The Ancient Language was once a language of all beings in Alagasia, but was later used only by the elves and some humans,

along with the dwarves with one moment being the crowning of their king. It was the language of the Grey Folk but then,

somehow, they managed to tie their language with magic. It was used to command and regulate magic. Each act of magic was linked to a specific word; therefore, it was

generally true that the more knowledge one had of the Ancient Language, the more magic they could perform. It was also possible for experienced magicians to utilize

Non-verbal manipulation, although this was extremely dangerous.

It was impossible to lie in the Ancient Language because words spoken in the language were unquestionably true. Although it was said that the elves were masters at

saying one thing and meaning another (for example, the swordsmith, Rhunn, said she would never make another weapon but made one through Eragon). Because of

the candid nature of the language, oaths of allegiance and similar contracts were usually conducted in it, ensuring they would not be broken, though they could be twisted

to be ineffective if the one who made the oath left enough loopholes in their wording.

Names in the Ancient Language were "true names" and the knowledge of such a title was a source of power and control. The same holds true of the name of the Ancient

Language itself: the knowledge of the name allows one to change the meaning of its words. The name was found by Galbatorix, and subsequently used against him in the

final confrontation with him.

History

The Ancient Language was once spoken by all beings in Alagasia, with the originators of the language being the Grey Folk. Prior to being intertwined with magic, magic

was controlled exclusively by the thoughts of a spell-caster, usually only the elves, with the rare exception of a dragon. This resulted in numerous opportunities for

accidents, as a wielder of magic could inadvertently shift their thoughts in the midst of casting a spell, diverting the flow of energy. When Alagasia was nearly destroyed

because of an accidental spell of non-verbal magic, the Grey Folk bound the Ancient Language to the very basis of magic.

The language was forgotten after the departure of the Grey Folk, but was reintroduced when the elves brought it back over the sea from Alala. By the time of the Dragon

War, it was universally recognized as the elven language, yet could still be spoken among other beings.

Real-world connections

Author Christopher Paolini based the Ancient Language on the languages of the ancient Norse and Celtic peoples. It is not certain which ones he used, however, since his

statement on the origin of the name "Galbatorix" says that it is the combination of the Welsh words "galba" - meaning "big" - and "torix" - meaning "king". No such words

(or even the letter 'x') exist in the Welsh language. In Paolini's own words:

"When I was writing the first draft for Eragon, I needed to invent a word that meant fire; it was supposed to come from an ancient language that is almost

always used with magic." (Some very skilled masters of magic can use it without using the language, although risking a stray thought or feeling distorts the

results of the spell, which could be deadly.) "Since my parents owned a dictionary of word origins, I pulled it off the shelf and flipped through it. Eventually I

found an obscure Old Norse word, brisingr, that meant fire, and because I loved it so much, I decided to base the rest of my language on Old Norse. To find

more words, I went online and dug up various Old Norse dictionaries, although I have been known to invent a word now and then when the story requires it!

As far as the grammar and pronunciation of my ancient language go, they bear absolutely no resemblance to Old Norse as I wanted to give it my own twist."

Many have criticized the Ancient Language, however, maintaining that it consists mostly of Old Norse words replacing English words in a sentence. The Ancient Language

is almost translated to fit the semantic meaning of each English word exactly. The language when used by elves contains a number of suffixes to identify social standing,

similar to Japanese honorifics.

Christopher Paolini has cited Ursula Le. Guinn's Earthsea books as "inspiration," so he probably got the idea of true names for people and things from there. (The

language of Ged - the protagonist in Earthsea - and his race, has this same property like the Ancient Language).

