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This article is mentioned in Inheritance.
This article contains spoilers from Inheritance.
This article is mentioned in Brisingr.
This article is mentioned in Eldest.
This article is mentioned in Eragon.

Vrael was the last leader of the Dragon Riders prior to their fall. His dragon's name was Umaroth.


Biography[]

Vrael was most likely born in Ellesméra, long before any human settler set foot in Alagaësia. It is known that he dwelt in the tree house close to the Crags of Tel'naeír, a house that would one day belong to Oromis, as well as in the tree house where Eragon dwelt during his training. During the Dragon War, Vrael tried and failed to save the wild dragon population from death at the hands of the Forsworn. Vrael dueled with Galbatorix before the gates of Doru Araeba, besting the junior Rider in combat, but Vrael hesitated to kill him. Galbatorix seized the opportunity and wounded Vrael in the side. Vrael fled to Utgard Mountain to rest and regain his strength, but Galbatorix did not let his advantage slip and followed him. They met once more, but as Vrael attempted to fight, Galbatorix kicked him "in the fork of his legs," before hacking off the head of the elder Rider. Galbatorix then declared himself king, following the desposition of Angrenost, the true king of Broddring. However, from that day on, Utgard Mountain ceased to be "Edoc'sil" (unconquerable). It would afterwards be known as Ristvak'baen, the place of sorrow.

Powers[]

As the Leader of the Riders, Vrael was the most powerful of the elite order. Brom described him as "ancient and wise" adding that only Vrael could resist the Forsworn and their dark magic. Vrael was an extraordinarily gifted swordsman with amazing speed and strength. According to the old storyteller, he alone was able to defeat Galbatorix and the young Rider would not have been victorious had Vrael been less hesitant and killed Galbatorix when he had the chance.

Vrael's white Dragon was named Umaroth. His sword, Islingr ("Light-Bringer") was also white. After killing both Vrael and Umaroth in Vroengard, Galbatorix stole his sword and claimed it for his own, renaming it Vrangr ("awry"). However Galbatorix was unable to obtain Umaroth's Eldunarí.

Race[]

Until recently, there hadn't been a definite reference to Vrael's race. It was most commonly believed that he was an elf, given his amazing prowess and hints indicating that he was among the oldest of the Riders (at the time of the Fall, human Riders hadn't existed for long enough for there to be a human Rider older than 1000 years). Some, however, argued that Vrael could have been a human who, over many centuries of bonding with his dragon, gained the speed and strength of an elf. In an interview in 2009, Paolini stated that Vrael was in fact an elf.[1]

Real-universe connections[]

Comparison with "Star Wars"[]

  • Like many other characters in the Inheritance Cycle, Vrael strongly parallels a character from the Star Wars Saga. Vrael can be compared to Jedi Master Mace Windu. Both were high-ranking members of their respective peace-keeping warrior orders (Vrael among the Dragon Riders, Windu among the Jedi). Both were also well known for being powerful and possibly the greatest swordsmen within their respective orders. Both also dueled with the main villains of their respective stories (Galbatorix and Palpatine) during the rise to domination of the villains. Vrael and Windu managed to best them in sword combat, but foul play by their enemies led to the deaths of both.

References[]

Preceded By Position Succeeded By
Anurin Head of the Dragon Riders <nowiki>Eragon
Preceded By Position Succeeded By
Dragon riders (as holder of Umaroth's egg) Rider of Umaroth Eragon as holder of Umaroth's Eldunarí
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