Saphira
From The Inheritance Encyclopedia
 | |
| About the Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Saphira |
| Race: | Dragon |
| Age: | A little over a year old |
| Loyalty: | The Varden, and The Elves |
| Actor:
Saphira's voice was provided by Rachel Weisz. | |
Saphira is Eragon's Dragon. She is noble and dignified, with beautiful, and glimmering sapphire blue scales. She is a formidable foe, and possesses enormous strength, as well as magic, which she cannot fully control, nor understand.
| Warning: This page or section is a spoiler. Information following this warning has been revealed about upcoming Inheritance information. |
Contents |
Overview
Saphira's wisdom is far greater than anticipated, and whose cunning mind is developing marginally faster than that of her chosen rider, Eragon. Saphira, together with Eragon, is one of the main characters. She is one of the last of her kind. Her mentor, Glaedr, compliments her on her agility - a natural flyer - and thus perfectly suited for air combat.
Saphira is a female dragon, with scales of sapphire blue – the same color as her egg. Fingers of bone extend from the front edge of her wings, forming a line of widely spaced talons. Her head is roughly triangular, and two diminuitive white fangs curve out of her upper jaw; they are extremely sharp and perfect for devouring Urgals, beasts, and men alike. A line of spikes runs down Saphira’s spine from the base of the head to the tip of her tail. Her claws are white like polished ivory, and a hollow where her neck and shoulders join creates a larger-than-normal gap between the spikes.
Just like every other rider and dragon, Saphira is intimately linked with Eragon. By choosing him, and hatching for him, she created an everlasting bond between their souls. The connection is deeper than any other, and is still widely unexplained and mysterious. Saphira can control the conscious flow of thoughts in the link between herself and Eragon, thereby allowing her to communicate with him at great distances. However, their association is stronger, stretching to the limitless corners of the unconscious, and allowing the two to feel each other’s pain, read each other’s thoughts, combine into one, and most of all, their relationship transfers characteristics from one’s race onto the other; for example, Eragon is given a very long life, while Saphira acquires speech.
Despite Saphira’s regal nature, she remains playful, and at times childish. However, she is charged by an enormous responsibility, and a great weight was put upon her wings the moment she hatched. Not only is she, along with Eragon, Alagaesia’s last hope for freedom, but she is also the only female of the last five remaining dragons. Therefore, it is up to Saphira to continue the dragon race, for if she perishes, so will her species. This, along with Glaedr’s rejection of her playful hints, makes Saphira feel like the most forlorn creature in Alagaesia. Though Eragon is always with her, she cannot help herself feeling jealous when women like Trianna approach the youth; accordingly, a feeling of desperation is constantly gnawing at her consciousness, making her think that she will either have to associate with the enemy, or be lonely for the rest of eternity. She hates those who serve Galbatorix and will scream at them, saying things like, "Murderers, Betrayers, etc."
Early Life
In her early life Saphira was one of the last three remaining dragon eggs in Alagaesia. She was kept hidden by Galbatorix, until Brom, with the help of the merchant sailor Jeod, stole her from the captivity of the evil king, and delivered her to the Varden. From there on she was constantly ferried back and forth between the Varden and the elves in hope that she will hatch for the first Dragon Rider in over a century, who will finally have the power to defy the tyrant, and free Alagaesia. During a trip from Ellesmera to Farthen Dur, a company of elves – Arya, who was Saphira’s egg keeper, and her two guards - were ambushed in the great forest by the wicked Shade Durza. With a valiant effort Arya managed to save Saphira’s egg from being re-captured, by transporting it to the Spine, in a close proximity of the non-suspecting Eragon, who thought the egg was a lucky find. At this point it did not take long for Saphira to hatch and come into the world as eager as anyone to prove herself.
Heritage
Little is known about Saphira’s family at this point, however we do know that her mother,Vervada, was one of the wild dragons, while her father,Iormungr, was the dragon of a Rider. Vervada laid many eggs; however, only one was given to the Riders: Saphira. Both of Saphira's parents were killed by the Forsworn. Also, her name was inspired by Brom, whose own Dragon was called Saphira. She was killed by the Forsworn in the fighting at Dorú Areaba – Vroengard’s City – and thus Brom’s lust for revenge began. This also explains his sentimentality when referring to Saphira.
