Did you Wonder about the Main Picture on the Web Pages?

A dragon rider and her (in the case of Eragon) dragon? 

The dragon rider is Eragon and his dragon is Saphira. Eragon was destined to resurrect the lost tradition of dragon riders. He learns magic, sword skills, the ancient language and dragon riding from Brom, a one-time dragon rider himself.

No, I’m not a fantasy freak. It’s just that Dylan, my grandson, on sleep-overs, always comes armed with his favourite DVDs. One of them is Eragon. We’ve watched it together several times.

Brom, who has several words of wisdom to impart to Eragon reminisces, at one stage,  about the past, recalling the times when he saw “men astride magnificent beasts."

He laments that, “if a dragon dies, the rider will live on; if a rider dies, so does his dragon.”

He cautions Eragon, in his dragon riding, “one false move, one reckless decision, and everything is lost.”

His most heartfelt advice to Eragon is, “when a dragon and rider are truly one, they see as one.”

He tells Eragon that, in the ancient language, that's skulblaka sven – see like a dragon, meaning that the rider sees through the eyes of the dragon.

Doesn't that all sound like motorcycling?

I couldn't find a word for motorcycle in the ancient language. I guess words like skulblaka (dragon) and shur'tugal (dragon rider) transcend the portals between Alagaësia and Our World; and can equally apply to a motorcycle and its rider.

In our world, also, the dragon and the rider should be truly one. They should think as one, see as one and move as one. Just like the dragon and its rider.

Except, in the world of motorcycling, the dragon sees through the eyes of the rider. The dragon will always follow the rider's eyes. 

For motorcyclists, that's shur'tugal sven – meaning that the bike will always go where the rider is looking.

Shur'tugal sven!

RC 27 May 2009

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