Kaladin
| House / Order | Windrunners |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Alethi |
| Status | Alive |
| Origin | Alethkar; Urithiru |
| Born | Hearthstone, Alethkar |
| Died | |
| Weapon | Sylspear (living Shardblade); spear |
| Fate | First Radiant of the new Knights Radiant; becomes the Herald of the order in the wake of Wind and Truth |
| Portrayed by |
Kaladin, called Kaladin Stormblessed, is the central protagonist of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. Born a surgeon's son in the rural town of Hearthstone in Alethkar, he rises from slave to spearman to become the first of the reborn Knights Radiant, a Windrunner bonded to the honorspren Sylphrena.
Defined by his fierce, near-compulsive need to protect others and haunted by a lifetime of loss, Kaladin embodies the First Ideal of the Knights Radiant: Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination. His journey across the books is one of leadership, depression, and slow healing, culminating in his transformation from soldier to healer.
Background
Kaladin was born to Lirin, a surgeon, and Hesina in Hearthstone, a town in the princedom of Sadeas (later Hatham). Trained in surgery by his father, he was expected to follow the same path. Instead, after the death of his younger brother Tien, whom he had sworn to protect, Kaladin joined the Alethi army to look after him and was unable to save him. The failure shattered him and set the pattern for his life: a desperate drive to protect that repeatedly collides with the reality that he cannot save everyone.
After distinguishing himself as a squadleader, Kaladin was betrayed, branded with the glyphs shash (dangerous), and sold into slavery. He eventually arrived at the Shattered Plains as a bridgeman in Highprince Sadeas's army, assigned to Bridge Four -- effectively a death sentence.
Biography
The Way of Kings
Enslaved and suicidal, Kaladin is assigned to Bridge Four, whose crews are used as expendable arrow-fodder in Highstorm-swept assaults across the Shattered Plains. Refusing to let his fellow bridgemen die meaninglessly, he begins training and protecting them, transforming the crew into a brotherhood. Throughout this period the windspren Sylphrena begins speaking to him, and he unknowingly draws in Stormlight, healing wounds and gaining strength.
At the climax, Kaladin leads Bridge Four to save Dalinar Kholin's army during Sadeas's betrayal on the Plains, and Dalinar transfers the bridgemen to his own service in exchange for his Shardblade. Kaladin speaks the Second Ideal and his bond with Syl deepens.
Words of Radiance
Now captain of Dalinar's bodyguards, Kaladin struggles with hatred of lighteyes even as he serves them. His distrust nearly proves fatal when he hesitates to act against an assassination plot. Imprisoned after challenging Highprince Amaram, the man who first betrayed and enslaved him, Kaladin's bond with Syl is damaged and she briefly dies. By speaking the Third Ideal -- I will protect those I hate, so long as it is right -- he restores the bond, regains Syl as a living Shardblade, and arrives in the final battle of the Battle of Narak to face Szeth, the Assassin in White.
Oathbringer
Kaladin returns to Hearthstone amid the coming of the Everstorm and the Voidbringers' return, reuniting with his parents and discovering the Singers (Parshendi) are not simply enemies. His empathy for them complicates his identity as a soldier. Throughout the book he wrestles with depression and the limits of his protective oaths, ultimately fighting at the Battle of Thaylen Field.
Rhythm of War
Kaladin's depression and combat trauma reach a breaking point; he is removed from active duty and turns toward his father's old profession, founding a model of mental-health care among the troops. During the occupation of Urithiru he fights as a lone guerrilla, the "Voice of Lament," and speaks the Fourth Ideal: I accept that there will be those I cannot protect. Confronting his idol Teft's death and his own despair, he undergoes a profound transformation tied to the figure of the Wind.
Wind and Truth
In the climactic events of the contest of champions, Kaladin guides Szeth on a journey through Shinovar and helps the Herald Ishar and others toward healing. His arc culminates in his becoming a Herald of the Windrunners, embodying hope for a wounded world rather than the sword.
Character
Kaladin is intensely loyal, courageous, and protective, but also prone to deep depressive episodes that worsen in winter and in the aftermath of loss. His defining tension is between the role of soldier -- killing to protect -- and his deeper calling as a healer. He inspires fierce devotion in those he leads, and the men of Bridge Four regard him as family.
Powers and abilities
- Main article: Windrunners
As a Windrunner, Kaladin wields the Surges of Adhesion and Gravitation, drawing on Stormlight to fuel his abilities. He can manipulate gravity to fly ("Lashings"), bind objects and surfaces together, and heal from grievous wounds. His bond with Sylphrena grants him a living Shardblade that can take the form of a spear, his weapon of choice. As his oaths deepen, his power and the abilities of his squires grow.
Relationships
- Sylphrena -- his honorspren and constant companion, whose bond defines his powers and conscience.
- Bridge Four -- the crew he saved and led, his chosen brotherhood; includes Teft, Rock, Sigzil, and Moash.
- Dalinar Kholin -- his commander and the leader of the refounded Knights Radiant.
- Tien -- his lost younger brother, whose death shaped his life.
- Moash -- a former friend from Bridge Four whose fall into despair and betrayal becomes Kaladin's dark mirror.
Quotes
Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination.
I will protect those who cannot protect themselves.
Sometimes the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory can be as important as the victory itself.