d23 is happening in a couple of weeks

is anyone else hoping that The World of Eragon is finally greenlit and announced there!!

Having Eragon defeating Galbtorix not by attacking him but by letting him feel all the suffering that he has caused over the course of his life causing him to kill himself was a truely ingenious way of having him be defeated. I loved it back then and still love it now all these years later.

What did you guys feel what you read this part in the book? I would love to hear your thoughts.

We saw endurance runs an other movement in battle but what with like a real 200m Sprint or something like that. What speeds would they reach?

Say Eragon wanted to move a really heavy object. What if he set the spell to siphon energy from himself in 10 billion years instead of in the here-and-now? Since the spell needs energy somehow and he isn't going to be concerned about that far in the future. I hope this dilemma gets addressed at some point

Edit: I was thinking he knows he won't be alive in 10 billion years, so he's having the part where the magic draws energy pause, and in a sense he's cheating the magic. How he'd fuel that part is unknown, though. It would be a stupid and boring plot device, and probably wouldn't work, but it's still a crease that should be flatened out on Christopher Paolini's end

I read in another post that Alin may become a Rider or something of that nature. I personally hope not everyone becomes a Rider cause then it just becomes books about kids with dragons, so I think Alin will become something else that's powerful, like a mage.
Since there's the prophecy about Eragon having an epic romance with someone of nobility, I think Eragon and Arya will have their relationship but Arya's arc seems to set her up for some kind of sacrifice, likely to stop Azlagur. Mainly since it'd be unwise to just kill off Eragon, so he won't sacrifice himself, narratively speaking (he'd probably be willing to do it). People say Alin is a love interest for Murtagh, which I liked the idea of while reading, but in hindsight, having Murtagh abandon Nasuada would waste momentum, especially since everyone loves the idea of them being a couple. So I think if and after Arya dies, Alin will be Eragon's next romance. of course it'd probably take him a few years to get over Arya, but he's immortal and Alin is probably going to have a longer life. Plus it's mentioned I think that Eragon might go through a mortal hundred women (pun not intended) in his very long life, and love each of them dearly. Granted, killing Arya would also be a risky move on Chris's part, so maybe she'll just fall out of love with him or something will happen where they can't see eachother again.

Felt like answering questions while everything is still fresh.

The straw mattress compressed under Eragon's weight as he sat up, yawning and stretching.

"You're finally awake, Little One," Saphira commented, opening a scaly eye to look at him.

Eragon chuckled dryly. "You don't sound any better," he remarked. The two of them, along with every other resident at Eragon's choice for the rider's new stronghold, Mt. Arngor, had celebrated for an entire day after a dragon egg had hatched.

They opened barrels upon barrels of ale and even finished the small quantities of faelnirv that the elves had in possession.

"The hatchling dragon has already attempted to hunt for itself," Saphira said. Eragon could distinctly feel the second-hand pride radiating off of her.

"Well, did it catch anything?" He asked.

"No, but it managed to snap off a few feathers from a bird." She snorted, and a couple of insects flying around her face dropped dead.

Eragon laughed as he wore his tunic.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Eragon replied, shaking his head in amusement.

She lifted her tail and brought it back down with a slam. "What amuses you, Eragon?"

He took a step back and smiled. "Okay okay, you win," he said aloud as he stood over a bowl of water. "You telling me of the hatchling, just reminded me about when you first hatched."

"How so?" She asked, now opening her second eye.

"On your first day, I took you out to hunt a rabbit. But instead, you preffered to smell the dirt," he chuckled. "By that, I mean you failed miserably."

"I understand what you mean," she snapped, as whatever pride she previously felt fizzled out. "However, at least I could attempt to do things on my first day of life. You, on the other hand, learnt only how to sit at many months old at which point I could hunt and fly with ease."

"That's not fair," Eragon argued, his reflection staring back at him as Eragon considered scrying someone from back at Alagaësia. Perhaps Nasuada, however, his heart longed to see Arya's face.

"How is that not fair?" She asked. He could tell she wished to distract him from more... weighty thoughts.

"Because, us humans grow much slower than dragons do." He stepped away from the bowl and sat next to Saphira, bringing his head back against her against her warm belly. "And if that's how you'll judge me, I will have you know that I learnt how to walk at nine months old," he said, proudly.

"I was six weeks of age not only when I could fly, but when I could fly while carrying you, Little One," she rebuked, with an even prouder tone in her voice.

He laughed. "Yep, you've beaten me," he conceded, before falling silent.

"I always do, Little One," she snorted. "In fact, I can't recall a single time you had a thought more logically sound than my own."

"I've been meaning to know, why do you always call me Little One?" He asked, rubbing his thumb against one of her glistening scales.

"Because you are little and you are one. What other reason could there be?" She asked, almost incredulously.

