The world of Alagaësia is shrouded in mystery and wonder. When burning questions are answered, at least two more are asked. While readers will have to wait for future books to unearth many of the answers, Christopher was kind enough to address some of the Inheritance community’s frequently asked questions below.
Questions about Angela…
Angela the herbalist was inspired by my sister, Angela. She knows the Latin names of all our local plants and actually had a humorous argument with her uncle about whether toads are really frogs. She is a wonderful and fascinating person, full of wit and wisdom, and a good sport about having a character named after her.
And what is Angela’s true name? Now do you really think she would reveal something like that to me, the author? No, that is a secret she’s going to keep for a while longer.
How old is Angela? Well, Eragon might ask her how old she is, but what she would answer nobody knows. Besides, it’s not polite to ask a woman her age . . . especially when she has the ability to turn you into a toad!
Angela’s sword, Tinkledeath, is made from enchanted diamond. It can store energy, as can all jewels.
What did the Menoa Tree take from Eragon?
The Menoa tree did take something from Eragon, but I can’t say what without spoiling my next book set within Alagaësia.
What is Eragon’s true name? What is the true name for the Ancient Language?
In regard to Eragon’s true name, I chose not to reveal it because those words are words of magic. I felt that giving them to readers would spoil some of the mystery and power they hold. You could say the whole Inheritance Cycle encompasses Eragon’s true name. But its short form is a secret between Eragon, Saphira, Glaedr, and Arya.
As for the name of the Ancient Language . . . that, too, is a secret.
What happened to Glaedr’s body?
After Glaedr’s body was killed by Thorn, the elves recovered his flesh and bones, along with the body of Oromis. They buried them close to Gil’ead and sang a stand of oak trees into existence over their bodies. I was going to write this scene in Inheritance, but the book was getting too long, so my editor decided that I shouldn’t include it.
Following the death of Glaedr’s body, his consciousness chose to live on in his Eldunarí. He still possesses all the wisdom and powers, mental and magical, that he had before his transformation.
Have you written any alternative endings to Inheritance, or did you know from the start where it would end?
I’ve always known where the cycle would end. In fact, if you go back and reread Eragon, you’ll see that the character of Eragon actually has a premonition/dream of the last scene of the series, when he’s recovering after having dragged Garrow to Carvahall. I did change the fates of a few of the main characters, but the last scenes have remained the same.
Explain your thoughts about the ending of Inheritance.
I wrote the ending that I felt was appropriate for the world and the characters. To do anything else would have fractured the internal logic of the series. If I had forced Eragon and Arya together, it would have fulfilled Eragon’s hopes but broken Arya’s character. What you have keep in mind is that even though Inheritance is the end of this series, it is not the end of the world of Alagaësia; Eragon and Arya’s story will continue. They are going to live for a very long time, and their relationship is far from over.
Where I would live in Alagaesia.
If I lived in Alagaësia, I would live in Tronjheim or one of the other dwarf cities. I would carry a big ax, have a long beard, wear an iron cap, and sing dwarf opera (very badly).
Will there be another Eragon film?
I’m still waiting to see what’s going to happen. You can be sure that I’ll let my fans know, if and when I have news!
What are you working on now?
Over the past ten years I’ve thought of a whole bunch of stories that I would like to write, stories in different genres and for different media. I’m currently working on a science fiction novel.
Will you visit my local bookstore or school?
I am currently focusing on writing new stories. Future events will be announced on my website.
How can I contact you?
I don’t correspond with fans online, but you can write to me in care of my publisher, and I’ll do my best to get back to you. You can find this address, along with guidelines, here.
Fans looking for more questions and answers with Christopher may be interested in visiting our Frequently Asked Questions page. Christopher can be found on his official Facebook and Twitter pages, where he often shares interesting information and interacts with readers.
