one of the largest spren. They are somewhat rare, but supposedly able to speak at times in simple ways, like windspren. They are covered in carapace.
*Starspren Appear like glowing insects, zipping around; tiny pinpricks of light, chasing after one another. They are a rare type of spren (likely only seen between moons when the sky is poorly lit). According to Mishim, they tell delightsome stories. In Shadesmar, they resemble creatures with an ashen carapace and a long neck. They resemble a greatshell, faintly echoing the sinuous look of a chasmfiend, and fly on seven sets of insect wings. They have sparkling lights along the wings and legs, marking their joints and outline. It seems like they emerge from clouds, and they can lie on clouds.
*Stonespren Are a variety that inhabit stone. They are revered by the Shin.
* Stormspren Appear as smoky creatures moving about inside gemstones. They're a variety of Voidspren.
*Windspren Are " ... amorphous, vaguely translucent ... devious spirits who [have] a penchant for staying where they [aren't] wanted." They may appear as " ... a ribbon of light without form." They " ... often [play] pranks ... ." "They [are] impossible to tell apart." The larger among them can change shape and size. They " ... [can] mimic voices and expressions, but [don't] actually think." They can appear to whomever they choose. It's possible that what are thought to be windspren by many are, in actuality, lost honorspren. Windspren and honorspren are cousins to one another.Cousins Shallan wonders whether human imagination gave windspren their mischievous spark. Additionally, the Plate of Windrunners is comprised of windspren.
==True Spren==
True spren are those sapient spren that are bonded to Radiants.
==Other Spren==
*Bindspren It is unsure whether they are either attracted to, create, or are created by a Lashing.Syl and Kaladin argued about it and it's being researched. However, they may appear near objects held by a Full Lashing.Ars Arcanum They appear as " ... dark blue and shaped like little splashes of ink, clustering ... " around the site of a binding.
*Captivityspren Axies the Collector has postulated the existence of a spren attracted to those who have been imprisoned. However, despite the countless times he's been thrown into jail, he's yet to confirm their existence. These are the strange spren seen by Kaladin while imprisoned in Words of Radiance (i.e., " ... strange spren like taut wires crossing before him ... ").
*Chasmfiendspren Like small glowing arrows in schools. Individuals drift away and vanish like small plumes of smoke rising into the air. They dance around live chasmfiends, (and santhids and skyeels) and are a source of light. Sailors call them luckspren.Shallan's Sketchbook
*Creationspren Accompany a skillful act of creation, such as drawing or painting. They appear as finger-length, glowing faintly with silvery light, transforming perpetually, taking new shapes. "Usually the shapes were things they had seen recently. They [imitate] shapes exactly, but [move] them in strange ways." They aren't entirely substantial.
*Deathspren According to Lirin they hate water. They appear " ... as fist-sized and black, with many legs and deep red eyes that [glow], leaving trails of burning light. They [cluster] ... skittering this way and that. Their voices [are] whispers, scratchy sounds like paper being torn. Only the dying [are able to] see deathspren." Deathspren are considered a superstition by many and dying hallucinations may account for the seeing of them. However, during Kaladin's almost near-death experience, Syl warded away the encroaching deathspren.
*Decayspren Mentioned once by Syl as an offhand reference. Seen again by Shallan in Urithiru, described as being like "barnacles" on the refuse in the corridors.
*Fermentationspren Confirmed by Brandon to exist.DragonCon 2019, 8/29/19
*Highspren Mentioned once by Syl as an offhand reference; likely the spren with which Darkness is bonded. They value law above all else, including doing what is right. They are tied to the powers of the Skybreakers; each their bond with a Skybreaker grants a human the Surges of Gravitation and Division. Shaped as small slits in the air - according to Szeth - they separate the sky, like wounds in skin, exposing a black field full of stars. When they move, the substance of reality bends around them.
*Honorspren They are discerning. They bond things. "Spirit of oaths, promises, and nobility." Kaladin's spren, Syl, is an honorspren. They are tied to the powers of the Windrunners; each their bond with a Windrunner grants a human the Surges of Adhesion and Gravitation. Their attempts to rule Shadesmar had not endeared them to other races.
* Hungerspren Appear as little brown specks with wings, floating around their host. Dalinar sees them as tiny brown flies of the type he saw out in the west near the Purelake.
* Inkspren Appear as inky-black and sword-wielding. They are tied to the powers of the Elsecallers; each their bond with an Elsecaller grants a human the Surges of Transformation and Transportation. Ivory has been identified as an inkspren,Book signing, Fort Collins, CO, 11/29/16 as has Blended. According to Brandon, "Inkspren do not like how variable humans are. It's a thing out of honor, and they like people who are logical and willing to think about their lives and not react as much by instinct."Inkspren? There is no love lost between inkspren and honorspren.