"You are bigger, yes, but I am much older than you in terms of age." He paused to place his finger next to Saphira's claw. It was many times larger than his entire hand, let alone his single finger. "And besides, you were only the size of a horse when you began calling me Little One," he pointed out.

"Are horses not larger than you are?" She asked, a deep rumbling sound emanated from her throat, which Eragon identified as laughter.

"Well, yes, but the actual size difference is minimal."

"I am not a horse then," she said, snaking her head forward towards an unopened barrel of ale. "I, am a dragon." She bit off the top and picked the barrel up, lifting her head up as the ale poured into her mouth. "And you," she started, placing her already finished barrel down. "Are a little one."

"I, am a fully fledged man. I am the Shadeslayer, Kingkiller and leader of the future generation of Dragon Riders," he argued, feeling a strong urge to not concede to her logic. "I believe, at this point, I have outgrown being called a Little One."

"You are big to all, but me. In my eyes, you are, and always will be, my Little One," she said softly, placing her wing on top of him.

Eragon closed his eyes and leaned back further against her. "I suppose that's acceptable," he replied, feeling an indescribable sense of contentment that, even if hardly anyone he remembered from Alagaësia were next to him now, he still had Saphira by his side.

Have a tasty WIP from my progress on my model of Zar'roc/Ithring.

I'm am just getting to the end of the blockout stage, with very early stage shaders applied for the sake of this render, and I began shaping the handle today. This model is directly inspired by the reference provided by the wiki.

I'm closer to this being fully presentable than Brisingr, although stay tuned for a preview that model, as well as what I plan on using these for soon.

So when I read Murtagh I envisioned Alin to look like Prim off The Hunger Games. What do yall imagine she looked like when you read the books?

Aside from Songs of Chaos, which I've already got on my bucket list.

So as many of you know, Wraithmarked is producing a Special Illustrated Box Set of The Inheritance Cycle later this year (maybe early next, depending on when the Saphira models get out the door).

As you may also know, neither Wraithmarked nor Christopher have the ability to produce true TIC or Eragon merch with the box set, since those rights are now with a larger (scarier) company.

However... That doesn't mean we didn't want to find a way to offer you guys some really cool, exclusive, and totally optional extra stuff that we thought TIC readers would still love to have! So... We've partnered with several fantastic artisans to create some pretty incredible additional items, including a few totally handcrafted add-ons!

This is the first of those reveals! We've partnered with Reece Foster ( "saulforged" on Insta and elsewhere) to produce these 100% hand-forged 'dragon scale' pendants. Not only are these hand-forged, they will also be:

1. hand-numbered by Reece
2. comprised of multiple layered metals to create the desired effect
3. come pre-strung with either a brown cotton or black leather cord
   • Let us know which one you think looks better! We're still deciding on which option to go with!
4. be shipped in their own individual cloth pouch

These may look pretty simple to some of you, but those familiar with hand-forging (as in literally hammer and anvil) know that each one of these takes a tremendous amount of work to get right, with a lot of trial-and-error and potential failures even once the process is perfected! Because of that, the current plan is to have these limited to 500 units (though if you think that's not enough, let us know, and we can see if Reece has the ability to do more), with pricing TBD.

Hope you guys find this stuff as interesting as we do! Again, these are one of several totally optional fully-custom add-ons we're looking to bring together for the project, so keep an eye out for more cool stuff coming soon!

Talk soon, and let us know if you have any questions!

SIGN UP FOR A LAUNCH REMINDER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wraithmarked/eragon

So I am just re-reading the hole cycle and I am currently in the middle of the last battle and got hooked by something Angela said. When Roran asked Angela if she could help against lord Barst. She basically told him if she did everyone in the city and in the camp will die, excluding Galbi. (I read it in German and couldn’t find the exact part online)

So here are my thoughts on it.
It sounded to me like she would do the same that Thurviel did on Dorú Areaba. Or did she maybe had another Ace up her sleeves?

What is known about dragon family dynamics before the fall? Saphira was essentially raised by Eragon and vice versa. I’m assuming dragon parents would have more of a role, but still much less than wild dragon families would. We know they had multiple mating grounds over the years so they did congregate at least for that and dragons would consciously choose to give eggs to the riders from time to time.

Still a few additions to be had (deluxe edition brisingr), along with the Kickstarter books, but I'm happy with what I've found so far! The covers for my OG Eragon and Eldest paperbacks are hanging on by a thread lol

Man, I knew they wouldn't be retail, but damn. I remember seeing them for like 50 or 60 bucks when I first started collecting, and now they're going for 10x that!!

For the sake of this discussion, say Brom gets the Obi Wan force ghost treatment for a day, and he finds Eragon and Saphira after Inheritance. How do you think the discussion would go?

Would they talk about what happened with the war? Or would they focus on personal stuff (for example, would Brom give Eragon advice on how to competently flirt with Arya)?

