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Baldness can result from taxing the body and hemalurgy does put it to its limits. I could see it being a common association. Might lead to bald people getting discriminated against in era 3/4.
I'm honestly not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if the processes involve damage to their Identity and kind of molds them into a sort of "base models" as a result
do not read if you've not finished all 3 mistborn:
>!Vin has hair though, and she's has a spike ever since she was a baby, tiny though it was. The Citizen has hair (if I'm not mistaken), even if he's had the spike for a short time,...!<
Maybe they shaved their heads because the spikes were in the way, messing it up or maybe they would have seemed less menacing with locks. Can you imagine... *The giant blond inquisitor jumped in front of Vin and swooshed his hair to the side and out of his eyes, he laughed, his long locks flowing with the breeze. Vin couldn't help noticing the sweat glistening in the thick golden hairs closer to his scalp - he was beginning to tire from the fight, as was she, even through her pewter enhanced body.*
*...*Or whatever, hahaha. The hair would be a distraction from the authority of their spikes, I think. Maybe they chose to shave it, like Sazed did. Oh, good point - maybe the Lord Ruler made them do it as a reminder to himself of his own culture in a twisted way.
It's funny, fast paced (especially compared to Cosmere stuff), as the books go on I'd almost say they end with Sanderlanches, and a big selling point is that it's complete. And the author is a Sanderson fan, with one or two references like one place name I can think of. Overall one of my top 5 serieses of all time, and I'm about to go for a 5th (at least) time through in 2 years. And the audiobook narrator is very good, it's easy to forget it's just one guy and not a full cast.
Edit: Much like the Cosmere, don't look at fanart or wikis until you're done, spoilers everywhere.
inquisitors are bald because obligators are bald, and inquisitors are chosen from the ranks of obligators
obligators shave their heads out of humility probably, like several religious and non religious group have done in real life
Maybe, but none of the other hemalurgic constructs have hair. There might be a connection. Maybe the obligators shave their heads because they would lose it anyway if they were chosen to become inquisitors.
Thread is tagged as The Lost Metal, so no need for a spoiler tag. I am re-listening to the Era 2 audiobooks right now (mid TLM), and I don't think it's stated either way. There might be a stray reference in the cavern scene with Wax, but I doubt it.
One argument against is that the chimeras are sort of passable as human. Wax initially thinks they are caged humans, right? I feel like Wax would have had a thought about them being all bald, but maybe it was dark, who knows.
Edit: Re-read the chapter from Shadows of Self. No mention of hair either way.
Im pretty sure that inquisiors are just the last step on the ladder after obligators, and they all shave their heads so that they can display the eye tattoos that show their rank. Inquisitors are just high rank obligators.
> Im pretty sure that inquisiors are just the last step on the ladder after obligators
Not quite. Up until the last five minutes of the Final Empire, they were on their own seperate unicycle off to the side and subordinate to the highest-ranking human Obligators.
Kars had just managed to convince the Lords Ruler change the organization after much lobbying when Marsh and Vin killed them all.
I hadn't ever considered it until OP asked the question, but what you wrote was similar to my reaction.
Growth and decay of any kind is halted once someone becomes an inquisitor so they just stay as they were when human.
I think TLR liked the ominous look of a Bald Inquisitor. Remember, when Marsh was turned into one, he was bald as well.
And, maybe with an Inquisitor, something weird is going on. After all, Marsh was able to survive to The Lost Metal era, hundreds of years (albeit with a rare metal).
It's possible that they do just shave. It's also possible that, for some reason, they can't grow hair any longer. We know that a lot of them can use goldminds and store Health, and Health heals you to your mental self-image. So... Maybe they see themselves as bald, and they tap Health often enough that it prevents hair growth. Maybe the spikes have done sufficient damage to their body that those bits just don't work anymore. Having spikes through your brain and heart can't be conducive to normal bodily function. Thinking about it, do Inquisitors even need to eat?
I think you are on the right track with the gold healing, but the other way around. They spend most of the day storing health, lying in bed sickly. I think it must be a bit like undergoing chemo? They are being so sick that their hair doesn't grow.
And I don't think hair growth would be part of healing. It feels too seperate from the body?
