Hi All!
This topic is perhaps one of the most discussed things in the World of Eragon for over a decade, so I've been debating if I wanted to post this. I try to err on the side of new/novel/interesting/unique ideas, and several others have had this idea, but I do want to formally put my theory/guess on paper, so - here it is, along with my rationale and reasoning. I will take a methodical approach by gathering all of the evidence we have related to the Menoa tree in one place, then dive deep on the motivations of the Menoa tree and what it may want from Eragon, then evaluate the possible answers (that I can think of) to see what best fits. This is going to be a very long post, so buckle up :)
tl;dr Answer:
The Menoa tree took a small amount of Eragon's reproductive material, with the intent of making a new race - A human/elf hybrid
Alright - let's get started.
First, I want to revisit the two main passage(s) so it's fresh.
In Brisingr:
Is not the energy we gave you enough to repair your wounds? asked Eragon. Is not it compensation enough? The Menoa tree did not answer but rather probed at Eragon’s mind, sweeping through his thoughts like a gust of wind. What are you, Rider? said the tree. I know every creature that lives among this forest, but never have I encountered one like you. I am neither elf nor human, said Eragon. I am something in between. The dragons changed me during the Blood-oath Celebration. Why did they change you, Rider? So that I could better fight Galbatorix and his empire. I remember I felt a warping in the world during the celebration, but I did not think it was important.… So little seems important now, save the sun and the rain. Eragon said, We will heal your root and trunk if that will satisfy you, but please, may we have the brightsteel? The other trees creaked and moaned like abandoned souls, and then, soft and fluttering, the voice came again. Will you give me what I want in return, Dragon Rider? I will, Eragon said without hesitation. Whatever the price, he would gladly pay it for a Rider’s sword. The canopy of the Menoa tree grew still, and for several minutes, all was quiet in the clearing. Then the ground began to shake and the roots in front of Eragon began to twist and grind, shedding flakes of bark as they pulled aside to reveal a bare patch of dirt, out of which emerged what appeared to be a lump of corroded iron roughly two feet long and a foot and a half wide. As the ore came to rest on the surface of the rich black soil, Eragon felt a slight twinge in his lower belly. He winced and rubbed at the spot, but the momentary flare of discomfort had already vanished. Then the root around his ankle loosened and retreated into the ground, as did those that had been holding Saphira in place. Here is your metal, whispered the Menoa tree. Take it and go.… But—Eragon started to ask. Go …, said the Menoa tree, its voice fading away. Go.… And the tree’s consciousness withdrew from him and Saphira, receding deeper and deeper into itself until Eragon could barely sense its presence. Around them, looming pines relaxed and resumed their usual positions. (The Tree of Life, Brisingr).
And the second passage, in Inheritance:
Linnëa…Linnëa…Awake! I must needs speak with you! He waited but detected no response from the tree; it was as if he were attempting to communicate with the sea or the air or the earth itself. Linnëa, I must speak to you! A sigh of wind seemed to pass through his mind, and he felt a thought, faint and distant, a thought that said, What, O Rider …? Linnëa, when last I was here, I said that I would give you whatever you wanted in exchange for the brightsteel under your roots. I am about to leave Alagaësia, so I have come to fulfill my obligation ere I go. What would you have of me, Linnëa? The Menoa tree did not answer, but its branches stirred slightly, needles fell pattering onto the roots about the clearing, and a sense of amusement emanated from its consciousness. Go …, whispered the voice, and then the tree withdrew from Eragon’s mind. He stood where he was for another few minutes, calling her name, but the tree refused to respond.
I'll provide more specific commentary when each bit is relevant.
Now - I want to establish the bounds of my reasoning. Because there have been so many previous attempts/guesses, there are a lot of things we know about what the tree did (or did not) take, based on comments from Christopher/fans. So, I will organize this post into a few different sections - Constraints, Clues, Character of Linnea, Why Eragon, and Recap + Reveal.
