(Theory)Dalinar's Boon (WOR Spoilers)

[Jinxed he/him]

Hey everyone this is my first theory, it’s a pretty straightforward one. I apologize in advance if this has been discussed before. Alright it’s all based on this scene.

 

Chapter 83 page 1003

“Storms” the surgeon said, “Highprince, you’re all scars under here. How many time have you been wounded in the shoulder”

“Can’t Remember”

“How can you still use your arm?”

“Training and practice”

“that’s not how it works…” she whispered eyes wider “I mean… Storms…”

               

So my theory is that Dalinar got crippled and went to the Nightwatcher to be healed.

 

Also after he bond with the Stormfather he breathed in stormlight and “he felt his wound healing in a familiar way, He’d done the before."

 

The Nightwatcher healed him with stormlight.(see straightforward )

So what do you think?

[Silus - Shard of Flame he/him]

There's some pretty heavy implication toward his boon and curse being related to his wife and why he can't remember her.  I would say that his healing you mention would be a hint toward his nature as a Radiant.  There's a lot of implication that future Radiants have traces of their abilities before taking their oaths, even years beforehand.

 

Though if he went to be healed, possibly his curse was having the memory of his wife taken away.

[Observer]

Personally I've always felt it was because he had been tapping Stormlight unintentionally like Kaladin. He mentions having felt it before, and Kaladin did as well, so I think it's an easier and less convoluted explanation.

 

EDIT: Random letters again.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Observer

[thejopen27 he/him]

It's a solid theory. If Dalinar were crippled he might go to any length to heal. If he was using stormlight there most likely would not be skars.

Edited April 8, 2014 by thejopen27

[Jinxed he/him]

It's a solid theory. If Dalinar were crippled he might go to any length to heal. If he was using stormlight there most likely would not be skars.

 

I thought about that also but then I thought about Kaladin’s slave brands and why they didn’t heal. There a WOB that states, “Kaladin can't get healed because he sees himself as having a wounded forehead with the scars and that can't vanish because his perception is in the way.” Based on that maybe Dalinar still has his scars because at the time he saw the Nightwatcher he is still see himself the “Blackthorn” and perceives himself as a scar riddled warlord.

 

Yes it’s a bit of a stretch.

[Goatborn he/him]

I thought about that also but then I thought about Kaladin’s slave brands and why they didn’t heal. There a WOB that states, “Kaladin can't get healed because he sees himself as having a wounded forehead with the scars and that can't vanish because his perception is in the way.” Based on that maybe Dalinar still has his scars because at the time he saw the Nightwatcher he is still see himself the “Blackthorn” and perceives himself as a scar riddled warlord.

 

Yes it’s a bit of a stretch.

 

I don't see that as a stretch!

 

The dichotomy of the boons vs curses makes me think that most of what the Nightwatcher dishes out could be counted as ironic. Like Taravangian having the ability to stop the Desolation, but loses his wits.

 

So, if Dalinar's wife was the one who injured him or was otherwise tied to his injuries, then the Nightwatcher might take memories of her to tantalize Dalinar with not knowing why he was injured.

 

I must admit that I've always seen the memory wipe as his boon, like one would probably want to erase a past relationship in the heat of the moment (That's not the answer - learn from them!) I think that view is contradicted in the books when Dalinar ponders the situation...

 

Do we know if Dalinar even knows what his boon was?

[WitSpren he/him]

_{My view is that the Nightwatcher gives a Curse dependent on how selfish the requested Boon is.}     

 

_{And per the Text (sorry no book/page reference - just memory) at one time Delinar was very Jelious of his brother.     Both for the Crown and his brother's wife.     He specifically thinks of a time that he considered fighting (and maybe killing) his brother.      I think that he loved his brother very much and in one of his more sane times, he went to the Nightwatcher to get the Boon of not wanting his brother's Crown or wife.}

 

_{The Nightwatcher saw this as a very unselfish Boon, so she gave him a very minor Curse of forgetting his dead wife.}

 

_{The lack of desire for the Crown has presisted past his brother's death, but does not extend to his brother's Widow.      She is no longer his broyther's wife.}

[Observer]

Dalinar never says that he knows his curse and boon, but he implies that he does. Forgetting his wife falls perfectly in line with all the other curses we've seen, which seem to stick to being mental. His boon was likely something else entirely.

[Asha'man Logain]

I disagree. I think Dalinar believes he knows what his curse and boon are, but he has it backwards. I think HE believes that losing the memory of his wife was his boon and his curse is Renarin's illness. I however think he is wrong.

