ByDanielD
Dalinar Kholin is an integral character in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. Like basically all of Sanderson’s characters, Dalinar has gone through significant changes in his life, and even over the course of the books. As a youth, he was a bloodthirsty warrior, but the man we get to know in Stormlight Archive is thoughtful and generous — though no less intimidating. Dalinar is also a Bondsmith, a powerful Surgebinder who can utilize Stormlight to perform feats of magic.
In this article, we’ll cover all of the key events in Dalinar’s life, discuss his Bondsmith Powers, examine his strengths and weaknesses, and go over his most important relationships.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the first five Stormlight Archive novels.
These events are mostly revealed during Dalinar’s flashback scenes in Oathbringer.
These events are mostly revealed during Dalinar’s flashback scenes in Oathbringer.
Dalinar is fifty-something years old. He is powerfully built, and is described as having a tight butt (thanks, Lift). His face is square, with blunt, clean-shaven features; his nose appears to have been broken at some point. He is specifically described as not being handsome in the books. His eyes are blue, and his hair is black, greying at the temples; he keeps it short.
Dalinar is covered in battle scars. When in public, he stands straight-backed. When he fought with Shards, he was notable for having his Shardplate unadorned and unpainted, leaving it as its “natural” slate grey.
Dalinar has changed significantly over his life — the thoughtful leader we meet in Way of Kings is not the same man we see burning Rathalas in Dalinar’s flashbacks. Because his transformation is so pivotal to his character arc, this section will examine Dalinar’s past as well as his present personality.
Young Dalinar was a vicious warrior, addicted to the Thrill (the bloodthirsty, competitive excitement that the Unmade spren Nergaoul causes when it is near). When he couldn’t fight, he turned to fire moss and alcohol to ward off his withdrawals from the Thrill. He was a terrifying presence on the battlefield, with no regard for his own safety. His fearsome reputation earned him a nickname: The Blackthorn. He enjoyed duels, and seemed to only be happy when he was either fighting or preparing for combat. The Blackthorn had no interest in strategy or planning, preferring to let his brother Gavilar handle that sort of thing.
Middle-aged Dalinar is the man we meet in The Way of Kings, and in many ways he is the polar opposite of his young self. He follows the teachings of the eponymous book, as well as the Alethi Codes of War that many of the other Highprinces consider outdated. He strives to live a life of service and honor, sometimes to a fault — he will honor oaths that put himself and others in danger, if he feels it is the right choice. Dalinar doesn’t concern himself what other people think of him, and often ignores social conventions he doesn’t believe are correct or useful (his willingness to learn to read and marrying his brother’s widow being two prime examples).
Dalinar’s extreme behavior is both a strength and a weakness — he can sometimes be inflexible, but his convictions give him the determination he needs to accomplish his goals, no matter the costs. The people around him find his single-mindedness frustrating at times, but respect his wisdom and decision-making abilities. He tends to treat people like tools, expecting them to do as he wants because, as far as Dalinar is concerned, he knows what he’s doing and everything should listen to him (and to be fair, this is often the case).
Despite this, he has a strong belief in the value of human life, which makes him a better leader: it instills confidence in the people he commands, knowing that he won’t throw their lives away needlessly. We see this on display when he trades his Shardblade Oathbringer for Sadeas’ bridge crews. Dalinar is a very capable leader, confident in his decision making and able to inspire those he leads. He is noted on multiple occasions to have a palpable presence that attracts people and causes them to listen to him.
Dalinar is an expert in every aspect of warfare, from one on one combat to logistics and strategy. When he still fought in battles, he was perhaps the most feared Shardbearer on the planet, a master of both Plate and Blade. Despite his expertise, he is capable of listening to others — we see this in how he recruits the Herdazian general The Mink and often heeds the man’s advice; he often seeks the counsel of his wife Navani as well.
Dalinar is bonded to The Stormfather, a powerful spren that is a Splinter of the Shard Honor. Through this bond, Dalinar is a Bondsmith — a unique type of Knight Radiant with special powers. He has sworn three Oaths, reaching the Third Ideal. Like every Knight Radiant, Dalinar can breathe in Stormlight and use it to heal himself.
Unlike most Radiants, Dalinar agreed to never wield The Stormfather as a weapon, or to carry a Shardblade — although we know it is possible for him to do so, he has only summoned his spren into they physical realm once (using the Stormfather to activate an Oathgate). It is possible Dalinar gains access to Shardplate when he reaches the Fourth Ideal, but not enough is known about Bondsmiths to be certain.
