Gavilar Kholin
| Gavilar Kholin | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 by Sheep
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| Died | 1167 | ||||||||
| Abilities | Shardbearer | ||||||||
| Nationality | Alethi | ||||||||
| Homeworld | Roshar | ||||||||
Gavilar Kholin (Alethi pronunciation: [ˈga·vɪ·ˌlar koˈlɪn] GAH-vi-lar ko-LIN)[1] was the King of Alethkar, a nation on Roshar, who was assassinated by Szeth under the orders of the Parshendi. He was the brother of Dalinar Kholin and married to Navani Kholin, with whom he had two children, Elhokar and Jasnah.
He was a ferocious fighter, strong leader, and the momentum behind the unification of Alethkar. He had strong features, square chin, a black beard with a hint of white, and pale green eyes.[2]
At the end of his life, he believed he was being watched.[3]
Gavilar and the Parshendi
In approximately 1165 Gavilar and Dalinar made an expedition to the south of the Shattered Plains where they found a group of "parshmen" living on their own. At first they couldn't believe parshmen could live on their own, but they found that these parshmen were friendly, curious and learned the Alethi language quite easily. Gavilar's stormwardens began calling them "Parshendi."
Though Gavilar never had been the 'scholarly type,' and for a reason that has not yet been discovered, he grew more and more fascinated by the Parshendi. Despite Dalinar's attempts to return to Alethkar, Gavilar wanted to stay on the Shattered Plains to learn more about the Parshendi.[4]
Gavilar's officers thought the Parshendi were savages, but Gavilar thought the Parshendi were "an enclave of memories. A window into the past."[3] He believed bringing back the Parshendi's old gods would benefit both the Parshendi and the humans, despite Eshonai's insistence that the Parshendi abandoned their gods. Even while witnessing her horror, he believed the Parshendi would be pleased that the Alethi were "allies" in seeking the return of their old gods.
It's unknown why Gavilar made the treaty with the Parshendi.
Quotes from Eshonai and Amaram hint that Gavilar was a member of the Sons of Honor and attempting to bring back the Voidbringers, thus also bringing back the Heralds and restoring the dominance of the Church.
Literature
A number of works about Gavilar's life exist, including "Gavilar's Account",[5] dictated by Gavilar to Jasnah a year before his murder, "King Gavilar Kholin, A Biography"[4] by Navani, and "Matain's account."[4]
Assassination
Gavilar expected an attempt on his life, but not by the Parshendi. His suspects included Thaidakar, Restares, and Torol Sadeas, despite being on apparent good terms with Sadeas at the time. The Parshendi ordered his assassination because he was going to bring back the Parshendi's old gods.[6]
Gavilar had a small, strange black sphere that glowed with Voidlight; he gave this to Szeth before he died, saying, "You must take this. They must not get it." He wished his brother to know the "most important words a man can say". Szeth then proceeded to write in Alethi those words in Gavilar's blood on a wooden block, which was later deciphered by Jasnah Kholin. Dalinar then took this to mean the words of the Knights Radiant.[2]
Shardblade
Gavilar's Shardblade, Firestorm[7], was six feet long with a design along the blade that resembled burning flames that "almost seemed to glow." Gavilar's Shards are now used for training purposes.[8]
Visions
Gavilar, on the day that he was slain, told Taravangian that he had seen visions of the Almighty and of a coming storm. [9]
Quotes
“ We live without honor, for your gods once brought ours. Without them, we have no power. This world is trapped, Eshonai! Stuck in a dull, lifeless state of transition. Unite them. I need a threat. Only danger will unite them. ”
— Gavilar to Eshonai about bringing back the Parshendi's old gods[6]
“ My people need to be united, and I need an empire that won't simply turn to infighting once I am gone. ”
— Gavilar to Eshonai about why he wants to bring back the Parshendi's old gods[6]
Notes
| Preceded by foundation |
King of Alethkar |
Succeeded by Elhokar Kholin |
- ↑ Brandon saying “Gavilar” at a reading
— YouTube - 2018-11-25# - ↑ a b The Way of Kings prologue#
- ↑ a b Oathbringer prologue#
- ↑ a b c The Way of Kings chapter 45#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 36#
- ↑ a b c Oathbringer prologue#
- ↑ {{{2}}}
— Brandon's website - {{{date}}}# Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "stormlight-2-maps-and-illustrations" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Words of Radiance chapter 16#
- ↑ Words of Radiance interlude I-14#