The Hero of Ages

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

The Hero of Ages uses the motif of religion to explore Belief as a Source of Hope. This motif can be seen in Sazed’s crisis of faith and in the broader existential crisis facing the world of Scadrial itself. By the end of the novel, religion is not merely restored but transformed as it becomes the mechanism through which humanity remakes the world.

When The Hero of Ages begins, Sazed is a man unmoored. The death of Tindwyl at the end of The Well of Ascension has devastated him emotionally and spiritually. He who had once joyfully collected and taught the religions of pre-Ascension times now finds himself unable to believe in any of them. In a world rapidly unraveling, religion seems impotent. Sazed meticulously revisits every belief system stored in his copperminds, hoping one will offer comfort or meaning, but each falls short. His scholarly faith crumbles, and with it, his sense of purpose. The novel takes Sazed’s loss of belief seriously, showing how it affects his sense of identity and role within the group. Without faith, Sazed becomes hesitant, passive, and self-doubting. His early chapters are filled with uncertainty, both about the external world and about his internal worth.