As a Bondsmith, Dalinar has access to two Surges:
Together, these Surges create a Resonance — a special effect from having both powers: Bondsmiths are able to use Stormlight to repair broken objects. He perceives the broken pieces as wanting to be rejoined, actually hearing their voices in his head.
Bondsmiths also have special access to Connection, which is the way all things relate to one another. This lets him speak a person’s language by touching them — he can also grant this ability to others for a limited period of time, again via physical contact. When near a Lightweaver, he can create a hyper-realistic and accurate map of the world, based on what the Stormfather sees when he passes as a highstorm — it seems likely he can do similar combo-moves with other orders, but we have yet to see any.
As perhaps Dalinar’s most impressive ability, the Bondsmith can summon Honor’s Perpendicularity, a place where the Spiritual, Cognitive, and Physical Realms become one. This allows nearby Radiants and spheres to absorb Investiture from the Spiritual realm, and allows for passage to Shadesmar or the Spiritual Realm via the perpendicularity.
Bondsmiths share the First Ideal with all Radiants, and like most of the Orders, swear Oaths to reach each Ideal. Here are the Oath’s that Dalinar has sworn:
Navani is Dalinar’s wife and confidant, and now as the other living Bondsmith, is also the only Radiant who shares Dalinar’s Order. They’ve known each other since they were young adults, and Dalinar has loved her all that time — Navani shared his feelings, but Dalinar’s intensity, and his unwillingness to pursue her in the face of Gavilar’s desire, stopped them from being together. When Navani arrives at the Shattered Plains, however, she makes her desires clear, and Dalinar eventually succumbs. The two work well together; not only is Navani an effective leader in her own right, her strong personality allow her to stand up to Dalinar, question him, and offer advice when others would simply do as Dalinar told them.
Evi was Dalinar’s first wife, and the mother of both of Dalinar’s sons. Her death affected him greatly, so much so that he had to have his memories of her removed in order to function (this was in large part due to his own hand in her death). Although their marriage was one of political convenience, Evi seemed to develop genuine love for Dalinar, despite how much she disagreed with his use of violence as a solution to every problem. They argued regularly about Dalinar’s way of life, with Evi pleading for Dalinar to change his warlike ways — to no avail. Ironically, it was her death that set Dalinar on the path to the man he would become, a man Evi would have seen as Dalinar’s truer, better self.
Adolin is Dalinar’s first son, and the two men have a troubled relationship. Adolin was his father’s favorite, as the boy was able to become a warrior, whereas Renarin’s illness prevented it. Adolin resents Dalinar for killing Evi, and for how Dalinar wasn’t much of a father after Evi died. He also struggles with conflicting emotions regarding his father: he both admires Dalinar and thinks highly of him, and finds him frustrating and overbearing. Dalinar in turn thinks highly of Adolin, and expects much of him — Dalinar wanted Adolin to take the throne of Alethkar after Elhokar’s death, although Adolin didn’t feel he was the right person for it.
Renarin is Dalinar’s younger son. Dalinar basically ignored Renarin for much of his youth, as the boy was sickly and unable to train as a warrior. Dalinar often suggested that Renarin become an ardent or a scholar. After Evi’s death, Renarin’s resemblance to Dalinar caused him to avoid his son. As Dalinar grew and changed, he began to treat Renarin better, becoming more supportive and even gifting Renarin both Shardplate and Shardblade. Dalinar has acknowledged that he treated Renarin poorly, and strives to do better — he even accompanies Renarin to scholarly meetings to show that it isn’t “unmasculine” to do so.
Dalinar’s brother Gavilar was a major force in his life before — and even after — he was assassinated. Gavilar was the brains of the operation when the Kholin family united the various kingdoms of Alethkar, and plotted further, world-changing moves that Dalinar was scarcely aware of. Dalinar was content to be Gavilar’s sword, deferring to him in all things. With his dying breath, Gavilar left a message for Dalinar, telling him to “find the most important words a man can say”, which Dalinar eventually does — the words being the Oaths of the Knights Radiant.
Dalinar shared a Nahel bond with The Stormfather, granting him the powers of a Bondsmith. Their relationship can be tense — Dalinar basically bullied the Stormfather into bonding him. However, the Stormfather is becoming more human, and more capable of getting along with Dalinar, as their bond strengthens. Dalinar often consults the Stormfather about Odium, the war, and the Radiants, although the Stormfather often cannot answer, either because he doesn’t know, doesn’t remember, or doesn’t want to answer.
We hope this Dalinar Kholin bio had what you were looking for! Questions, suggestions, and thoughts on the relative tightness of the Blackthornes butt welcome in the comments below.
Art at top of page by Zirael
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