Rock of Kuthian

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The Rock of Kuthian was a mysterious location first mentioned to Eragon by Solembum the werecat. Solembum told Eragon that when all seemed lost and his power was insufficient, to speak his name to the Rock of Kuthian in order to open the Vault of Souls. The nature and whereabouts of the rock were not disclosed. It is possible that the Rock of Kuthian may be the fourth and smallest peak of Helgrind.

Eragon later discussed Solembum's words with Arya. She said the name sounded vaguely familiar as if from a dream, but she could not recall why. Oromis also said this when Eragon later mentioned it to him. This may mean that it has a curse on it similar to that of the Forsworn's dragons, where anyone who knows its name quickly forgets it, even (in the case of the dragons, but probably not the Rock of Kuthian, as it is unlikely to be sentient) themselves. Some speculate that she may have heard it while captive in Eragon.

In the third book, Brisingr, Oromis revealed the Rock of Kuthian "struck a familiar chord in his memory", but failed to recall it. He told Eragon that he would search in his scrolls for it, but doubted he would find it written in any elf scrolls. There is the possibility it could still be found in Dwarf, Human, or Urgal written works.

[edit] Speculations

• "When all is lost" may refer to Saphira dying, because Eragon's entire mind revolves around her, and the vault of souls may bring her back.
• The Rock of Kuthian should to a place, because Solembum tells him to go there, implying it cant be moved.
• His name may mean his true name, which might be the same as the original Eragon's.
• Some fans believe that the Rock of Kuthian is or is in Helgrind, and that the Vault of Souls is also there. However, this seems unlikely as Eragon explored it thoroughly in Brisingr. Another reason that it is unlikely is the fact that it was the Ra'zac's lair. The Ra'zac probably would have explored it thoroughly during their stay.

• Some believe that the Rock of Kuthian may be on the island of Vroengard or in the city of Doru Araeba.

• Another theory is that the Rock of Kuthian is on Sharktooth Island, which is near Kuasta (Brom's birthplace). On Sharktooth, if you look carefully, you can see a small circle. It is speculated that the Rock of Kuthian resides there.

• It also may be possible that the Rock of Kuthian may be the stone that Eragon used to scry when Brom and Eragon were being chased by Urgals on their way from Teirm to Dras Leona.

• It is possible that Kuthian may have been a dragon, and that said Rock of Kuthian is his or her Eldunari. When Eragon says his name, the dragon will know that he is good and it will help him.

• The Vault of Souls might not have any power, but the dragon egg might be there.

• The Rock of Kuthian might be in the cave where Brom died and in the back, Eragon finds a passage. In that passage, he would find the rock and as he holds it, it shows him where the Vault of Souls is. He would then go there and speak his name, and it would open, allowing him to bring back people, dragons, and maybe other powerful creatures.

• Eragon and Roran go to Helgrind to rescue Katrina at the beginning of Brisingr (book). When they succeed, Eragon stays to look around. It is possible that he overlooked the Rock of Kuthian and the third egg and he will come back later and discover them.

• The Rock of Kuthian may also be the the third dragon egg, as dragon eggs look very similar to rocks. This seems unlikely, though. However, Eragon even thought that Saphira's egg was a stone in the beginning. As for increasing Eragon's power as Solembum said, having another Rider on his side would certainly increase Eragon's power, albeit not directly. This would be one of the most likely possibilities, as Kuthian could be what the dragon chose as its name. The only problem with this theory is the Vault of Souls, Solembum's prophecy states that Eragon must go to the Rock of Kuthian and speak his name to open the Vault of Souls, which we still have no idea what or where it is.

• It is possible that this is the "Void" where souls go after they die. Therefore, all dragons, humans, elves, dwarves, and anything else that has energy could pour it into Eragon, similar to the way that he absorbs them from living things and how the Eldunari work.

• Another possible theory is that the Rock of Kuthian/Vault of Souls is hidden deep in The Spine, and that's where Galbatorix lost half his army. They might have discovered the Rock/Vault and Galbatorix thought they couldn't be trusted.
• It could also be the floating crystal on Eoam that Arya briefly mentions after she and Eragon meet the spirits in Brisingr.

• In Brisingr, Glaedr mentions "Du Fells Nángoröth" (the mountains in the center of the Hadarac Desert) as the place where dragons kept their Eldunarí before the forming of the pact between the dragons and the elves. This may be the Rock of Kuthian ("rock" easily alludes to one of the mountains, and "Kuthian" could simply be someone's name or title, translated to "Nángoröth" in the ancient language), containing the Vault of Souls (souls referring to the Eldunarí, which are in essence the souls of dragons).

• It is possible that Solembum is referring to the Eldunari when it mentions "when all seems lost and your power is insufficient, go to the rock of Kuthian..." as Eragon would be able to obtain greater power through the Eldunari.

• It is also possible that the rock, might not be a rock at all. Rock may also mean a foundation, or building/fortress made of stone. Rock could also mean strength.

• The Rock Of Kuthian may be the barrier of the Vault of Souls, which holds the Eldunari not stolen by Galbatorix.

• The Rock of Kuthian may in fact belong to Galbatorix, and the Vault of Souls is indeed the location where Galbatorix keeps his immense hoard of stolen Eldunari.

• In Paolini's fourth book, Eragon Shadeslayer may find the location and information on the Rock of Kuthian through Glaedr. As in Brisingr, Oromis tells Eragon that the name Rock of Kuthian was familiar to him, and as Oromis and Glaedr are bonded, Glaedr may recall it and inform Eragon through the Eldunari.

• The Rock of Kuthian may be a closely guarded secret of the dwarves, seeing as they are made of stone.

