Odium

Odium is one of the sixteen Shards of Adonalsium. He was originally held by RayseBook signing, Oslo, NO, 5/31/11 and was - for a time - one of the three Shards located on Roshar, though he didn't start on Roshar.Book signing, Orem, UT, 12/6/14
Odium is now trapped on Braize and has nine magic systems (i.e., Voidbindings). 
Odium's name is first spoken in a vision had by Kaladin. He later asks Syl if she had heard the name, and she hisses and flies off, the name obviously greatly distressing her.
In a vision given to Dalinar, it is revealed that Odium had killed the Almighty, although his means in so doing remain unclear. His reason, however, is his ultimate goal: to become the most powerful entity in the cosmere.
==Personality==
Odium is pure hatred: that which one feels and that which one is provoked to feel. As a Shard, he is held by a man (Rayse) who benefits from his intentBook signing, Oslo, NO, 5/31/11 inasmuch as he was described as loathsome, crafty, and dangerous himself.The Letter Rayse wanted to become what he is. Still ...
A Shard's intent is somewhat interpreted by its holder.A "Late-Breaking" Report, 17th Shard, 3/16/13
Rayse doesn't want, in any way, to be influenced by the intents of other Shards. In this, he feels that Odium matches him perfectly. So, he Splinters the Shards he destroys, thereby preventing anyone else from taking up those Shards - and each their power - to challenge him.
==Characteristics==
Odium is afraid of Harmony.Book signing, Huntington Beach, CA, 3/5/14 He despises the fact that somebody (i.e., Sazed from Mistborn) has two Shards.Salt Lake City ComicCon 2014, Salt Lake City, UT, 9/4/14 However, possibly unknown to Odium, the conflicting Intents of Ruin and Preservation make it difficult for Harmony to act.
He influences people through the Unmade.Book signing, Orem, UT, 12/6/14
Odium is actively allied to other cosmere powers.General Signed Books 2015, 1/1/15
He is primarily focused on Shards, but does have a secondary interest in mortals.Oathbringer release party, Provo, UT, 11/13/17
Odium is extremely confident that he can out-smart Hoid.BookCon 2018, New York, NY, 6/1/18
He is not the only Shard to have been forced to leave their world after it was destroyed.Book signing, Bonn, Germany, 5/15/19
Odium is weirded out by Lift.DragonCon 2019, Atlanta, GA, 8/29/19
==Beliefs==
A part of him genuinely believes in characterizing himself as Passion.*JordanCon 2018, Atlanta, GA, 4/20/18
==Quotes==
==Cosmere==
Odium is a Shard of Adonalsium. His power is hatred, both felt and provoked, and is related to the Thrill that men feel in battle.Q&A with Brandon Sanderson, 17th Shard, 9/23/12
According to Brandon, Odium is not native to Roshar; he arrived long after Honor and Cultivation arrived on the world possibly following humanity after they destroyed Ashyn with their Surgebinding as stated by Syl.Book signing, Orem, UT, 9/22/12
It has been confirmed that Rayse was the original holder of the Shard OdiumBook signing, Oslo, NO, 5/31/11 and it is suggested in the Letter that he had more than 'something' to do with what happened on Sel and the deaths of Aona and Skai of Elantris.The Letter Odium went after Devotion and Dominion partially because they were breaking the rules, and because he seeks out those that might be a challenge to him.Book signing, Houston, TX, 11/18/17
Odium also chased Ambition to the Threnodite system soon after the Shattering with the intent of killing the Shard. He mortally wounded Ambition there, tearing off chunks of Investiture, twisting the system.Arcanum Unbounded, pg. 417 Mercy was also there, but that Shard's involvement remains uncertain.
