I Read What?!

Chapter Nineteen (Part II) | Table of Contents | Chapter Twenty (Part II)

Kerlois: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to Eragon! Last time, we learned the very basics of magic.

Now for the reader post:

 

On part III of chapter 14, Tris and Wolfgoddess point out that Eragon having a heavy bow is not strange, as Eragon probably started with lighter bows and then went to heavier ones.

Wolfgoddess also points out that Eragon thinking that meat is what he will eat “for some time to come” will probably lead him to a vitamin deficiency. Combined with him thinking he can survive on meat alone earlier… I give it this:

 

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 61

She further notes that Zar’roc probably would not feel “perfect” for Eragon at all, since he has never held one before. Further, Zar’roc was made for Morzan, so why would it fit Eragon very well?

PPP: 784

Further… I do not quite like that Eragon gets a sword and is now engaged in “sword training”, while he actually is an archer. It feels to me like he is being put into the mould of Rider, no matter where he is good at. Also, it is simply very foolish to try to make him proficient in swordfighting when Brom could put that effort into making him a better archer!

Finally, I have decided to drop What Dragons?, Just Break Up Already and Ill Logic, as I do not exactly see the greater value in keeping them.

 

Let me begin the next chapter, then!

 

Chapter Twenty: Magic Is the Simplest Thing

Is it now? Quite a bit of this chapter highlights how difficult magic is, and Eragon says (in the new & improved edition at least): “This is a lot more complicated than I thought”. You might want to have a chapter title that fits with what is said in the chapter, Paolini.

PPP: 785

HISC: In the self-published edition, we open with Eragon waking up on the 30^th of December. It is noted that “[h]is ribs are bruised where he ha[s] been thrown against the wall, and his joints throb[]”. They break camp and go down the trail.

Kerlois: My, the original did have him be hurt further, then… but it was not mentioned in the previous chapter and it is not mentioned later, so I frankly do not mind that it was cut. The newer editions start with them being “on the trail for a while”. I naturally see no mention of Saphira.

Eragon asks why Brom thinks the two Urgals were still in Yazuac. He can see no reason for “them to have stayed behind”. Brom thinks they “deserted the main group to loot the town”. We saw Yazuac, though, and it already looked quite looted, what with all the windows being smashed in. I also did not see much indication that they sought to loot; would Eragon and Brom not have seen some of the stuff they had taken, then? I just do not see it.

As for why they were in Yazuac, then… my best guess is that they were not part of the army, but went after it, found Yazuac slaughtered, and tried to find the perpetrators. I think it makes more sense than what we get, at least.

Brom says that this case is odd because, as far as he knows, “Urgals have gathered in force only two or three times in history”, and it is “unsettling” that they do so now.

HISC: In the self-published edition, Brom says he never heard of Urgals being “so bold as to attack an entire village”. Usually, they do “quick raids” or “bash open someone’s head in a corn field”. Um, why would they do the latter? I think it might be because of vengeance, but the way Brom says it, it comes across as nonsensical.

Kerlois: I do not exactly find it “unsettling” that they have gathered in force (why did we need to hear this twice, by the way?). After all, the Riders probably prevented them from doing so, and now they are quite more free to mass in force. It was only to be expected eventually. I also wonder why Brom does not know if Urgals only massed two times or three times, and I would have appreciated some background on those events.

What is disconcerting is that a group of Urgals killed the entirety of Yazuac, apparently only to kill the inhabitants. It might have been for retribution… only Yazuac does not exactly lie close to the Spine, so that would be unlikely. Because of that, it would seem that the Urgals did this just because. Further, we heard nothing from Merlock about the Urgals being bothersome while they migrate, so that is unsettling, too.

Of course, Brom probably thinks that Urgals just naturally murder people for fun, and that is why any gathering is inherently dangerous.

FYRP: 59

Also, because we are supposed to agree with Brom, this turns decent foreshadowing into quite some nonsense. I simply think that the fact the Urgals are apparently migrating toward the empty desert is more unsettling than that they mass together in the first place.

PPP: 786

Eragon then asks if Brom thinks “the Ra’zac caused the attack”. …Does he mean that the Ra’zac might have asked the Urgals to attack Yazuac? Why would they have ever bothered with such a scheme? Yes, they are cartoonishly evil sometimes, but this just does not make sense. Brom simply says he does not know. (Then why bring this up in the first place?)

