#inheritance cycle

[mist-the-wannabe-linguist]

I've been thinking, isn't it odd that Eragon (or anyone else for that matter) wouldn't know anything about the Ra'zac when they were a plague on humankind for their entire history until some 700 years ago after humans arrived to Alagaësia and the Ra'zac that followed them were driven to extinction by Dragon Riders. Human culture should be full of folk stories, songs and horror tales featuring the Ra'zac and Lethrblaka, same as most European cultures have stories and songs featuring wolves even though they are now in many places pretty much extinct and very much not a threat.

But then I remembered this

Same as how you should not speak of the devil, same as how in Czech death is often called "the toothed one" or "godmother with the scythe" instead

What if the Ra'zac and Lethrblaka were never mentioned by name in humankind's stories, but only by euphemisms and noa-names. And when the monsters were driven to extinction and their last members hid in the shadows, only the euphemisms survived and humanity started forgetting what they originally referred to

[dia-viller]

The most confusing things:

1. Why didn't Galbatorix try to scry Murtagh during the first book and track him down?

2. How didn't Ra'zacs realize that Brom and Eragon are family because of their scent? (They said that Roran smells just like his cousin)

3. Before Brom died, he hadn't said Eragon what he was supposed to do. (Brom didn't say where the Varden had been and what Eragon should do next)

4. After Eragon and Murtagh left Alagaësia, they wanted to go through Hadarac desert, but they didn't know what was on the other side of the desert. They didn't know where were Varden and what to do with Arya. If Eragon hadn't tried to mentally communicate with her, would she have died??? And what did Murtagh and Eragon want to do after they escape from Galbatorix's army?

[brisingr-sword]

holy shit i have no idea if i didn’t fully put it together or if i just forgot on my last reread but in eragon when arya describes her torture at gil’ead, she also mentions the threat of rape - “…[durza] ordered his soldiers to use me as they would. Fortunately, I still had the strength to nudge their minds and make them incapable.”

every time i reread this book i do usually get something new, generally because i first read it when i was nine, but usually it’s the later books in the series that have me making horrified realizations

[juice-enjoyer]

anyways.

[fertbutt]

i love dragons!!! i love dragons as wild powerful beasts!!! i love dragons as intelligent kind companions!!! i love dragons as noble valiant steeds!!! i love dragons as magical wise elder beings!!! i love dragons as all-knowing gods!!! i love dragons as taxonomic diverse species!!! i love dragons as concepts and ideas!!! i love dragons as shapeshifters and deities!!! i love dragons as forces of nature!!! i love dragons as protectors of peace!!! i love dragons as destroyers of worlds!!! i love dragons as parallels to humans!!! i love dragons completely separate and removed from humans!!! i love dragons as anything and everything under the sun!!! i love dragons!!!!!

[glbtrx]

I admire Nasuada because I am NOT as strong as her. If galbatorix traced lines on my arm I would have FOLDED no questions asked

[meloneguru]

Idc what anyone says about Eragon or the rest of the Inheritance cycle books but Christopher Paolini will always be a legend for the 100 year old immortal elf woman telling the in love 15 year old hero:

"You're a child. No."

[crustaceousfaggot]

Shout out to Cishet White Teenager Christopher Paolini for realizing that if you give people infinite time, a completely non-judgemental society, and the power to change their bodies any way they want, lots of people are gonna start doing Freaky Anthro Transgenderism on themselves.

Like yeah, if I had the option I'd probably turn myself into a bizzare eldritch creature too

[applejuucee]

SAPHIRA!!! Queen of the skies!

[scrimblescromble]

Hello, I'm back, with things I have noticed about Eragon that makes parts of the book very strange or funny or sad

Garrow's farm is TEN MILES OUT from Carvahall, which is already small. What the hell was he thinking??? It takes like 3.5 hours to walk that much???? And Eragon walks FURTHER THAN THAT to go hunting at 15???? Go behind you??

When hunting in the beginning, Eragon spends days just going for one doe. Which, all things considered, is not a lot of meat, especially for what's probably a 4 day hunt. For one person, it's unrealistic to carry more than that, but still.

Leading on from that, I'm led to believe that their family probably mostly ate bread and vegetables, and maybe cheese. No wonder he's pretty attached to meat.

Despite living so far away, Brom knows Eragon's knack for asking Too Many Questions, which implies this happens often.

How the hell does Brom make money? Storytelling??? There's only so much money that can get you in fifteen years, he's definitely got something on the side. He was a gardener in Morzan's estate for a while...

So far up north and isolated, Eragon DEFINITELY has a STRONG farmer's accent. Combined with his formal training with the elves, he probably has the weirdest way of talking, where it's both overly formal and casual at the same time.

Eragon is such a prodigy it's not even funny. By the time he meets Murtagh, he's a good enough swordsman after JUST A FEW MONTHS that they're literally equal. Murtagh has been doing that his WHOLE LIFE with a really good swordsman. Magic also comes pretty good to him, even if he's not always sensible with it. He learns to read well enough to read full books in a week.

