One of the key characters in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, Shallan Davar’s story is an integral part of the series and its overarching narrative. She’s a divisive character, with some big fans as well as some detractors who simply can’t stomach her bad jokes. Love her or hate her, there’s no denying she’s a complex character, and she’s in the center of the action throughout the first five books of the Stormlight Archive.
In this article, we’ll summarize Shallan’s life, cover the most important relationships she has, and describe her personality and appearance. We’ll also discuss her powers as a Knight Radiant, and the uniqueness of her dual spren bond.
Biography
This section seeks to cover only the most important events in Shallan’s life — some subplots or minor events will not be included here, unless they meaningfully impact either Shallan or the larger narrative of the series.
WARNING: This section contains major spoilers for all published Stormlight Archive books.
Early Life
These events are primarily shown through flashback chapters in Words of Radiance, but some information comes from the other books.
Born the daughter of a minor noble house in Jah Keved — her father Lin was fourth dahn. She had four older brothers: Balat, Wikim, Jushu, and Helaran the eldest.
Bonded a spren (now known as Testament) and spoke the First Ideal at a young (but unknown) age.
Killed her mother in self defense using Testament as a Shardblade. The trauma from this event caused her to suppress the memory, and she ended up breaking her bond with Testament, killing the spren.
Witnesses her abusive father’s violence, particularly after her mother’s death — though he is never violent with Shallan, her brothers suffer.
Works to make her brother’s lives better, including arranging a meeting between Balat and Eylita, a lighteyes Balat was romantically interested in.
Kills her father after she discovers that he has killed his new wife Malise. She attempted to poison him, but the poison only weakened him — she ends up strangling him with her own necklace.
Discovers her father borrowed a Soulcaster from an organization called the Ghostbloods, and that it is broken. Lin had been using the Soulcaster to make valuable mineral deposits that he then “discovered” on the family’s property.
In Karbranth (The Way of Kings)
Travels for 6 months by boat following the famous scholar Jasnah Kholin, in an attempt to becomes her ward — with the ultimate goal of stealing Jasnah’s soulcaster, which her family can use (and then return) in place of the broken one.
Catches up with Jasnah in Karbranth, and successfully convinces the scholar to take her on as a ward. As Jasnah’s ward, Shallan discovers that she enjoys being a scholar, and regrets having to steal the Soulcaster and end her time with Jasnah.
After witnessing Jasnah kill three would-be robbers with the Soulcaster, Shallan works up the courage to swap her broken Soulcaster for Jasnah’s. She plans to leave the city a few days later.
Sees creatures with strange patterns for faces following her (these turn out to be Cryptic spren). In her panic, she accidentally sends herself into Shadesmar temporarily, and Soulcasts the goblet on her side table to blood (revealing that she has formed another Radiant bond, although she doesn’t know this yet). She slashes herself with a shard of glass to hide the evidence of her Soulcasting, and ends up in the hospital. Also noteworthy in this scene, she speaks a truth (“I’m terrified.”) just before Soulcasting, possibly swearing an Ideal in doing so.
While still in the hospital, Shallan consumes poisoned food meant for Jasnah. Fearing Jasnah won’t be able to heal her via Soulcasting due to Shallan’s theft, she reveals that she has swapped the Soulcasters.
Jasnah initially ends Shallan’s wardship due to the theft, but after Shallan reveals herself as a Surgebinder. Learning that Shallan is Radiant, Jasnah changes her mind and keeps Shallan as a ward. This scene likely contains another Truth (“I’m a murderer. I killed my father.”), perhaps bringing her to the Third Ideal.
Jasnah arranges a casual betrothal between Shallan and Prince Adolin, Jasnah’s cousin. Jasnah and Shallan head to the Shattered Plains to continue Jasnah’s research into the Voidbringers and the Desolations.
Shallan in Karbranth with Jasnah, Kabsal, and Taravangian (art by Botanicaxu)
At The Shattered Plains (Words of Radiance)
While sailing to the Shattered Plains on the Wind’s Pleasure, meets her Radiant spren and names it Pattern.