Brom says the best thing to do is get away from Yazuac as possible. “Besides”, they go in the same direction as the Ra’zac: south. Yes, that is why Eragon went this way, after all. If the Ra’zac went another way, you would surely have gone that direction, too. It is not a coincidence that you are going the same direction as they did!

PPP: 787

Eragon agrees and says they do still need provisions. He asks if there is “another town nearby”. Well, there is Daret, which seems reasonably nearby and which they are going to. Let me see… a quick calculation gives me a distance of 28,9 kilometres for a simplistic route, but since they go along the river, I will say it is some 35 kilometres. That would be slightly more than the distance from the Anora River to Yazuac, which they covered in four days.

HISC: In the self-published edition, Brom does not think they can reach Daret within four days, which seems unlikely to me. I think it would frankly be easier going here.

Kerlois: So Brom is now either pointlessly lying or Paolini could not be bothered to remember that see how close these villages are to each other. In this edition, he says that there are no villages nearby, so…

PPP: 788

Brom says that “Saphira can hunt for [them] if [they] must survive on meat alone”. Brom, you should truly know that is not healthy!

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 62

All right, I see that it takes about a month before the symptoms set in, so it would not be a problem here, but I would still like an acknowledgment that it can cause trouble.

Further, why does Brom even bring this up? They’re in the forest along the river, so they should be able to find plenty of other food! This should be a last resort!

Finally, why does he want Saphira to hunt for food? What, does he think Eragon cannot hunt? I would also expect Eragon to be better at catching the kind of prey they want. This is such a ball of failure.

Brom further explains that the “swath of trees” might look small to Eragon (who did not say such a thing, notably), but there are quite some animals in it. The river is “the only source of water for many miles around”, so “most of the plains animals” come to drink here, so they will not starve. The plains themselves are miles across, so I do not see why “most” of the plains animals would all come to this river.

PPP: 789

Eragon is satisfied with the answer. They ride, and we have some description of “loud birds” flitting around and the river rushing by. It is “a noisy place, full of life and energy”. (It also sounds like a nice place to be.) Eragon then asks how Gavgor got Brom, as he could not see because of how fast it went. To be strictly fair, you were distracted wondering about if there were more Urgals.

Brom “grumble[s]” that it was bad luck. He was “more than a match” for Gavgor, so he kicked Snowfire. Snowfire, who he calls “[t]he idiot of a horse”, reared and threw him off balance, and then Gavgor struck. Brom, you do realise that Snowfire was supposed to be a stud horse, and that Haberth would not have bothered training him for combat situations? He is not an “idiot” for panicking in such a situation! You are simply being very nasty to him and I hope Snowfire would throw you.

Wait… this is Eragon’s description of the event: “There was a loud smack, and Snowfire reared, whinnying. Brom doubled over in his saddle,” So Snowfire clearly only reared after Brom was struck… though he might well have reared earlier? I am not willing to call this a continuity error, but it could be clearer.

PPP: 790

Brom then switches topics in the middle of this paragraph. Quite elegantly done, Paolini.

PPP: 791

Brom supposed that Eragon is “still wondering about this magic”. Yes, we are about to learn about magic again! He says that the fact that Eragon has discovered it poses “a thorny problem”. He does not say what that is, of course, but instead says that “[f]ew know it”, but every Rider was able to use magic, at different strengths. This would be commonly known, Brom! Some Riders have stayed alive well into living memory, after all, and humans have lived under the Riders for hundreds of years! It frankly feels somewhat condescending of him, given how often he assumes that the general population does not know things they would.

 

Then we get this:

 

“They kept the ability secret, even at the height of their power, because it gave them an advantage over their enemies. Had everyone known about it, dealing with common people would have been difficult.”

 

How could they have kept it secret, though? The Urgals and dwarves lived with the Riders for some 2600 years, and the humans for 700 years. The timescale is simply too large; it would have leaked out and become common knowledge anyway. Further, I am quite certain they would have had to use magic in public if they wanted to fulfil their duties.

 

Also… I get that concealing that they have magic might give them an advantage, but those enemies would soon be able to understand that they had magic, and the advantage would disappear much sooner than hundreds of years.

 

Finally, “dealing with common people” would be difficult anyway, simply because they held sway over Alagaësia and the common people did not. That kind of power disparity makes keeping such dealings equal very hard, magic or not. Also, why would magic make that so hard? Some of those “common people” would be mages themselves, after all.

