Galbatorix
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| Galbatorix | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Born | c. 133 BBRW |
| Died | Unknown |
| Physical description | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | Unknown |
| Hair Color | Unknown |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Chronological and political information | |
| Affiliation | Dragon Riders (formerly), Forsworn, The Empire |
| Dragon | Jarnunvösk (killed by Urgals), Shruikan (stolen) |
| Known teachers | Unknown, possibly Durza |
Galbatorix was the king of Alagaësia. Once a Dragon Rider, he eventually turned against the order and brought about their downfall, blaming them for the death of his dragon. He formed the Forsworn, a group of thirteen dragon riders loyal only to him, and proceeded to create an Empire from which he ruled Alagaësia.
Contents |
[edit] History
Born in the ancient province of Inzilbêth, Galbatorix was accepted into the ranks of the Dragon Riders at the age of ten after being traditionally tested for great potential. He quickly excelled in all areas of combat and spellcasting, which fueled him with pride and vanity. Although some of his fellow Riders were wary of his swift rise to power, the majority of the order neglected caution, ultimately leading to their downfall.
[edit] Descent into Madness
Soon after his training had been finished, Galbatorix, along with a few of his companions and their dragons, entered the Spine, believing in their arrogance their powers would protect them. During this reckless trip, they ventured far north into Urgal territory, eventually getting ambushed in the dead of the night. All were slain, except for Galbatorix who despite suffering great wounds himself, managed to defeat his attackers. But in the confusion, a stray arrow pierced the heart of his dragon, Jarnunvösk, and without the knowledge to save her, she perished. Driven mad by the loss of his dragon, he wandered aimlessly in the wild for weeks, utterly delirious. He began to long for death, and so he blindly attacked any creature or Urgal he happened upon. Eventually, he became so frightful in appearance that the Urgals avoided him altogether. After a while, he began to hope that the Riders might grant him another dragon. Encouraged by this, he decided to journey back to the order. Starvation plagued him during this journey, and when he finally reached the outer edge of the Spine, he was found unconscious and close to death by a farmer, who promptly summoned the Riders. Once he had recovered sufficiently, he stood before the Elder Riders and demanded that they grant him a new dragon, but Oromis saw the madness in him and persuaded the other Elders to deny his request.
This effectively drove Galbatorix further into insanity and hatred. His mind became twisted by the previous events until he came to believe that it was the Riders' fault that his dragon had died. Having firmly convinced himself of this, he plotted his eventual revenge.
[edit] The Fall of the Riders
In secret, he began training himself in the dark arts under the tutelage of a Shade (possibly Durza). With this new found power, he persuaded a sympathetic Rider to lure and assassinate an Elder. When the deed was done, he then turned on his ally and killed him and his dragon in cold blood, taking his Eldunari before letting out a demented scream of insanity. The other Riders quickly discovered him in the act, but he fled into the wild, biding his time. He hid in the wastelands in agony, always alert for his pursuers, who over time gave up on their search. Years later, after finally subduing the Eldunari and bending it to his will, he found another young rider, a strong, but weak-willed man named Morzan and persuaded him to join his cause. Morzan then aided him in capturing a black dragon hatchling named Shruikan by leaving a gate unlocked in the Illirea, which later became known as Urû'baen. Through the use of certain types of black magic, Shruikan was forced into servitude.
Besides Morzan, twelve other corrupt Riders came to serve Galbatorix out of greed or desire for vengeance. These thirteen Riders were known as the Forsworn, or Wyrdfell to the Elves. With the Forsworn behind him and augmented by the Eldunari, Galbatorix returned to the world to challenge the Riders. His desire was not only for vengeance, but to acquire as many Eldunari as he could. He slaughtered every Rider he came across and took their Dragons' heart of hearts, before taking the whole Eldunari collection the Riders carelessly guarded. Eventually, he came to battle Vrael, the leader of the Riders, at the gates of Doru Areaba. Vrael would've emerged victorious during this duel, but just as he was about to deal the final blow, he hesitated, allowing Galbatorix a chance to viciously wound him. Forced into retreat, Vrael hoped to recover at a hidden fortress on top of the mountain, Edoc'Sil. He did not get a chance, as Galbatorix hunted him there, and in the duel that followed, Galbatorix decapitated Vrael after kicking him in the fork between his legs. With the leader of the Riders dead, and most of the others massacred, Galbatorix became one of the most powerful being in Alagaësia.