The Wind’s Pleasure is attacked, Jasnah is stabbed, and Shallan escapes by Soulcasting the entire ship into water. She wakes up on a beach in the Frostlands some time later, after apparently being rescued by the santhid greatshell she encountered earlier during her sea voyage.
While in the Frostlands, encounters a slaver’s caravan, and forces the slaver to take her to the Shattered Plains. During the trip, she learns to breathe in Stormlight and heal herself.
In the Frostlands, Shallan’s caravan encounters another caravan under attack by a group of bandits. Shallan then convinces yet another group of bandits, recent deserters, to defend the caravan from the first group of bandits. She accomplishes these feats of diplomacy in part by unconciously using Lightweavings to make herself appear more powerful.
Meets Tyn, who was escorting the other caravan encountered in the Frostlands. On their way to the Shattered plains, Shallan learns how to be a con artist from Tyn, who mistakenly assumes Shallan is pulling a scam and only pretending to be Shallan Davar. Tyn, who is in communication with the Ghostbloods, eventually discovers Shallan’s identity as Jasnah’s ward, and Shallan is forced to kill her in self defense. Shallan maintains contact with the Ghostbloods, pretending to be Tyn.
With the deserters under her protection and in her employ, Shallan arrives at the Shattered Plains, and introduces herself to the Kholin family during a meeting of the Highprinces. During this meeting, she successfully secures pardons for the deserters, maintains her casual betrothal to Adolin, and convinces Highprince Sebarial to house and employ her.
Using the outfit and Lightweaving disguise that will become her “Veil” persona, Shallan meets with the Ghostbloods and impresses their apparent leader, Mraize. He instructs her to sneak into Brightlord Amaram’s house and uncover any secrets there. She does as ordered, and discovers that Amaram has been working to bring back the Voidbringers. He is also searching for Urithiru, and believes it can be reached through Stormseat, in the center of the Shattered Plains.
With the Ghostblood Iyatil, investigates a “madman” that has been brought to the war camps — the man turns out to be the Herald Taln. This successful mission leads Mraize to grant Shallan membership in the Ghostbloods.
After falling into the chasms with Kaladin, discovers that the Shattered Plains are symmetrical, allowing her to surmise where the center of the plains are — and therefore where Stormseat.
Accompanies Dalinar’s army on the expedition to the center of the Shattered Plains, and successfully finds and activates the Stormseat Oathgate, rediscovering the ancient Radiant tower of Urithiru.
Urithiru & The Kholinar Mission (Oathbringer)
Relives killing her mother via Lightweaving — confronting this truth strengthens her bond with Pattern.
Investigates the recent murders in the tower as Veil, and struggles with her inexperience in espionage (and in general).
Explores the tower of Urithiru, eventually discovering and chasing off the Unmade, Re-Shephir, that was imitating murders in the tower.
Grates against Jasnah’s treatment of her upon Jasnah’s return, but returns to her duties in the wardship.
Creates the “Radiant” personality when Adolin wants to teach her how to use her Shardblade — this allows her to distance herself from the discomfort she feels in wielding the blade (due to her having killed her mother with a shardblade).
Goes with Kaladin’s team to Kholinar in an attempt to secure the Oathgate and retake the city. While in Kholinar, she struggles with her failures on the mission and in her past.
Meets the Unmade Sja-anat while attempting to operate the Oathgate — the unmade agrees not to attack Shallan’s party, and Shallan successfully activates the Oathgate and sends them all to Shadesmar.
Journeys across Shadesmar, and uses her Radiant powers to help her companions battle the Fused. She attempts to activate the Thaylen City Oathgate, but the Oathgate spren refuse them. However, Dalinar’s opening of Honor’s perpendicularity allows Shallan and the rest of her party to return to the Physical Realm.
Plays a crucial role during the Battle of Thaylen Field, summoning an army of Lightweavings to distract Amaram’s army.
