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- “Big Twenty” – Important Small Characters
Written by Mike Macauley at October 19, 2011 — 118 Comments
Many of our past Big Twenty articles have explored the largest theories in the Inheritance cycle, ranging from the true purpose of the Vault of Souls to exploring potential candidates for the next leaders of Alagaesia. However, we haven’t explored smaller characters or theories which may have substantial impacts on Book 4…
Such as the series’ more minor characters who we believe will play a substantial role in Book 4. These characters have been hiding in plain sight, addressed by Christopher either in passing or as a “third tier” character. At first glance, the reader expects very little from them; they are plot devices, scenery, nothing more. But is that all? We’ve collected a list of eight characters which have stood out to us – these are people we truly feel are hiding something. They are incredibly important to pay attention to, and we’re going to explore them, theories surrounding them, and their hidden purpose in the cycle. And who knows, maybe we’ll uncover the Green Rider… We explore this and more in this week’s Big Twenty article!
Bladesinger and Wolf Eyes
The inclusion of these two mysterious, battle-hardened women in Brisingr was no coincidence or passing encounter. No, these two women will play a significant role in the future… though we’re sure it won’t be in Book 4.
Christopher has said in interviews that he has set the groundwork for a potential Book 5 in past books. The inclusion of these two characters, who we instantly learn are of importance as they have their fortunes read by Angela, are spoken to by Solembum, and are blessed by Eragon and Saphira. Angela stressed how few people she has read the fortunes of, and we know that Eragon and Saphira are naturally hesitant on bestowing blessings upon people (especially after the Elva disaster). These signs and more point to the women’s importance.
They are nameless. Their past is shrouded in mystery, their scars seemingly telling a tale of a rough life before the Brisingr encounter. They appear to be on a quest, whether of vengeance or something more. These are two individuals who appear to have a goal, and we’re willing to bet that they will stop at nothing to get there –either in Book 4 or beyond.
Tenga
Like Bladesinger and Wolfeyes, Tenga’s inclusion in Brisingr was not “filler content”. Tenga will directly or indirectly play a role in Book 4 – and we’re willing to bet it will center around the ancient language and his search for the “answer”, much as we believe Galbatorix’s search of the “answer” will be important. Tenga showed that he is proficient enough with the ancient language to confidently use magic without speaking the binding words out loud even for mundane tasks. We saw his extremely unusual and large collection of books featuring true names of various people, places, and things in Alagaesia.
Most importantly, we’ve learned that the character had a substantial connection to Angela in years past. We know through interviews with Christopher that Angela is destined to play a large role in Book 4, and we’re willing to bet that at some point during this “large role”, Tenga (or Tenga’s knowledge) will come into play.
We touched on the Tenga character in depth in a past Big Twenty article and highly recommend reading it for a closer look at the character, including what we can expect from him in Book 4.
The elven children, Alanna and Dusan
Theories surrounding the two elven children, Alanna and Dusan, are among our favorite Inheritance theories. We have learned from the books that elven children possess power beyond that of even the strongest elves. We then meet two elven children – and not only do we meet them, but we encounter them more than once, learn their names, and see them alongside Maud the werecat. Curious!
Why would Christopher bother naming these children if they were simply “scenery characters”? Why would a werecat, notoriously fickle for only accompanying those they deem interesting or worthy, be accompanying the two elven children?
We think their immense powers will come into play in Book 4, either in battle or something greater – as a Rider of the green dragon. These are two characters you do not want to forget; it’s almost certain that we’ll see them in a great capacity in Book 4.
Maud the Werecat
Eragon and Saphira first encountered Maud, the aging werecat companion to the elven queen Islanzadi, during their first visit to Ellesmera to train with Oromis and Glaedr. We instantly realized that Maud was no ordinary werecat; her “other names”, The Watcher, Quickpaw, and The Dream Dancer, seem to imply a new level of importance and depth to the mysterious character.
