Chull
Chull | |
---|---|
Type | Animal |
World of Origin | Roshar |
The chull is a species of crustacean useful for labor intensive jobs. There are differing breeds of chulls and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are found all across Roshar.[1]
Appearance and Anatomy
Chulls are massive crustaceans with thick legs with large claws and a stone-like shell. Their carapace is typically red.[2] Chulls have whiplike antennae and beady fist-size black eyes.[3]
Chull shells are a light, porous stone created from minerals the chull consumes in it's food and water and then excretes.[4] Since the shell is not alive, chulls are not hurt when their shells are cracked or shaped. In the wild, there are often plants growing in the crevices of a chull's shell.[1] Chulls pull their legs and head into their shell when they sleep and as a result sleeping chulls look like large boulders or small hills.[5]
The Reshi, and likely others, paint their chulls' shells. One can identify what island a Reshi chull handler is from by the colors and patterns on their chulls' shells.[3]
Behavior
Chulls are generally docile creatures. They have claws that are said to be strong enough to break a man's arm, but it is very unusual for them to behave aggressively. [6] They tend to move with a slow, lumbering gait and are generally slower than humans.
They are capable of making a wide range of noises, including a gravelly bleating, trumpeting, and snorting.[7][8][9]
Chulls are omnivorous creatures. They eat everything from rockbuds to slugs to smaller crustaceans.[6] Domestic chulls are often fed grain.[10]
Training
There are several different methods of training chull.
- In the rural areas of Jah Keved, chulls are harnessed and controlled with complex leather bridles.[1]
- In the coastal region around Kharbranth, chull drivers often sit directly on the chull's shell and direct them by tapping on their antennae with long poles.
- Some chulls are trained to respond to different rhythms tapped out on their shells with a guiding reed. These reeds are often as long as a person is tall and allow the driver to drive from the wagon or cart rather than riding on the chull itself. [11]
Use
Chull are highly valued as work animals and are considered to be worth more than the average slave.[12] Some people maintain chull herds and rent their labor out on a contract basis.[13]They are slow but strong and are used to pull everything up to and including the large complex bridges Dalinar uses for chasm crossings.[13] Since their shells can be carved without harming the animal, some people sand flat places on top of a chull to ride and many carts are hooked to fittings drilled directly into their shells. Shelves and racks can also be carved into or attached directly to chull shells. [14]
Since it is lightweight and durable, chull shell is used as a crafting material. Shallan had a havah with chull-shell buttons.[15]
Chull meat is edible. It can be dried and stored as jerky.[16] In some cultures, including Herdazian and Unkalaki, chull head is considered a delicacy. [17]
Dalinar Kholin uses them to pull his bridges, rather than put the lives of bridgemen at risk.[13]
Cultural References
There is a tavern in Dalinar's warcamp called the "Ornery Chull."[18]
Idioms
“You think I'm scared of a lumbering chull like you? ”
“Jasnah is inordinately fond of dust, I believe she thrives on it, feeding off the particles like a chull crunching rockbuds. ”
“An army was like a massive chull at times, lumbering along, slow to react ”
“Everyone has a place. You're out of yours. Like a chull in a dining hall ”
Notes
- ↑ a b c chull.jpg
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 4#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 28#
- ↑ Inkthinker's comments on the Chull page from Shallan's Sketchbook
— Deviant Art # - ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 23#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 12#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 21#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 26#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 2#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 17#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 46#
- ↑ a b c The Way of Kings chapter 15#
- ↑ Chull.jpg
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 3#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 70#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 12#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 46#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 33#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 56#
- ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 44#