[edit] The Empire
Galbatorix and his followers defeated both the Elves and the Dwarves, both of whom afterward went into hiding. Galbatorix then captured Ilirea with the Forsworn, deposing and murdering King Argenost, the rightful ruler of the Broddring Kingdom. With this act, he proclaimed himself the new king of Alagaësia. From then on, his domain became known as simply, the Empire. It should be noted that this despite this, the Broddring Kingdom still officially existed, though by the time of the Rider War it was little more than a name upon royal decrees and became obsolete. Most of those under Galbatorix's rule never even knew it existed. His rule through the books has been ruthless and cruel, and although much of the Empire stayed loyal, there is a small rebel group called the Varden.
[edit] The Varden and the Death of the Forsworn
After naming himself king of Alagaësia, he took an active role among the Empire. Even so, he spent most of his time in his black castle in Urû'baen, which was formerly Illirea. He spent forty years there, enslaving his horde of Eldunari and never venturing beyond the walls of the capital. During this time, his Empire fell somewhat into chaos. After completely subjugating the spirits of the dragons confined in the Eldunari he had captured, Galbatorix then embarked on a vicious and brutal military campaign to restore order in the Empire.
His ruthlessness and cruelty earned him fast hatred in many places, such as Palancar Valley and its village of Carvahall, although most of the Empire remained loyal to him. In particular, the country of Surda sought to remain independent of his rule, but did not feel it was wise to take up arms against him.Brom, a surviving dragon rider whose dragon had been killed in the Battle of Doru Araeba sought revenge against Morzan and Galbatorix. He gathered together many people that had been exiled, imprisoned, or abused by the Empire, thus forming a rebel organization known as the Varden, although he, himself, did not lead it. With an elaborate network of spies and agents located through Alagaësia, it quickly became one of the most well-known organizations that opposed the Empire. During this time, the Varden assassinated many members of the Forsworn, leaving only Morzan as the remaining one.
After the fall of the Dragon Riders, Galbatorix had in possession the last three known dragon eggs in Alagaësia. Try as he might, he could not get any of the eggs to hatch for his servants. A Varden agent named Hefring later attempted to steal the eggs, but during his escape, he was only able to obtain one out of the three eggs. Morzan pursued this agent to Gil'ead, but Brom, still seeking revenge against Morzan, tracked him there and slew him, ending the Forsworn. He proceeded to transport the egg to the Varden, before going into hiding for about twenty years.
[edit] The Rider War
[edit] Prior to the War
After this incident, he extended his friendship to Murtagh, son of Morzan, who had been living in his castle since the death of his parents. Murtagh, though knowing it would be unwise not to accepted the offer, was seduced by Galbatorix's vision of turning the Empire into a Utopian society to benefit all Alagaëia, guarded and protected by a new order of Riders. Soon after, however, Galbatorix fell into a rage upon learning that rebels had intercepted and destroyed three brigades of Imperial troops, and commanded Murtagh to take a company of soldiers and decimate the village of Cantos, which was known to harbor the rebels. Murtagh refused the order when Galbatorix commanded him to slaughter the town's entire populace, and fled Urû'baen with his faithful teacher, Tornac. However, Galbatorix had anticipated this, and put soldiers to guard the gates to and from Urû'baen. While Murtagh was able to fight his way free, Tornac was killed in the struggle. Hoping to recapture Murtagh, Galbatorix sent the Ra'zac to pursue him.
Using his powers of dark magic, Galbatorix then took control of all the Urgal clans and placed his Shade, Durza in command. He planned on using the ones who killed Jarnunvösk to eliminate his enemies before he choose to exterminate them at his leisure One night, Durza and the Urgals ambushed the elven egg carrier, Arya while she was transporting the egg back to the Varden. Although they managed to capture Arya, their mission ultimately failed when Arya teleported the egg to the Spine, where it would be discovered by a young farm-boy named Eragon.
Galbatorix, now desperate to obtain the egg, sent the Ra'Zac to delay their pursuit of Murtagh and hunt down the egg instead. Their search led them to the village of Carvahall deep in the Palancar Valley. Eragon, however, eluded capture, and Galbatorix would later learn that the egg had indeed hatched for Eragon, becoming Saphira.
Around the time that Eragon first became a dragon rider, Galbatorix, fearing an uprising in the north by local farmers, began the Northern Massacres, where he ordered mass raids by the Urgals on towns he suspected of supporting the Varden. His intentions were to scare them out of supporting the Varden and supporting him instead. Whole towns were decimated and their civilians slaughtered. At Yazuac, the entire population was murdered by the Urgals and piled together high at the center of the city. Some cities, such as Daret, were more fortunate, being able to fend off the Urgal attacks. Others, such as Carvahall, escaped the notice of the Urgals, being hidden by the mountains of the Spine. In order to cover-up these attacks from the general populace, Galbatorix had his agents spread rumors that the Urgals had allied themselves with the Varden, and that they were the actual instigators behind the attacks.