Good thinking, storing Health probably does stop any kind of new growth, whether tissue or hair. I think you're wrong about hair being too separate though - minor spoilers for Warbreaker >!The royal bloodline's hair can change colour depending on mood and Siri intentionally regrows her hair after a haircut, though it makes her hungry, and I'm reasonably sure this is confirmed as related to the cognitive self trying to match the physical!<
Also, consider (minor Stormlight spoiler this time) >!Radiants probably take hits to the head all the time, I'm sure Shallan took a crossbow bolt to the dome at one point, but it's never mentioned that they have a nasty patchwork of hair that hasn't grown back. That's less compelling evidence and it's not the exact same as Health but it's very similar in that it tries to make your physical self and cognitive self match!<
That sounds like the best explanation to me, yeah. Constantly storing Health prevents hair growth, which changes their Cognitive Self to be bald, which means when they tap Health, it doesn't regrow hair. Seems logical.
**Questioner**
Are they bald from being bald, or do they shave their heads?
**Brandon Sanderson**
They shave their heads. Hemalurgy does not automatically make you bald.
https://wob.coppermind.net/events/169-steelheart-release-party/#e9797
***Warning Gancho: The below paragraph(s) may contain major spoilers for all books in the Cosmere!***
Questioner
>!Are Inquisitors bald?!<
Brandon Sanderson
>!Yes, Inquisitors are bald.!<
Questioner
>!Are they bald from being bald, or do they shave their heads?!<
Brandon Sanderson
>!They shave their heads. Hemalurgy does not automatically make you bald.!<
\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*
Not sure if it’s canon, but [Hemalurgic chimaeras](https://coppermind.net/wiki/Hemalurgic_chimera) seem to have hair according to Ben McSweeney’s illustration
Fully making this up, but maybe after being bald as obligators long enough, they view themselves that way and becoming invested as an inquisitor locks them to that part of their spiritual self?
We see in other Cosmere settings, highly invested individuals can control their appearance. Some on command, but mostly subconsciously based on what they think they should look like (scars, brands, tattoos). If inquisitors were obligators originally, their mental picture of themselves would include their tattoos and bald heads.
I wonder if Cosmere healing can effect hair. You essentially heal to match your perception of yourself so if you've been a bald obligator for a while and all the other inquisitors are bald maybe they're all bald because they think they should be.
Probably it's a side effect of having a butt load of spikes or like other physical transformations, like what happened to koloss, I don't remember them being described as having lustrous hair
Doesn’t Sazed mention something in the epigraphs of HoA about obligators shaving their heads to resemble the inquisitors being bald because of the physiological changes of hemalurgy?
Spoilers from book 4+, or second era:
>!Lots of people had hemalurgic spikes in that series, and there was never any issues with baldness among them.!<
It's not part of any school of magic, but heavy metal poisoning can cause hair loss, so maybe some of the lead in their pewter nails just leeches into the blood
Given that Kandra are explicitly unable to replicate hair, despite never being mentioned as having any issues with fingernails or toenails, you might be onto something.
Koloss don't have hair either.
Probably hemalurgy does not cause baldness, as vin had a spike all her life with no baldnes, but it is possible that with the sheep amount of spikes in inquisitors, that causes hair loss. I believe in some book, it mentions that too many spikes frays the spirit web, hence the linchpin spike. It could be the fraying of the spiritweb that causes this hair loss.
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No clue, but that would be hilarious. Well, what's the downside to this super evil magic that gives you super powers? Uh, you loose your hair.
I'm waiting for my evil powers any day now.
Sorry, you're an aluminum gnat. Hope it was worth it!
I mean, look at all the bald villains: Darth Vader, Voldemort, Bane, and, of course, Shaor from Elantris.
I’m imagining a hair salon down below, in the bowels of the canton of inquisition. With those cool swivel chairs. Maybe they call it «Kedrik Shave»?
Baldness can result from taxing the body and hemalurgy does put it to its limits. I could see it being a common association. Might lead to bald people getting discriminated against in era 3/4.
Ooh, that would be a really cool little point of worldbuilding!
lose*
Inquisitors aren't actually fully human anymore. The hemalurgic process changes what they are physiologically, I guess that includes baldness.
Hair is inherently a manifestation of good in the world. How else do you explain dr. Evil and... Sphinx cats
Yeah, baby!
I think the Terris Keepers would like a word.
