The Blade Itself

Content Warning: This section of the guide features references to domestic abuse and enslavement.

Barbarian of the North, Logen Ninefingers, is the novel’s tragic hero, the scarred battle veteran whose life is a series of deadly fights that he always manages to survive. His mantra—“I am still alive” (7)—is the affirmation of a man who has seen too much death, a significant amount of which he himself has inflicted. As the former leader of the “Named Men,” Logen achieved that position by besting his comrades in battle. Whenever the adrenaline flows and his life is at stake, he becomes a killing machine, as evidenced by his 10-0 record while he was Bethod’s champion. The narrative, however, depicts an older, wearier Logen who is left bereft by the death of his family, exhausted by the constant running, and wiser to the consequences of war. Killing, for him, has become an unpleasant necessity, but one in which he takes no satisfaction. His skill and durability come from his caution and fear; in fact, he notes that anyone who is not afraid in combat is a fool and will most likely not live to see the dawn.