Eragon
Fleeing Carvahall
After only a few months of being into the world, Saphira was faced with her first great challenge. She had evaded the Ra'zac successfully, and saved her rider, at the cost of his uncle, and home. Now, with nothing left for them in Carvahall, and with the empire’s probable knowledge of their existence, Saphira and Eragon decided it was best to flee the small village in pursuit of revenge. For Saphira it was a turning point, and was certainly the most important thing so far, in her life, amidst learning how to speak and fly. It was the departure from Carvahall that brought Eragon and Saphira closer than ever, and with the help of the storyteller Brom, they began their training as a rider and dragon, while learning valuable moral lessons on the way, and preparing themselves to face the empire.
Meeting Saphira
Saphira first appears in Eragon as a mysterious blue stone, which Eragon attempts to sell, but to no avail. Eragon takes the stone to Merlock of the Traders to find out how much it's worth. However, Merlock is completely confused as to what the stone might be. After many tests, he proclaims that the stone is hollow, and says that there might be some people who would be interested in such a thing, but Eragon would have to travel to find them.
Eragon takes the stone and puts it out of his mind, until it starts squeaking one night. A little annoyed that the stone kept him awake through the night, Eragon takes it out and is astounded to see the stone crack. It turns out that the stone is not a stone at all, but a dragon egg. Saphira hatches, and Eragon is branded as a Dragon Rider the minute he touches her, the gedwey ignasia forming on his palm.
Eragon takes Saphira to a hidden location to raise her, after deciding that it would be the best thing to do. However, he still has no idea about dragons, so he goes to Brom the storyteller for information. Brom tells him a great deal of things, as well as the fact that dragons can grow to be bigger than a house. This alarms Eragon, for he has no idea how he will be able to conceal Saphira when she grows larger. Brom also gives him a list of names for a dragon, which Eragon later tells his dragon, and the only name that sounds right that the dragon agrees to is Saphira.
The Ra'zac
All is going well until the arrival of the Ra'zac, the egg-hunters of Galbatorix. Eragon is warned of this by Horst the blacksmith, and once he alerts Saphira, Saphira takes him to the Spine where he first found her egg. Eragon is very unwilling at this sudden decision of Saphira's, but he has no choice. He stays there overnight, and finally convinces Saphira to go back the next day to rescue Garrow. They are too late though, for the farm is already in flames. With the help of Saphira, Eragon detaches Garrow from the rubble and brings him to the main town, where he falls unconcious from lost strength and fatigue.
He awakes in Gertrude the healer's house, where he is told that Garrow is staying at Horst's house. He quickly goes over there, only to find that Garrow is in bad condition. He dies that night.
Angered, Eragon decides to pursue and track down the Ra'zac with the help of Saphira. Unfortunately, he is discovered by Brom, who says that he would like nothing better than to travel with Eragon and Saphira. Eragon agrees, though not willingly. Thus Eragon and Saphira leave Carvahall.
Traveling
Saphira travels with Eragon throughout Eragon as his dragon, his companion, his friend, and his ally. Eragon and Saphira develop a strong mental bond that is unbreakable. When Eragon discovers his magical ability, Saphira is there to help him master the spells that Brom teaches him. Saphira and Eragon have their first real flight together as well, where their bond develops even more as Eragon sees the joy that Saphira has in flying. When Brom dies, Saphira is there to convey his tomb into diamond, preserving the face of the storyteller and old Dragon Rider forever. When Eragon gets captured and is put in Gil'ead, Saphira, with the help of Murtagh, free him. Many things that Eragon does during his travels throughout Alagaesia would not be possible without the help of Saphira, his dragon.
Farthen Dur
Saphira and Eragon arrive at Farthen Dur, the location of the Varden and the dwarves. Not long after their arrival though, the Varden is threatened by a great host of Urgals approaching from the west. Eragon and Saphira are vital in the battle that follows. They slay many Urgals and prevent the Varden from harm, until Eragon discovers the leader of the band of Urgals - the Shade, Durza. An intense fight follows, and Durza slices open Eragon's back. Eragon would have failed then if not for the help of Saphira and Arya. Together, they broke the Isidar Mithrim (the Star Sapphire), distracting Durza and allowing Eragon to defeat him.