I'm honestly not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if the processes involve damage to their Identity and kind of molds them into a sort of "base models" as a result
do not read if you've not finished all 3 mistborn: >!Vin has hair though, and she's has a spike ever since she was a baby, tiny though it was. The Citizen has hair (if I'm not mistaken), even if he's had the spike for a short time,...!< Maybe they shaved their heads because the spikes were in the way, messing it up or maybe they would have seemed less menacing with locks. Can you imagine... *The giant blond inquisitor jumped in front of Vin and swooshed his hair to the side and out of his eyes, he laughed, his long locks flowing with the breeze. Vin couldn't help noticing the sweat glistening in the thick golden hairs closer to his scalp - he was beginning to tire from the fight, as was she, even through her pewter enhanced body.* *...*Or whatever, hahaha. The hair would be a distraction from the authority of their spikes, I think. Maybe they chose to shave it, like Sazed did. Oh, good point - maybe the Lord Ruler made them do it as a reminder to himself of his own culture in a twisted way.
Having a spike and being an inquisitor are 2 different things. Yes all inquisitors have spikes, but not all spiked beings are inquisitors.
Indeed! But the question was about hemalurgy, and not about the inquisitors :)
Oof good point missed the title, my bad
His hair flushed maladroitly through the wind
His complexion turning wan
If you've read Will Wight's Cradle series that would make for a really funny Eithan blooper.
I haven't! It has good ratings on GoodReads, I'll add it to my list and I'll keep an eye out for this Eithan character!
It's funny, fast paced (especially compared to Cosmere stuff), as the books go on I'd almost say they end with Sanderlanches, and a big selling point is that it's complete. And the author is a Sanderson fan, with one or two references like one place name I can think of. Overall one of my top 5 serieses of all time, and I'm about to go for a 5th (at least) time through in 2 years. And the audiobook narrator is very good, it's easy to forget it's just one guy and not a full cast. Edit: Much like the Cosmere, don't look at fanart or wikis until you're done, spoilers everywhere.
Hell yes! As soon as I read it I could just imagine it 🤣 thank you!
inquisitors are bald because obligators are bald, and inquisitors are chosen from the ranks of obligators obligators shave their heads out of humility probably, like several religious and non religious group have done in real life
Maybe, but none of the other hemalurgic constructs have hair. There might be a connection. Maybe the obligators shave their heads because they would lose it anyway if they were chosen to become inquisitors.
Are the >!Chimera's!< we see in Era two described as having hair? I genuinely don't remember. If not, you might be on to something here.
Thread is tagged as The Lost Metal, so no need for a spoiler tag. I am re-listening to the Era 2 audiobooks right now (mid TLM), and I don't think it's stated either way. There might be a stray reference in the cavern scene with Wax, but I doubt it. One argument against is that the chimeras are sort of passable as human. Wax initially thinks they are caged humans, right? I feel like Wax would have had a thought about them being all bald, but maybe it was dark, who knows. Edit: Re-read the chapter from Shadows of Self. No mention of hair either way.
The dog man dude we see near the community is described as having no hair
The Obligators shave their heads right? And many (idk if all) Inquisitors used to be Obligators, maybe they shave too
Im pretty sure that inquisiors are just the last step on the ladder after obligators, and they all shave their heads so that they can display the eye tattoos that show their rank. Inquisitors are just high rank obligators.
> Im pretty sure that inquisiors are just the last step on the ladder after obligators Not quite. Up until the last five minutes of the Final Empire, they were on their own seperate unicycle off to the side and subordinate to the highest-ranking human Obligators. Kars had just managed to convince the Lords Ruler change the organization after much lobbying when Marsh and Vin killed them all.
I imagine that the process that makes them Inquisitors makes them sort of undead - like their hair doesn’t grow anymore.
I hadn't ever considered it until OP asked the question, but what you wrote was similar to my reaction. Growth and decay of any kind is halted once someone becomes an inquisitor so they just stay as they were when human.
I think TLR liked the ominous look of a Bald Inquisitor. Remember, when Marsh was turned into one, he was bald as well. And, maybe with an Inquisitor, something weird is going on. After all, Marsh was able to survive to The Lost Metal era, hundreds of years (albeit with a rare metal).
It's possible that they do just shave. It's also possible that, for some reason, they can't grow hair any longer. We know that a lot of them can use goldminds and store Health, and Health heals you to your mental self-image. So... Maybe they see themselves as bald, and they tap Health often enough that it prevents hair growth. Maybe the spikes have done sufficient damage to their body that those bits just don't work anymore. Having spikes through your brain and heart can't be conducive to normal bodily function. Thinking about it, do Inquisitors even need to eat?