First - The Constraints. These are things any theory has to satisfy for it to be true, so it's helpful to lay them all out so we can examine them in full.
- Whatever she took was physical, and directly felt in Eragon's body:
As the ore came to rest on the surface of the rich black soil, Eragon felt a slight twinge in his lower belly. He winced and rubbed at the spot, but the momentary flare of discomfort had already vanished.
And - here - I interpret this question to mean something was physically taken from him.
Q: What did the Menoa Tree take from Eragon?
A: The Menoa tree did take something from Eragon, but I can't say what without spoiling my next book set within Alagaesia.
The location on his body here is interesting. Think about what's directly in your lower abdomen - large organs, sure - but those would be quite obviously missing, and no one notices anything gone/taken from Eragon (eragon, saphira, oromis, etc). So whatever she took was physical, felt right there in his lower belly, but small enough to go unnoticed. And there's one category of thing that lives right around that spot that can be taken in a small amount without anyone being the wiser. Hold that thought - I'll come back to it.
- The root stayed on his ankle the entire time - only released after the twinge passed (implying that whatever she took likely physically traveled through the root).
Then the root around his ankle loosened and retreated into the ground, as did those that had been holding Saphira in place.
So - the tree was in physical contact with Eragon until after the twinge in his belly, and only then did it retract. So likely the "thing" couldn't have been too big as to travel in/through the root (pointing away from something like an organ, again).
One other thing worth noting as part of this - Eragon didn't actually have to do anything himself RE: the price, or the twinge - he was a passive observer in this exchange. No casting/reaching/magic (from his end).
- Nothing is seemingly exchanged in book 4, when Eragon returns to the tree:
I am about to leave Alagaësia, so I have come to fulfill my obligation ere I go. What would you have of me, Linnëa? The Menoa tree did not answer, but its branches stirred slightly, needles fell pattering onto the roots about the clearing, and a sense of amusement emanated from its consciousness. Go …, whispered the voice, and then the tree withdrew from Eragon’s mind.
Which also implies the "price" has already been extracted at this point, directly pointing to the physical sensation. This is also supported by the Q&A here:
Q: Has the Menoa Tree already exacted the price from Eragon?
A: Yes.
Another thing worth noting here is the reaction from the Menoa tree - amusement. Why would she be amused at this exchange?
Hmm.
- She refused energy and healing as a form of currency/payment for the Brightsteel (at least, as far as her extracting a price from Eragon):
Is not the energy we gave you enough to repair your wounds? asked Eragon. Is not it compensation enough? The Menoa tree did not answer but rather probed at Eragon’s mind, sweeping through his thoughts like a gust of wind... Eragon said, We will heal your root and trunk if that will satisfy you, but please, may we have the brightsteel? The other trees creaked and moaned like abandoned souls, and then, soft and fluttering, the voice came again. Will you give me what I want in return, Dragon Rider?
So the energy/healing is not a part of her price/what she wants.
- Per Christopher - Saphira is unaffected by whatever the Menoa tree took here:
Q: Was Saphira affected by whatever the Menoa Tree took?
A: No.
So this likely rules out things like Saphira's reproductive capability, her ability to breathe fire, her Eldunari, etc
- Also - whatever she took will cause "all sorts of dramatic issues":
Q: When menoa tree took something, will it be a complication for Eragon in the future? Or will it have some negative impact?
A: Oh it'll cause all sorts of dramatic issues.
- The Menoa tree told Eragon to "go"... as in leave Alagaesia. BUT, the leaving is NOT the price here
Q: The Menoa Tree told Eragon to go... so she had probably meant that she wants him to leave Alagaesia, right?
A: As I recall, yes, that's right. If you're referring to their last meeting, in Book Four.
- Per Christopher, the answer IS guessable based on the available information in the books, and some have guessed it at this point.
here
Q: Has any fan guessed correctly what the Meona Tree took from Eragon? If not, is it just not possible to guess based on the books?
