Eragon is the first book in the Inheritance cycle, by Christopher Paolini. It was first self-published by the Paolini family in the summer of 2002, but was re-released by Alfred A. Knopf on August 26, 2003 and went on to become a New York Times bestseller for 151 weeks.
Eragon
The novel’s 15 year old protagonist. He is also known as Eragon Shadeslayer, Argetlam, and Shur’tugal. In Eragon, he finds a dragon egg in a glade in the woods. This egg eventually becomes Saphira. The character is mildly based on the author, Christopher Paolini. He is believed to be the son of Selena and Morzan, although this is later proven false. Eragon is the cousin of Roran Garrowsson, and until he was 15, Eragon was raised as a farm boy by his Uncle Garrow. He finds a blue egg (Saphira) that draws the Ra’zac to his town. After this, he embarks on a journey with the storyteller Brom to find the Varden, who are the resistance against the evil king Galbatorix. Along the way, he becomes able to perform magic, a talent that all Dragon Riders possess. Eragon is naive, and has to grow up quite quickly. He is brave, smart and strong. He shares an incredibly strong bond with his dragon, Saphira. His name, Eragon, comes from 'dragon' but the first letter has been swapped for an 'e'.
Saphira
- A world of adventure. When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
- The book begins with a young farmer, Eragon, living in Palancar Valley and under the hardships of Lord Galbatorix's rule. Upon finding a weird blue stone in the Spine - a treacherous mountain range - during his hunting, he begins on a journey to discover the true and terrible powers and duty of a Dragon Rider with his dragon companion, Saphira.
- Eragon is the first book in the Inheritance series and was also made into a movie in 2006. Eragon is the story of a farm boy, Eragon, and his dragon, Saphira. The book starts with a Shade with 12 Urgals hide. Soon, 3 elves come, the middle one carrying a dragon egg. Then the shade attacks. The guards get killed. The shade orders to capture the elf with the egg. He then lights up 1/4 mile of.
Saphira is Eragon’s dragon. He has raised her since birth. She is covered in blue scales and has blue-tinted vision. She is frequently mentioned as being the last female dragon in Alagaesia. Her namesake is Brom’s dragon. She gains the ability to breathe fire near the end of the first book. She accompanies Eragon and Brom on their quest. Her and Eragon have an incredibly strong emotional bond, strengthened the first time he rode her. Her main goal is to keep Eragon safe, even at the cost of danger to her. She is wise and clever, but occasionally immature. When the narrative is written from her perspective, strange phrases are substituted for other words. For example, humans become two-legged-round-ears. Her name is based on the word 'sapphire.'
Arya
Arya is an elf, and Eragon’s love interest. She appears in the Prologue as the guardian of Sapphira’s egg; she is attacked and captured by the Shade Durza, but not before she magically sends the egg to safety. Following her imprisonment and torture in Gil’ead, Eragon rescues her and begins to fall in love with her. She later helps him to kill Durza. Despite her youthful appearance, Arya is over a hundred years old. She is the daughter of King Evandar and Queen Islanzadí, and is thus often addressed by the honorific “dröttningu” (Old Norse/Icelandic for “princess”, a language on which Paolini drew heavily in constructing the elven tongue). Like the other elves, she has pointed ears and superhuman speed, strength, and magical ability. She has long black hair and green eyes. In personality, she is blunt of speech, stoic and reserved. She has had a difficult life, and thus can come across as stern and judgmental. She is also disdainful of traditional gender roles. She is incredibly dedicated to her cause, as shown by the suffering she was prepared to endure at the hands of Durza.
Brom
Brom is an ex-Dragon Rider and Eragon’s first mentor. He is known for his intelligence, cunning and excellent skills in battle. Brom also had a dragon named Saphira. Brom is responsible for the deaths of many of the Forsworn, including Morzan. He watches over Eragon in the town of Carvahall, in the guise of a storyteller. Brom accompanies Eragon on his journey and teaches him how to use a sword and how to use magic. He believed that intelligence is more important than strength. He is secretive and very irritable. Brom is mortally wounded by the Ra’zac and dies in the mountains. He fulfills the aging mentor archetype found in many fantasy works, such as Gandalf in LOTR, Dumbledore in Harry Potter, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars.
