Do not expect us to welcome your presence.— Vanir
Vanir was a young, yet powerful elf warrior and magician who lived in Ellesméra.
Biography[]
He was the sparring partner of Eragon when Oromis declared that he would practice swordmanship with another elf for the duration of his studies. Vanir showed Eragon no mercy when sparring with him and treated Eragon with contempt. He even went so far as to say that Saphira chose the wrong person as her Rider (which also angered Saphira).[1] Enraged, Eragon attacked Vanir so viciously with Zar'roc that he barely had time to block the blow. However, as Eragon gained the upper hand, he suffered a bout with the scar on his back and passed out.
After losing yet again in his sword fighting with Vanir, Eragon attacked him with magic by hurling him through the air and binding his mouth shut. Vanir suddenly shot Eragon back ten feet in the opposite direction. That broke Eragon's concentration and released the spell. Vanir told Eragon he knew nothing of true magic.
During the Blood-Oath Celebration, however, the dragons gave Eragon the gift of elvish strength, speed, as well as appearance and also healed the scar on his back. The next morning, when Eragon drew Zar'roc he misjudged his new strength and accidentally threw the sword so that it flew from his hand and imbedded itself in a tree: Vanir tried to pry it out, but was surprised by how deep it had gone in. In the subsequent practice duel, Eragon was able to defeat Vanir, even breaking his arm in the process. Vanir then humbled himself and apologized for his behavior, saying that Eragon was clearly the worthy of being a Rider. He even refused to let Eragon heal the broken arm he had received, so that he could show it to all as a testament that he crossed swords with Eragon Shadeslayer.
Vanir was assumed to have fought in the Elven army since they had left Du Weldenvarden. Later, in a letter from Arya to Eragon that - with her appointment as queen - Vanir was appointed to her former position as ambassador between the elves and the human, mentioning that Vanir expressed his desire to understand the different cultures in Alagaesia. Finding no reason to deny him, Vanir's request was approved.
At Some point after Inheritance The Witch Child Elva made Vanir cry infront of the Urgals.
Personal information[]
Physical appearance[]
Vanir was a solemn, young, black-haired elf.
Powers[]
Vanir was a young yet powerful elf warrior and magician. He had the enhanced physical abilities of an elf, this coupled with his already adept swordsmanship skill allowed him to repeatedly best Eragon with ease during their sparring sessions (before Eragon's transformation after the Blood-Oath Celebration).
He was also shown to be skilled in non-verbal spells, shown when he used a Jierda strike or an air bomb to shoot Eragon ten feet away to break Eragon's concentration and free himself from Eragon's restraining spell without uttering a spell himself.
Even after Eragon's transformation at the Blood-Oath Celebration enabled him to keep up with Vanir, Eragon still had a hard time defeating Vanir, admitting (in his thoughts) that Vanir was still a formidable opponent. After Eragon broke Vanir's right arm after their last sparring session and asked if they could continue sparring the next day, Vanir stated it wouldn't be a problem as he claimed to be ambidextrous.
Mythological connections[]
In Norse mythology, the Vanir were the leaders of the elves and rivals to the Aesir deities.
The "Vanir" are also a type of human in Robert E. Howard's "Conan" stories. These "Vanir" were long engaged in violent conflict with the "human race" that Conan was born of, the "Cimmerians".
References[]
- ↑ Eldest, p.396
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