A: Someone may have correctly guessed what the Menoa Tree took (I haven't read every theory out there), but as of yet, I haven't seen a correct guess myself. Some readers have gotten really close to the truth, though. It's certainly possible to guess based off the books.
and later, here
Q: I imagine this is the case, but it's something I'm very curious about, is it still true that no one has figured out what the menoa tree took from Eragon?
A: Some people have figured it out. :D
And one final batch of constraints, directly from Christopher - the theories he's already shot down. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does contain some of the more popular ones.
One
Q: What's your favorite fan theory about what the Menoa tree took from Eragon?
A: I've heard some pretty crazy ones. Probably the craziest isn't that it took anything, but that it impregnated him. Another was that it took an Eldunari out of him, or Saphira's Eldunari. Those are kind of off the wall. Those are not the answers.
Two
Q: You may have missed it, but there was an interesting theory here a few weeks ago that Eragon got a heart of hearts during the blood earth celebration and that the Menoa Tree took it. Can you confirm this isn't the case?
A: I can confirm that isn't the case. But that said, it's a COOL theory. Makes sense too: being given the heart of a dragon.
Three
Q: Did the Menoa tree take the prophecy of leaving Alagaesia and never returning away from Eragon?
A: Good guess but no.
Four
Q: Did the Menoa Tree take death from Eragon (as in healed an incurable disease he had)?
A: No.
Now, lets get into the clues. These details don't rule anything out, but they may point somewhere specific if grouped all together.
- Examining down the Menoa tree's logic/order of operations here...
What are you, Rider? said the tree. I know every creature that lives among this forest, but never have I encountered one like you. I am neither elf nor human, said Eragon. I am something in between. The dragons changed me during the Blood-oath Celebration. Why did they change you, Rider? So that I could better fight Galbatorix and his empire. I remember I felt a warping in the world during the celebration, but I did not think it was important.… So little seems important now, save the sun and the rain... Will you give me what I want in return, Dragon Rider?
She noticed a "warping" in the world, but didn't think it was important at the time... yet she is awfully inquisitive about what Eragon is, and how/why he was changed. So clearly the result of whatever happened to Eragon, the warping, is of quite a lot of interest to the Menoa tree. And it's directly correlated to what happened to Eragon himself, and perhaps what/who Eragon is... More on this later.
- She secured explicit consent ("I will") before she took what she wanted
Will you give me what I want in return, Dragon Rider? I will, Eragon said without hesitation. Whatever the price, he would gladly pay it for a Rider’s sword.
This may seem innocuous at first, but... The Menoa tree did not require any input from Eragon to extract her price. And given the situation she had Eragon and Saphira in, she could've taken whatever it was by force - Either by directly overpowering Eragon, or threatening Saphira.
But she didn't.
She chose to ask him for his consent/permission, and then and only then does she take what she wants...
Very interesting.
- We can infer that the Menoa tree is likely related to the other book 6 topics... which does help narrow the field a bit. Here's one of the times Christopher has mentioned Book 6 topics...
Q: In 2012, someone asked if there's a dragon bigger than Belgabad and you said 'read Book V to find out'. You said more recently Book Five has nothing to do with Azlagûr.
A: Bingo. That's what I did. But everything else is still there. The first Eragön, spirits, the Menoa Tree, more information about the Nïdhwal. One or two minor points may be just a hair sooner because of the Azlagûr stuff.
So... it's likely related to the first Eragon, spirits, and more information about the Nidhwal - All of which seem to have to do with the Dragons and the pact itself.
So... likely something to do with/relating to the pact/the dragons. Which isn't SUPER specific, but does help.
Pulling all those threads together -
- The Menoa tree offered/gave him the price only AFTER inspecting/interrogating Eragon, and finding him unfamiliar/unique/"off-census"
From this, we can infer that the price is a function of what Eragon is (as a result of the Agaeti Blodhren)... which raises the real question: What does the Menoa tree actually want, and why would what Eragon is matter to her? To answer that, we need to understand who she is a bit better.