Odium is an interloper who moves between planets wreaking havoc and leaving devastation in his wake. He now resides on Braize but his presence is still very much felt and experienced on Roshar.Google+ Hangout, Sydney, AU, 4/17/12 He is restricted to the Rosharan system of planets, seemingly due to something Tanavast did, and cannot at this time escape to destroy any more Shards. He is still, however, able to influence all 3 important planets in the Rosharan system: Roshar, Braize, and Ashyn.Book signing, Orem, UT, 12/6/14
Also according to Brandon, Odium's binding, and that of the Heralds/Fused, encompasses Roshar and Ashyn. There are some subtle distinctions, but for the most part, being bound on Braize is the same as being bound on Roshar.Rhythm of War Preview Q&As, 7/28/20
In Oathbringer, Dalinar does not fall to Odium. That is a huge blow to Rayse-Odium. That he was defeated in a major way then, and that in Rhythm of War he was defeated again, this time by Kaladin, Rayse-Odium is no longer the threat he once was. But, Taravangian - who has a world view that is terrifying, elevates Taravangian-Odium (i.e., "Todium") to something more villainous.YouTube Livestream 32, 6/3/21
Odium could break his deal, but if he did, it would be very dangerous to those who would seek to have advantage against him.Dragonsteel Mini-Con 2021, 11/22/21
==Notes==
Pattern, Shallan's liespren, tells Shallan when she is on her way to the Shattered Plains that all spren are made of Honor, Cultivation, or Odium, and he is terrified to mention Odium's name.
*He has always ever been Odium since the Shattering.JordanCon 2018, Atlanta, GA, 4/20/18
**The Eila Stele confirms this. Further, Odium is known as the Broken One because he's had Investiture ripped off of him.Book signing, Leeds, UK, 11/28/17
==Speculation==
What if fighting the battle against Odium, or taking it to the next level of confronting him on Braize, is exactly what’s needed for him to break free? This could indeed create the dilemma Hoid mentioned to Dalinar, about letting Roshar burn if that’s what is needed to accomplish his purpose.
==Q&A with Brandon==
***Q. Given the Sibling, and the death rattle about how "Three of sixteen ruled, but now the Broken One reigns", was there a third Shard on Roshar with Honor and Cultivation prior to Odium's arrival?
A. RAFO.
Good question.iCon 2019, Tel Aviv, Israel, 10/15/19
Q. Has Odium interacted with any Shards other than Honor, Cultivation, Dominion, Devotion, Ambition, and Autonomy in a meaningful way post-Ascension. If so, which one?
A. Very nice, specific question. RAFO.Dark One Q&A, 7/2/20
Q. You've mentioned before that Odium is scared of Harmony. Is it only because of the raw power of the two Shards? Or is he scared of what Harmony represents? (Meaning the possibility of merging two Shards.) Was he aware that this was possible?
A. He, on one level, was aware. But it was more of awareness of this as a possibility. It actually happening is part of what has him scared. It's the idea of the two merging Shards both being more powerful and finding a harmony. (Which Sazed is actually having way more trouble doing than Odium realizes.) Those two things really have Odium scared. Because, partially, this means he has to find a way to destroy or split Harmony without taking up a second Shard himself, because Odium knows if he takes up a second Shard, terrible things will happen. And so he doesn't want to do that. (Terrible things as he views them.) And so he's gotta find a way to split this apart, or somehow otherwise defeat.
Now, the more he learns about Sazed's actual state, the less afraid he'll probably be. But that's an advantage that Sazed has right now.San Diego Comic-Con@Home 2020, 7/23/20
Q. Why didn't Odium take the Investiture away from the Fused that rebelled against him at the end of Rhythm of War? At the end of Oathbringer, Odium tells one Fused that questioned him that he could take "that which gave [the Fused] life." So why didn't he do that to Leshwi and the others?
A. This is actually an excellent question. Odium, in his previous incarnation - we'll see how he acts now - part of the driving force of Odium is this kind of belief, mistaken or otherwise, that Odium represents all emotion, and strength of emotion, and basically the Passions in lore. Rebelling against him in the way that they did is actually in line with Odium's personal directives. The Vessel may not like it, in fact the power may not like it, but at the same time, there's a part of both of them that acknowledges, this is what they set in motion, and this is an appropriate use of the agency of the agents they chose. And so, unilaterally destroying those who turn against him is actually not an Odium thing. It's more an Honor thing than it would be an Odium thing. It's just not in line with how Odium acts or thinks, even though it's possible and there's threats and ... . That's not saying Odium wouldn't do it. But acting like Honor is not something Odium would necessarily want to do.YouTube Spoiler Stream 4, 6/16/22
==References==
Category:Cosmere
Category:Shard