Character from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
The Shard of divine hatred, a cosmic god imprisoned on Roshar. Originally held by Rayse, later claimed by Taravangian. Patient, manipulative, and desperate to destroy all other Shards.
Odium is one of the sixteen Shards of Adonalsium, embodying divine hatred and God's own wrath. For millennia, Rayse held this power, using it to Splinter other Shards across the cosmere while remaining bound to the Rosharan system by Honor's dying act. Odium is the god of the Singers, the Fused, and the Voidbringers, orchestrating Desolations that have shattered civilizations countless times. He operates through careful manipulation — cultivating the Unmade, empowering the Fused with Voidlight, and exploiting mortal passions. His prison on Braize drives his desperate scheming to escape. Unlike other Shards, Odium seeks not to create but to dominate and destroy, wanting to be the sole surviving god. His greatest weapons are emotional manipulation and infinite patience. The contest of champions at the end of the True Desolation ultimately sees Taravangian seize the Shard from a dying Rayse, becoming an even more dangerous Odium — one with genuine intelligence and the capacity for compassion twisted into cosmic ambition.
Odium typically manifests as a golden-white figure wreathed in terrible light, features shifting between serene and wrathful. When appearing to mortals, he often takes the form of an older man with a kindly face that belies infinite malice. His presence brings an overwhelming sensation of passion and fury, and golden light bleeds from his eyes. In the Spiritual Realm, he is a vast, consuming brilliance.
Also known as: Rayse, The Broken One, God of Passions, The Void