In The Way of Kings, some of the death rattles have the note “sample is considered questionable” in the description of the subject. Shouldn’t all of the people have
died in the same hospital?
Why are some of these quotes “considered questionable?”
please tag spoilers for books after The Way of Kings
Sometimes people say things when they die, even if not compelled by supernatural entities.
There are two death rattles labeled as being "questionable"
"You've killed me. Bastards, you've killed me! While the sun is still hot, I die! ”
— Collected on the fifth day of the week Chach of the month Betab of the year 1171, ten seconds before death. Subject was a darkeyed soldier thirty-one years of age. Sample is considered questionable.
This is a perfectly reasonable thing for a person being killed to say. It is perhaps a bit dramatic, and the reference to the sun sounds like something from a Shakespearean tragedy, but there is still some question as to whether or not this is truly a death rattle. There are no references to burning eyes, or unknown names, or anything else that a soldier would be unaware of.
"The death is my life, the strength becomes my weakness, the journey has ended."
— Dated Betabanes, 1173, 95 seconds pre-death. Subject: a scholar of some minor renown. Sample collected secondhand. Considered questionable.
This quote is suspicious because it was said by a scholar. When an "illiterate Herdazian" produces a perfect ketek, it's unusual. When a scholar references a famous oath, it's less so (even if the oath has drifted into obscurity, it's still being repeated by a scholar. They tend to specialize in obscure quotes). The fact that the quote was collected secondhand only makes the verification trickier.