 

I swear it sounds like Brom has actually never been a Rider! How do you get things this wrong? This does not even work with not thinking about things!

 

Brom then switches topics, saying that “[m]any think” Galbatorix has his magical powers because he is a “wizard or sorcerer”. That is not true, however, as it is because he is a Rider. (Or, at least, he was bonded to Jarnunvösk at some point.) So… thank you for debunking something that we will see stated all of one time (by the leader of the Varden, no less)!

 

Eragon asks what the difference is, and if the fact that he has used magic does not make him a sorcerer? Ah, I see we have reached the terminology section. Brom says that is not at all the case. A sorcerer, like a Shade does, “uses spirits to accomplish his will”. It also does not make him a magician… but it does. He can use magic, after all, so why would he not be one?

 

Ah, I see the new & improved edition says that Eragon is not “an ordinary, run-of-the-mill magician”. Both editions say that the powers of someone like that “come without the aid of spirits or a dragon”. Well, thank you for not stating that Eragon is not a magician any more, though the clarification feels quite condescending to me. Further, why bother having this clarification at all, when this distinction will, as far as I know, never be used again? (Edit: in fact, the recap from Eldest says that becoming a Rider “makes one a magician”. Who cares about this, then?)

 

PPP: 791

 

Brom further says that Eragon is certainly not “a witch or wizard”, as their powers come from “various potions and spells”. Good to know. This brings Brom back to his “original point”, which is the problem Eragon presents. Then… I think this would benefit from a close look:

 

Young Riders like yourself were put through a strict regimen designed to strengthen their bodies and increase their mental control.

 

(I first meant to talk about the background for this training, but, after some thought, I think I had better leave that until we get the proper context in Eldest. Let me say, though, that these Riders were indeed young; in some cases, the human ones were as young as ten.)

 

I can see why they put the Riders through such a regimen, though I wonder why “strengthening their bodies” was necessary. These Riders were still growing, after all, and would grow stronger either way, so I think that effort might be better spent on other things. Further, if they can use magic, why would they need to be super-strong? Yes, it might come in handy in combat, but then the Riders should learn different forms of combat, instead of generic strength exercises.

 

As for “mental control”, I presume that was designed to teach them how to shield their minds from attack? That would be quite useful, after all, and we see plenty of non-magicians who know how to do so, so that seems probable to me. I just wish Brom were somewhat clearer about what he means.

 

I also note that there is no mention of the training their dragons underwent here. Yes, it is not directly relevant here, but Brom will not say anything about it at all, so I get the impression that the dragons are simply being neglected once again.

 

This regimen continued for many months, occasionally years, until the Riders were deemed responsible enough to handle magic.

 

Um, how did strength exercises and learning “mental control” help make these Riders responsible at using magic? I guess it might work if they were graded on the basis of the responsibility they display with those skills, but the way Brom says it, it sounds as if learning this is supposed to inherently give them responsibility.

 

I also do like the special treatment of magic here. They need to prove themselves responsible to use magic… but they are trained in the use of strength without any check. So… if they were bullying other Riders, they would presumably not be given magic, but they apparently were allowed to keep training their strength, even if they used it to beat others up with. (At least, that is the strong implication I get from it.) Remember, people, hurts inflicted with magic are always worse than those inflicted via non-magical means!

 

Up until then, not one student was told of his potential powers.

 

Ah, that reminds me:

 

No-Wave Feminism: 64 (use of generic “he” when “they” is also often used)

 

I am quite certain the purpose of this was to keep students from playing along and pretending to be more responsible than they are in order to get their magic soon. I just wonder if they actually thought this would help. A large part of the students would have heard stories about the Riders having magic before now, and rumours and gossip would also spread through the training groups. I would expect nearly everyone to at least suspect what they would get at the end of their training, and, come to think of it, Brom does not say that older students were forbidden from telling it.

 

I think it might have been easier to tell the students that they would be extensively tested at the end of this training and that trying to look more responsible than they are would not help.

 

If one of them discovered magic by accident, he or she was immediately taken away for private tutoring.

 

Why? So the other students would not know about magic? They would figure this is quite soon, too. These Riders might be young, but that certainly does not make them brainless.