*Keenspren Wyndle claims that he once grew an entire garden for some keenspren. Again according to Brandon, keenspren is a slang term nickname.YouTube Spoiler Stream 4, 6/16/22
*Liespren Appear as tall and willowy creatures with cloaks that split down the front and hang at the sides too stiffly, as if made of glass. They have large, floating symbols of twisted designs full of impossible angles and geometries instead of heads. They have been observed to give the power to Soulcast in exchange for truth. Pattern is a liespren; or a Cryptic, as he and his kin prefer to be called. Shallan sees them in her drawings. They bind to her by being told a powerful truth. Elhokar sees them in mirrors and perceives them as assassins. "They watch me. Always. Waiting. I see their faces in mirrors. Symbols, twisted, inhuman ... ." Cryptics are tied to the powers of the Lightweavers; each their bond with a Lightweaver grants a human the Surges of Illumination and Transformation. Even so, according to Syl, Cryptics are a revolting type of spren, but she doesn't think them to be evil.
*Logicspren Are said to be attracted to great arguments and are described as appearing like tiny stormclouds.*
*Musicspren Appear in the form of spinning translucent ribbons in the air where music is being played. They were first noted surrounding the Parshendi drummers at Gavilar's last feast, possibly attuned to the natural rhythm of the Parshendi. They have also been noted to be around the best music players at Elhokar's feasts. For unknown reasons, they also follow Ryshadium herds.
*Oathgatespren Appear as sentinels, standing tall as buildings, reminiscent of statues in armor. Of two, one is mother-of-pearl, the other black with a variegated oily shimmer. If corrupted, the white one would become red.
*Peakspren are those spren that bond with Stonewards. They are bald, though have more cracks on their heads than on other parts of their bodies, and have differing nationalities.
*Persuasionspren are mentioned by the Sibling, but it is not clear if they really exist.
*Reachers are commonly known on Roshar as lightspren, a subset of sapient spren there. They appear as small balls of white fire that give off little rings of light, and trail streaks behind them like a comet. According to Kaladin, they don't speak much.
*Rotspren Appear as tiny and red, like insects crawling over wounds. According to Lirin, they hate water. Lister's oil frightens them better than soap does. They are translucent and tend to cluster around the dead.
*Santhidspren Appear like arrows moving through the water around the creature. These spren are also seen around some chasmfiends and skyeels.
*Secretspren can find fabrials as easily as they find Radiants.
*Stonewardspren are also known as peakspren. Ua'pam is one such.
*Voidspren are comprised of different varieties. All spren that are Splinters of Odium are referred to as Voidspren.* Odiumspren and stormspren are specific types of Voidspren. Among the differing varieties, some are of golden light, others are red shadows. Some Voidspren can hide from the eyes of all except those they want to see them, but none can hide from Venli, who can see their traces in Shadesmar. Voidspren don't grant Surges to the singers, just more forms.
Name 	Color 	Description 	Notes
"Alespren" 	Brown 	Small bubbles that cling to nearby objects. 	"Appear only when one is severely intoxicated." Potentially, " ... a drunken hallucination." Infrequent, they're studied by Axies.
"Dungspren" 	 	 	Most likely do not exist. Told by Tien as a joke.
"Groundspren" 	 	 	They pull things down.
"Hungerspren" 	Brown 	Like flies that flit around one's head, almost too small to see. 	
"Laughterspren"	Silver	Minnow-like spirits that dart through the air in circular patterns. 	
"Lifespren" 	Green 	Motes of swirling, green-glowing dust, or swarms of tiny translucent insects. Usually seen where there are lots of plants.	Dance in the air like whispermill seeds.
"Luckspren" 	Brown 	Dozens of these tiny spren accompany skyeels in a swarm. 	Probably not their true name, though called so by sailors.Shallan's Sketchbook
"Nightspren" 	Black 	 	Monsters of the dark that are dreaded.
"Smokespren" 	Silver	Tiny, near-invisible whisps of smoke, like a candle that had its flame just snuffed out. 	They are integral to and have a symbiotic relationship with greatshells, without which the beasts could not attain such a great size with an exoskeleton. (Along with a high-oxygen, lower-gravity world.)Q&A with Brandon, 9/25/2012 They also float out of a freshly killed chasmfiend's body."Smokespren"
"Starspren" 	White 	Tiny pinpricks of light chasing after one another, zipping around like distant, glowing insects. 	They are rare. Shallan spots a few in a cavern on the Shattered Plains.