• The Rock of Kuthian could also be (as stated above) a place in Uru'baen like a fountain or such encrusted with gems and precious stones that was built by the elves during it's time as Ilirea and something on it, or in it, could be a secret horde of Eldunari or Bid'Daum's Eldunari, or Bid'Daum could be the actual spine itself as in the book they often refer to a part of the spine as the tailbone of the spine and Eragon might just have to say his name to get Bid'Daum to release his Eldunari.

• The Rock of Kuthian could be the forest of stone that Orik showed Eragon in Brisingr. He may just have to go there and speak his name. The whole forest could collapse, revealing tons of Eldunari, thus we would have the Vault of Souls
• The Rock of Kuthian could also be the dwarven stone called 'Knurlnien' or 'Heart of Stone' that Eragon was given to welcome him into Durgrimst Ingeitum and convert him into a dwarf.

• It is possible that the Rock of Kuthian refers to the Eldunari of a dragon of the Forsworn. This would explain why some find the name familiar but are otherwise unable to recall. However, when the dragons fashioned the spell, they made it so that anything that described the Forsworn dragons would not be able to be said. For example, they would not be able to say "I am green" because it would describe them. This would make the possibility very unlikely, as 'Kuthian' would describe them in some way if it would be their name.

• The Rock of Kuthian could also be just that, a Rock of Kuthian. Kuthian could be anything from Galbatorix's father to anything else that Galbatorix has fashioned. This rock could be made of a diamond or similar material, meaning that it could hold the souls of the dragons that Galbatorix has broken, leaving their Eldunari undefended. Eragon meets a man after the Battle of the Burning Plains who says key things about the Eldunari at the start of Brisingr. He says that the light that shone through Murtagh was created by others (the dragons) and that they were full of hatred and that he did not want to get on their bad side. This means that the Rock of Kuthian could well be a rock of Kuthian (dragon, person...) that holds the dragon's souls that Eragon could release to punish Galbatorix for their imprisonment.

• Another place for Rock of Kuthian might be Marna, a hill just east from Gil'ead. That would explain why Arya and Oromis are familiar with Kuthian name, because it's near Du Weldevarden and elves must have been sometimes visiting this place before Galbatorix betrayed Riders and now they do not leave their forest so they have almost forgotten about Marna.

• The Rock of Kuthian could be the Aren, the ring Brom gave Eragon.

• The Rock of Kuthian could also be under the whirlpool, The Boars Eye, by the southern islands that Roran and the rest of Carvahall passed while they were on the ship while heading to Surda.

• The location of the Rock of Kuthian could very well be in The Dominance of Fate, giving the book significance. This seems likely because it is mentioned in Eragon when Brom sees the book that Gallbatorix banned it and burned all known copies and their owners. Gallbatorix would not need to burn the book if something vital was not written within, except because it tells how he came to power, which is something he would not want the people of Alagaesia to know. This is shown when Garrow tells Eragon that Brom would be put to death if Galbatorix knew he told the story of his rise to power. There is also the fact that Eragon recives Jeod's copy as a present in Brisingr.

• The Rock in Rock of Kuthian may have a different meaning, because if Kuthian is a Forsworn's dragon, then you cannot describe it. Most probably, the Rock of Kuthian is either the place where dragons lived in Du Weldenvarden, where Eragon told Saphira they would revisit or it maybe a dragon egg, and the green dragon in the fourth book could be named Kuthian.
• The Rock of Kuthian may be a place, rather than an actual rock. When Eragon tells Saphira about Solebum's advice she was "rolling the word around". That might mean just remembering but not fully knowing. Both Oromis and Arya recall remembering it, but not knowing where it came from. It may be possible that the place where the elves and the dragons met to make their truce at the end of their war, with Eragon there, is the Rock of Kuthian.
• As stated above, the Rock of Kuthian could be an eldunari. But maybe it might be the eldunari of Vrael's dragon, who might have been named Kuthian. Eragon could say his name, and Kuthian would know that he was a new Eragon, come to save Alageasia. Then Kuthian could give him his own power, and guide him to where Galbatorix kept his Eldunari, which would be called the Vault of Souls. Then Kuthian would tell all the Eldunari that Eragon was a friend, and they would give all their power to Eragon, allowing him to overpower and destroy Galbatorix. However, this is extremely unlikely as Oromis would certainly know the name of Vrael's dragon.
• It is possible the rock of Kuthian could be found in the Urgals halls, giving Nar Garzhvogs offer significance. This would also explain why Galbatorix hasn't found/utilized it, as he likely never saw fit to visit the Urgals.
• The Rock of Kuthian and/or the Vault of Souls could be the star sapphire. Remember that when Saphira repaired the Isidar Mithrim she released a rush of energy into the gem, so much energy that Eragon gasped at the ‘magnitude’. By either speaking his true name or his birth name he could access all the energy she put in the gem. Now she alone couldn’t put in enough magic to beat Galbatorix, but since Eldunari steal energy from magic, hers could have simply done this at a much faster pace, it's unlikely but since when Dragons work magic the results are unmatched it’s possible. That could be why when a dragon works magic the results are so powerful. Also in some point in history someone or some number of beings could have poured a ton of energy into the star rose. The rose is twenty yards across and nearly as thick (as it says in Eragon) or sixty feet in diameter so it could easily hold enough energy to beat Galbatorix, and even more so is it’s been magically reinforced. The Vault of Souls could be the energy of dozens of beings or ‘souls’ stored in the star rose.
• The Rock of Kuthian can also be a mountain called Merna, which is near of lake Isenstar.