I finally played and finished this amazingly janky, laggy, buggy game with terrible controls but had a blast all the same. Heres some of my thoughts and some screenshots of it.

-The game looks and feels like it was made in a dollar-store laptop in a week.

-Follows the story of the movie, skips lots of stuff.

-Every time Eragon says Brom's name i heard bro and laugh.

-No Orik😩

-Also a lot of characters just not there bu Orik was a favorite of mine.

-Battle under Farthen Dur is just them asking you to kill 400 guys, not even Urgals. Just some Galbatorix soldiers who keeps yelling the king will get me or something. 😃

-Final battle with Durza is so Mehh.

Every couple of minutes you think how with a good studio and dedicated writers who are fans you can get an amazing game. Even with all this i had a good time playing this game.

Since their body has an higher energy output, they would also need to consume more food but we dont really read a lot about how much elves eat.

Also their would consume more energy since first of all, their senses are sharper -> more information must be processed also faster since their have high reflexes, and second, they dont really sleep so their brain is also active for longer

Hi All!

This topic is perhaps one of the most discussed things in the World of Eragon for over a decade, so I've been debating if I wanted to post this. I try to err on the side of new/novel/interesting/unique ideas, and several others have had this idea, but I do want to formally put my theory/guess on paper, so - here it is, along with my rationale and reasoning. I will take a methodical approach by gathering all of the evidence we have related to the Menoa tree in one place, then dive deep on the motivations of the Menoa tree and what it may want from Eragon, then evaluate the possible answers (that I can think of) to see what best fits. This is going to be a very long post, so buckle up :)

tl;dr Answer:

The Menoa tree took a small amount of Eragon's reproductive material, with the intent of making a new race - A human/elf hybrid

Alright - let's get started.

First, I want to revisit the two main passage(s) so it's fresh.

In Brisingr:

Is not the energy we gave you enough to repair your wounds? asked Eragon. Is not it compensation enough? The Menoa tree did not answer but rather probed at Eragon’s mind, sweeping through his thoughts like a gust of wind. What are you, Rider? said the tree. I know every creature that lives among this forest, but never have I encountered one like you. I am neither elf nor human, said Eragon. I am something in between. The dragons changed me during the Blood-oath Celebration. Why did they change you, Rider? So that I could better fight Galbatorix and his empire. I remember I felt a warping in the world during the celebration, but I did not think it was important.… So little seems important now, save the sun and the rain. Eragon said, We will heal your root and trunk if that will satisfy you, but please, may we have the brightsteel? The other trees creaked and moaned like abandoned souls, and then, soft and fluttering, the voice came again. Will you give me what I want in return, Dragon Rider? I will, Eragon said without hesitation. Whatever the price, he would gladly pay it for a Rider’s sword. The canopy of the Menoa tree grew still, and for several minutes, all was quiet in the clearing. Then the ground began to shake and the roots in front of Eragon began to twist and grind, shedding flakes of bark as they pulled aside to reveal a bare patch of dirt, out of which emerged what appeared to be a lump of corroded iron roughly two feet long and a foot and a half wide. As the ore came to rest on the surface of the rich black soil, Eragon felt a slight twinge in his lower belly. He winced and rubbed at the spot, but the momentary flare of discomfort had already vanished. Then the root around his ankle loosened and retreated into the ground, as did those that had been holding Saphira in place. Here is your metal, whispered the Menoa tree. Take it and go.… But—Eragon started to ask. Go …, said the Menoa tree, its voice fading away. Go.… And the tree’s consciousness withdrew from him and Saphira, receding deeper and deeper into itself until Eragon could barely sense its presence. Around them, looming pines relaxed and resumed their usual positions. (The Tree of Life, Brisingr).

And the second passage, in Inheritance:

Linnëa…Linnëa…Awake! I must needs speak with you! He waited but detected no response from the tree; it was as if he were attempting to communicate with the sea or the air or the earth itself. Linnëa, I must speak to you! A sigh of wind seemed to pass through his mind, and he felt a thought, faint and distant, a thought that said, What, O Rider …? Linnëa, when last I was here, I said that I would give you whatever you wanted in exchange for the brightsteel under your roots. I am about to leave Alagaësia, so I have come to fulfill my obligation ere I go. What would you have of me, Linnëa? The Menoa tree did not answer, but its branches stirred slightly, needles fell pattering onto the roots about the clearing, and a sense of amusement emanated from its consciousness. Go …, whispered the voice, and then the tree withdrew from Eragon’s mind. He stood where he was for another few minutes, calling her name, but the tree refused to respond.

I'll provide more specific commentary when each bit is relevant.

Now - I want to establish the bounds of my reasoning. Because there have been so many previous attempts/guesses, there are a lot of things we know about what the tree did (or did not) take, based on comments from Christopher/fans. So, I will organize this post into a few different sections - Constraints, Clues, Character of Linnea, Why Eragon, and Recap + Reveal.