Translations

Ancient Language to English

Words

Contents

Ancient Language

Ancient Language English

abr of

ach do, does

adurna water

enora broad

agaet celebration

a a

Aiedail The Morning Star

lfa elf

lfr he

lfrs his

lfrinn she

lfrinns her's

andlt death

aptr backward

arget silver

Argetlam Silver Hand

Arucane Endless Fire, Living Fire

enora broad

atra may, let

beor bear

bjart bright

Bjartskular

Brightscales (an honorific for a dragon)

blaka flap/flapper

bldh blood

Bldhgarm Blood-wolf

bldhren blood-oath

blthr halt, stop

betk broad

bllr a round object, an orb

brakka reduce

breoal family, house

brisingr fire

brun brow

brunhvitr white-browed

burthr birth

burthro born (past tense of birth)

celbra honor

celbreya honors

Dagshelgr Hallowed Day

dag day

datia mists

dauth death

dauthleikr mortal

deloi earth

delois a green-leafed plant with purple flowers

deyja die

domia dominance

dras city

draumr dream

Drttning Queen

Drttningu Princess (Not the exact translation according to Arya)

du the

dunei love

dvergr Dwarf (plural. dvergar)

ebrithil master

einradhin v. resolved

Edoc'sil unconquerable

edur a tor, prominence

eitha go, leave

ekar oaken

eka I, me

Elda gender-neutral honorific of great praise

eldrvarya burning

eld hrnya listeners

eld jeirda breaker

eld moi changer

Eldunar heart of hearts

elrun thank

eom to

ero was

er is

esterni good fortune

ethgri invoke

evarnya stars

eyddr v. empty

eyreya ears

fairth picture (more specifically, a picture taken by magical means)

flauga fly (v.)

fr from

fram forward

fricai friend plural. fricaya

fells mountains

fethr feather

fethrblaka bird (literally feather-flapper)

Finiarel an honorific phrase for a young man of great promise

freohr death

fyrn war

finna find

gala chant, sing, scream, yell, etc.

gnga go

garjzla light

garm wolf

gata path, passage

gath v. unite

Gedwy shining

guloth v. dull

grind gate

glia luck

haldthin thornapple

haina harm

heill heal

helgr hallowed, sacred

Helgrind The Gates of Death

hjarta heart

hlaupa run

hljdhr silent

hugin thought or knowledge

huildr hold

hvass sharp

hvitr white

iet my (informal)

ignasia palm

ilia happy

ilian happiness

ilumo truth

istalri flame

jierda break, hit

kalfya calves

knifr knife

kvetha greetings

kveykva lightning

kvaedhi script

kvistr branch

kodthr catch

kpa stare

kona woman

knungr king

kyn kind (as in race, mankind, elfkind, etc.)

lam hand

laufsbld leaf (plural. laufsbldar)

lethr leather

Lethrblaka a full-grown Ra'zac (literally leather-flapper), a bat

letta stop (imperative)

Letta du Bullts! Stop the bullets!

liduen poetic

Liduen-Kvaedhi Poetic Script used by elves to write the Ancient Language

lf life

lfa live

lfs life's

losna release, loosen

ma'mor unlock

maela quiet

malthinae to bind or hold in place; confine

manin memory

moi change

mor'amr open

mor'ranr peace

nagz blanket

nalgask a mixture of beeswax and hazelnut oil used to moisten the skin

Nngorth Blasted

neo not

nosu us

nuanen beautiful

ono you (Your; onr)

orono or

hethr has

oro arrow, plural. orya

orm serpent

pmnuria my (formal)

rakr mist

ramr strong

raudhr red

rauthr misfortune

reisa raise/lift

ren oath

reona reaper

rsa rise (imperative)

seithr witch

s may

sem that

Shur'tugal Dragon Rider (plural. Shur'tugalar)

Silbena Sighing

sitja stay

sja look, looking

sklir shield (plural skoliar)

skliro shielded

skul scale (plural. skular)

skulblaka Dragons, scale flapper (literally)

solus sun

sundavrblaka The Beast, shadow flapper

slytha sleep

snalgl giant snail

stenr stone

stydja rest, stay, remain

sundavar shadows

sverd sword (plural. sverdar)

