Why is Eldest called Eldest? Because someone told me it was because of Oromis, but I thought it was because of Murtagh being the Elder/Eldest son, next to Eragon.

you thought right it wasn't named eldest for oromis although i thought that at first it is one of those things you do not find out until the end of the book

yay i was right!

I always took for granted that it was because of Murtagh... Could it be something else?

ya i always thought it wuz becuz murtagh wuz the eldest

In chapter "Eldest" and Murtagh's line about "Zarroc should be with the eldest not the youngest" I realized it must be the reason of the book title.

The title didn't make sense to me in tell I finished the book.

I agree with "Eldest" referring to Murtagh, but notice his quote, saying that he is Morzan's eldest son/child, not his elder. Eldest implies, to be grammaticly correct, that there are three or more children. Eragon is named the youngest, so who comes in between . . . ?

me!!! jk. umm that would be kool if the third one was the next rider. and it could be a big fam of dragon riders and it could be a girl.

Svit-kona thats a very true statement. I wonder if that could be true... It would be an amazing prediction if it was. However it is also possible that Paolini used the term 'eldest' to fit the six-letter title that could only be there... do you think so?

I agree that there might be another relative of eragon. That is a good idea and is another question to be answered by book 3.

I will be deluded if the next dragon rider was another Eragon's relative..
Don't you guys think it would be too much repetitive in the story?

The whole trilogy is called inheritance, and murtagh's INHERITANCE would have been zar'roc because he is the ELDEST!

Makes some sense, don't it. Has there ever been a female rider? We were never told about that. Paolini's statement was most likely a harmless one and eldest or elder are both appropriate words to be used.

wow *slow claps* that refrence to eldest instead of elder was great perhaps CP screwed up or there is a middle child! lol

Well, if Svit-Kona is right, then i do belive the other child would be Elva. She has no known parents, just like Eragon in the 1st book

like i said great theroy

that could be an error or it could be intintional or just the two who knows

it wouldn't because eragon is the youngest, and he is alot older then Elva!

this is indeed a perplexing universe........... I think the middle child will be an elf because i dunno a girl elf to....... maybe we can just say eragons mommy was half elf and yeah... and then there all like WOAH!!!!!!!! and she'll be like "wooooo im goot at magic and shtuff" HEAR ME ROAR!!!!!!!!!!

lol, it would balance it out I guess, but what about the name?

hmmmmmmmmmm....... something smooth that rolls off the tongue... not an ugly name like Murtagh *vomits* Enlia? Elina? Emelia? Milla?

Who would name there son Murtagh

Morzan, that's who.

it's M and M

Morzan was obviously so depressed that his parents called him morzan that he thought "I know my son should suffer with a bad name like mine" and called him murtagh. Then Selena got pregnant and left and thought "Let's make this child somewhat more fortunate" and called him Eragon. Hey she died yeah? Or did she nick off into the spine or somthing?

we don't no wat happened to her she didn't die i think

maybe she'll come back and ruin everything.... I hope not..... I dont think the book would do to well if Eragon had a mother............ it'd be to emotional and stuff...........

maybe she died before morzan did

well morzan wouldn't know anyway because she nicked off WAY before he died

of course she did

is that sarcasm?? anyway I reckon she won't come back CP is too good for that

no it weren't sarcasim and sees dead as a dodo
i think the vault of souls could be in the spine cos Galby lost half his army there once

good point. And thats like the place everyones so afraid of and stuff. And no one ever goes there (except for eragon because he's spweshul) so it wouldn't have been found or anything. MAYBE it's got something to do with the grey folk.

there're all dead

are they? do you REALLY believe that? cause I do anyway I mean maybe they made the vault of souls before the whole big kaboom thing

they killed themselves

kind of off topic here...

ummmmmmmmm................. so what WAS the topic?

Why is eldest called eldest? It is because Murtagh is the eldest son of Morzan. So there.

short topic

I think eldest is a nice name...... rolls off your tongue

not really it would be hard to have a 6 letter name starting with e

what the hell?

Actually in the scene where Murtagh takes Za'roc from Eragon he says it. So I agree with you. The title is literal as Murtagh is the Eldest of the two "brothers."

(Fingers crossed, hoping they are only half-brothers)

Christopher Paolini answered this question at www.alagaesia.com[color=#000000]. He said that it was referring to Murtagh being Eragon's elder brother; but also to all the people who are older and wiser than Eragon like Arya, Roran, Nasuada, Oromis, Gladr etc.[/color]