Why is this werecat allowed to accompany one of the most powerful women in the world? How does she know Solembum? Her connection to Solembum should alert fans to potential related storylines between the pair in Book 4, as Solembum has played an important role in Eragon and Saphira’s journey thus far – and we believe he will continue to play an important role throughout the events in Book 4 (especially with Angela playing a “large role”).
Birgit
Birgit has been one of the few Carvahall villagers at the forefront of the Palancar Pirate movement. Her promise to Roran to avenge the death of her husband, which she has blamed on Roran, has lingered at the back of Roran’s mind since departing Carvahall.
Birgit has proven herself to be a competent and driven warrior. We know that her promise to avenge her husband’s death will come to play in Book 4 – but what revenge will she attempt to exact? If she’s hoping to take Roran’s life, it’s likely that there will be an important showdown between the two characters which will result in one having to kill the other. We’re on Roran’s side, of course, and hope that Birgit’s revenge does not involve death.
All we can say for certain is that Birgit and her promise will be important in Book 4.
Jeod
Many would argue that Jeod has already played a large role in the series, which means that he wouldn’t qualify as an “important small character” – but we will argue that while he contributed to several significant events in Alagaesia, he has still been a minor character in the story itself.
Jeod’s experience discovering the hidden entrance to Uru’baen, enabling the Varden to recover Saphira’s egg, may prove to be important when it comes time for the final assault on Uru’baen and Galbatorix. Should the Varden decide to send a small “tactical” force into the city, Jeod would be a fantastic contender to design the entry plan or accompany the group. Additionally, his knowledge of Empire workings from his time running a large and successful trade business within Galbatorix’s territory may provide more “insider” knowledge to the Varden.
Jeod may be aging, but we aren’t willing to count him out just yet. We think this character will play an important role in the final book.
Vanir
Vanir’s arrogance and inflated ego skyrocketed the young elf to fame (both good and bad) within the Inheritance community following his debut in Eldest as Eragon’s obnoxious sparring trainer. Eragon sparred with Vanir a plethora of times throughout Eldest before he was able to beat the elf, but this did not happen until Eragon’s body was repaired and transformed by the Blood-Oath Celebration.
Vanir’s sparring defeat helped the elf see Eragon in a new light, finally admitting that Eragon is a worthy contender to lead the new generation of Dragon Riders and to be a face of the movement against Galbatorix. Eragon won Vanir’s loyalty, and in the end, his blade – and this may prove pivotal in the final battle, as Eragon and Saphira will need all of the skill in both physical and magic combat that they can muster. Vanir’s new-found respect for Eragon may drive him to fight alongside the Rider during the showdown against Galbatorix.
Man who can see light
We aren’t sure what to make of this character, but we think his inclusion in Brisingr was for more than what we saw at first glance. This character lost his eyesight but gained an incredible and rare ability: the power to see the “light”, or life force, within all living beings. It was his new power which initially tipped Eragon off to Murtagh’s hidden Eldunari… and we believe his new power will extend beyond what we saw.
Imagine the possibilities: this man is able to see the life force within any living thing, enabling him to track down certain objects – Eldunari – which will be important to the Varden and Eragon. He will be able to sense, at all times, who is marching to battle with Eldunari, where they are being hidden, and how to recover the lost. His abilities may have powers beyond this as well, as when we encountered the character in Brisingr, he was only just beginning to learn to use and understand his new ability. What more can he contribute to Eragon, Saphira, and the Varden? We’re not entirely sure, but we’re willing to bet we’ll be seeing him again.
Jörmundur
Jörmundur has faithfully served the Varden for over a decade as the top-ranking military advisor to Ajihad, and his successor, Nasuada. His battle prowess and expansive knowledge of the Empire’s war tactics has enabled him to successfully lead the Varden’s war efforts.
Despite knowing this character’s importance, we’ve never seen it firsthand. The war against Galbatorix is ramping up and is nearing the final battle… and it’s likely here that we will see Jörmundur’s abilities truly shine. We also think he’s a major contender for “horribly sad Inheritance death” – but we’ll see!
It’s important to note that these thoughts are solely the opinion of the Shur’tugal staff – they are not fact. As always, we’re open to your theories and want to hear them in the comment section!