Svit-kona a formal honorific phrase for an elf woman of great wisdom

taka give

tauthr follow

taune take

thelduin v. rule over, v. reign

thorna those

thornessa this

thringa rain

thrysta thrust, compress

Togira cripple

treavam tree

un and

unin in

undir under

vandr-fodhr ill-marked

vanta lack, need

vanyali magic (elf in dwarvish)

varda watch over, guard

Varden The Warders

vardo warded

vel easily

ven sight

vindr air, wind, twist, compress

vinr friend

Vinr-Alfakyn Elf-Friend

vodhr a male honorific of middling praise

vndr a thick, straight stick

vollar plains, fields, ground

Vor a male honorific for a close friend

vrangr wandering, awry

welden forest

wilae will

wiol for

wase be

weohnata will

wyrda fate

Wyrdfell elven name for the Forsworn

yaw a bond of trust

Zar'roc misery

Phrases

Ancient Language English

Agaet Bldhren Blood-oath Celebration

Ach neo eitha orono ie wilae yauna onr lifa Do not go or I will take your life.

A varden abr du Shur'tugalar gata vanta. A warden of the Riders lacks passage.

lfr ach thornessa He does this

lfrinn ero a koma ramrsja She was a strong-looking woman.

Atra du evarnya ono varda, Dthedr-vodhr. May the stars watch over you, honored Dthedr.

Atra estern ono thelduin, Eragon Shur'tugal. May good fortune rule over you, Eragon Dragon Rider.

Atra estern ono thelduin. Mor'ranr lfa unin hjarta onr. Un du evarnya ono varda.May good fortune rule over you. Peace live in your heart. And the stars watch over

you. (an Elven greeting)

Atra glai un ilian tauthr ono un atra ono wase sklir fr rauthr.May luck and happiness follow you and may you be a shield from misfortune.

(Eragon's mis-translated blessing)

Atra glai un ilian tauthr ono un atra ono wase skliro fr rauthr. May luck and happiness follow you and may you be shielded from misfortune.

Atra nosu wase vardo fra eld hrnya. May we be warded from listeners.

boetq istalri! Broad fire!

Brakka du vanyali sem huildar Saphira un eka! Reduce the magic that holds Saphira and me!

Brisingr, iet tauthr. Fire, follow me.

Brisingr raudhr! Red fire!

Deloi moi! Earth, change!

Domia abr Wyrda Dominance of Fate (book)

Draumr kpa dream stare (spell for scrying)

Du deloi lunaea. Smooth the earth/dirt.

Du Fells Nngorth The Blasted Mountains

Du Fyrn Skulblaka The Dragon War (Dragons vs. Elves)

Du grind huildr! Hold the gate!

Du Namar Aurboda. The Banishing of the Names.

"Du Silbena Datia" "The Sighing Mists" (a poem song)

Du Sndavar Freohr Death of the Shadows

Du Sndavar Freohr Death of the Shadows

Du Vllar Eldrvarya The Burning Plains

Du Vrangr Gata The Wandering Path (literally, The Path Wandering)

Du Weldenvarden The Guarding Forest

Eka eddyr a Shur'tugal... Shur'tugal... Argetlam. I am a Dragon Rider... Dragon Rider... Silver Hand.

Eka a fricai un Shur'tugal! I am a Rider and a friend!

Eldhrimmer O Loivissa nuanen, dautr abr deloi/Eldhrimmer nen ono weohnatamedh solus un thringa/Eldhrimmer un fortha onr fon var/Wiol allr sjon.

Grow O beautiful Loivissa, daughter of the earth/Grow as you would with the sunand rain/Grow and put forth your flower of the spring/For all to see.

Eyddr eyreya onr! Empty your ears! (deafening spell, most likely irreversible)

Fethrblaka, eka weohnata niat haina ono. Blaka eom let lam. Bird, I will not harm you. Flap to my hand.

Fricai Andlt death friend (a poisonous mushroom)

Fricai onr eka eddyr. I am your friend.