The Ra'Zac would later encountered Eragon and Brom in Dras-Leona. They succeeded in murdering Brom later that night some distance south of the city, but were driven away by Murtagh, who had apparently been tracking them and Eragon. Murtagh, Eragon, and Saphira then made their way to Gil'ead, but were intercepted in their camp the night before they entered the city. Eragon was briefly imprisoned by Durza, but Murtagh and Saphira successfully rescued him along with Arya.
Sometime in the same week, Galbatorix also planned to leave Urû'baen for the first in over a decade to deal with the ruler of Dras-Leona, Marcus Tábor, who apparently had been disobeying orders or become increasingly independent.
The Urgals pursued Eragon and his companions south towards the Beor Mountains, where the Varden was secretly located. By then, Galbatorix, himself, was aware of the location of the Varden.
[edit] The Battle under Farthen Dur
Eventually, Galbatorix hatched a plan to completely destroy the rebellion, the Urgals, and the dwarves altogether. He decided to bring the Urgals in an all-out attack on the Varden and the dwarves' capital of Tronjheim, a city that lay below the mountain of Farthen Dur. The Urgals, lead by Durza, would stage a surprise attack on Tronjheim via underground tunnels that connected his hidden fortress in Ithrö Zhâda, a captured ancient dwarven city formerly known as Orthíad, and Tronjheim. After they crushed the Varden, they would proceed to kill the dwarf king and all his clan chiefs, eventually wreaking enough havoc upon the Beor Mountains to bring the dwarves to their heels. The Urgals would then be weak enough from the attacks that they would easily be wiped out by Galbatorix's armies. At the same time, he planned to capture Eragon and Saphira, so as to reestablish a new order of Dragon Riders under his control and recapture Murtagh.
In the Battle under Farthen Dûr that followed, however, his plans ultimately failed when the Varden and the dwarves successfully fended off the Urgals and Eragon killed Durza. The Urgal clans turned on themselves, as Galbatorix forced them to unite against their rules.
Nevertheless, the battle wasn't entirely fruitless for Galbatorix. The Twins, two sorcerers that had served as Imperial spies the entire time they had been "working for" the Varden, betrayed Murtagh and Ajihad by commanding a group of Urgals to ambush them. In the aftermath Ajihad was killed while Murtagh was captured and brought before Galbatorix. Although Galbatorix was furious with Murtagh for spiting his protection and defying his will, one of the dragon eggs hatched for Murtagh, and was subsequently named Thorn. Galbaotrix then pried both his true name and Thorn's from them, forcing them to swear allegiance to him in the ancient language. With this act, he made him his greatest general and taught him the secrets of magic; dark arts that the elves would abhor. Galbatorix supplied Murtagh with multiple Eldunari enhancing Murtagh's magic so that it was greater than Eragon's and that of the elves. Murtagh was also more powerful than any of the Forsworn had ever been, however Galbatorix kept the bulk of his Eldunari for himself.
The Twins also provided Galbatorix with a very important detail: the name of Eragon's mother, Selena. They had figured out the connection between Eragon and Murtagh while scanning the former's mind. Therefore, both parties presumed that Morzan was Eragon's father, which would be demoralizing to the Varden if they knew that their enemy's own son is fighting for them. However, the Twins' information was later discovered to be incorrect, as Eragon's true father was Brom.
Galbatorix desired to bring Eragon and Saphira into his service. Saphira is the last female dragon in existence and when she breed with one of his dragons, the entire species will be reborn once more. He gave Murtagh and Thorn specific instructions not to kill them.
[edit] The Battle of the Burning Plains
In the months that followed, Galbatorix decided that he was no longer willing to tolerate the existence of Surda, a country on the southern coast of Alagaesia independent of the Empire. After the Battle under Farthen Dûr, the spell binding the Urgals to his will was broken upon Durza's death. With this, the Urgals chose to ally with the Varden, despising the treachery Galbatorix had lead them through. Consequently, the king now had no choice but to rely on his standard troops. He ordered Murtagh and Thorn to lead troops from Gil'ead down to Surda to crush the nation once and for all. Meanwhile, the Varden had also relocated from Tronjheim to Surda. Despite Murtagh's attempts, the Surdans and the Varden discovered the approaching Imperial army, and they subsequently marched north to engage them in combat at the Burning Plains. Eragon and Saphira, having learned of the upcoming battle, rushed over to aid the Varden, leaving their training in Du Weldenvarden behind. With orders to capture both Eragon and Saphira, Murtagh and Thorn fought against them in the following battle, and although they may have been victorious, Murtagh's compassion for his younger half-brother allowed him to escape. It is presumed that either Thorn or Murtagh argued with the other about letting Eragon and Saphira escape.
