It's genuinely SO FUCKING FUNNY to me that IC goes like "Actually urgals aren't inherently evil" and from that you'd expect some reflection on how "inherently evil" isn't a thing or perhaps nature vs nurture but instead you get "Unlike the ra'zac, who are :)"
I don’t care what anyone says, I love all Urgals and they are all my sons (and daughters)
They’re just so cool. And maybe it’s because I’m a person who’s got the mentality of “biker gangs will be the biggest baddest sweetest people you’ll know” and I apply that to my Urgals. But I LOVE MY URGALS!
Urgals and Dwarves: Comedic relief on a nuclear scale
Humans: Comedic relief but can be serious
Dragons: "Depends on our Rider. Then we're the opposite unless drunk."
Elves: *Takes one glance at the rest* "Fuck this we'll stay in our forests."
Shades: "We're hot Vampires!" (They really aren't)
🥰Thorn playing “Keep Away” with the Urgal children! Similar to his sparring with Murtagh but more play. It also gives him practice dodging spear attacks. It warms Murtagh heart to see Thorn interacting with children and being the youngling he truly is.🥰
Fifteen-year-old Eragon was an ordinary boy, a mere farmer boy living in Carvahall. But this is where the greatest story begins.
Note from the author: This will have multiple parts, as I am doing this in segments as I read.
Spoilers for this point on!
Atra esterní ono thelduin. Mor’ranr lifa unin hjarta onr. Un atra du evarínya ono varda.
Translation: May good fortune rule over you. Peace live in your heart. And the stars watch over you.
Elven Greeting in the Ancient Language
CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI, WORDSMITH
The world of Eragon came in the form of teenage daydreams of Christopher Paolini. Paolini’s love of reading and magic led him to construct the stories of the wondrous yet frighteningly powerful Dragon Riders and the majestic world of Alagaësia. Writing Eragon actually started out as a hobby when he was fifteen, a challenge to himself and he actually didn’t have aspirations to see this work published.
After writing the first draft, he took another year to revise it before giving it to his parents. As a family, they took another year to proofread, edit, design a cover, create a manuscript, and prepare materials for promotions and advertisements. During this time, they decided to self-publicize Eragon and spent time promoting the book in libraries, schools, and bookstores.
Eventually, a publisher from Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers had the book brought to their attention. It was later published by them, and it became a New York Best Seller soon after publication.
Christopher Paolini became recognized by Guinness World Records in 2011, for being the youngest author to have a bestselling series.
Not only did Paolini create the world of Alagaësia, but he also created new languages (elvish, ancient language, dwarfish, Urgal), the map, the original cover of Eragon, and the stories of the Dragon Riders. Including the book’s protagonist, Eragon.
ONCE UPON A TIME…
Eragon starts out with a prologue following a monstrous being called a Shade who is surrounded by other beings called Urgals.
A Shade is a magic user that was once a human, elf, Urgal, or dwarf that has been possessed by a spirit or spirits. They adopt traits of superior strength and proficiency in magic. Regardless of how they were created or what being they once were, Shades are incredibly pale with maroon eyes and red hair. The Shade we meet at the beginning of the story is called Durza, and remember him, he makes a comeback.
Urgals are humanoid beings that are tall with grayish skin and piggish eyes. They are considered expendable by Durza and are utilized as “shock soldiers.” Regarded as evil by most, they are not inherently so and can even use magic. Urgals are mostly uneducated and have their own language, called Urgralgra. The Urgals during the first book were only brought together thanks to a binding spell cast by Durza. Once the binding spell was broken, the Urgals turned on each other because it was not their way to band together, as seen during the early events of Eragon.
Durza and the Urgals are tracking three elves through the forest, two males and a female. While the male elves are easily killed, the female elf isn’t easily brought down by the Urgals or the Shade. Desperate, she pulls out a blue stone that she had been protecting in a pouch and casts a spell on it to send it far away. Furious at the events that unfolded before him, Durza captures the female elf, kills several Urgals, and burns the forest.
ERAGON, HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
We are introduced to Eragon, a farmer boy of approximately fifteen, who is hunting when an explosion tears through the quiet of the forest. The stone, which the elf had earlier, appears in a scorched circle. It’s blue and polished. Because of the explosion, all the animals that he had been trying to hunt have been scattered. Weighing his options, he picks up the stone with the intention of selling it for meat to last during the upcoming winter.
Eragon is hunting in The Spine, a mountain range that borders his home-village Carvahall, and runs down the west coast of Alagaësia. Eragon is one of the few people who willingly hunt within The Spine and it’s because of the danger it represents from stories long told. The King, Galbatorix, lost much of his army in The Spineto the Urgals. Since then, the forests and mountains of The Spine have been considered bad luck.
Eragon returns home and heads for the butchers to trade the stone for meats with Sloan. However, upon learning that the stone was found within the Spine, Sloan turns Eragon away. Refusing to sell to him, you learn that Sloan has never liked Eragon, but would typically sell to him. Horst, the blacksmith, gets in the middle of it and asks Sloan to sell to him; buying the much-needed food and protecting Eragon from Sloan’s wrath. Sloan’s wife died in The Spine, and he doesn’t allow his daughter to go near it. Eragon learns that Katrina (Sloan’s daughter) was the one who sought Horst out. Horst asks Eragon to give a message of love from Katrina to Roran, Eragon’s cousin. Promising to repay Horst for his kindness by working at his smithery, Eragon heads home.