Infiltrates and disrupts the Sons of Honor, a secret society that Amaram and Gavilar were a part of. The Sons of Honor sought to bring back the Heralds, by bringing back the Voidbringers. During the mission against the Sons of Honor, an unknown person kills the current leader of the society, Ialai.
Goes with Adolin to Shadesmar and travels to Lasting Integrity, the honorspren capital. Mraize has asked her to assassinate the leader of the Sons of Honor, Restares, as a final test before she can become a full Ghostblood member, and Restares is hiding in Lasting Integrity.
Tries to figure out who in her group used her communication cube when she wasn’t there; she suspects it’s the same person who killed Ialai. However, it turns out that Pattern was using the cube to communicate with Wit because he was worried about Shallan.
In part due to her fear and uncertainty over the spy, Shallan struggles with a fourth personality, “Formless”, that at one point takes control and suppresses the other three personalities. Pattern is able to bring Shallan back, and she then integrates the Veil personality into “Shallan”.
Discovers Restares is actually the Herald Kelek, and decides to spare him and not join the Ghostbloods. She tells Mraize this, making him her enemy and putting herself in significant danger from the organization.
Newfound Confidence (Wind and Truth)
Realizes that Adolin knows all of her secrets and still loves her, giving her new confidence in herself and who she is.
Successfully infiltrates a Ghostblood meeting in Narak, learning that the Ghostbloods Mraize and Iyatil plan to follow Dalinar into the Spiritual Realm.
Looks for the Ghostbloods near where Dalinar is preparing to enter the Spiritual Realm, and discovers them just before Honor’s Perpendicularity opens. Wins a fight against the Ghostbloods, but Mraize throws an anti-Light dagger at the perpendicularity, collapsing it and dragging Shallan, Renarin, R’lain, Mraize, and Iyatil into the Spiritual Realm.
Follows Dalinar and Navani through the Spiritual Realm, watching out for the Ghostbloods and looking for Ba-Ado-Mishram’s prison.
In the Spiritual Realm, discovers that her mother was Chanarach the Herald, and that her mother was at her wedding.
Finds and fights Mraize once in the Spiritual Realm, then discovers him and Iyatil in a vision that contains Ba-Ado-Mishram’s prison. Shallan kills Iyatil and then Mraize (who refuses her offer to become a member of her Lightweavers) while Rlain and Renarin free the Unmade.
Returned to the Cognitive Realm by Ba-Ado-Mishram, but is then trapped there when Retribution takes all of the Stormlight back into Honor’s power.
Meets the Ghostblood Felt, and uses his seon to communicate with Thaidakar (Kelsier); she negotiates with him and secures the seon, named Ala, for herself, along with Felt’s services.
Shallan is around 20 years old. She has pale blue eyes with auburn-red colored hair, slightly curly, and has light freckles on her cheeks and nose. She is short by Rosharan standards, at around 5’6″ (6′ on Earth). She is slender and pale-skinned.
She also uses her Radiant powers of Lightweaving to alter her appearance, becoming two distinct personalities besides Shallan. When she is Veil, she instead has straight dark hair and brown eyes, sharper features, and a scar on her chin. When she is Radiant, she looks like Shallan, but with blonde hair and a slightly larger bust.
Personality, Strengths & Weaknesses
Shallan is quick-witted, and enjoys repartee, but often fails to think before she speaks. She grew up sheltered, and found herself woefully inexperienced in the world outside her family estates — she adapted to her new reality rapidly, however. She is quick to blush, but willing to take risks and experiment. Shallan spends the first four Stormlight books often doubting herself, and her biggest weakness besides her inexperience is her lack of confidence. However, she has begun to gain confidence during the events of Wind and Truth, thanks to her husband Adolin and due to her successes as a Radiant and a scholar. She is incredibly curious, especially about the natural world — she enjoys sketching plants and animals that she encounters on her journeys, and often speculates on natural phenomena.
