A boon is described by Av as being granted by the Nightwatcher alongside a curse that goes with it.[1]
| “ | "The Nightwatcher doesn’t trick you or twist your words. You ask a boon. She gives what she feels you deserve, then gives you a curse to go along with it. Sometimes related, sometimes not." | ” |
–Av [1] | ||
| “ |
The Nightwatcher's motives behind her boons and curses were unfathomable. |
” |
–Taravangian's thoughts[2] | ||
Recipients[]
- Dalinar hears his former wife's name, Evi, as a Shshshsh sound.[3][4] He is unable to recall the features of her face, and he remembers her as a blur.[3] It is unknown whether Dalinar's inability to remember his wife was the given boon or the curse he received.
- Nonetheless, it is persistent; rather than a simple erasure of memories, when others mention her name in conversation, he immediately forgets it. The boon he received from the Old Magic is currently unknown. Some speculate, however, that the boon was in fact the removal of his wife from memory - a request that would remove the pain of her loss. If such is the case, the curse he received would then be unknown.
- Av's family - Several members of Av's family sought the Nightwatcher. One of his brothers lost all sensation in his hands after the visit; his boon is unknown. Av's father received a large quantity of valuable fabric, keeping his family alive through a lurnip famine. His curse was the inability to view the world normally, instead seeing things upside down for the rest of his life.[1]
- Taravangian wakes every morning with a random level of intelligence. He rarely wakes with exceptional brilliance, such as when he created the Diagram, or so idiotic that he can only sit in a corner and drool.[5][2] Again, it is unknown whether Taravangian's inability to wake each morning with intelligence or the lack thereof was the given boon or the curse he received.
- Lift visited Nightwatcher when she was 10 years old and asked to stay the same forever. However, perhaps instead she received a direct physical connection with Shadesmar, allowing her to physically interact with spren and metabolize food into Stormlight.[6] Whether this is her boon or her curse remains unknown.
References[]
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