Galbatorix
Galbatorix is the main antagonist and the tyrant king of Alagaesia. He is responsible for the destruction of the Dragon Riders previous to the series. He was a Dragon Rider but goes mad after his first dragon dies and he is not allowed a second one. With Morzan’s help, he steals a hatchling. Galbatorix has control over nearly all human lands and seeks to destroy all other races. He is an incredibly powerful magician and a skilled military strategist. Galbatorix is apparently also very charismatic. He lacks compassion and love and is occasionally overconfident. His goal is to acquire Saphira, to force her to mate and remake the dragon race. He is similar to Voldemort and Emperor Palpatine.
Roran
Roran is a human. He is Eragon’s cousin and Garrow’s son. He grew up in Carvahall and is in love with Katrina. His mother, Marian, died when Roran was very young. He left early in Eragon to work at a distant mill, but returned when his father died. His preferred weapon is a hammer, and he is described as having a muscular build, with shaggy brown hair and green eyes. He is practical and down to earth. Roran is talented at speech giving.
Murtagh
Murtagh is a human. Murtagh is the son of Selena and Morzan. He has a large scar on his back from a sword. He is a refugee from the Empire when he saves Brom, Eragon, and Saphira from the Ra’zac. When Brom dies, he accompanies Eragon the rest of the way to the Varden. He is originally held under lock and key, since he refused to let anyone examine his mind. Murtagh is passionate and compassionate. He is solitary, suspicious, and pragmatic. Murtagh is very intelligent and strong, as well as stubborn. He has little empathy and inflated self worth.
The Ra’zac
The Ra’zac are incredibly powerful beings who work for Galbatorix. They are social and intelligent. They speak to each other using a clicking sound. In Eragon, two Ra’zac arrive in Carvahall to search for Saphira’s egg. They kill Garrow and burn down Eragon’s house. Eragon and Brom track them on a revenge quest and they kill Brom in Dras-Leona. Murtagh drives them away. They utilize bows and swords. They are cunning and cruel but rather narrow minded. They are killed in the movie but stay alive in the book.
Durza
Durza is a shade, a sorcerer possessed by the spirits he summoned. He works for Galbatorix. Durza is the secondary antagonist in Eragon. He is a powerful magician and is skilled in combat. He was given the task of retrieving Saphira’s egg from Arya and follows that task throughout the entire book. He is described as tall, with red hair and eyes. Durza is cruel, short tempered, and intelligent. He is the commander of the Urgals. Shades can only be killed by being stabbed through the heart, a task that Eragon achieves at the end of the book. Durza is described as evil incarnate.
Orik
Orik is a dwarf, a skilled smith and warrior, and a guide to Eragon and Saphira. Like the majority of dwarves in this novel, he supports and fights alongside the Varden. He is a memeber of the dwarven clan Durgrimst Ingeitum, which is known for turning out excellent blacksmiths. In addition, Orik is the adopted heir and actual nephew of the dwarf King Hrothgar. He fights bravely and survives the Battle under Farthen Dur.
Ajihad
Ajihad is the leader of the Varden when Eragon and Saphira arrive. When they show up, he has been at the head of the Varden for over 15 years and lead them to several decisive victories. Ajihad is a wise and selfless leader who thinks only of the best interest of the people of the Varden. He made the strategic decision of ally with the dwarves and use their city of Tronjheim as a base of operations for the Varden. Ajihad is also the father of Nasuada, who takes his role as leader of the Varden after the events of Eragon.
The Twins
The Twins, as the name implies, are identical twins who work for the Varden. They are skilled human magicians who combine their mental strength to have a formidable amount of spellcasting ability. The Twins’ real names are not known, nor is anything about their past. They are in charge of mentally screening everyone who enters the Varden, and develop a dislike for Eragon when he refuses to divulge more knowledge of the Ancient Language when the Twins probe his mind upon entering Farthen Dur.