 

That aside, good to see that the students are torn away from their group if they dare to discover magic. I guess they were allowed to see them again eventually, but there is simply no good reason for them to be separated. Further, if the teacher they are stuck with is someone like Brom, they are cut off from possible escape or support. This must have caused massive amounts of hurt, I am certain, just to prevent something that does not need to be prevented! Everything we learn about the Riders just cements how evil they were.

 

(What were the rules for the dragons, by the way? Were they taken to “private tutoring”, too?)

 

It was rare for anyone to discover magic on his own,” he inclined his head toward Eragon, “though they were never put under the same pressure you were.”

 

Well, it may have been rare (thankfully), but given how long the Riders existed, it would have occurred to quite some people. Further, it is good to know the Riders did not resort to putting their students in life-and-death situations? It feels like damning with faint praise to me.

 

I see there is also the idea that being put into such life-and-death situations might help people discover magic, which seems quite true to me.

 

Eragon asks how the students were “finally trained to use magic”. He does not understand how it could be taught, and if Brom had tried to explains it “two days ago”, it would not have made sense. Hmm, why would it make sense now? Yes, you have used magic, but you have no idea how you have done it, and I do not see how that would give you any more insight. Since Eragon will soon be using magic, it would also have made sense two days ago.

 

Brom explains:

 

“The students were presented with a series of pointless exercises designed to frustrate them.

 

So making learning unpleasant was a part of accepted practice among the Riders? That is how you tech them to hate you. Seriously, this is wrong and I do not appreciate how Brom presents all of this.

 

For example, they were instructed to move piles of stones using only their feet, fill ever draining tubs of water, and other impossibilities.

 

I am quite certain that should be “ever-draining”, as the hyphenated style occurs quite more often.

 

PPP: 792

 

Further… depending on how large these stones are, moving them with one’s feet might be well possible. One could pull the outer stones out of the pile first and then kick them to the new place. The final pile would not be very orderly, but it would be one. Frankly, I think that if the pile cannot be moved with one’s feet at all, it cannot be moved with one’s hands either, in most cases. So there is an “impossibility” that is not one.

 

Also, were these tasks supervised, and how were students prevented from cheating? That might be nice to know.

 

After a time, they would get infuriated enough to use magic. Most of the time it succeeded.”

 

Ah, so they would all get angry at this? I mean, they have every right of it (and I hope some of them took it out on those responsible, too)… but what is to stop them from giving up on tasks that will not go anywhere? Oh, are those supposed to be the cases that failed? So what happened to them? Were they just… not taught about magic, then? I guess so.

 

I also note that those students who did use magic probably did so the same way as Eragon did, which could be quite dangerous to themselves and others. I suppose keeping to their idiotic teaching methods is more important, though.

 

Now, for the teaching method as a whole… it is obviously chosen to minimise the chance that the students would find out about magic before they can find it themselves. Why would they bother, though?! This is the part of the process where the students are about to learn magic, so you would want them to know what they are learning! If they do not know what they are learning, they will not learn it very well!

Further, this entire process might as well be designed to make the students give up or hate being taught magic. This is one of the biggest balls of idiocy in this book so far.

 

All of this finally gets Brom to what the “problem” Eragon presents is. He says all this means that Eragon will be at a disadvantage if he “ever meet[s] an enemy who has received this training”. Well, naturally; he will simply be at a disadvantage with most magicians until he is trained. So… why did Brom say that “the fact he’s discovered it presents a thorny problem”? I would say that Eragon having discovered it is actually a good thing, since he can now begin his training earlier. What are you talking about, Brom?

 

He says some who “are that old” are still alive: Galbatorix for example, “not to mention” the elves.

 

HISC: In the self-published edition, Brom also mentions Shades, “if one were to rise forth again”. Aside from the very heavy foreshadowing, there is no guarantee that any Shade would be older than a hundred years, or that they went through that kind of training.

 

Kerlois: That explains the “not to mention” then. In a list of two items, it just feels weird.

 

PPP: 793

 

Also, not all the elves are old enough to have had that training. Arya, for one, is just a bit too young for that, and all the elves who were born after the fall of the Riders would not either. I do think that is important to keep in mind.

 

He further says that any of those could “tear [Eragon] apart with ease”. That is assuming that they would go for violence first. Eragon asks what he can do. Brom replies with a paragraph of fluff and nonsense.