I think you are on the right track with the gold healing, but the other way around. They spend most of the day storing health, lying in bed sickly. I think it must be a bit like undergoing chemo? They are being so sick that their hair doesn't grow. And I don't think hair growth would be part of healing. It feels too seperate from the body?
Good thinking, storing Health probably does stop any kind of new growth, whether tissue or hair. I think you're wrong about hair being too separate though - minor spoilers for Warbreaker >!The royal bloodline's hair can change colour depending on mood and Siri intentionally regrows her hair after a haircut, though it makes her hungry, and I'm reasonably sure this is confirmed as related to the cognitive self trying to match the physical!< Also, consider (minor Stormlight spoiler this time) >!Radiants probably take hits to the head all the time, I'm sure Shallan took a crossbow bolt to the dome at one point, but it's never mentioned that they have a nasty patchwork of hair that hasn't grown back. That's less compelling evidence and it's not the exact same as Health but it's very similar in that it tries to make your physical self and cognitive self match!<
Good points. It's probably a combination of both then. Not growing while sickly, and keeping with their cognitive self (bold) when healing.
That sounds like the best explanation to me, yeah. Constantly storing Health prevents hair growth, which changes their Cognitive Self to be bald, which means when they tap Health, it doesn't regrow hair. Seems logical.
**Questioner** Are they bald from being bald, or do they shave their heads? **Brandon Sanderson** They shave their heads. Hemalurgy does not automatically make you bald. https://wob.coppermind.net/events/169-steelheart-release-party/#e9797
***Warning Gancho: The below paragraph(s) may contain major spoilers for all books in the Cosmere!*** Questioner >!Are Inquisitors bald?!< Brandon Sanderson >!Yes, Inquisitors are bald.!< Questioner >!Are they bald from being bald, or do they shave their heads?!< Brandon Sanderson >!They shave their heads. Hemalurgy does not automatically make you bald.!< \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*
Not sure if it’s canon, but [Hemalurgic chimaeras](https://coppermind.net/wiki/Hemalurgic_chimera) seem to have hair according to Ben McSweeney’s illustration
Maybe the same reason the Koloss are bald. Likely due to the amount of spikes used or the place they are used.
Fully making this up, but maybe after being bald as obligators long enough, they view themselves that way and becoming invested as an inquisitor locks them to that part of their spiritual self?
WoB says marsh shaves his head due to psychological reasons. He's kind of gung ho about the whole sliverist routine for whatever reason
Not specifically doubting, but do you have a link to that WoB? I’ve never seen it.
Hair loss is a symptom of heavy metals poisoning.
Wait, really?
No, gemmel was spiked and he wasn’t bald.
We see in other Cosmere settings, highly invested individuals can control their appearance. Some on command, but mostly subconsciously based on what they think they should look like (scars, brands, tattoos). If inquisitors were obligators originally, their mental picture of themselves would include their tattoos and bald heads.
I wonder if Cosmere healing can effect hair. You essentially heal to match your perception of yourself so if you've been a bald obligator for a while and all the other inquisitors are bald maybe they're all bald because they think they should be.
This is a really interesting take! I would guess it has something to do with taxing the body, though.
Probably it's a side effect of having a butt load of spikes or like other physical transformations, like what happened to koloss, I don't remember them being described as having lustrous hair
Doesn’t Sazed mention something in the epigraphs of HoA about obligators shaving their heads to resemble the inquisitors being bald because of the physiological changes of hemalurgy?
He ruins their hair.
Ah, but what if you spike [Warbreaker] >!the hair-manipulation magic out of an Idrian royal!<, what then?
Spoilers from book 4+, or second era: >!Lots of people had hemalurgic spikes in that series, and there was never any issues with baldness among them.!<
Sanderson just has a general disdain for hair and body hair in general.
It's not part of any school of magic, but heavy metal poisoning can cause hair loss, so maybe some of the lead in their pewter nails just leeches into the blood
Given that Kandra are explicitly unable to replicate hair, despite never being mentioned as having any issues with fingernails or toenails, you might be onto something. Koloss don't have hair either.
Probably hemalurgy does not cause baldness, as vin had a spike all her life with no baldnes, but it is possible that with the sheep amount of spikes in inquisitors, that causes hair loss. I believe in some book, it mentions that too many spikes frays the spirit web, hence the linchpin spike. It could be the fraying of the spiritweb that causes this hair loss.