Battle of Tronjheim
With the road to the Varden seeped with danger, and the empire on their feet, Saphira and Eragon found themselves extremely lucky to reach their allies unscathed. However, another battle awaited them shortly after their cozy welcome. The Battle of Tronjheim was marked by several major events, the most notable of which, to Saphira, is her learning how to breathe fire. At the cost of the dwarves’ beloved star sapphire, Saphira managed to save Eragon, and give him the time he needed to deal the death blow to Durza. While breathing fire is a common trademark for all dragons, it was important for Saphira not only for the fact that it came at the right moment, but also for the fact that she now felt, and was, a full-fledge dragon. Breathing fire not only made Saphira stronger, but it also increased her resilience, and allowed her to establish her place among creatures as a potent enemy. Her pride renowned, her spirits greatly alleviated by the fact, and her skills upgraded, she was now ready to join the elves, and begin her proper training.
Eldest
Through out Eldest, unlike some parts of Eragon, Saphira remains constantly at her rider’s side(excluding the times that she is training with Glaedr). The mental bond between her and Eragon grows stronger as they are faced with a number of grueling challenges, and inner struggles, which force them to explore complex ethical, societal, and personal values.
Going to Ellesmera
Saphira and Eragon leave Farthen Dur to travel to Ellesmera to complete their training. While travelling, Saphira accompanies her Rider very much. At Tarnag, Silthrim, Ceris, or even at Ellesmera, she rarely leaves his side, mostly because of his injury, given to him by Durza.
The Elven Capital
At Ellesmera, Saphira and Eragon discover the existence of another Rider - Oromis and his dragon Glaedr. It is with them that they will complete their training as a Dragon Rider. Saphira mainly trains with Glaedr, learning many new aerial combat skills, as well as breathing fire for an extended period. A tragedy falls however, when Saphira tries to woo Glaedr and takes it a notch too far. Ever since Saphira meets Glaedr, she believes that he is the dragon whom she will mate. She toys with him throughout Book Two, until the day that Glaedr and Saphira go to the Stone of Broken Eggs for their lesson. Saphira tries to woo Glaedr, but apparently she does it so much that it upsets the older dragon, and they get in a fight that Saphira starts. Saphira's pride is hurt deeply by this, but she apologizes to Glaedr due to Eragon's request, and all is well again.
Battle of the Burning Plains
Eragon finds out that the Varden are being threatened by a great host of Empire soldiers, and he, Saphira, and Orik quickly fly down to Surda to help. They are just early, for the battle commences a couple days after he arrives. During the battle, another Dragon Rider arrives. Eragon is taken aback by this sudden appearance, but he and Saphira continue to fight. Saphira engages in a fierce aerial fight with the younger red dragon of the Rider. It continues for a long time as both dragons try to gain an advantage, but none do. Finally, the dragons land and their Riders continue the battle. Eragon is overpowered, but he remembers the fighting styles of the new Rider and knocks off his helm, revealing Murtagh to be the new Dragon Rider. His dragon's name is Thorn, as seen on the front cover of Eldest. However, Murtagh spares Eragon and rides off with Zar'roc, leaving Eragon weaponless.
Trivia
- Saphira is Christopher Paolini's favorite character.[1]
Quotes
"Its scales were deep sapphire blue...The Dragons fanned its wings;they were what had made it appear so contorted. The wings were several times longer than its body and ribbed with thin fingers of bone that extended from the wing's front edge, forming a line of widely spaced talons. The dragon's head was roughly triangular. Two diminutive white fangs curved down out of its upper jaw. They looked very sharp. Its claws were also white, like polished ivory, and slightly serrated on the inside curve. A line of small spikes ran down the creature's neck from the base of its head to the tip of its tail. A hollow where its neck and shoulders joined created a larger-than-normal gap between the spikes."
"It is our destiny to attempt the impossible, to accomplish great deeds regardless of fear." - Saphira
Theories
- Theories of who Saphira's mate will be range widely from Thorn to Shruikan to wild dragons to the new green dragon of Book III, but any real evidence has yet to be given.
- Some people speculate that the third dragon egg, the green one, might hatch for Katrina, Roran's love, who is a prisoner in the Empire at the end of the second book. If this actually happens, hopefully Katrina will chose Eragon's side of the war and possibly consent for her dragon to mate with Saphira. None of this is proven, though.
- I think for drama, some where in the upcoming books, Saphira will mate and Eragon's life will totally change somehow. Maybe from not getting to ride her as much to having to hunt more. I also believe that they will be engaged in war and then it will be time for her to lay her eggs.(during war)The sire of her eggs, whoever that might be will be concerned but will have to keep fighting. THIS IS ALL THEORY! -person