Eragon lives on the outskirts of Carvahall with his uncle, Garrow, and cousin, Roran. Carvahall is a tiny village with about 300 citizens. Carvahall remains mostly untouched by the Broddring Empire because of its remote and nearly isolated location. The only traffic that is usually seen through the remote village is the trappers and traders that journey out to trade and sell their wares.
After the fight with Sloan, Eragon decides to wait for the traders to sell the stone to a jeweler. Note that the traders and trappers are late this season and when they do arrive, they seem warier and less prosperous than in previous years. Eragon and Garrow seek Merlock, a specific trader that specializes in trinkets and jewelry. However, after speaking privately with Merlock, the trader refuses to trade for the stone and informs them that the stone is actually hollow and possibly formed with magic. Merlock also tells them why they’re late this season. Ominous luck has shadowed the caravan. They couldn’t avoid a plethora of misfortunes, like sickness, and attacks, and attempted to avoid Urgals who have been attacking entire villages, including their fields, and forcing them to relocate. Troubled by this news, Eragon’s Uncle sets out to find more information, allowing Eragon to do what he wants.
EMPIRE VS. VARDEN
During Eragon’s free time, he finds himself in the tavern where several traders are telling far-fetched stories about the Empire. The Empire was formed and followed King Galbatorix after his rise to power nearly a century ago. Carvahall has no love for the Empire, and it’s almost a deep-seated hate for them.
The Varden, which is on the opposite side of the book’s political spectrum, are rebels fighting against the oppressive and harsh nature of the King and his Empire. Formed nearly at the same time as the King’s rise, little is known about them and what they’re after.
THE DRAGON RIDERS’ RISE AND FALL
Eragon leaves the chaos and malcontents in the tavern behind, eats dinner at Horst, and joins performers later that evening to spectate. Among the entertainers is a local storyteller, Brom. He is reciting the first stories of the Dragon Riders. This story is important for many reasons, and these reasons we’ll get into a bit later.
The Dragon Riders were formed to govern, guard and protect the lands of Alagaësia, and for a thousand years succeeded in this endeavor. Dragon Riders were considered immortal, and while they could protect against outside threats, they could not compete against their own. Galbatorix, at the age of ten, was tested as tradition and custom dictated, and it was found that he was powerful. Growing in power under years of tutelage, he surpassed many in skill and was soon welcomed into the ranks of the Riders. Others warned against this quick rise to power, but according to Brom, the Riders had grown arrogant in their years.
After being welcomed as a Rider, Galbatorix and several others of his fellow Riders, took a careless trip to test their newfound abilities. They found themselves in Urgal territory, and as they slept Galbatorix’s dragon, his friends, and their dragons were slayed. In his grief, Galbatorix sought death and threw himself into whatever battle strayed his way. Haunted and hunted by a deranged Rider, those that happen to wander into his path, ran from him. Soon after, Galbatorix had a singular and driving thought. The Riders might grant him another dragon. Driven by this, he spent months traversing through the Spine to get back. Finally reaching the Riders, a council was convened and Galbatorix demanded another dragon. True colors revealed. The Riders denied him a dragon, and in his fevered and twisted mind, Galbatorix blamed the Riders for his dragon’s death. Galbatorix was eventually able to exact an act of twisted revenge with another Rider named Morzan. Morzan was able to steal a hatchling, which grew into a black dragon named Shruikan. After teaching Morzan, Galbatorix revealed himself, with Morzan at his side, to the world. They fought any and all Riders that came to challenge them. With each win, Morzan and Galbatorix grew stronger, and soon 12 other Riders joined their ranks. Including Morzan, they became known as the Thirteen Forsworn. The Dragon Riders fell from grace, and Galbatorix became the ruler of Alagaësia.
According to Garrow, the story that Brom recites could actually cost him his life if the Empire ever caught wind of him telling it.
Now, this is only the first three chapters of the book. There is a lot going on and we haven’t even gotten to, in my opinion, some of the best bits. Stay tuned for part two!
He’s fighting 1 single measly Urgal (not even a Kull!) and he’s losing, so when a raven “““randomly”““ (Elves can possess animals) pecks out the Urgal’s eyes (IE it’s blinded so no threat whatsoever to an elf), THEN he “wins” the fight. As a victory-lap he then blesses the bird.
We’ve talked a lot about what major douches Arya and Islanzadi are, but Arya never stood a chance with both parents like this
Ravens and crows are highly intelligent so it might just have been a bird with a grudge against that specific Urgal accidentally helping out a young and untrained prince Evandar out
And yeah according to extra stuff added in interviews, FAQs and such Evandar was Dellanir’s son, and Dellanir was Tarmunora’s daughter... making EVERY single elf rules since the bond to the Dragons 1 family, except for Islanzadi who was the mate of 1 monarch and the mother of another. “““““““““““elves elect their rulers”“““““““ sure bro
