Chapter 26: Blackthorn Unleashed

Spoiler Notice

This chapter contains flashback events from twenty-nine years before the main timeline of Oathbringer. The analysis below assumes you have read this chapter. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, stop here and read the book first.

Summary

The chapter opens with Dalinar and his betrothed Evi burning prayers before battle. Evi invokes the One and urges Dalinar to soften his temper, but he dismisses her beliefs. After donning his Shardplate, Dalinar joins his brother Gavilar on the front lines of the decisive battle against Highprince Kalanor. A herd of Ryshadium gallops across the field, admired but left alone. Gavilar commands Dalinar to kill Kalanor, knowing that only the Blackthorn can force the enemy Shardbearer to commit. Dalinar waits for the right moment, then unleashes a devastating one-man assault, slaughtering hundreds and losing himself to the euphoria of the Thrill. When Captain Kadash calls him back, Dalinar sees the carnage, including his own fallen elites. Kalanor’s honor guard appears; the two Shardbearers duel atop a rock formation. After a brutal fight, Kalanor is slain. Amid the Thrill’s red haze, Dalinar sights Gavilar behind the lines and nearly attacks his own brother to seize the throne. He halts at the last moment, horrified, and gives the won Shards to Gavilar, swearing he must never become king.

Key Events

  • Dalinar and Evi pray separately before battle; she asks for his temper to be softened.
  • Dalinar meets Gavilar and is ordered to kill Kalanor to end the war.
  • Ryshadium are glimpsed, but Dalinar does not try to capture them.
  • Dalinar waits until the battle is poised, then charges the enemy lines.
  • Under the influence of the Thrill, Dalinar kills hundreds, including some of his own men by accident.
  • Captain Kadash rouses Dalinar from his trance.
  • Kalanor commits his forces, leading to a Shardbearer duel on a rock spire.
  • Dalinar kills Kalanor, then in a Thrill-fueled frenzy nearly murders Gavilar.
  • Giving away the captured Shards, Dalinar vows never to be king.

Character Development

  • Dalinar reveals his younger self’s battle-lust and struggle with the Thrill, as well as deep-seated envy toward Gavilar. The chapter shows his capacity for horrific slaughter and his last-second choice to reject kingship.
  • Evi serves as a moral contrast, advocating restraint, gentleness, and the Iriali concept of the One. Dalinar is irritated by her open affection but acknowledges her smile.
  • Gavilar demonstrates tactical shrewdness and genuine brotherly trust, unaware of Dalinar’s near-betrayal.
  • Kalanor emerges as a capable highprince who also feels the Thrill, making him a mirror to Dalinar.
  • Kadash appears as a loyal elite who saves Dalinar from friendly-fire tragedy.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

  • The Thrill: Illustrated in visceral detail as a narcotic red veil that erases moral boundaries. Dalinar feels it as an intimate purpose, then is enraged to see it in Kalanor’s eyes.
  • Shardbearer as God of War: Dalinar perceives himself as judgment, not a man, while slaughtering ordinary soldiers. The motif of burned-out eyes recurs.
  • Ryshadium: The majestic horses trailed by musicspren symbolize a lost nobility; they cannot be tamed unless they choose a rider, foreshadowing later bonds.
  • Religion and Conquest: Evi’s “One” vs. Vorinism underscores Dalinar’s spiritual emptiness. Ardents justify the war as bringing glory to the Almighty, a rhetoric that will later haunt him.
  • Sibling Rivalry and Ambition: Dalinar’s impulse to kill Gavilar surfaces as a raw expression of the Thrill’s “might makes right” logic, tying personal violence to dynasty-building.

Why This Chapter Matters

“Blackthorn Unleashed” is the definitive portrait of young Dalinar at his most terrifying. It shows the exact moment when the Thrill nearly drives him to fratricide, establishing the depth of the flaw that the main-timeline Dalinar will spend the rest of Oathbringer confronting. The chapter also anchors the backstory of Oathbringer the sword, the unification of Alethkar, and the quiet vow that ultimately shapes his relationship with the crown. Evi’s seeds of compassion and the Ryshadium encounter plant long-term payoffs for the series.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. How does the chapter contrast Dalinar’s and Evi’s views on violence?
    Evi prays for Dalinar’s temper to soften and sees killing as a wound to the One. Dalinar believes battle requires anger and that praying for a soft temper is foolish. The chapter ends with Dalinar horrified by his own rage, suggesting Evi’s warning was warranted.

  2. What does the Ryshadium sighting symbolize?
    The Ryshadium are a rare, proud species that cannot be captured; they choose their riders. Their appearance, complete with musicspren, hints at a deeper connection between spren and certain creatures, and foreshadows the bond between Radiants and their mounts, contrasting Dalinar’s use of a common beast that breaks under his Plate.

  3. Why does Dalinar give the Shards to Gavilar and vow never to be king?
    After nearly killing his brother in a Thrill-induced frenzy, Dalinar recognizes his own capacity for destructive ambition. He gives away the won Shards as an act of penance and to remove a temptation to seize power, believing he can only trust himself if he remains Gavilar’s weapon, not his rival.

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