An elf horse responds to commands in the ancient language; tell it where you wish to go and it will take you. However, do not mistreat them with blows or harsh words, for they are not our slaves, but our friend and partners. They bear you only as long as they consent to; it is a great privilege to ride one. I was only able to save Saphira's egg from Durza because our horses sensed that something was amiss and stopped us from riding into his ambush...They won't let you fall unless you deliberately throw yourself off, and they are skilled in choosing the safest, quickest path through treacherous ground. The dwarves' Feldûnost are like that.— Arya
A photo of the horse, Blanco, who bears a resemblance to the description of Folkvír.
Folkvír was the elven horse that carried Eragon into Ellesméra and afterward to the Stone of Broken Eggs. Elven horses were more intelligent than regular horses, for one only had to speak to them to give instructions. They were skilled in choosing the safest and quickest path, much like the Feldûnost used by the dwarves. The elves did not treat their horses like animals: they treated them like a fellow friend and never unkindly.
Role in Eragon[]
The elven horses did not have a large role in Eragon, with Folkvír having no role. The horses appeared only in the prologue where Arya and her guards were ambushed by Durza and a group of Urgals. The horses were described as their "heads held high and proud" and their "coats rippling in the moonlight like liquid silver". When Durza was about to attack them, the wind changed, bringing the Urgal scent to the horses, who hesitated and began snorting nervously. Durza chose that moment to attack, killing all three horses and two of the elves, with only Arya surviving.
Role in Eldest[]
The horses got a larger role in Eldest, though only appearing twice throughout the book. In their first appearance, the steeds were presented to Eragon, Arya and Orik when Arya decided that it was to long to walk all the way from their camp outside Silthrim to the elven capital of Ellesméra. Arya sent Lifaen and Nari, their elven escorts, to get horses for the group of five and to alert Captain Domitha that Ceris required reinforcements. When Orik voiced his displeasure in riding without saddle to place their food and items, Lifaen pointed out that they had brought another horse to carry their possessions. Nari then taught Eragon and Orik how to ride elven horses by teaching them some words in the Ancient Language. Folkvir thereafter carried Eragon for most of the road to Ellesméra. Eragon occasionally flew with Saphira, but as they got deeper in to Du Weldenvarden, the trees and branches got so thick that it became more difficult for Saphira to find clearings, forcing Eragon to ride on Folkvir. When the group arrived at Ellesméra, Arya told them to release their steed's from their services since they did not need them anymore and that they deserved to rest in the stable of Ellesméra.
They used the following commands to direct them:
- Gánga fram: Go forward
- Blöthr: Stop
- Hlaupa: Run
- Gánga aptr: Go back
You could give more precise instructions if you knew more of the ancient language.
Folkvír appeared in Eldest again when Saphira attacked Glaedr at the Stone of Broken Eggs. Oromis said to Eragon that he had to go to Saphira because she had been hurt in more ways than one. When Eragon didn't know how he could get there, Oromis told him to call for Folkvír by naming him and his need in the ancient language. When Folkvir arrived at the Crags of Tel'naeír, Eragon mounted him and told him to run, guiding the horses to where Saphira was with images from his mind. Eragon noted that Folkvir was particularly fast and made the trip to Stone of Broken Eggs within an hour, which would have taken a horse like Snowfire three or four hours.