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 weohnata
medh 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 sun
and 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/Eom
kona dauthleikr...
Sing O white-browed Fate/Of ill-marked Berundal/Born under oaken leaves/To
mortal 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 Fricai
Greetings, friend. (Fricaya is used for the plural of friend, I.E. when greeting multiple
people)
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'baen
Place of Sorrow (baenused here in Ur'baen, the capital of the Empireis always
pronounced 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, sitja
means 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 nosu
wase 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