[edit] Continuation
Galbatorix was again furious with Murtagh for allowing them to escape. When Eragon and Saphira killed the Ra'zac, Galbatorix slew five nearby servants in a rage and then turned his wrath on Murtagh and Thorn. Then, he deployed Murtagh and a group of his painless soldiers to Surda, with stricter orders to bring Eragon and Saphira to him. However, Galbatorix's plan failed again when Eragon and Saphira drove Murtagh and Thorn away with the help of Arya and twelve other elves including Blodgharm.
When Galbatorix heard the elves were attacking the north of his Empire, he responded quickly, rather than waiting for them to come to him. Murtagh was sent to Gil'ead to confront the elves.
While Oromis and Glaedr fought Murtagh and Thorn above Gil'ead, Galbatorix entered Murtagh's mind and asked Oromis to join him. Oromis refused, and the battle continued. Galbatorix swore to kill Oromis and take Glaedr's Eldunari. Unpredictably, Oromis had one of his spasms and Naegling was knocked from his hand. Galbatorix, through his possession of Murtagh, took advantage of the opening and rent Oromis from shoulder to hip with Zar'roc. Although Glaedr attempted to fly Oromis back to Gil'ead so Islanzadí's spellcasters could save him, he was ultimately unsuccessful, and Oromis perished. Glaedr dove back into battle with Thorn, but the red dragon was too quick for him to defeat. His physical body died as Thorn bit the back of his head and neck, killing him instantly. However, before departing for battle, he entrusted Eragon and Saphira with his Eldunari, and consequently kept himself free from Galbatorix's bondage.
[edit] Role in the Eragon Movie
Though Galbatorix has not yet physically appeared in the books, he did appear in the movie, portrayed by John Malkovich. Throughout the movie, he is seen giving orders to Durza. In his throne room in the movie, he has a dragon-like throne and a map nearby which, at the end of the movie, he cuts down, revealing Shruikan behind it. He's depicted as calm and very intelligent in the movie and only reveals his frustration at the end of the film after Durza's failure. Most of his backstory has been left out so far, and in addition to that, he aims to kill Eragon as well as Saphira, as opposed to trying to use Saphira to recreate the dragons as is the case in the book. He did, however, refer to Saphira's egg as a stone, that he suffers without his stone, and that Durza was not to prolong his suffering.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Galbatorix was arguably the most powerful magician in Alagaësia. Having had several hundred of the dragon's Eldunari under his control, Galbatorix's magical and mental powers were close to unlimited. Although he was not yet strong enough to invade Du Weldenvarden and conquer the elves, Galbatorix did not feel it was necessary to eliminate the Varden, Surdans, and dwarves until the Rider War fully erupted. It is possible that Galbatorix's power had not yet reached its full potential during the events of Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr. Many characters have stated that Galbatorix's powers have been increasing each year. It is hinted that when he discovers the true name (hinted by both Galbatorix and Ra'zac in Brisingr) he will become more powerful still. Evidently, whatever this true name actually is, it was important enough for him to withdraw to his castle for over 40 years for research.
In addition, Galbatorix is shown to be a skilled military tactician and political maneuver and is adept at manipulating people and events. His insanity has evidently not had an effect on his intelligence. Galbatorix is also highly charismatic. Murtagh stated that he was "the most convincing and frightening man I've ever met." It is perhaps no coincidence that in the film, Galabatorix is played by John Malkovich, an actor widely regarded to be charismatic.
[edit] Physical appearence
In the film, Galbatorix is portrayed as tall, thin and bald with a beard and long, curving nails akin to those of a Chinese Emperor. He dresses in black armour and has a long black cape, characteristic of villains in fiction.
His physical appearance in the books may differ wildly as the film took a lot of creative liberties. All that is known of his appearance from the books themselves is that he has black eyes, as Murtagh stated in Eragon.
Christopher Paolini illustrated a pen-and-ink portrait of Galbatorix, which appeared in the Deluxe Edition of Brisingr. In it, he is depicted as a man with longuish facial features, shoulder-length dark hair, and a worn and aged cloak, holding a Rider's sword in front of him.