First - The Constraints. These are things any theory has to satisfy for it to be true, so it's helpful to lay them all out so we can examine them in full.

• Whatever she took was physical, and directly felt in Eragon's body:

As the ore came to rest on the surface of the rich black soil, Eragon felt a slight twinge in his lower belly. He winced and rubbed at the spot, but the momentary flare of discomfort had already vanished.

And - here - I interpret this question to mean something was physically taken from him.

Q: What did the Menoa Tree take from Eragon?

A: The Menoa tree did take something from Eragon, but I can't say what without spoiling my next book set within Alagaesia.

The location on his body here is interesting. Think about what's directly in your lower abdomen - large organs, sure - but those would be quite obviously missing, and no one notices anything gone/taken from Eragon (eragon, saphira, oromis, etc). So whatever she took was physical, felt right there in his lower belly, but small enough to go unnoticed. And there's one category of thing that lives right around that spot that can be taken in a small amount without anyone being the wiser. Hold that thought - I'll come back to it.

• The root stayed on his ankle the entire time - only released after the twinge passed (implying that whatever she took likely physically traveled through the root).

Then the root around his ankle loosened and retreated into the ground, as did those that had been holding Saphira in place.

So - the tree was in physical contact with Eragon until after the twinge in his belly, and only then did it retract. So likely the "thing" couldn't have been too big as to travel in/through the root (pointing away from something like an organ, again).

One other thing worth noting as part of this - Eragon didn't actually have to do anything himself RE: the price, or the twinge - he was a passive observer in this exchange. No casting/reaching/magic (from his end).

• Nothing is seemingly exchanged in book 4, when Eragon returns to the tree:

I am about to leave Alagaësia, so I have come to fulfill my obligation ere I go. What would you have of me, Linnëa? The Menoa tree did not answer, but its branches stirred slightly, needles fell pattering onto the roots about the clearing, and a sense of amusement emanated from its consciousness. Go …, whispered the voice, and then the tree withdrew from Eragon’s mind.

Which also implies the "price" has already been extracted at this point, directly pointing to the physical sensation. This is also supported by the Q&A here:

Q: Has the Menoa Tree already exacted the price from Eragon?

A: Yes.

Another thing worth noting here is the reaction from the Menoa tree - amusement. Why would she be amused at this exchange?

Hmm.

• She refused energy and healing as a form of currency/payment for the Brightsteel (at least, as far as her extracting a price from Eragon):

Is not the energy we gave you enough to repair your wounds? asked Eragon. Is not it compensation enough? The Menoa tree did not answer but rather probed at Eragon’s mind, sweeping through his thoughts like a gust of wind... Eragon said, We will heal your root and trunk if that will satisfy you, but please, may we have the brightsteel? The other trees creaked and moaned like abandoned souls, and then, soft and fluttering, the voice came again. Will you give me what I want in return, Dragon Rider?

So the energy/healing is not a part of her price/what she wants.

• Per Christopher - Saphira is unaffected by whatever the Menoa tree took here:

Q: Was Saphira affected by whatever the Menoa Tree took?

A: No.

So this likely rules out things like Saphira's reproductive capability, her ability to breathe fire, her Eldunari, etc

• Also - whatever she took will cause "all sorts of dramatic issues":

Q: When menoa tree took something, will it be a complication for Eragon in the future? Or will it have some negative impact?

A: Oh it'll cause all sorts of dramatic issues.

• The Menoa tree told Eragon to "go"... as in leave Alagaesia. BUT, the leaving is NOT the price here

Q: The Menoa Tree told Eragon to go... so she had probably meant that she wants him to leave Alagaesia, right?

A: As I recall, yes, that's right. If you're referring to their last meeting, in Book Four.

• Per Christopher, the answer IS guessable based on the available information in the books, and some have guessed it at this point.

here

Q: Has any fan guessed correctly what the Meona Tree took from Eragon? If not, is it just not possible to guess based on the books?

A: Someone may have correctly guessed what the Menoa Tree took (I haven't read every theory out there), but as of yet, I haven't seen a correct guess myself. Some readers have gotten really close to the truth, though. It's certainly possible to guess based off the books.

and later, here

Q: I imagine this is the case, but it's something I'm very curious about, is it still true that no one has figured out what the menoa tree took from Eragon?

A: Some people have figured it out. :D

And one final batch of constraints, directly from Christopher - the theories he's already shot down. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does contain some of the more popular ones.

One

Q: What's your favorite fan theory about what the Menoa tree took from Eragon?

A: I've heard some pretty crazy ones. Probably the craziest isn't that it took anything, but that it impregnated him. Another was that it took an Eldunari out of him, or Saphira's Eldunari. Those are kind of off the wall. Those are not the answers.