Gala O Wyrda brunhvitr/Abr Berundal vandr-fodhr/Burthro lausbldar eja undir/Eomkona dauthleikr...

Sing O white-browed Fate/Of ill-marked Berundal/Born under oaken leaves/Tomortal woman...

Ganga aptr Go backward.

Ganga fram Go forward.

Garjzla, letta! Light, stop! (same as empty your ears but with one's eyes and getting blinded.)

Gath sem oro un lam iet Unite that arrow with my hand.

Gath un reisa du rakr! Unite and raise the mist!

Gedwy ignasia shining palm

Guloth du knfr! Dull the Knife!

Jierda theirra kalfis! Break their calves!

Kuldr, rsa lam iet un malthinae unin bllr. Gold, rise to my hand and bind into an orb.

Kvetha FricaiGreetings, friend. (Fricaya is used for the plural of friend, I.E. when greeting multiplepeople)

Letta orya thorna! Stop those arrows!

Liduen Kvaedh Poetic Script

Losna kalfya iet Release my calves.

Manin! Wyrda! Hugin! Memory! Fate! Thought!

Moi stenr! Stone, change!

Nagz reisa! Blanket, rise!

Nen ono weohnata, Arya Drttningu. As you will, Princess Arya.

Osthato Chetow the Mourning Sage

Reisa du adurna. Raise/Lift the water.

Ristvak'baenPlace of Sorrow (baenused here in Ur'baen, the capital of the Empireis alwayspronounced bane and is an expression of great sadness/grief)

S mor'ranr ono finna May you find peace.

S onr sverdar sitja hvass!May your swords stay sharp! (Note: Sver, in Icelandic, also means sword, sitjameans to sit, and hvass means sharp.)

S orm thornessa hvr sharjalv lfs. May this serpent have life's movement.

Sklir nosu fra brisingr! Shield us from fire!

Skulblaka, eka celbra ono un malabra ono un onr Shur'tugal n haina. Atra nosuwase fricai.

Dragon, I honor you and mean you and your Rider no harm. Let us be friends.

Stenr reisa! Raise stone!

Stenr, rsa! Stone, rise!

Stydja unin mor'ranr, Hrothgar Knungr. Rest in peace, King Hrothgar.

Thorta du ilumo! Speak the truth!

Thrysta adurna Compress the water.

Thrysta deloi Compress the earth.

Thrysta vindr Compress the air.

Thverr stenr un atra eka hrna! Traverse stone and let me hear!

Togira Ikonoka The Cripple Who Is Whole

Tuatha du orothrim Tempering the fool's wisdom (level in the Riders' training)

Vel enradhin iet ai Shur'tugal. Upon my word as a rider.

Vel enradhin iet ai Shur'tugal. Upon my word as a rider.

Vinr lfakyn Elf Friend

Wase heill! Be healed!

Wase neiat! Be not!

Wiol ono. For you.

Wiol pmnuria ilian. For my happiness

All adjectives are used after nouns (ex. 'the strong woman' would literally translate as 'the woman strong').

Connections

By using simple knowledge it is also possible to find out other words in the Ancient Language.

Such as:

Fethrblaka = bird/Feather-Flapper

Lethrblaka = Adult Ra'zac /Leather-Flapper/ bat

Skulblaka = Dragon/Scale-Flapper

Sundavrblaka = Shadow-Flapper

So, Fethr means Feather, Lethr means Leather, Skul means Scale, and -blaka means flap.

Also, the word sundablakashadowflapperappears in the Eragon movie.

Sentence construction

Descriptions are placed after the object they describe. The most common mistake made by people trying to speak the Ancient Language is to place adjectives before

nouns.

Example: "A skulblaka ramr" means "a strong dragon", but literally translates as "a dragon strong".

Unlike in English, descriptions can be placed in any order following the object. Example: "A oro ramr hvitr" (a strong, white arrow) can also be rendered as "a oro hvitr

ramr" (a white, strong arrow).