 

I think he went to the nightwatcher and asked for his son to live. It was granted though not a perfect healing. His curse was to lose the memory of his wife and perhaps the memory of exactly what he asked as well. Now he remembers nothing about his wife and cannot even hear her name. Due to the way he still feel about Navani, I think he now thinks that he felt the same way or stronger about his wife (because his love for Navani is all he has to base his feelings on) and had her memory taken so he could deal with her death.

 

I'm of the opinion that Dalinar didn't love his wife (at least not as much as he did Navani) but he no longer remembers his feelings toward her, and takes Renarin's illness as punishment for using the Old Magic.

 

I think it has a nice symmetry  to it, (and we know how important THAT is on Roshar)  Nightwatcher granted him the life of a member of his family, at the price of losing the memory (or life in a way) of another member of his family. As the boon could be construed as a non-selfish boon, the curse, while fitting may not have been as bad if he did not have strong feelings for his wife to begin with.

 

 

That's my theory anyway

[Mar10]

I kinda think along a little different line.  From what I've read about the people we know have gone to the Nightwatcher, it seems to me that all of the boons and curses are basically the same thing (or at least tied together) for each individual.  Mr. T. has waving intelligents so that he can do what he asked for but then has to be an idiot for part of the time as well.  For Dalinar, my theory is that he was so torn up over his wife's death that he wanted to pain to go away.  So she took the pain away as his boon but did it in sucha way that he now can't remember her at all as the curse.  I also think there is a line in one of the books where he says he knows exactly what his curse and/or boon were.

[Scattered she/her]

I always thought that Dalinar was so torn up over his wife's death that he asked for the pain to go away, like what you suggested, so that the fact that he can't remember her is actually his boon. Conversations in the book imply that he did love her very much, and that they were perfect for each other, so I don't think it's true that he didn't love her as much as he did Navani. It's just that his memories of his wife were taken from him, so he can't remember how he felt about her, he only remembers his feelings for Navani.

 

I don't think there's enough evidence to make a solid guess at what his curse might be, though I suppose the curse could be that he was chosen to receive the visions, and have the weight of uniting Alethkar on his shoulders.

 

Of course I'm basing this on the fact that it seems like a curse to not be able to remember the love of your life, and it's a very Brandon thing to do to flip that on it's head so it's actually the boon. Theoretically I suppose it could actually be the curse, and perhaps his boon was the healing, but that seems too simple to me.

 

I like the idea of the curses and boons being tied, but remember the story about the potter (I think it was a potter) who asked for money or something like that to feed his family, and he ended up seeing the world upside down as his curse. In this instance they weren't tied, so I don't think that theory can hold true, as cool as it would be.

[BrindIf]

From what I've read about the people we know have gone to the Nightwatcher, it seems to me that all of the boons and curses are basically the same thing (or at least tied together) for each individual.  Mr. T. has waving intelligents so that he can do what he asked for but then has to be an idiot for part of the time as well.

 

From book 1, it doesn't have to:

"The Nightwatcher doesn't trick you or twist your words. You ask a boon. She gives you what she feels you deserve, then give you a curse to go along with it. Sometimes related, sometimes not."

"And you're an expert?"

[...]

"On account of my father going, my mother going, and each of my brothers going. A few got what they wanted. Most all of them regretted the curse, save my father. He got a heap of good cloth; sold it to keep us from starving during the lurnip famine a few decades ago."

"What was his curse?" Baxil said.

"Saw the world upside down from then on."

Of course, we only have Av's word about it, but I don't see why his tale about his father wouldn't be accurate.

[Wherethewindgoes]

Dalinar never says that he knows his curse and boon, but he implies that he does. Forgetting his wife falls perfectly in line with all the other curses we've seen, which seem to stick to being mental. His boon was likely something else entirely.

I don't think there's enough evidence to make a solid guess at what his curse might be, though I suppose the curse could be that he was chosen to receive the visions, and have the weight of uniting Alethkar on his shoulders.

 

I don't have the book with me, but in The Way of Kings Navani asks if the visions could have been related to the Nightwatcher, and Dalinar says he knows what his curse and boon are and they're not related to the visions. It's still a possibility that he's mistaken, of course, but I would imagine he would remember which thing he asked for and which he didn't (unless it's more complicated like Taravangian's).

[Rogue Saint he/him]

I believe that Dalinar forgetting his wife is the boon - what he requested directly from the Nightwatcher.