[edit] Personality and traits
In the early days of his life, Galbatorix was a proud and foolhardy man, a trait that was augmented by his superiority to his peers during the many training sessions. His arrogance was looked upon with caution by a few of the Dragon Riders at the time but ultimately dismissed, consequently leading to their downfall.
His recklessness was demonstrated most when he ventured into Urgal territory under the belief that he was strong enough to defend himself. When his dragon was killed in the ensuing conflict, his mind took its path into madness and insanity. Fractured by the loss of his dragon, as was a common occurrence upon losing someone of a close bond, Galbatorix eventually persuaded himself that the Elder Riders' were to blame for his dragon's death.
As shown through many of his actions, Galbatorix had a talent for being very manipulative, possessing a genius level of intellect. Indeed, upon returning from his trip to the Spine, he was initally able to convince his fellow Riders that he was calm and capable of dealing with his dragon's death. It was not until he was brought upon the Council that he was unable to restrain his demented mind from the Riders.
At times, he was fully capable of hiding his madness under the guise of a kind, forgiving man fully dedicated to Alagaësia's well-being. At times, he may appear to be a calm, charismatic man, as shown when he attempted to earn Murtagh's trust. Only when his words are denied and his power rejected does he reveal his true nature and his madness, cursing his enemies and scorning them to death. He is, in reality, easily angered and has a fiery, unmerciful temper. Upon learning of the Ra'zac's death, he slaughtered five of his nearby servants in frustration. When a few Imperial bridgades were destroyed nearby, he ordered Murtagh to lay waste to the town of Cantos, a suspected rebel stronghold, and have its entire population put to the stake. His cruelty is likely to have been influenced by the dementia formed when his dragon died, and he appears to hold little regard to other being's lives.
Despite these obvious acts of tyranny, Galbatorix may in fact believe that he is doing the right thing. He may be guided by a deluded sense of morality that the sacrifice of lives is necessary in order to accomplish a utopian society of peace and prosperity.
[edit] Behind the scenes
[edit] Motives
There has been a great deal of discussion among fans about whether or not Galbatorix truly is evil, or if he does have good intentions behind his actions. Some fans believe that his attempt to reestablish the Dragon Riders is proof of this theory. Others say he merely wants to rebuild the Riders to obtain more power to himself, and when he creates his new order, he and his Riders would rule in tryanny like he and the Forsworn have.
The author, Christopher Paolini, has stated that he enjoys doing what he does, adding on to his sadistic nature and perhaps implying his evil mind.
However, it is also likely that Galbatorix believes that his evil actions are necessary to create a world of order and prosperity.
[edit] Comparisons
Galbatorix is comparable in characterization to many a "dark lord" and the primary antagonist of the work - and Emperor Palpatine of the Star Wars saga; he resembles Senator Palpatine (Darth Sidious) in his rise to power and unexpected overthrowing of the established order, replacing it with an Empire. Moreover, like Galbatorix, Palpatine has been shown to have a madlust for power and in some ways, an insane persona. It is interesting to note that Palpatine, despite his tyrannical rule, appears to honestly believe that a Sith government is best for the galaxy, and in time came to regard himself as more of a savior. This, along with his calm and charsimatic nature that breaks away with an unmerciful temper, has earned him stark similarities with Galbatorix.
Another character from Star Wars he resembles is Anakin Skywalker. As a Jedi student, he showed great skill, prowess, talent, and potential in his youth, was accepted into the ranks at a young age, gained incredible raw power as he matured, and eventually betrayed the order and slew many of his former comrades. In both cases, two of the principal causes were the death of someone close to him and being denied a request by the head Council of their corresponding orders.
He can also be compared to Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter books. He was a dark lord with unparalleled skill in magic, especially in dark magic, and wanted to take over the world with the help of his servants,(The Forsworn/Death Eaters) whom he trained in his black arts. Galbatorix also experiments with vessels that held souls, the Eldunari, just as Voldemort experimented with Horcruxes, which he could use to house his own soul.
[edit] References and notes
| Preceded By | Position | Succeeded By |
| King Angrenost | Broddring Kingdom Monarch | Incumbent (possibly Nasuada) |
| Preceded By | Position | Succeeded By |
| Dragon Riders | Keeper of Saphira's egg | Brom |
| Preceded By | Position | Succeeded By |
| Dragon Riders | Keeper of Thorn's egg | Murtagh as Thorn's Rider |
| Preceded By | Position | Succeeded By |
| Dragon Riders | Keeper of Green dragon's egg | green dragon's rider (possibly Arya or Roran) |