Eragon and Roran are pretty similar with the dangerous stunts they pull, except Eragon's are usually with magic and Roran's are physical. They are both absurdly intelligent too, even if Eragon is known to act like a dolt sometimes. In his defence, he's stressed and like 15-17 years old. All things considered, he could be far worse.

Somehow, with his back ripped open and cursed, with his dragon crashing through the crystal ceiling which is raining on top of him, Eragon is able to not only remember to stab Durza in the heart (requiring turning around), but also shout an unnecessary spell.

Eragon probably could do magic before he bonded with Saphira. His mum wasn't a rider and had the "genes" for it, and his dad was a rider. It wouldn't be as strong, but maybe he's such a powerful spellcaster because he had some sort of baseline.

I bet that the first time Eragon wandered into the Spine, he was pretty young, and everyone kinda assumed him dead. He came out a week later with a bunch of rabbits or something

The fact that the Blood Oath Celebration made Eragon very pale implies that he's naturally the whitest boy ever and he just had a constant tan going (likely, because he's a farmer). This is just very funny to me, that in removing all injuries it took his tan.

Another point for absurdly powerful Eragon - the fact that his accidental curse had such an impact on Elva, to the point that it straight up affected her development. It wasn't even a spell! Or intentional!

I'm sorry, but Eragon casting empathy and that unintentionally killing the bad guy is so funny. He was SURRENDERING, but cut a bitch so deep that he imploded himself. Iconic.

Literally he is just so nice. Willing to run across the world, separated from Saphira, to support Orik in his campaign - when he totally could have given an excuse, or even just say the truth, which is that he's very much needed where he is. There's so many more examples, but he's just a good person.

I'm sorry, but Oramis was kinda a bitch for assigning the one hour of duelling in his training. Like, it flares up his seizures like crazy (which he ALSO SUFFERS FROM), AND he doesn't stand a chance against the elves in strength. I understand the point, but something had to give there. At the very least, reassign someone that won't actively torture him??

Adding onto that, we know that he's only able to succeed at the listening to the forest task after the transformation. I suspect that the mind is a sort of "sixth sense", and we know that elves have stronger senses; it's possible Eragon would have to have been bonded for a decent while for this to even be possible. I bet anything that human riders were usually trained by elder humans, and Oramis was struggling with a fledgeling human instead of an elf, as well as the time constraint.

Why the hell does Brom look so old? Yeah, he's old, but Galbatorix doesn't look that old? Is it something to do with his dragon being dead? The way I assumed it would be is that riders look like thirty for a verrrryyyy long time, no? Is it because Saphira died? Was he just going to perpetually age? Or does the beard age him?

Your cousin who feels like a brother goes missing, ran away, after your father's death. Soon you're leading everyone you've ever known to the rebellion in a desperate attempt to keep them safe and save the woman you love. Your cousin is wanted, even more than you are. He returns. He's different. Barely human anymore, hardly the boy you once knew. He's their last, and only hope. His war cry has been the same since he was six.

Now that I think about it, Garrow really is the odd one out in the family. His sister was the Black Hand, a highly dangerous assassin and magician. His son is Stronghammer, one of the deadliest soldiers in the country. His nephews are Eragon and Murtagh, both highly skilled swordsmen and magicians, riders, and both known as Kingkiller. Garrow is a farmer who can read.

Selena naming her son Eragon is soooo funny. "His dad - who is a secret! - is a rider, and Eragon was the first rider. It's so uncommon a name even among the elves that literally nobody will know this. My abusive husband and the evil king both know I hail from this place. He totally won't stick out in any way whatsoever!" Iconic, 10/10. It worked???

If any of these are inaccurate please remember I am going off my very deep-seated knowledge from reading the books so many times at a formative age. I haven't actually read them in years

[du-sailarar-nerilia]

Have you ever thought about what life must be as an elf? To have all your basic needs met and having literally all the time in the world as you are an immortal being. At that point picking up a time-consuming hobby must become a necessity just to keep yourself from going insane

Something something behavioral sink and Calhoun Rat Utopia Experiment

[mist-the-wannabe-linguist]

This scene lives rent-free in my head and I had to try to animate at least a part of it

(audio from Path of Titans)

[dia-viller]

Murtagh's mind is actually so strong, the fact that he hadn't submitted to Galbatorix during his imprisonment for a long time. Even though Galbatorix and Twins tortured him, Murtagh couldn't use magic, didn't have any help, and was alone.

Eragon managed with a lot of effort and, with the help of Saphira and Eldunaries, to cast a spell, but he was still really close to losing the mental battle against Galbatorix

Murtagh had to swear fealty to Galbatorix only because Thorn was in danger, and he didn't want him to suffer

[yombur]

eragon & saphira

[fox-graves]

Tada! Another dragon finished up, this time Saphira from the Inheritance series, for a fan in Austria. Safe travels, Saphira!

I'm booked through the end of this year, but you can put in dibs for next year's slots here: X

[glbtrx]