| “ | Armour is part of a state of mind in which you admit the possibility of being hit. | ” |
— Whirrun to Jolly Yon Cumber
| ||
Whirrun of Bligh is a famous Named Man from the utmost North, who wields the Father of Swords, an impossibly large two-handed sword. He is a member of Curnden Craw’s dozen.
Appearance and Personality[]
Whirrun is a tall and lean man, with a strange valley accent. He acts like a weird oddball most of the time, and most of the crew consider him mad. He has a fearsome reputation as a dangerous fighter.
He claims to be able to read the future with runes, although his readings are cryptic and useless.
History[]
There is a region in the utmost North called Bligh. Despite the name, Whirrun has never been there; it's the only region of the utmost North that other Northmen know.
He wields the Father of Swords, a sword said to have been dropped by God that is worshiped by the people way up north in the valleys. It was passed to him by Daguf Col as he lay dying, and he had it from Yorweel the Mountain who had it from Four-Faces who had it from Leef-reef-Ockang, and so on till the world was young.
The sorceress Shoglig told him that he’d be shown his destiny by a man choking on a bone (Curnden Craw), and told him the day and manner of his death.
Sharp Ends[]
He is with Curnden Craw in a mission beyond the Crinna, looking for a mysterious object. Whirrun has just joined Curnden's dozen, and doesn't get along with them yet, but by the end, he has proven an icredible warrior and even laughs out loud of a joke.
Some time later, he has rejected Bethod as his king, so Bethod has sent for him. He encounters Javre and Shevedieh on a narrow bridge. After some introductions, Javre and Whirrun decide to fight to see who is going to let the other one pass. Shev tells them that she doesn't mind if they kill each other, but if they fight on the bridge, they are likely to kill her too. They go back to Whirrun's side to fight, but are interrupted by some of Bethod's men who hunt Whirrun. Javre and Shev help Whirrun to kill all of Bethod's men except for Flood. Shev cleans herself from the wet and bloody clothes while Javre and Whirrun have sex. They are again interrupted when three warrior priestesses, Golyin, Ahum and Sarabin Shin, from Thond apear to kill Javre. Whirrun helps them and then has more sex with Javre.
The Heroes[]
Craw’s dozen have been sent by Black Dow to secure a hill near the village of Osrung, crowned by ancient standing stones known as The Heroes. They manage to pull it off without violence, but then lose it when the main Union army arrive. Whirrun fights with Craw’s dozen when the Northmen recapture the Heroes from the Union. Whirrun has fewer clothes on every time he fights.
At one point, Craw's crew is eating cheese and bread around the fire, and Whirrun gets the idea of slicing the bread and putting the cheese between it, thereby inventing the sandwich; no one is impressed.
Whirrun is killed on the third day at the Heroes, when he's stabbed with a random spear, while fighting Bremer dan Gorst. He admits to Craw as he's dying that Shoglig had no idea what she was talking about, and asks Craw to bury the Father of Swords with him, saying he once saw it as a blessing and a curse, but now sees it’s only a curse.
