Purpose of Shardblades

[The Night Watcher]

I have multiple memories throughout the series of Shardblades being mentioned as swords for the thunderclasts. Where are they now? 

Also, Pattern implied to Shallan that being a good blade is part of his identity. Is there a reason that spren manifest as massive, six-foot, spiraling swords, rather than a more classically efficient blade?

[Clovermite]

20 minutes ago, The Night Watcher said:

I have multiple memories throughout the series of Shardblades being mentioned as swords for the thunderclasts. Where are they now?

Thunderclasts were present at the battle of Thaylen Field. Having just re-listened to Oathbringer, the description suggests that they are either a particular kind of spren, or a particular type of fused that make their bodies from the rock in the ground.

In RoW, the main focus was on a stealthy takeover of Urithiru, so it makes sense not to bring the giant, earth shaking rock monsters for that operation. We also see that many of the fused are still just waking up, so I would guess that many of the thunderclasts haven't woken up yet.

 

20 minutes ago, The Night Watcher said:

Also, Pattern implied to Shallan that being a good blade is part of his identity. Is there a reason that spren manifest as massive, six-foot, spiraling swords, rather than a more classically efficient blade?

 

I don't think the living ones do that as much anymore. Throughout RoW, we see Syl manifesting as a shorter sword or even a dagger if the situation calls for it. Adolin has that conversation with the stoneward where he brings several different kinds of swords, and the stoneward notes that his shard blade will reshape to whichever kind of weapon is most convenient and appropriate for the situation.

I forget at which point, but one of the characters notes that he thought the dead shardblades manifested in such a flamboyant manner to just show off. When not needed in the battle, but simply needed as a symbol, the large overly ornate weapons work far more impressively. Since the dead blades were abandoned to make a statement, it makes sense that they manifested them in the "show off" form. After the baldes died, they became locked into that configuration.

Edited January 18, 2021 by Clovermite
adding sleepy bit

[Honorless]

I think that's just that just before the Recreance the Radiants were fighting Thunderclast and so that's how they left their Blade.

The speculation iirc comes from Dalinar either when he dug out a latrine with his Shardblade or at the Purelake Thunderclast Vision

[LewsTherinTelescope]

RoW 21:

Quote

Modern Radiants preferred functional weapons when actually fighting. However, when they wanted to show off, they created something majestic and otherworldly—something that was less about practicality and more about awe. That indicated most Shardblades, his own included, had practical forms—but had been abandoned in their more showy styles.