Aside from descriptions, the structure of a sentence in the Ancient Language is usually the same as it would be in English. Example: "Gath un reisa du rakr" would literally

translate as "unite and raise the mist". No restructuring of the sentence is required.

There are no participles (e.g. walking, swimming) in the Ancient Language. Verbs are either past simple (e.g. walked, swam), present simple (e.g. walk, swim) or future

simple (e.g. will walk, will swim). Example: "I am following" would have to be rendered as "I follow" (Eka tauthr) in the Ancient Language; "I was following" as "I followed"

(Eka tauthro) and "I will be following" as "I will follow" (Eka weohnata tauthr).

When two nouns are joined together to form a single noun, the descriptive noun comes first, as it does in English. Example: "Fethrblaka" (bird) is a combination of the

nouns "fethr" (feather) and "blaka" (flapper).

Prefixes

f-: gives words a malignant connotation. For example, "taka" (give) becomes "ftaka" (steal).

eld-: changes verbs into words of action. For example, "jierda" (break) becomes "eld jierda" (breaker).

Suffixes

-ar: pluralises nouns ending on consonants. If the noun already ends with "r", place an "a" before it. For example, "draumr" (dream) becomes "draumar" (dreams).

However, if the noun already has a vowel before the "r", the suffix "-ya" is used. For example, "edur" (tor) becomes "edya" (tors).

-: changes verbs ending with any letter (except for "i" and "r") to past tense. For example, "haina" (harm) becomes "haina" (harmed).

-o: forms the past tense of verbs ending with "i" and "r". For example, "sklir" (shield) becomes "skliro" (shielded).

-r: gives nouns a masculine connotation. For example, "lf" (elf) becomes "lfr" (male elf), which is also he.

-s: makes nouns possessive. For example, "knungr" (king) becomes "knungrs" (king's).

-sja: adds "-looking" to the end of adjectives. For example, "ramr" (strong) becomes "ramrsja" (strong-looking).

-ya: pluralises nouns ending on vowels. It also replaces the last vowel. For example, "agaet" (celebration) becomes "agaetya" (celebrations). If the "-ya" interferes with the

word's pronunciation, the vowel it would normally replace isn't removed. The vowels "a" and "i" are usually changed to "e". For example, "celbra" (honour) becomes

"celbreya" (honours).

English to Ancient Language

Articles, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs, prepositions

English Ancient Language

a a

am eddyr

and un

are eru

backward aptr

be wase

did ach

do ach

does ach (the same as "do")

for wiol

forward fram

from fra

have hvr

in unin

is er

let atra

may s

not niat

of abr

that sem

the du

this thornessa

those orya

to eom

under undir

up audr

upon vel

was ero

were ern

will weohnata

with medh

Pronouns

English Ancient Language

All allr

I eka

he lfr

his lfrs

me eka

my (formal) pmnuria (Informal; iet)

who iknol

she lfrinn

their theirra

they therr

those thorna

us nosu

you ono

your onr

Nouns

English Ancient Language

air vindr

arrow oro

banishing aurboda

bat lethrblaka, literally "leather flapper"

bird fethrblaka, literally "feather flapper"

blanket nagz

blood bldh

blue, deep-throated lily that grows in the Empire loivissa

bond of trust yaw

Brightscales Bjartskular (honorific title for dragons)

brow brun

cactus found near Helgrind talos

calves (as in cow) kalfya

calves (as in leg) kalvis

celebration agaet

city dras

cripple togira

daughter dautr

day dag

death anglt, freohr, dauth

dominance domia

Dominance of Fate (book) Domia abr Wyrda

dragon skulblaka, literally "scale flapper"

