Adolin Kholin
| House / Order | House Kholin |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Alethi |
| Status | Alive |
| Origin | Alethkar; Urithiru |
| Born | Alethkar |
| Died | |
| Weapon | Maya (reawakening dead Shardblade); Shardplate |
| Fate | Duelist and military leader; bonded to the deadeye spren Maya; married to Shallan Davar |
| Portrayed by |
Adolin Kholin is a major character in The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. The elder son of Dalinar Kholin and his late wife Evi, Adolin is the finest duelist in Alethkar, a charismatic and fashionable young prince, and one of the few major figures in the series who is not a Knight Radiant -- yet who matters enormously to those who are.
Confident, loyal, and good-natured, Adolin is defined by his swordsmanship, his devotion to family, and a surprising bond with his "dead" Shardblade, Maya, whom he treats as a person rather than a tool.
Background
Adolin grew up in the shadow of his father the Blackthorn and his uncle King Gavilar Kholin. Raised to the sword and to courtly life, he became renowned both as a peerless duelist and as a serial -- if hapless -- romantic, cycling through courtships before meeting Shallan Davar. He carries deep, loving memories of his mother Evi, whom his father can no longer even name.
Biography
The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance
On the Shattered Plains, Adolin commands troops alongside his father and grows frustrated with the political games of the highprinces, particularly Sadeas. In Words of Radiance he wins a dramatic four-on-one duel for Shardblades, and his courtship of Shallan Davar blossoms into betrothal. In a pivotal, morally complex act, he murders Sadeas in a corridor after Sadeas threatens his family -- a secret he carries.
Oathbringer
Adolin marries Shallan Davar. The truth of his killing of Sadeas weighs on him. When his Shardblade is summoned in the spiritual realm of Shadesmar, he discovers the deadeye spren behind it -- a Radiant blade severed from its order at the Recreance -- and begins to speak to her, naming her Maya. His tenderness toward Maya hints she may not be wholly lost.
Rhythm of War
Adolin journeys to Lasting Integrity, the fortress of the honorspren in Shadesmar, on a diplomatic mission to win spren allies for the coalition. Put on trial for humanity's betrayal at the Recreance, he defends mankind not by denying guilt but by appealing to growth and second chances. In the book's climax, Maya partially reawakens to defend him, speaking aloud -- the first deadeye known to do so -- suggesting a path to redeeming the dead Blades.
Wind and Truth
Adolin leads the defense of the city of Azimir / and other fronts during the contest of champions, continuing to grow as a commander while his bond with Maya deepens further.
Character
Adolin is earnest, brave, and genuinely kind, lacking the brooding darkness of many series protagonists -- which is itself part of his strength. He is fiercely protective of his family and unswervingly loyal to his father, even when he disagrees. His defining trait is that he treats his Shardblade Maya as a living person deserving of dignity, an empathy that may prove world-altering.
Relationships
- Shallan Davar -- his wife, whose fractured psyche he accepts with steady patience.
- Dalinar Kholin -- his father, whom he loves and quietly worries about.
- Renarin Kholin -- his younger brother, whom he fiercely protects.
- Maya -- his deadeye Shardblade, the severed spren Mayalaran, slowly reawakening.
- Sadeas -- his father's rival, whom Adolin secretly killed.
Quotes
I am the same as I have always been. I am not insane.
Even the wisest of you understands only a fraction of the design.