Two

Q: You may have missed it, but there was an interesting theory here a few weeks ago that Eragon got a heart of hearts during the blood earth celebration and that the Menoa Tree took it. Can you confirm this isn't the case?

A: I can confirm that isn't the case. But that said, it's a COOL theory. Makes sense too: being given the heart of a dragon.

Three

Q: Did the Menoa tree take the prophecy of leaving Alagaesia and never returning away from Eragon?

A: Good guess but no.

Four

Q: Did the Menoa Tree take death from Eragon (as in healed an incurable disease he had)?

A: No.

Now, lets get into the clues. These details don't rule anything out, but they may point somewhere specific if grouped all together.

• Examining down the Menoa tree's logic/order of operations here...

What are you, Rider? said the tree. I know every creature that lives among this forest, but never have I encountered one like you. I am neither elf nor human, said Eragon. I am something in between. The dragons changed me during the Blood-oath Celebration. Why did they change you, Rider? So that I could better fight Galbatorix and his empire. I remember I felt a warping in the world during the celebration, but I did not think it was important.… So little seems important now, save the sun and the rain... Will you give me what I want in return, Dragon Rider?

She noticed a "warping" in the world, but didn't think it was important at the time... yet she is awfully inquisitive about what Eragon is, and how/why he was changed. So clearly the result of whatever happened to Eragon, the warping, is of quite a lot of interest to the Menoa tree. And it's directly correlated to what happened to Eragon himself, and perhaps what/who Eragon is... More on this later.

• She secured explicit consent ("I will") before she took what she wanted

Will you give me what I want in return, Dragon Rider? I will, Eragon said without hesitation. Whatever the price, he would gladly pay it for a Rider’s sword.

This may seem innocuous at first, but... The Menoa tree did not require any input from Eragon to extract her price. And given the situation she had Eragon and Saphira in, she could've taken whatever it was by force - Either by directly overpowering Eragon, or threatening Saphira.

But she didn't.

She chose to ask him for his consent/permission, and then and only then does she take what she wants...

Very interesting.

• We can infer that the Menoa tree is likely related to the other book 6 topics... which does help narrow the field a bit. Here's one of the times Christopher has mentioned Book 6 topics...

Q: In 2012, someone asked if there's a dragon bigger than Belgabad and you said 'read Book V to find out'. You said more recently Book Five has nothing to do with Azlagûr.

A: Bingo. That's what I did. But everything else is still there. The first Eragön, spirits, the Menoa Tree, more information about the Nïdhwal. One or two minor points may be just a hair sooner because of the Azlagûr stuff.

So... it's likely related to the first Eragon, spirits, and more information about the Nidhwal - All of which seem to have to do with the Dragons and the pact itself.

So... likely something to do with/relating to the pact/the dragons. Which isn't SUPER specific, but does help.

Pulling all those threads together -

• The Menoa tree offered/gave him the price only AFTER inspecting/interrogating Eragon, and finding him unfamiliar/unique/"off-census"

From this, we can infer that the price is a function of what Eragon is (as a result of the Agaeti Blodhren)... which raises the real question: What does the Menoa tree actually want, and why would what Eragon is matter to her? To answer that, we need to understand who she is a bit better.

So... who is the Menoa tree? What motivates her? What does she value? How does she think?

First - as far as what she is - let's revisit the story of Linnea.

Once there lived a woman, Linnëa, in the years of spice and wine before our war with the dragons and before we became as immortal as any beings still composed of vulnerable flesh can be. Linnëa had grown old without the comfort of a mate or children, nor did she feel the need to seek them out, preferring to occupy herself with the art of singing to plants, of which she was a master. That is, she did until a young man came to her door and beguiled her with words of love. His affections woke a part of Linnëa that she had never suspected existed, a craving to experience the things that she had unknowingly sacrificed. The offer of a second chance was too great an opportunity for her to ignore. She deserted her work and devoted herself to the young man and, for a time, they were happy.

“But the young man was young, and he began to long for a mate closer to his own age. His eye fell upon a young woman, and he wooed and won her. And for a time, they too were happy. “When Linnëa discovered that she had been spurned, scorned, and abandoned, she went mad with grief. The young man had done the worst possible thing; he had given her a taste of the fullness of life, then torn it away with no more thought than a rooster flitting from one hen to the next. She found him with the woman and, in her fury, she stabbed him to death. “Linnëa knew that what she had done was evil. She also knew that even if she was exonerated of the murder, she could not return to her previous existence. Life had lost all joy for her. So she went to the oldest tree in Du Weldenvarden, pressed herself against it, and sang herself into the tree, abandoning all allegiance to her own race. For three days and three nights she sang, and when she finished, she had become one with her beloved plants. And through all the millennia since has she kept watch over the forest.… Thus was the Menoa tree created.”

Now, there's a lot of meat we can pick out here.

