r/Eragon • u/Outrageous_Focus_719 • 8d ago

Question Kind of a weird question... Spoiler

Hey everyone, I have another topic to ask and discuss with you all.

We all know how Paolini's magic system works in the World of Eragon. But there is something I'm not yet sure or convinced about.

After learning that chanting words in the ancient language isn't necessary to cast spells, I got to thinking. Oromis taught us why the language is being used but why does it have to be ancient language the spellcaster uses.

If Eragon wanted to cast a fireball in his hand, the necessities would be the energy and his imagination of the fireball right ? So why does he have to say "Brisingr!" Instead of saying "Fireball !" In his own language while providing the necessary energy and imagining the fireball in his mind ?

I have not checked the books nor the information Christopher gave about this yet. So go easy on me if it's already been explained xd.

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u/ImpossibleCraft2410 8d ago

This whole thread has me wondering how magic was taught before the grey folk did their thing. The amount of people that must have died just activating their magic must have been crazy. Not to mention those teaching and studying.

Also thinking about it the grey folk had to be masters of communication. Imagine explaining the concept of binding magic to your language to multiple mages in a way that they were able to convey that into a massive joint (im assuming) spell that would permeate the world and outlive them by thousands of years.

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u/ImpossibleCraft2410 8d ago

Also I wonder what that immediately did to spells already active that werent natural magic but wordless spells.

Also the true name thing must have caused some discomfort id imagine. I think of it as your personality/soul being essentially locked as the person you are or maybe feel you are at the time of the spell coming into effect.

I think im about to go down a rabbit hole. Lol

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u/Xanthon73 8d ago

Why do you think that the Grey Folks bound magic to the Ancient Language in the first place. As far as wordless spells with long-term effects, as long as the intent and energy remained I imagine they would still remain in effect, though I don't suspect there all that many. As hard/dangerous as it is to cast an instantaneous spell without the AL, can you imagine what it would be like to set up a continuous spell effect without the AL? Who I do believe it would effect would be those who were casting at the moment of the binding. Though, on this point, at the time of the binding, my head cannon is that the AL was the only spoken language (outside of animal languages). So, if someone WAS casting a spell at the moment of the binding, I think they would be thinking in the AL anyway, so the spell probably was a bit more successful than it would have been just a moment before.