I have recently been conducting a lot of research into what our own world has historically used as a Dueling Cane, such as is found in the Mistborn Saga. One that frequently comes up is the Shillelagh, which is most commonly made with blackthorn branches, which is thick with symbolism amongst the ancient Celtic people.
Knowing that Dalinar is nicknamed Blackthorn, it led me down an interesting path comparing symbology of the tree from ancient cultures and his Dalinar's own conquests and personality. In Celtic mythology, the blackthorn tree was seen as one of protection and transformation. It was often used as a natural barrier for livestock, both to keep them in and keep predators out because of the enormous thorns along the branches. It was typically seen as the darker side of the natural world. Blackthorn wood was also considered to have a deep connection with witchcraft and other-worldly beings that would both protect and curse others. Some folklore even goes so far as to say that it was bad luck to hurt the blackthorn tree and it would bring about illness or death.
In the case of Dalinar, we see a lot of these attributes imbued into his personality and actions. We see that when he is hurt or if he is slighted, it would bring about bad luck and often death to those who opposed him. Then there is his connection to the Stormfather who is a force of both protection as well as strife to the people of Roshar. Many of Dalinar's conquests during the founding of Roshar were also seen as the dark side of the uniting of all the houses under one king.
I don't know if these connections were intentional when Brandon Sanderson was writing these books, but it has been fun to notice connections between mythology of cultures in our own world and those of the fantasy world that is so fun to read.