So... who is the Menoa tree? What motivates her? What does she value? How does she think?
First - as far as what she is - let's revisit the story of Linnea.
Once there lived a woman, Linnëa, in the years of spice and wine before our war with the dragons and before we became as immortal as any beings still composed of vulnerable flesh can be. Linnëa had grown old without the comfort of a mate or children, nor did she feel the need to seek them out, preferring to occupy herself with the art of singing to plants, of which she was a master. That is, she did until a young man came to her door and beguiled her with words of love. His affections woke a part of Linnëa that she had never suspected existed, a craving to experience the things that she had unknowingly sacrificed. The offer of a second chance was too great an opportunity for her to ignore. She deserted her work and devoted herself to the young man and, for a time, they were happy.
“But the young man was young, and he began to long for a mate closer to his own age. His eye fell upon a young woman, and he wooed and won her. And for a time, they too were happy. “When Linnëa discovered that she had been spurned, scorned, and abandoned, she went mad with grief. The young man had done the worst possible thing; he had given her a taste of the fullness of life, then torn it away with no more thought than a rooster flitting from one hen to the next. She found him with the woman and, in her fury, she stabbed him to death. “Linnëa knew that what she had done was evil. She also knew that even if she was exonerated of the murder, she could not return to her previous existence. Life had lost all joy for her. So she went to the oldest tree in Du Weldenvarden, pressed herself against it, and sang herself into the tree, abandoning all allegiance to her own race. For three days and three nights she sang, and when she finished, she had become one with her beloved plants. And through all the millennia since has she kept watch over the forest.… Thus was the Menoa tree created.”
Now, there's a lot of meat we can pick out here.
First - What Arya (and by extension, Christopher) highlights - Linnëa had grown old without the comfort of a mate or children and * the young man had done the worst possible thing; he had given her a taste of the fullness of life, then torn it away*
A mate or children... Very peculiar when taking that into account with some of the out-of-book statements:
Q: Is the menoa tree guarding against something, cause it is the guarding forest?
A: Well. It’s guarding the forest against all intrusion, friendly, foreign, or otherwise. The Menoa Tree/Linnea is not particularly well balanced psychologically and she has adopted the forest as her surrogate in many ways and so as far as she’s concerned nothing is more important than guarding from anything. Now is there a specific threat that is perhaps now her great concern? Possibly.
So... the forest is her surrogate, and per Arya's narrations, the reason she sang herself into the tree was: She also knew that even if she was exonerated of the murder, she could not return to her previous existence. Life had lost all joy for her.
And she likely didn't do this because of a mate, because singing yourself into a tree thins out the dating pool quite a bit.
Which leaves... Children. Hence Christopher's comments about the forest being her surrogate.
And to remove any doubt on that front - Christopher has confirmed directly that she never had children of her own here:
Q: Did Oromis ever have any descendants or Glaedr? Did Linnea have any children with the man she then killed?
A: Glaedr had offspring. Oromis did not. Nor did Linnëa.
Let's keep building out the picture, a few more things about who she is and what she cares about.
The scale and "texture" of her mind are quite unique, and yet directly comparable to one other particular being...
Deliberate and inexorable, the tree’s thoughts moved at a measured pace as slow as the creep of ice over granite. It took no notice of Eragon nor, he was sure, of any single individual. It was entirely concerned with the affairs of things that grow and flourish in the bright sunlight (Under the Menoa Tree, Eldest).
And in Inheritance, trying to reach her is like 'attempting to communicate with the sea or the air or the earth itself'. Slow as ice, indifferent to individuals, thinking on a MUCH larger/longer timescale than even the immortal elves. One other interesting note is the verbiage of "ice over granite" (as far as describing her thoughts). As mentioned earlier, there is one other example of a mind described as such... Azlagur. Whose thoughts are described as "dark islands of ice drifting along a listless current" - similar classes of vast, slow, and ancient consciousnesses. Think of that what you will.