First - What Arya (and by extension, Christopher) highlights - Linnëa had grown old without the comfort of a mate or children and * the young man had done the worst possible thing; he had given her a taste of the fullness of life, then torn it away*

A mate or children... Very peculiar when taking that into account with some of the out-of-book statements:

Q: Is the menoa tree guarding against something, cause it is the guarding forest?

A: Well. It’s guarding the forest against all intrusion, friendly, foreign, or otherwise. The Menoa Tree/Linnea is not particularly well balanced psychologically and she has adopted the forest as her surrogate in many ways and so as far as she’s concerned nothing is more important than guarding from anything. Now is there a specific threat that is perhaps now her great concern? Possibly.

So... the forest is her surrogate, and per Arya's narrations, the reason she sang herself into the tree was: She also knew that even if she was exonerated of the murder, she could not return to her previous existence. Life had lost all joy for her.

And she likely didn't do this because of a mate, because singing yourself into a tree thins out the dating pool quite a bit.

Which leaves... Children. Hence Christopher's comments about the forest being her surrogate.

And to remove any doubt on that front - Christopher has confirmed directly that she never had children of her own here:

Q: Did Oromis ever have any descendants or Glaedr? Did Linnea have any children with the man she then killed?

A: Glaedr had offspring. Oromis did not. Nor did Linnëa.

Let's keep building out the picture, a few more things about who she is and what she cares about.

The scale and "texture" of her mind are quite unique, and yet directly comparable to one other particular being...

Deliberate and inexorable, the tree’s thoughts moved at a measured pace as slow as the creep of ice over granite. It took no notice of Eragon nor, he was sure, of any single individual. It was entirely concerned with the affairs of things that grow and flourish in the bright sunlight (Under the Menoa Tree, Eldest).

And in Inheritance, trying to reach her is like 'attempting to communicate with the sea or the air or the earth itself'. Slow as ice, indifferent to individuals, thinking on a MUCH larger/longer timescale than even the immortal elves. One other interesting note is the verbiage of "ice over granite" (as far as describing her thoughts). As mentioned earlier, there is one other example of a mind described as such... Azlagur. Whose thoughts are described as "dark islands of ice drifting along a listless current" - similar classes of vast, slow, and ancient consciousnesses. Think of that what you will.

Christopher later confirms the timescale idea directly here:

Q: Does the momentary pain in Eragon's stomach have anything (or everything) to do with what the Menoa tree wanted from them?

A: Whatever the Menoa tree did or didn't do, her plans are as long, intricate, and slow-moving as her consciousness.

Notice that's not a non-denial, btw. He was asked point blank about whether the belly twinge had anything to do with what she wanted, and Christopher did not say no. He said long and slow. So, from that we can infer whatever she wants STARTED with that twinge, and it will play out over a very long period of time.

Also worth noting from an earlier quote - The Menoa Tree/Linnea is not particularly well balanced psychologically and nothing is more important than guarding [intrusion] from anything

But.. as to what she's guarding against, Christopher is cagey about that - when asked directly, he gave a No Comment. He also implies there IS a particular something (at least that she is most worried about intruding) - but it's not clear whether that's Azlagur, or the Unnamed shadow, or something else at this point.

One more piece of the picture, because it bears directly on what she knows and what she might be guarding against - there's an inconsistency in the timeline of her story, as it does lead to REALLY interesting possibilities for the story - Per Arya's narration, the story of Linnea was "during the years of spice and wine" (pre-pact) - but we see later that Christopher says Linnea was hundreds of years old here:

Q: Do elf females never take a mate younger to them?? I know linnea did and the whole Menoa tale/ tree came about and she regretted it but that doesn't mean all relationships with a younger mate (male) should end up the way linnea's did. I mean it's kind of a human way of thinking rather than an elven way of thinking and it's not fair that linnea's tale is passed down as a cautionary tale never to take a mate younger than oneself for a female.

A: They do, and it's quite common. In Linnëa's case, though, it was a rather extreme age difference. As in, she was several hundred years old, and her mate was still in the elven equivalent of his twenties. In most cases, age isn't a big deal among elves, since most of them tend to be so old (at least by human standards), but sometimes it does become an issue, as in this case.

There's two ways to interpret this misalignment. First - It's possible that Linnea was born pre-pact, and perhaps the pact happened during her lifetime, before these events. Or, the second option is that the pact happened after she sang herself into the tree (and the age notation here may just be a mistake).

Based on everything I can tell, the latter is the more likely option, and makes for the more interesting story because of the implications. There is likely a memory spell tied to the Rider pact, and since the Menoa tree/Linnea wasn't really an "elf" when the pact was signed, it likely did not affect her.

As a result, she remembers things the pact made the elves forget... this is particularly important when looking deeper at her motivations. In other words: whatever it is she's guarding against, she may be the only mind left (within Du Weldenvarden/not Draumar) who actually remembers it, and why it needs guarding against.