==Corrupt Spren==
In Kholinar, Kaladin, Shallan, and Adolin observe spren arriving as two lines of bright yellow-white, twisting about one another above a plaza. Their inhuman screeches are awful. Like the sound of a wounded animal, dying alone in the wilderness.
They look like vivid yellow spheres crackling with energy. They don't seem to be able to pinpoint the rock that Kaladin had previously infused with Stormlight directly, and spin over the courtyard as if confused, still screaming.
However, when one of the Fused descends upon the plaza, the spren cease screaming. The Voidbringer looks about, fluttering through the air, then glares at the spren and says something. Again, they seem confused. They sense Kaladin's use of Stormlight - likely interpreting it as a fabrial being used - but now can't pinpoint the location.
The spren then disperse, vanishing as emotion spren often do.
Kaladin says, however, that though he can hold Stormlight as long as he wants without drawing their attention, the moment moment he Lashes something, they come screaming.Ars Arcanum
When Kaladin tests summoning Syl as a Blade, that doesn't draw the screamers.
*Angerspren to Veil look like normal pools of blood, but others look more like tar, pitch-black. When the bubbles in these pop, they show a burning red within, like embers.
*Flamespren become blue and have a human shape that does not change.
*Gloryspren appear to Shallan in shapes of cubes. She carves a depiction of one into a table in compromised Kholinar. However, once in Shadesmar, Shallan sees an odd little spren floating through the air that is bone-white and brown, and has wings extending to the sides, plus long tresses for a tail. In front of its body hovers a cube. When one lands on her arm, she hears the voice of the Unmade, Sja-anat, in her mind.
*Painspren in Sja-anat-infected Kholinar appear as if crawling out of the ground like little disembodied hands. They look skinless, made of sinew. Instead of bright orange, they are a sickly green, and also wrong; instead of human hands, these seem to be from some kind of monster (i.e., distorted, with claws jutting from the sinew).
*Shamespren in compromised Kholinar are experienced by Shallan as dropping around her like a wave of pieces of broken glass.
Both Renarin's spren, Glys, and Rlain's spren, Tumi, have been corrupted by Sja-Anat.Shardcast Interview, 1/23/21
==Dead Spren==
According to Syl, they live again when someone summons them, syncing a heartbeat to their essence. Shardblades bonded to dead spren, however, do not work for such as the opening of an Oathgate.
*Mayalaran is one such spren.
*Vespen is also one such spren.
==Notes==
*According to Brandon, it is theoretically possible that anyone other than a Parshendi can bond a Voidspren, but humans aren't good at bonding spren in the same way.Book signing, Houston, TX, 3/11/14
Again, according to Brandon, a lot of elemental spren have quirks, and more than those of emotional spren.Arcanum Unbounded release party, Provo, UT, 11/22/16
Also according to Brandon, new spren can always be created.Oathbringer release party, Provo, UT, 11/13/17
==Speculation==
What about the pairing of spren? If honorspren are linked to windspren, it seems logical that highspren would be linked to gravityspren; the Dustbringers' major spren will be linked to the minor decayspren or possibly rotspren, etc.. What if the major spren (for lack of a better term), the bonding spren like Syl, Glys, Ivory, Pattern, and Wyndle) are actually linked to two minor spren - the ones that control the Surges for that Order? So Syl, an honorspren, would have a connection to windspren (Adhesion) and gravityspren (Gravitation); the highspren would connect to gravityspren (Gravitation) and decayspren (Division); Wyndle would have a connection to the spren for Friction (maybe heatspren?) and lifespren (Progression); Glys to lifespren (Progression) and creationspren (Illumination) ... . By this theory, it would perhaps take both windspren and gravityspren to form Kaladin’s plate. Although as yet unproven, it makes a certain amount of sense in that it provides a rationale for one type of spren (e.g., honorspren) to grant control of two Surges.
==Q&A with Brandon==
Q. Can an Awakened [individual] form a Nahel bond with a spren on Roshar?
A. Depends on the spren!Nahel bond
Q. Are the intelligent spren like Syl the "seons of Roshar"?
A. What a clever question. Gold star for you.Intelligent spren
*Q. I happened to notice that Aon Ene in AonDor, which is said to represent debate, is used to control timing in Aon sequences. Is this an intentional connection with logicspren, which are drawn to debates, being used for timing in fabrials?
A. Yes, it is. There are a few more connections like this in some of the other magics I hope to be able to get to before too long.Rhythm of War Preview Q&As, 7/28/20
==References==
 
Category:Magical Creatures