Christopher later confirms the timescale idea directly here:
Q: Does the momentary pain in Eragon's stomach have anything (or everything) to do with what the Menoa tree wanted from them?
A: Whatever the Menoa tree did or didn't do, her plans are as long, intricate, and slow-moving as her consciousness.
Notice that's not a non-denial, btw. He was asked point blank about whether the belly twinge had anything to do with what she wanted, and Christopher did not say no. He said long and slow. So, from that we can infer whatever she wants STARTED with that twinge, and it will play out over a very long period of time.
Also worth noting from an earlier quote - The Menoa Tree/Linnea is not particularly well balanced psychologically and nothing is more important than guarding [intrusion] from anything
But.. as to what she's guarding against, Christopher is cagey about that - when asked directly, he gave a No Comment. He also implies there IS a particular something (at least that she is most worried about intruding) - but it's not clear whether that's Azlagur, or the Unnamed shadow, or something else at this point.
One more piece of the picture, because it bears directly on what she knows and what she might be guarding against - there's an inconsistency in the timeline of her story, as it does lead to REALLY interesting possibilities for the story - Per Arya's narration, the story of Linnea was "during the years of spice and wine" (pre-pact) - but we see later that Christopher says Linnea was hundreds of years old here:
Q: Do elf females never take a mate younger to them?? I know linnea did and the whole Menoa tale/ tree came about and she regretted it but that doesn't mean all relationships with a younger mate (male) should end up the way linnea's did. I mean it's kind of a human way of thinking rather than an elven way of thinking and it's not fair that linnea's tale is passed down as a cautionary tale never to take a mate younger than oneself for a female.
A: They do, and it's quite common. In Linnëa's case, though, it was a rather extreme age difference. As in, she was several hundred years old, and her mate was still in the elven equivalent of his twenties. In most cases, age isn't a big deal among elves, since most of them tend to be so old (at least by human standards), but sometimes it does become an issue, as in this case.
There's two ways to interpret this misalignment. First - It's possible that Linnea was born pre-pact, and perhaps the pact happened during her lifetime, before these events. Or, the second option is that the pact happened after she sang herself into the tree (and the age notation here may just be a mistake).
Based on everything I can tell, the latter is the more likely option, and makes for the more interesting story because of the implications. There is likely a memory spell tied to the Rider pact, and since the Menoa tree/Linnea wasn't really an "elf" when the pact was signed, it likely did not affect her.
As a result, she remembers things the pact made the elves forget... this is particularly important when looking deeper at her motivations. In other words: whatever it is she's guarding against, she may be the only mind left (within Du Weldenvarden/not Draumar) who actually remembers it, and why it needs guarding against.
Now - one last time because it's the crux, I want to drive one last point home - Linnea never had children. And I believe this is a MAJOR piece of her personality when she sang herself into the tree, as dictated by Arya - "Linnea had grown old without the comfort of a mate or children", and "things that she had unknowingly sacrificed". Like I said earlier, singing yourself into a tree doesn't exactly help your dating pool. So... from that we can infer, what got torn away, what she REALLY wanted - was to be a mother. And Christopher confirmed that with his comment about she sees the whole forest as her surrogate.
So, to wrap this up - distilling the Menoa tree into one sentence - A childless, unbalanced ancient mind that made an entire forest into a surrogate child, that trusts no one and guards against everything to protect her children, that stands outside the pact and remembers what it made the elves forget.
So that's what she is. Now - I want to dig into specifically why she needed Eragon (instead of taking what she wanted from another elf, human, or any other creature). Starting with another interesting quote about Eragon and HIS potential offspring here-
Q: [Eragon isn't quite an elf and he isn't quite a human. He's actually just a little bit beyond what perhaps a normal human would ultimately achieve as a Dragon Rider]... Would Eragon's offspring be like that as well?
A: That's a really good question, let's find out.
and
Q: Would Eragon's children be half-elven, and will they be more powerful than him?