 

He says there is no time for “formal instruction” (I think the problem is rather that you cannot give that because you do not know how), but they can do “much” while they travel. Brom knows quite some techniques that will give Eragon “strength and control” (what are those, then?), but he will not “gain the discipline the Riders had overnight”. Yes, that is blindingly obvious and Eragon said nothing to that effect, so there is no reason to say this.

 

He gives Eragon a “humorous” look and says that Eragon will “have to amass it on the run”. I… do not quite see the humour in that? They are also not “on the run”; they are not fleeing from the Empire, so that is not an appropriate phrase to use.

 

PPP: 794

 

He says that it will be hard at the start, but the “rewards will be great”. Further, Eragon might be pleased to know that “no Rider [his] age ever used magic the way [he] did yesterday with those two Urgals”. So no human Rider of fifteen years old used magic that way in seven hundred years ever used magic like Eragon did, even though their training process encourages it? I thought not. Come to think of it, it might be that these reports were kept secret from young Riders such as Brom, and naturally Brom takes everything about the Riders at face value…

 

Eragon smiles at being praised and thanks Brom.

 

HISC: In the self-published edition, there is now an extended section that was removed. Eragon says that Brom did not tell him the previous night, but he still wants to know where Brom learned “all of this”. He can understand him “picking up dragonlore” during his travels, but one cannot learn magic from listening to tales.

 

Brom goes completely off on him, asking if he does not realise that he will not tell, saying that he has explained it, so Eragon should “stop pestering” him, and that Eragon will eventually learn Brom’s secrets, “if [he] [doesn’t] get [him]self killed first”. That is something you should prevent, Brom!

 

He tells Eragon to accept that he is “not like other men”, and then he says he will start by teaching Eragon more of the ancient language. Yes, that is about as random as it sounds. Eragon considers simply demanding the answers, but he does not want to anger Brom, and Brom does offer to train him, so he finally accedes.

 

Kerlois: Well, that was rightfully cut. We very much do not need another scene of Brom ragging on Eragon. It was not cut very well, though, as Eragon now asks if “this language” has a name. That made sense in the original, but here it refers to something that no longer exists.

 

PPP: 795

 

It is a fair question, though, especially since “the ancient language” is clearly not a proper name for it. Brom laughs and says that there is, but “no one knows it”. It would be “a word of incredible power”, which would allow one to control the whole of the language and its speakers. People have searched for it for a long time, “but no one has ever found it”.

 

Well, this is quite good setup for the later books! I truly do like that this is noted to be a thing quite a way before it becomes relevant and that we already have some information on it.

 

I do have a problem with this: why has no one been able to find this name? Surely the elves, who have the ancient language as their mother language, would manage to find an apt description for it? Or… based on some things we will hear in Eldest, I get the impression that this “name” is an old name for the language, which was used before the elves came to Alagaësia. That should have been made clear at some point, at least, because the way it is presented now does not work.

 

PPP: 800 (+5)

 

Eragon then says he still does not understand how magic works, and he asks how to use it. Brom “look[s] astonished” and asks if he did not make that clear. Eragon says no. He is completely right, as the closest Brom come to an explanation was this: “If you are strong enough, you can use brisingr to direct fire to do whatever you will.” He said you need to use the ancient language for magic, but not how magic can be used in the first place.

 

Brom then launches into an actual explanation. To use magic, one needs to have “a certain innate power”, which is “very rare among people nowadays”. One also needs to be able to summon the power “at will”. Once it is called up, one has to use it or release it. To actually use this power, one must “utter the word or phrase of the ancient language describes [one’s] intent”. For example, if Eragon had not said “brisingr” yesterday, “nothing would have happened”. Well, that is a very nice explanation!

 

I do have some problems with it, though only with the content rather than with the form. My first complaint is about Brom’s assertion that this power is “very rare among people nowadays”. I highly doubt that is the case, given the rather large amount of mages we will see, who I am quite sure are only a fraction of the potential mages, sincee there is no formal training of any kind.

 

Further, I just do not see how the number of potential mages would have declined very much from the days of the Riders. Yes, it might be because there are less dragons… but we do not see any other effects of this, so I doubt that is it. It just comes across to me like Brom lets nostalgia distort his vision.