She currently has two distinct personalities: Shallan (her “true” self) and Radiant. She previously had a third, Veil but has integrated that personality into herself — she still sometimes speaks to herself in Veil’s voice, however. Radiant is blunt and impatient with people, and serves as the “warrior” personality for Shallan — when there is fighting to be done, Shallan becomes Radiant. Unlike Shallan, Radiant doesn’t care what people think of her, and she doesn’t enjoy espionage like Veil does. By contrast, Veil is a skilled spy (although in reality Shallan lacks such experience), who enjoys strong drinks like Horneater White and scrappy men like Kaladin. Veil generally serves as support for Shallan when she needs it, although Radiant will also offer support at times.
Shallan is able to recall anything she has seen perfectly, including text, and reproduce it in a drawing with 100% accuracy. She is a very skilled artist, able to create incredibly life-like pencil sketches. This is likely due to her Radiant bond, but may also involve some innate talent. As someone with virtually no combat training until the events of Oathbringer, much of Shallan’s strength comes from her Radiant powers. She has trained with Adolin in the use of Shardblades, as her “Radiant” personality.
Knight Radiant Powers
Shallan is bonded to a Cryptic Spren, making her a Lightweaver. This Radiant order is focused on the speaking of Truths in order to grow. Lightweavers tend to be artists or performers. Shallan has reached the Fourth Ideal via Truths spoken, and has access to a Shardblade and Shardplate — she also has a second Shardblade, her first Cryptic spren Testament.
She is currently the only known Radiant with two spren, and while Testament is currently a “dead” spren, we’ve seen with Adolin’s sword Mayalaren that it is possible for deadeyes to become sentient again; it seems likely that Shallan has some kind of dual bond that will manifest more meaningfully later on in the series. The Herald Kelek has said that a dual Nahel bond can be “strange”, and that it was once forbidden — it may also be the case that her ability to enter Shadesmar as a Lightweaver is due to the second bond.
Shallan’s Shardblades can cut through any substance besides aluminum or living beings — they can still pass through living beings, severing their soul, but not cut their flesh. Although she hasn’t experimented much with this aspect of living Shardblades, they can be turned into any style of weapon, or even various tools. Her Shardblades are her current Radiant spren Pattern, and her first Radiant spren Testament.
Her Shardplate is made of creationspren, and can be summoned or dismissed at will. Shardplate is powerful armor, offering unparalleled protection from conventional weapons, and even protection from Shardblades. Shallan can command her armor spren to appear around someone else, immobilizing them. The creationspren that make up Shallan’s armor appear to always be near her, ready to become armor.
As a Lightweaver, Shallan has access to two Surges:
Illumination – Shallan can use Stormlight to create visual or auditory illusions. She creates illusions based on sketches she has made beforehand. As long as they are supplied with Stormlight, the illusions persist — if attached to an infused sphere they can move around. The illusions are capable of making noises and imitating people, animals, or appearing as simple objects.
Transformation – Shallan can use Stormlight to Soulcast, changing an object into one of the ten essences. This is done by entering the Cognitive Realm and convincing the object or objects in question to change — generally done via contact with the object, but possible at a distance. In practice, being able to turn something into one of the ten essences means the object can become almost any non-complex, basic element: blood, oil, crystal, wood, fog, meat, etc.
Though they share the First Ideal with the rest of the Orders. Lightweavers tell truths to advance in the subsequent levels of their Nahel bond (rather than swearing Oaths). Because of this, it’s a bit harder to track exactly when each Ideal beyond the first is reached. It’s also extra difficult with Shallan, because this is her second Radiant bond, and it’s never stated clearly in the books when she reaches each Ideal. With all that in mind, here are our best guesses:
First Ideal – “Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination.”
Grants some access to the surges and Stormlight — Shallan swore this as a child.
Second Ideal – “I’m terrified.”
Grants greater access to the surges and Stormlight — Shallan tells this Truth in Kharbranth right before Soulcasting for the first time.
Third Ideal – “I’m a murderer. I killed my father.”
Allows the Knight to summon their spren as a Shardblade, and to have squires — Shallan tells this Truth in Kharbranth before entering Shadesmar in front of Jasnah.
Fourth Ideal – “I killed my spren. My wonderful, beautiful, kindly spren. I broke my oaths, and I killed her.”