Dragon Rider Shur'tugal

dream draumr

dwarves dvergar

ears eyreya

earth deloi

elf lfa

elf-kind lfakyn

elf-woman lfa-kona

fabric made by cross-weaving wool and nettle threads lmarae

family or house breoal

fate wyrda

feather fethr

flame istalr

flower fon

fire brisingr

fool's wisdom orothrim

forest welden

Forsworn Wyrdfell

friend fricai, vinr

gate grind

gold kuldr

good fortune estern

greetings Kvetha

Hallowed Day dagshelgr

hand lam

harm haina

happiness ilian

heart hjarta

heart of hearts Eldunar

hell hel

ill vandr

king knungr

knife knifr

leaf laufsbld

leather lethr

life lf

life's (as a genetive noun) lifs

light garjzla

lightning kveykva

elven liqueur faelnirv

luck guli

magic vanyali, gramarye

master ebrithil

memory manin

misery zar'roc

misfortune rauthr

mist rakr, datia

mixture of beeswax and hazelnut used to moisten the skin nalgask

mourning Chetow

Morning Star Aiedail

mortal dauthleikr

mountain fell

movement sharjalv

name nama

oath ren

orb bllr

palm ignasia

path gata

peace mor'ranr

picture created through magic fairth

Place of Sorrow Ristvakbaen

plains vllar

poison eitrum

princess drtningu

purple-flowered plant delois

rain thringa

sage osthato

scale skul

script kvaedhi

serpent orm

shadow sndav

shield sklir

silver arget

Silver hand Argetlam

sorrow baen

Spine Carthungav

Spring vara

stars evarnya

stick vndr

stone stenr

sun solus

sword sverd

The Burning Plains Du Vllar Eldrvarya

The Dragon War Du Fyrn Skulblaka

The Guarding Forest Du Weldenvarden

the morning star Aiedail

The Sighing Mists (a poem song) Du Silbena Datia

The Wandering Path Du Vrangr Gata

The Warders Varden

thornapple haldthin

thought hugin

tree traevam

truth thorta

type of bonding between a dragon and Rider indlvarn

prominence edur

war fyrn

warden varden

water adurna

witch seithr

wolf garm

word enradhin

woman kona

Verbs and Adjectives

English Ancient Language

awaken vakna

beautiful nuanen

bind malthinae

blasted (as in cursed) nngorth

baby burthr

born burthro

break; hit jierda

bright bjart

brighten naina

broad betq

burn eldrvarya

catch kodthr

change moi

die deyja

dull guloth

empty eyddr

find finna

flap blaka

fly flauga

follow tauthr

go gnga

hallowed shelgr

halt blthr

happy ilia

harm haina

healed heill

hear hna

hide frethya

hold huildr

honour celbra

ill vandr

invoke ethgr

lack vanta

leave eitha

live lfa

marked fodhr

mean malabra

mourning osthato

need vanta

oaken ekar

poetic liduen

quiet maela

raise reisa

red raudhr

reduce brakka

release losna

rest stydja

rise rsa

rule thelduin

run hlaupa

scale skul

see sjon

sharp hvass

shining Gedwy

sighing silbena

silent hljdhr

sing gala

sleep slytha

smooth lunaea

speak ilerneo

stare kpa

stay sitja

steal ftaka

stop letta

strong ramr

take taka

temper tuatha

thank elrun

thicken thaefathan

thrust thrysta

traverse thverr

unconquerable edoc'sil

under undir

unite gath

unlock ma'mor

wandering vrangr

ward vard

warded vardo

warders varden

Languages: Deutsch Espaol Polski

Categories: Articles with spoilers Magic Languages Culture Add category

watch varda

white hvitr

whole ikonoka

Prefixes and suffixes

Ancient Language English

Alfa-kona elf woman (may be used as a suffix)

Elda a gender-neutral honorific suffix of great praise, attached with a hyphen.

Finiarel an honorific suffix for a young man of great promise, attached with a hyphen.

Svit-kona a formal honorific for an alfa-kona of great wisdom.

Vodhr a male honorific suffix of middling praise, attached with a hyphen.

Vor a male honorific for a close friend

Other

English Ancient Language

put forth fortha

References