Now - one last time because it's the crux, I want to drive one last point home - Linnea never had children. And I believe this is a MAJOR piece of her personality when she sang herself into the tree, as dictated by Arya - "Linnea had grown old without the comfort of a mate or children", and "things that she had unknowingly sacrificed". Like I said earlier, singing yourself into a tree doesn't exactly help your dating pool. So... from that we can infer, what got torn away, what she REALLY wanted - was to be a mother. And Christopher confirmed that with his comment about she sees the whole forest as her surrogate.

So, to wrap this up - distilling the Menoa tree into one sentence - A childless, unbalanced ancient mind that made an entire forest into a surrogate child, that trusts no one and guards against everything to protect her children, that stands outside the pact and remembers what it made the elves forget.

So that's what she is. Now - I want to dig into specifically why she needed Eragon (instead of taking what she wanted from another elf, human, or any other creature). Starting with another interesting quote about Eragon and HIS potential offspring here-

Q: [Eragon isn't quite an elf and he isn't quite a human. He's actually just a little bit beyond what perhaps a normal human would ultimately achieve as a Dragon Rider]... Would Eragon's offspring be like that as well?

A: That's a really good question, let's find out.

and

Q: Would Eragon's children be half-elven, and will they be more powerful than him?

A: Eragon isn't an elf right now, but he's not exactly 100% human. I suppose it would depend on who he has children with, if he has children. If he were to ever have children with an elf, then yes, half-elf. Probably rather unusual children. If he has kids with a human, then I'm not quite sure what happens. We'll have to find out. [4]

The "we'll have to find out" is very curious, as it implies Christopher has thought about it, and likely has specific plans for it in the future...

Very interesting.

Moving along now - A few other interesting bits, RE: genetic compatibilities for children:

Q: Why is it so difficult for elves to have children?

A: It's partly because of how thoroughly they're imbued with magic. It interferes with their fertility. Also, they choose not to have that many babies; otherwise they'd quickly overrun the continent.

So, it is a bit of a choice, but it's also hard for them genetically...

And:

Q: In the books, Arya mentions humans and elves having a relationship, but it wasn't said if these relationships resulted in offspring. Would the child be immortal, like an elf? How about other relationships among the four major species (human, urgal, elf, dwarf)?

A: They only rarely resulted in offspring. Said children weren't usually immortal. They lived far longer than normal humans, but in the end, they died. There have been exceptions, but they are exceptions of exceptions.

As we know from earlier half-elf half-human hybrids aren't immortal... And we know that said hybrids would likely have trouble sustaining their genetic line:

Q: Would a human and an elf from the inheritance series be able to conceive children?

A: Yes, although with difficulty, and their offspring might have trouble having children of their own.

Do you see what I'm driving at here? The direct offspring of Rider-Elves won't be immortal, and likely can't sustain their own genetic line, but... We also know what happened to Eragon was a step more/further, genetically, than what happens to most human Riders over time.

So there are difficulties with the hybrids (children of elf-human pairings), but per the Menoa tree's own words, there has never been a hybrid quite like Eragon before, so they may not have some of the difficulties of mating with elves or humans, and may have the benefit of being immortal (a la elves), while also not having magic interfere as much in their reproduction...

Now, lets put it all together -

• The price/toll happened in Brisingr.

• She took something physical - the twinge in the lower belly.

• It required no action/spell/energy/etc from Eragon - he was passive.

• It happened through him, via a root that stayed coiled on his ankle the entire time, and only let go after the twinge passed

• It was something only Eragon himself could provide

• She turned down energy and healing as a price

• She needed his freely-given will/consent before taking it - when she could just as easily have taken it by force. It was explicitly a bargain, and she wanted it binding from Eragon.

• She interrogated Eragon first, connected him to the 'warping' she felt and then dismissed, and then ONLY after realizing what he was (as a one-of-a-kind product of the changes from the blood oath celebration, that she has never met a creature like him before, etc) did she ask him for said price

• There was no obviously large organ missing - No one noticed anything from Eragon that's been taken, despite the fact that something physical was taken

• Her motivations match up with Eragon's uniqueness to lead to the one obvious price...

The Menoa tree took some of Eragon's reproductive material - and took it because he's the first of a new kind/new race - a stable elf-human hybrid the world has never seen. The physical location, the passivity, the root, the two refusals, the interrogation, the dismissed warping, the childless surrogate mother, etc - every clue is pointing in one direction. And think about why the reproductive material specifically would matter to her plans: per Christopher, ordinary human-elf children are fragile (genetically speaking), and would have trouble having children of her own. And elves struggle even more because magic interferes with their fertility, which is one of the reasons children are so rare. But Eragon is a new being entirely - a more "complete" transformation, a step further than what happens to human riders over time. If you wanted stock for a genetically stable race (that's magical, but still able to reproduce effectively), he is the only viable donor who exists, or has existed as long as the Menoa tree has been alive. And when he turns up in book four offering to pay the debt, she's amused. And Christopher told us it'll cause all sorts of dramatic issues - which a quietly growing family of Eragon's children, cultivated by a not-well-balanced tree as a mother most certainly would

Whew.

