Wind and Truth Chapter 46: A Portal from Another World
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Navani and Dalinar find themselves in a vision of the past, standing on a muddy Rosharan hillside as a portal opens in the sky. Ishar, a young Herald, strains to hold the gateway while thousands of refugees from Ashyn—their world burning—flood through. Dalinar recognizes Ishar, and Navani spots Wit, who looks no different from the present-day version. They also identify young versions of Jezrien (whom Dalinar knew as the beggar Ahu) and Chanaranach (Chana), along with a teenage Ash.
The vision is not a mere replay; Dalinar and Navani are physically present in this moment. They struggle to communicate, as the refugees speak an unknown tongue. Dalinar attempts a Connection trick, but Jezrien reacts defensively, ready to Surgebind. Navani directs Dalinar toward Wit, hoping for help. When Dalinar touches Wit and Connects to him, the homunculus that is Wit—a fragment of the real Wit—reveals his own non-reality, confessing he is an imitation trying to mimic the original’s trauma after watching Ashyn die. Dalinar then feels the Stormfather’s presence nearby and decides to confront him alone, while Navani stays among the refugees to learn more.
Key Events
- A portal from Ashyn opens on Roshar, with Ishar pushing it wide.
- Thousands of refugees flee a burning, ash-covered world, many leading unfamiliar animals.
- Dalinar and Navani recognize young versions of the Heralds: Ishar, Jezrien, Chanaranach, and Ash.
- Dalinar identifies Jezrien as Ahu, a beggar he once drank with in Kholinar.
- A homunculus version of Wit appears, traumatized by Ashyn’s fall, and reveals he is a copy.
- Dalinar Connects them to the refugees’ language, but Wit instead learns theirs.
- Dalinar senses the Stormfather and leaves to speak with him; Navani remains to investigate.
Character Development
- Dalinar: His empathy for the refugees is immediate, despite knowing they are from the past. He shows vulnerability when he recognizes Jezrien as Ahu, a friend from his darker days. His drive to understand the secret of Honor’s power pushes him to seek the Stormfather.
- Navani: The scholar in her fully embraces the opportunity to study this pivotal moment. She observes details about technology (no carts), spren, and the Heralds’ ages. She becomes the rational, stabilizing counterpart to Dalinar’s impulsiveness.
- The Heralds (Ishar, Jezrien, Chana, Ash): Seen before their Oathpact, they are mortal, exhausted, and defensive. Jezrien is a young king, not yet the Broken One; Ash is a girl. This humanizes them and contrasts with their later immortal weariness.
- Wit’s Homunculus: A desperate copy that knows it is not real, embodying the original Wit’s grief at failing to save Ashyn. It demonstrates that some remnants of him were left behind, and that even a fraction of his memory carries immense trauma.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Exodus and Guilt: The human escape from Ashyn echoes earlier themes of sin and consequence. The burning world is a visible reminder that the Surges destroyed Ashyn, foreshadowing Roshar’s own potential doom.
- The Cost of Power: Ishar and the others use Surges without Oaths or spren bonds, as Navani notes. This unfettered power led to cataclysm, reinforcing Honor’s later caution.
- Identity and Copies: Wit’s homunculus questions its own reality, mirroring the later theme of Heralds being imitations of their former selves. The chapter blurs the line between real and created.
- Memory and Witness: Dalinar’s physical presence in the past makes him a living witness to history. The vision is not passive; he can act, which will likely have consequences.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter provides the first on-screen look at the human arrival on Roshar, answering long-standing questions about the Heralds’ origin and the fall of Ashyn. It establishes the raw, pre-Oathpact state of the Heralds and the trauma that would shape them. The encounter with Wit’s copy deepens the mystery of his nature and his role as a world-hopping observer. Most importantly, it sets Dalinar on a direct path to the Stormfather, a confrontation that may unlock the secret of why Honor’s power refuses to bond anyone—a key step toward Dalinar potentially taking up that power.
Study Questions
1. Why does Dalinar recognize Jezrien as Ahu, and what does this reveal about Dalinar’s past? Dalinar had drunk with Ahu in the Kholinar gardens during the years after the death of his wife. This connection shows that the Heralds had been living as Broken Ones on Roshar for millennia before the present day, and that Dalinar unknowingly bonded with one of them in his own despair. It also underscores how deeply trauma can humble even the most exalted figures.
2. What is the significance of Wit’s homunculus being “not real”? The homunculus is a fragment of Wit’s consciousness—perhaps a piece of his power or memory—left behind after the real Wit fled Ashyn. Its inability to maintain the illusion of reality hints that Wit’s immortality comes with costs: he can fragment himself, but those copies become aware of their own artificiality. This may parallel how the Heralds felt after millennia of returning from Damnation.
3. Why might Honor have later forbidden Surgebinding without Oaths? The vision shows Ishar and other humans using Surges without any bond or restraint, leading to the destruction of Ashyn. Honor, seeing this, likely created the Nahel bond and the Radiant oaths as checks to prevent Roshar from suffering the same fate. The chapter directly shows the “dangerous powers” mentioned in the Dawnchant.