 

It is known that a Radiant must first be 'broken' before they can bind with a spren. Many would say that it was the death of his brother which created this initial breaking - but I think the Blackthorn is far to strong and competent to be taken out by something like that. Instead I think his wife betrayed him in such a horrifying way that the only way Dalinar saw to move forward was to forget about the act entirely. So, he goes to the Nightwatcher with the request of, 'Forgetting his wife's betrayal'. Well, betrayal forgotten... along with the rest of her.

 

The only thing I can imagine his wife doing that would be that destructive to Dalinar would involve his brother - something like an affair. Although, in my mind, an affair seems too bland. I would imagine instead it would be a complicit action between Dalinar's wife and Gavilar, similar to that of Amaram, which could be seen as evil, heretical or destructive to the world. Something discovered post-assassination that would shake his worldview so much it would hinder his ability to remember his brother with love or to fulfill the vengeance pact.

 

All theory, I know - but I feel it matches the tone of the story. Especially after hearing Shallan's tale of lies and woe.

 

Hah - wouldn't it be grand if Dalinar actually killed his wife?

[Crazy Mraize]

I thought the boon would be Dalinar wanted Renarin's life saved.  We get a hint in I think the Baxil chapter of WoK about phrasing the boon in a crafty way - perhaps Dalinar asked for Renarin to live but didn't specify clearly enough for Renarin to be cured entirely - hence Renarin still has epileptic episodes but isn't in mortal danger from them.  

 

The curse was that in order to save one person he loved, he'd forget another.  That's my guess anyway.

[Grahamfactor]

My current theory is that Dalinar went to the Nightwatcher after Gavilar's murder and asked "what are the most important words a man can say?"  As his boon, he learned the 2nd oath for the Bondsmiths (I will unite not divide, etc.), and as his curse, he forgot everything about his wife.  This would explain how Dalinar knows the WORDS at the end of WOR, and it has the symmetry that we often associate with the Nightwatcher (learning something important and forgetting something just as important).

 

Thoughts?

Edited April 24, 2014 by Grahamfactor

[RShara she/her]

Dalinar never says he knows what they are, just that they are his.

 

“But what did you ask for?” Adolin said, frowning.

“My curse and boon are my own, son,” Dalinar said. “The specifics are not important.”

[maxal she/her]

Do we know when Dalinar's wife died? I got the feeling she didn't die a very long time ago. Adolin reflects at some point during one of his duels that having Navani fretting out over the prospect of him fighting in that arena was almost like having his mother back. I interpreted that as if his mother had still been around when he started dueling, which he most likely started around  the age of 16 (age at which you receive your calling). Therefore, she must have died in the last 6 years.

 

Moreover, both Kohlin boys seem to remember their mother well. Now, if Dalinar's boon had something to do with Renarin's sickness, then it would have been something he asked for when he was a small child. Which would imply she died when the kids were quite young. If that were the case, neither brother would remember much about their mother and Renarin do seem to remember her quite well.

 

I personnally think the boon had something to do with the death of his wife. Either he wanted to remove the pain or he wanted to forget something she or he did and as a result ended up forgetting everything. We know so little about her. We know she had blond hair, we know her family had a shardplate and there was no one to wear it (no brothers, nephews nor living father).

[Lightning he/him]

 

 

It is known that a Radiant must first be 'broken' before they can bind with a spren. Many would say that it was the death of his brother which created this initial breaking - but I think the Blackthorn is far to strong and competent to be taken out by something like that.

My impression was that Dalinar *was* broken by the death of his brother, because he was drunk at the time and thus could not protect him.  He blamed himself for his brother's death.

[Wherethewindgoes]

Dalinar never says he knows what they are, just that they are his.

 

There's a different scene, though, when Navani asks if the visions could be related to the Nightwatcher, and Dalinar says he knows what his curse and his boon are and they aren't the visions.

 

My current theory is that Dalinar went to the Nightwatcher after Gavilar's murder and asked "what are the most important words a man can say?"  As his boon, he learned the 2nd oath for the Bondsmiths (I will unite not divide, etc.), and as his curse, he forgot everything about his wife.  This would explain how Dalinar knows the WORDS at the end of WOR, and it has the symmetry that we often associate with the Nightwatcher (learning something important and forgetting something just as important).

 

Thoughts?

 

Kaladin seems to just figure out his oaths (possibly with help from Syl), though, so I would imagine Dalinar could do the same, especially because the visions had told him to unite everyone as well.

 

In terms of Dalinar wanting to forget some horrible thing his wife did (mentioned earlier in the thread)--wouldn't he then not remember why he had gone to the Nightwatcher, and not know what his boon was? Knowing she had done something horrible but not knowing exactly what it was isn't all that helpful, although maybe that's the sort of thing the Nightwatcher would do.