A: Eragon isn't an elf right now, but he's not exactly 100% human. I suppose it would depend on who he has children with, if he has children. If he were to ever have children with an elf, then yes, half-elf. Probably rather unusual children. If he has kids with a human, then I'm not quite sure what happens. We'll have to find out. [4]
The "we'll have to find out" is very curious, as it implies Christopher has thought about it, and likely has specific plans for it in the future...
Very interesting.
Moving along now - A few other interesting bits, RE: genetic compatibilities for children:
Q: Why is it so difficult for elves to have children?
A: It's partly because of how thoroughly they're imbued with magic. It interferes with their fertility. Also, they choose not to have that many babies; otherwise they'd quickly overrun the continent.
So, it is a bit of a choice, but it's also hard for them genetically...
And:
Q: In the books, Arya mentions humans and elves having a relationship, but it wasn't said if these relationships resulted in offspring. Would the child be immortal, like an elf? How about other relationships among the four major species (human, urgal, elf, dwarf)?
A: They only rarely resulted in offspring. Said children weren't usually immortal. They lived far longer than normal humans, but in the end, they died. There have been exceptions, but they are exceptions of exceptions.
As we know from earlier half-elf half-human hybrids aren't immortal... And we know that said hybrids would likely have trouble sustaining their genetic line:
Q: Would a human and an elf from the inheritance series be able to conceive children?
A: Yes, although with difficulty, and their offspring might have trouble having children of their own.
Do you see what I'm driving at here? The direct offspring of Rider-Elves won't be immortal, and likely can't sustain their own genetic line, but... We also know what happened to Eragon was a step more/further, genetically, than what happens to most human Riders over time.
So there are difficulties with the hybrids (children of elf-human pairings), but per the Menoa tree's own words, there has never been a hybrid quite like Eragon before, so they may not have some of the difficulties of mating with elves or humans, and may have the benefit of being immortal (a la elves), while also not having magic interfere as much in their reproduction...
Now, lets put it all together -
The price/toll happened in Brisingr.
She took something physical - the twinge in the lower belly.
It required no action/spell/energy/etc from Eragon - he was passive.
It happened through him, via a root that stayed coiled on his ankle the entire time, and only let go after the twinge passed
It was something only Eragon himself could provide
She turned down energy and healing as a price
She needed his freely-given will/consent before taking it - when she could just as easily have taken it by force. It was explicitly a bargain, and she wanted it binding from Eragon.
She interrogated Eragon first, connected him to the 'warping' she felt and then dismissed, and then ONLY after realizing what he was (as a one-of-a-kind product of the changes from the blood oath celebration, that she has never met a creature like him before, etc) did she ask him for said price
There was no obviously large organ missing - No one noticed anything from Eragon that's been taken, despite the fact that something physical was taken
Her motivations match up with Eragon's uniqueness to lead to the one obvious price...
The Menoa tree took some of Eragon's reproductive material - and took it because he's the first of a new kind/new race - a stable elf-human hybrid the world has never seen. The physical location, the passivity, the root, the two refusals, the interrogation, the dismissed warping, the childless surrogate mother, etc - every clue is pointing in one direction. And think about why the reproductive material specifically would matter to her plans: per Christopher, ordinary human-elf children are fragile (genetically speaking), and would have trouble having children of her own. And elves struggle even more because magic interferes with their fertility, which is one of the reasons children are so rare. But Eragon is a new being entirely - a more "complete" transformation, a step further than what happens to human riders over time. If you wanted stock for a genetically stable race (that's magical, but still able to reproduce effectively), he is the only viable donor who exists, or has existed as long as the Menoa tree has been alive. And when he turns up in book four offering to pay the debt, she's amused. And Christopher told us it'll cause all sorts of dramatic issues - which a quietly growing family of Eragon's children, cultivated by a not-well-balanced tree as a mother most certainly would
Whew.
Alright - I'm going to stop here as I think I've written more than enough.
Even though this topic has already been talked to death, I'd love to hear what everyone thinks in the comments!