 

The second concerns his last assertion: “if you hadn’t said brisingr yesterday, nothing would have happened”. That does not exactly fit with how Eragon described it, for one, as he said he “had to release [the magic], or it would consume him”. I do not doubt that something would have happened even if he had not said “brisingr”.

 

Taking the rest of the series into account… Brom’s teacher will even tell us that wordless magic is a thing, and we will see it used several times, so this is unfortunately nonsense. I understand why Brom says this, since this was something only taught to older Riders and he did not get all the way through his training. Still, I am somewhat irked that Brom apparently does not bother to think about how Eragon precisely used magic and its implications.

 

Eragon deduces that he is “limited by the knowledge of his language”, which Brom confirms. No, he clearly is not. Eragon could use “brisingr” to make an Urgal’s head disappear, so why can he not use “brisingr” for more unrelated things? This genuinely prevents Eragon from using his magic in ways outside of the traditional, too. I cannot blame Brom for it, but I still find it quite irritating.

 

Brom also “crow[s]” that Eragon is right (nice to see him be happy about something Eragon does). He says that it is “impossible to practice deceit” while speaking the ancient language. Eragon shakes his head and rightly says that it cannot be, since people “always lie”. He says that “[t]he sounds of the ancient words” cannot prevent them. Well, of course not. Did you truly think that this prohibition would be bound to sounds rather than to a language?

 

HISC: Oh, in the self-published edition, Brom says that there are so many words in the ancient language, “since it gives the true names of everything”, that most Riders “composed their own personal repertoires”. Were there no centralised dictionaires, then? Also, it simply cannot give the true names of “everything”, since it is a natural language. Would it have a true name for “black hole”, for example?

 

Kerlois: It certainly cannot, and Inheritance even confirms this. Well, Brom now “cock[s] an eyebrow” at what Eragon said and goes to demonstrate what he said. He says: “Fethrblaka, eka weohnata néiat haina ono. Blaka eom iet lam.” Ah, lovely, pieces of the ancient language without in-text translation! Let me show what he says: “Bird, I will not harm you. Flap to my hand.” I think that would have been better translated as “Fly to my hand”.

 

PPP: 801

 

It is also good to see that Brom has fluently used the ancient language in front of Eragon. I thought he wanted to disguise himself from Eragon? I think doing this indicates that he is quite a bit more than he professes to be, and yet Eragon does not react to this in any way (as Oblakom pointed out).

 

At this, a bird flits from a branch and lands on Brom’s hand. They “trill[] lightly” and “look[] at them with beady eyes”. Brom then says “Eitha” (which apparently means “Go”) and they flutter away again.

 

I do like that there is no description of this bird at all. They are clearly a small songbird of some kind and have “beady eyes”, but I think Eragon should be able to allow us to visualise this bird. After all, he can clearly see them.

 

Forgot the Narrator: 46

 

Eragon asks how Brom did this. Brom says he “promised not to harm him”. This is why it might have been nice to have a description of the bird: it would make clear that Brom is right in his assessment and that he is not just assuming the bird is male. Also, Brom did not promise not to harm the bird, he also told them to come to his hand, which is why they did. You are being untruthful once again, Brom.

 

He says the bird may not have known exactly what his meant, but his meaning was evident “in the language of power”. The bird trusted him “because he knows what all animals do”: those who use that language “are bound by their word”. So “all animals” can understand the ancient language? That seems like something that would have been worth mentioning earlier!

 

Eragon then asks if the elves speak the ancient language. Brom says yes, so Eragon asks if they never lie. Well, that is the logical conclusion from what Brom said. Brom admits that that is not quite the case. Then why did you say it was earlier? Is it so hard not to be untruthful?

 

He says the elves maintain that they do not, and “in a way it’s true”, but they “have perfected the art of saying one thing and meaning another”. …That is “practicing deceit”, I would think. Also, are the elves not correct in saying they do not lie, then? “Saying one thing and meaning another” is deceit, certainly, but it is not lying. He further says that you never know what their intent is, or if you have guessed it correctly. Often they reveal only part of the truth, and it takes a “refined and subtle mind” to deal with the culture. I would think a decent dose of cunning might get you quite far, too, though that might not be as socially acceptable. (Also, I think the complexity of the elven culture is a bit overblown here.)

 

Eragon thinks this over, and then asks what “personal names” mean, and if they give power over people. Well thought, Eragon! Brom approves too and says that they do. Those who speak the language have “two names”. The first of them is their common name and has “little authority”. The second is their “true name”, which is only shared with “a few trusted people”. He says that there was a time when “no one concealed his true name”, but this age is not as kind.