Angela the Herbalist
Angela is a skilled herbalist, potioneer, fortune teller, and witch. She supports herself by selling potions and telling fortunes for the wealthier residents of the city Teirm, where she resides when Eragon meets her. Angela is eclectic and eccentric. She tell Eragon his fortune, which affects his later reactions to encounters with people and places. Angela may seem mostly harmless, but is also a fearsome warrior (as she proves during the Battle under Farthen Dur) and has a sharp tongue. She travels with the werecat Solembum.
Jeod
Jeod is a wealthy scholar and merchant who lives in the port city of Teirm. In the past, he was an agent for the Varden, and continues to support the cause ideologically. He is good friends with Brom, and in the past helped him steal Saphira’s egg from Galbatorix’s castle. Jeod also helped the Varden by smuggling supplies through his shipping company, before he was found out by the Empire and suffered severe losses as a result.
Nasuada
We first meet Nasuada towards the end of ‘Eragon’ as the daughter of Ajihad, the Varden chieftain. She visits and befriends Murtagh during his imprisonment with the Varden. Like Ajihad, she has dark skin and hair and is described as beautiful. In the following books, after Ajihad’s death, she emerges as a clearly-defined character and a strong leader of the Varden.
Garrow
Garrow is Roran’s father and Eragon’s uncle. He serves as a father-figure to both cousins. He is killed by the Ra’zac.
The story opens with a Shade, a not quite human monster, and several Urgals, creatures similar to trolls, attacking three elves. The two male elves are quickly killed but the woman starts to run. The Shade pursues her, but before he can catch her, she pulls a blue stone out of her bag and casts a spell on it that makes it disappear. The Shade then kidnaps the elf and burns the forest. Later, Eragon is hunting in the woods when an explosion rips through the forest. The stone appears in the center of the explosion and Eragon cautiously takes it, planning on selling it. Eragon attempts to trade it for meat, but the butcher Sloan refuses. The blacksmith, Horst, buys food for Eragon and protects him.
Eragon Books In Order
Eragon is asked to pass on a message of love from Katrina, Sloan’s daughter, to Roran, Eragon’s cousin. Eragon waits with the stone at his uncle’s farm until the traders arrive. The trader won’t buy it, but concludes that the stone is hollow. Later, when he enters a tavern, Eragon hears a tale from Brom the storyteller. Brom tells of the Dragon Riders, a group of heroes who all rode dragons. One of their dragons was killed, and the owner Galbatorix, who is now the king of Eragon’s land, goes insane. He starts a group called the Forsworn, and with the help of his lieutenant Morzan, killed all the other riders and made himself king.
Eragon returns home and tests the durability of the stone, which eventually makes a squeaking sound. Eragon picks it up, intending to bury it, but it slips and cracks on the ground. A dragon emerges from the stone. Eragon touches the dragon and a pulse of energy passes through him, leaving a silver oval on his hand. Eragon discovers that he can share emotions with the dragon, and decides to keep it in secret.
After a few weeks, Eragon goes to Brom to learn more about dragons. They talk about the origination of the Dragon Riders, and physiology of dragons. They end with a discussion of names. Roran reveals to Eragon that he is planning to propose to Katrina and leave their town to work at a mill. That night, Eragon tries different names on the dragon before deciding on Saphira. A few days, after Roran leaves, Eragon goes into town and encounters two strangers with hissing voices who are inquiring about the blue stone. He is saved by Brom, who sees the oval on Eragon’s palm. Eragon runs to Saphira, who becomes agitated and flies away with Eragon on her back. They fly to the deep forest, and Eragon can’t move, as his legs have had their skin stripped away by Saphira’s back.
When they return home, the farm has been burned down, and Garrow, Eragon’s uncle lies in the wreckage, ill and burned. Eragon sees Brom and passes out. Eragon wakes up in town, being healed, and decides that he will have to leave with Saphira. The next day, Garrow dies. Eragon leaves to pursue his uncle’s killers, but is stopped by Brom, who reveals that he knows about Saphira. Brom insists on coming with Eragon, and gives him a sword, Za’roc. Brom then gives the creatures that killed Garrow a name, the Ra’zac. Brom and Eragon track the Ra’zac through the snow, and Brom begins to teach Eragon how to swordfight. A storm arises, and Saphira learns she can’t fly well in high winds.