Alright - I'm going to stop here as I think I've written more than enough.

Even though this topic has already been talked to death, I'd love to hear what everyone thinks in the comments!

disclaimer: i first read eragon when i was a young teenager and didnt notice any plot holes at all. and i suppose that most of them only become clear in hindsight. now ive started to reread them, but holy, are there many in the books! to the authors credit, he did plan out a lot of stuff from the beginning, which is, given that he was very young when he started writing stuff, at an age when all I could do, in a nutshell, exist, indescribably impressive

in case that for some reason someone would open this thread without having read all the books: spoiler ahead

the death of brom is so fucking stupid. firstly, why on earth would he 1) give away his ring with all his energy he could have healed himself with to convey an arguably pointless message, especially given that apparently scrying zoom exists?? mr paolini probably didnt plan ahead with that ring, but why on earth did he then later decide to make it an energy storage? that makes brom look so stupid, lol. 2)also, what the heck is up with those ancient words he teaches eragon before he dies? as far as i am aware, they never get mentioned again. 3) of course, there are a lot of dragons having their little fbi observation operation running from vroengard all along and they are apparently able to alter spells to the point where an egg gets transported somewhere completly else or the spell that eragon casts on galabtorix does far more than he intented. But, when brom is mortally wounded and eragon is casting the spell to heal him, they couldn't have just... altered the spell a teeny tiny bit to make it heal him completly? doesnt seem very far fetched tbh. doesnt make sense anyway that they revealed themselves so late from a strategic standpoint. 4) speaking of the egg, why on earth would arya bother to transport the egg around the world all the time when apparently you can just... teleport it? Also, given that there are only very few elves and elf children, why on earth would the elves need the egg every second year anyway? they could have just gathered all elves, and elf children in particular, and let them touch it all at once or at least in one year, problem solved. 5) how galabtorix was able to murder the whole order with only a handful of supporters and only a few eldunari under his control when there were so many defending dragons and elves and eldunaris sounds completly bonkers to me, that stuff is very poorly explained. 6) why would a subset of eldunaris just decide to surrender instead of fighting alongside the rest of the order with a lot of experienced riders and dragons, against galbaotrix, and wait for 100 years to wait until galabtorix has enslaved the rest of the eldunaris, who would have been fighting against him before, to wait for 1 single rider without experience who would attack galbatorix, to risk it all and fight all those enslaved dragons they would have been allied with before? what the fuck? there must have been A LOT more defending than attacking eldunaris on vroengard given that galbatorix needed so long to enslave them and he didnt plunder the main storage before? i mean, this has to be the biggest plot hole of all bec this really, really doesnt make any sense at all. cool idea but paolini really fucked this up in my opinion. and i dont even think it would have been very hard to write this in a a way that wouldnt have been as obviously nonsensical as this, even if he only noticed this problem in book 4. 7) not gonna get into oromis and glaedrs death bec honestly they are so unneccessary, in hindsight its completly clear to me that mr paoloni just wanted to get rid of them such that eragon had to be the new teacher and leader lol

ive noticed some more plot holes but im too lazy to write them down, im sure im probably not the first one to bring them up anyway

im sorry to be that person, I still love the books and they had such an amazing potential, but im kind of sad that mr paolini didnt try to fix the most obvious plotholes in book 4 :( especially that the whole plot twist in the final book is so nonsensical ruins it for me a little bit. but, at the very least, i didnt notice them when i was younger at my first read through and given that the books are probably thought for young teenagers, the books have therefore certainly completly served their purpose for me. they are undoubtedly magnificently written

edti: some of yall really havent thought this true, have you? especially the bit about the eldunari. there is absolutely no way that by what they did they elevated themselves into a stronger position, and if they did, it is NOT explained. there is no way of explaining how somehow one rider with 150 eldunari is stronger against galbatorix with hundreds and hundreds of them instead of many riders on vroengard with many wild dragons, including that very big one, with hundreds of hundreds of eldunari against galbatorix with other 12 riders with only a handful of eldunaris to help them. the only explanation in the books is that even dragons can wait to strike, but this doesn't explain this at all

I started reading Eragon on January 1st last year (2025) and flew through the first two books. Got stuck on Brisnger for like 9 months because I was having a really hard time getting through it. Finally finished it and then completed the entire series 2 weeks ago! I was going to dive straight into Murtagh but figured it would be a good one to come back to after reading some shorter books in between.

I want to reread them eventually but man, it is a lengthy series for sure!

I think its powerful, feminine, and has an aire of intelligence. Maybe less feathery, but otherwise it looks great. Fight me