 

No-Wave Feminism: 65 (for more generic “he”)

 

Do you truly believe yourself, Brom? Do you actually think there was an age where everyone gave the names by which they could be controlled to everyone and that everyone wanted to do this? This would never have happened!

 

He further explains that whoever knows your true name has “enormous power over you”, and he compares it to putting your life in someone’s hands. Then true names are something to be quite careful with, are they not? He finally says that everyone has a “hidden name”, but few know what it is. (That makes sense, at least.)

 

Eragon asks how one finds one’s true name. Brom says that elves “instinctively know theirs” and no one else has that gift. Well, then it is a pity that Arya will eventually describe how she found hers! I will take her first-hand account of it over anything Brom says at any time. (Also, the new & improved edition of Inheritance has a section debunking this specific claim.)

 

I genuinely wonder how he comes up with such utter nonsense so consistently. Maybe it is because he deems everything he has heard during his Rider training “sacred” and he does not subject it to critical thought? That might be it…

 

He further says that human Riders “usually went on quests to discover it”, or they found an elf to tell them, which was apparently rare, “for elves don’t distribute that knowledge freely”. Or it might be that the elves have trouble guessing the true names of people they do not know very well? I do not see why the elves would not give people the knowledge of their own true names, after all. I can see that they might decline such a request, but… The main reason for an elf to know the true name of a human Rider would be if they were asked to find it out, and then they would decline to give it after being asked to? This just makes no sense.

 

Zooming out somewhat, Brom has notably not answered Eragon’s question very well. Yes, the elves are supposed to “know it instinctively” (nope) and the human Riders could ask an elf, but what about those who were not Riders? Moreover, what did those “quests” entail? That is a quite relevant question, since that is presumably how Eragon would go about discovering his own true name!

 

HISC: The self-published edition has some extended material here. Eragon wonders what his “real name” is (that would be “Eragon”, would it not? That is what you call yourself at least) and thinks it might be “heroic or noble”. He thinks it probably is not (since you are neither of these things), but he would like it to be honourable.

 

Saphira suddenly breaks in, telling him not to deceive himself, since a “noble name” might just be the worst thing anyone could have. Then it is good that Eragon explicitly did not think he would have a noble name. How is Eragon “deceiving himself”, then? She thinks it would mean someone with such a name “could never indulge in many pleasure of the world without guilt”. That is not what being “noble” means, Saphira, but alright then.

 

She further says that, since his “common name is one as great as Eragon”, his true name must be very great indeed. These two things have literally nothing to do with each other! Either way, Eragon is “sobered” by this.

 

Kerlois: I am quite glad I do not have to deal with that stuff. Eragon now says “wistfully” that he would like to know his. (I think this works much better when Saphira has not just said all of that.) Well, it certainly cannot hurt to try to find it!

 

Brom frowns at this, and tells him to be careful, because it can be a “terrible knowledge”. Knowing who you are “without delusions or sympathy” is a “moment of revelation that no one experiences unscathed”. Some have become ““mad”” because of “that stark reality” and most try to forget it. However, as much as others can give others power, it also gives power over yourself, “if the truth doesn’t break you”. Then I would think it would be a worthwhile goal to pursue.

 

Then we get this:

 

And I’m sure that it would not, stated Saphira.

 

Um, where is Saphira? I assumed she was flying quite a bit away, out of range of Eragon’s mental contact, but she can apparently listen in on their discussion and talk to them? Also, why does she only bother to say something here, of all places? By the way, this is her only dialogue in the chapter in the Knopf edition. (To quote Tris on chapter 15, which has the same situation: “So much for curious, intelligent, and strong-minded.”)

 

Eragon says he still wants to know.

 

HISC: In the self-published edition, he also sends this thought to Saphira.

 

Kerlois: Brom says that Eragon is “not easily dissuaded” and that is good, because “only the resolute find their identity”. (If I could, I would be rolling my eyes at how overblown he sounds here.) He cannot help Eragon with this, however, as it is a “search that [Eragon] will have to undertake on [his] own”. …You could at least give him pointers on how to start, as he literally does not know how to do so.

 

Either way, I think I would do well to cut here. Until next time, when Eragon will actually use magic again!