Skip to main content

cosmere - Why is Dalinar's Blade screaming?


Spoilers for the Stormlight Archive.


At the end of Words of Radiance, when the Stormfather bonds with Dalinar, he asks Dalinar to divest himself of that "monstrosity", the Blade he's currently bonded to. When he summons the Blade to do so, he can feel the screaming from the Blade in his head.


However:



  1. This screaming seems to be a property of the Blades that come from the original Knights Radiant. I think it's the screaming of the dead (?) spren who forms the Blade.

  2. Honorblades don't cause this screaming. At least, the Honorblade that Szeth used didn't cause any screaming for Kaladin. And Honorblades aren't formed of spren, so there should be nothing to do the screaming.


  3. It seems that the Dalinar bonded with Talenel's Honorblade. He tells Amaram that the Blade hidden in the cavern is Talenel's, and that he bonded with that Blade because he didn't want to risk losing it.


So why is Dalinar hearing screaming? Did he bond to another Blade after the confrontation with Amaram? Is Talenel's Blade not really an Honorblade?



In chapter 16 of Oathbringer, Dalinar can hold Szeth's Honorblade without hearing any screaming, and the Stormfather confirms that Honorblades don't have minds to scream.



Answer



It wasn’t an Honorblade


Straight from the author himself:



The one that characters obtained in Words of Radiance is NOT an Honorblade. It’s an ordinary shardblade (as ordinary as one of those can be called.) I’m not going to say specifically what happened to the Blade Taln arrived with at Kholinar, but I will say that it IS a different weapon from the one in Words of Radiance.




Brandon’s not saying what happened to Talenel’s Honorblade, but in the same discussion he mentions that someone can hold an Honorblade and not know how to use its powers, suggesting that somehow it was swapped with an ordinary shardblade. So someone out there is walking around with an Honorblade, not realizing what it can do.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...
Post a Comment
Read more

What is the etymology of Doctor Who?

I recently decided to watch Doctor Who, and started viewing the 2005 version. I have the first two episodes from the first season, and I can't help but wonder what is the etymology of the name "Doctor Who"? And why does the protagonist call himself "the Doctor" (or is it "the doctor")? Answer In the very first episode of Doctor Who (way back in 1963), the Doctor has a granddaughter going by the name "Susan Foreman", and the junkyard where the TARDIS is has the sign "I.M. Foreman". Barbara, who becomes one of the Doctor's companions, calls him "Doctor Foreman" (probably assuming that is his name given his relationship to Susan), and Ian (another early companion) does the same in the second episode, to which the Doctor says: Eh? Doctor who? What's he talking about? "Foreman" is most likely selected as a convenient surname for Susan to use because it happened to be on display near where the TARDIS landed....
Post a Comment
Read more

story identification - Animation: floating island, flying pests

At least 20 years ago I watched a short animated film which stuck in my mind. The whole thing was wordless, possibly European, and I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it... It featured a flying island which was inhabited by some creatures who (in my memory) reminded me of the Moomins. The island was frequently bothered by large winged animals who swooped around, although I don't think they did any actual damage. At the end one of the moomin creatures suddenly gets a weird feeling, feels forced to climb to the top of the island and then plunges down a shaft right through the centre - only to emerge at the bottom as one of the flyers. Answer Skywhales from 1983. The story begins with a man warning the tribe of approaching skywhales. The drummers then warn everybody of the hunt as everyone get prepared to set "sail". Except one man is found in his home sleeping as the noise wake him up. He then gets ready and is about to take his weapon as he hesitates then decides ...
Post a Comment
Read more