Grants the Knight access to Shardplate, in this case via creationspren — Shallan says this Truth in Lasting Integrity, right before the Veil personality integrates.
Fifth Ideal – Unknown
Shallan has not yet reached this ideal, and it currently isn’t known what the Fifth Ideal grants a Knight Radiant.
Relationships
Adolin Kholin, Shallan’s husband, is arguably her most important relationship. He provides unwavering support and comfort to Shallan, and his acceptance of her for who she is and who she sometimes pretends to be has positively changed her perspective on herself. Despite their marriage being semi-arranged, Adolin and Shallan genuinely fell in love, and clearly enjoy each other’s company. He is her instructor in the use of her Shardblade, with Shallan training as her Radiant personality.
Pattern, a Cryptic spren bonded to Shallan, is also up there on the “very important people” list for our Lightweaver. He has often encouraged her to admit uncomfortable truths about herself, both as a means of strengthening their bond (and therefore making her a more powerful Radiant), and also as an avenue for necessary personal growth. It is through Pattern that Shallan is able to use her Radiant powers, and wield him as a Shardblade — although she initially struggled to wield a blade after having used one to kill her mother, she has learned to be more comfortable with it. He often serves as a spy and distraction during Shallan’s espionage activities, and is a constant companion, acting as a sounding board and friend.
Testament is a Cryptic spren that was previously bonded to Shallan, and may still have some kind of bond or connection to Shallan. Given how young Shallan was when she bonded this spren, there’s no doubt the spren played an important role in her development. Shallan broke her bond with Testament after using the spren as a blade to kill her mother. Breaking their bond turned Testament into a deadeye.
Jasnah Kholin was Shallan’s tutor, both in traditional scholarship and in becoming a Knight Radiant. Jasnah helped Shallan and the other Lightweavers of the Unseen Court learn how to Soulcast — although Shallan still isn’t very good at it during the events of Rhythm of War — and also instructed Shallan in a diverse range of scholarly topics such as history, science, logic, and rhetoric. Shallan sees Jasnah as the model Vorin woman, and often idolizes her — although she sometimes finds Jasnah’s judgemental attitude frustrating.
Shallan’s Brothers were important to Shallan growing up: Helaran (who was killed by Kaladin), Balat, Jushu, and Wikim. She was particularly close to Herlaran, who used to bring her gifts when he came back and visited the family home. Growing up, Shallan worked hard to help the other three brothers find joy in the midst of their father’s abuse, telling jokes and trying to keep their spirits up. Despite their various struggles (Jushu’s gambling, Balat’s cruelty to animals, Wikim’s depression) Shallan always helped her siblings through thick and thin — her desparate plot to steal Jasnah’s soulcaster demonstrates the risks she is willing to take for her family. She doesn’t spend very much time with them after they arrive at Urithiru, however, as her duties as a Radiant don’t leave her a lot of free time.
Shallan’s Parents were of course very important to her, although not for particularly positive reasons. Her father was abusive to the rest of the household — although he never hurt Shallan, his overprotectiveness prevented her from learning about the world beyond the Davar estate. Her mother tried to kill her, because she had discovered that Shallan was a Surgebinder; Shallan had to kill her own mother in self defense. The fact that she killed both of her parents weighs heavily on Shallan, though through her Truths spoken to Pattern, she has started to accept what she did.
The Unseen Court is a small group of Lightweavers, most of whom began as Shallan’s Radiant Squires. Notable members of the Court include Gaz, Red, and Vathah, who were among the deserters she convinced to join her on her way to the Shattered Plains — under Shallan, these men have become productive members of society, and more fulfilled as people. Another important member of the Court is Ishnah; a spy for a noble house, she helped Shallan learn more about espionage.
We hope this biography of Shallan Davar had everything you were looking for. If you’ve got a favorite Shallan joke, want to ask a question, or have something we missed, let us know in the comments!
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DanielD
A huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy (really anything with tons of weird proper nouns), music, and video games. Enjoys the outdoors, but has plenty to do on a rainy day.
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