Eragon and Brom arrive at the town of Yazuac and discover that Urgals had massacred all the residents. They explore the town and find more Urgals still there. They fight them, and Eragon manages to accidentally imbue an arrow with magic, which destroys the Urgals. Eragon rescues Brom and they escape with Saphira. Later, they talk about magic. Brom reveals that he knows some magic, and promises to teach Eragon how to utilize it. Brom teaches Eragon the ways of the Dragon Riders.
At the next village they encounter, Brom realizes he has to teach Eragon to shield his mind from other magicians. Eragon begins to ride Saphira more, and they find a canister of oil the Ra’zac left behind. The oil burns any skin it touches and is very rare. The two begin to travel to a coastal town, Teirm.
On their way, Eragon becomes more adept at magic. Brom reveals that he has a friend in Teirm, named Jeod. The pair arrive at Teirm. and start to search for Jeod, who is a shipper. Eragon encounters a strange herbalist named Angela and her werecat Solembum. They tell his future, which includes death, romance, and a family betrayal. Brom, Eragon, and Jeod conduct a dangerous mission to find where the Ra’zac’s oil was shipped, and they determine their destination to be Dras Leona. Brom later reveals that he was an agent of the Varden, an underground organization with the objective of overthrowing the king. He also killed Morzan, Galbatorix’s lieutenant. Eragon dreams of a young woman in a jail cell. The two arrive at Dras Leona and take time to scope out the city.
Eragon Book 2
Eragon is spotted by the Ra’zac and a chase ensues. Eventually, Eragon and Brom are captured. When at the Ra’zac’s camp, they are about to be killed when arrows attack the Ra’zac, however Brom is severely injured. The savior is revealed to be a man named Murtagh, who has also been following the Ra’zac. Brom’s condition worsens. In the middle of the night, he reveals to Eragon that he was once a Dragon Rider himself, with a dragon named Saphira who was killed by Galbatorix. Brom then dies. Murtagh reveals that the sword Brom gave Eragon was once Morzan’s. Eragon and Murtagh travel to Gilead, where they believe the girl in Eragon’s dream is being held.
Then, Eragon is captured by Urgals. Eragon is questioned and drugged by a Shade, the same one from the beginning of the story. Murtagh and Saphira stage a daring rescue, which hurts the Shade, and rescues Eragon and the girl from his dream. Eragon can not heal the girl, and they continue trying to find the Varden. The group crosses a humongous desert, with the girl still unconscious and her condition worsening. Eragon reaches into the girl's thoughts, and it is revealed that her name is Arya and that she is an elf. She was poisoned and will die unless they get to the Varden.
The group encounters some slavers, who try to take them, but Murtagh kills them, which makes Eragon angry. They see a group of Urgals in the distance pursuing them. The Urgals are soon catching up. Eragon doesn’t understand why Murtagh doesn’t want to reach the Varden until Murtagh reveals that he is the son of Morzan and will be viewed as an enemy. The two are nearly killed by the Urgals until they are rescued by the Varden. Arya is taken to be healed and the two boys have their minds probed by magicians. Eragon goes through the Varden complex and meets Ajihad, the ruler of the Varden. They discuss Eragon’s journey, including Brom, as well as what plans for Eragon consist of. Eragon walks through the city and gives a child a magical blessing.
Later, he encounters the herbalist Angela, who gives him information on Shades. Eragon is taken to the dwarves, and told by their king Hrothgar that Eragon must prove himself by helping fight the empire. Later, Eragon’s physical and magical abilities are tested. It is revealed that an army of Urgals is marching towards the Varden, and war preparations begin. Saphira is given armor by the dwarves. A huge battle begins, with many losses on both sides. Eragon then has a duel with the Shade. They are relitavely evenly matched, and it looks like Eragon might lose the battle. Then, Saphira soars in, breathing fire. This distracts the Shade, allowing Eragon to kill him. Eragon passes out.
Eragon Book Set
When he awakes, he discovers that after the Shade was killed, the Varden easily won the battle. However, Eragon now has a large, painful scar crossing his back. He decides that he needs to visit the elves to learn more magic. He will be prepared to fight for his kingdom.