How Hemalurgy Works
Hemalurgy is the practice of using metals to draw power from someone else’s body. While Allomancy allows you to draw powers from metals, and Feruchemy allows you to draw power from your own body, Hemalurgy allows you to draw power from someone else’s body.l
To use Hemalurgy, a metal spike must be driven through the heart of the person you wish to draw power from. Then the spike must be taken and stabbed into your own body for you to draw upon.
Having a hemalurgic spike makes also makes you susceptible to Ruin’s influence, the god of destruction.
How Hemalurgy is Used in Mistborn
Hemalurgy is what the Lord Ruler used to make the koloss, steel inquisitors, and the kandra in the Mistborn series.
“The Lord Ruler created servants to help him,” Elend said, “Using this art…this Hemalurgy…he made soldiers, the koloss. He made spies, the kandra. And he made priests, the Inquisitors. He built them all with weaknesses so that he could control them” (3.368).
Notably, hemalurgy leaves the mind wounded, and it allows an Allomancer to creep in and take control. It’s what made the Steel Inquisitors so fanatically devoted to the Lord Ruler—they weren’t like ordinary obligators—they were far more obedient, and zealous to a fault.
Hemalurgy Table
See below for a table of Hemalurgy metals and their uses.
| MEtal Name | Hemalurgy attribute |
|---|---|
| Iron | Steals strength |
| Steel | Steals physical allomancy |
| Tin | Steals senses |
| Pewter | Steals physical feruchemy |
| Zinc | Steals emotional fortitude |
| Brass | Steals cognitive feruchemy |
| Copper | Steals mental fortitude |
| Bronze | Steals mental allomancy |
| Atium | Steals any power |
| Malatium | Unknown |
| Gold | Steals hybrid feruchemy |
| Electrum | Steals enhancement allomancy |
| Aluminum | Removes all powers |
| Duralumin | Steals connection & identity |
