#vanir

I want to use this great anti-bullying post to talk about Oromis and Eragon/Vanir for a moment.

The idea in this post that bullying is about using power over vulnerable people, rather than just “wanting attention,” is really useful for understanding how Oromis fails Eragon when it comes to Vanir.

Oromis’s approach doesn’t work because he deliberately ignores what the problem actually is. He treats Vanir’s behavior like it’s a neutral or even helpful challenge meant to build Eragon’s self-control, instead of recognizing that Vanir is deliberately picking on Eragon because of who he is and what position he’s in. By doing this, Oromis falls into the same trap as a lot of bad anti-bullying advice: he stops holding the bully responsible and instead puts all the pressure on the victim to just “handle it.”

To be clear, Vanir isn’t just being rude or clashing with Eragon by accident. He is very intentionally targeting Eragon, and he does it by taking advantage of multiple weaknesses that Oromis refuses to acknowledge.

Vanir knows he has social power as an immortal elf in a culture that already looks down on humans. He constantly talks down to Eragon as a “weak human” and a “cripple” with "thin" blood, not just to be mean, but to reinforce the idea that Eragon doesn’t belong and doesn’t deserve the Rider title. This is Vanir leaning on existing elven prejudice and using it as a weapon.

Vanir also deliberately pushes Eragon past his physical limits, fully aware that his back injury causes intense pain, sickness, and can trigger debilitating seizures that leave him unconscious. This isn’t fair training or tough love; it’s using Eragon’s disability against him to embarrass and break him. Vanir is trying to prove Eragon is unworthy by forcing his body to fail.

This is exactly how bullying works in real life: bullies pick targets whose differences are already seen as acceptable to mock or exploit (race, disability, weakness) because they know adults and institutions are unlikely to step in.

Oromis’s response to the situation lines up almost perfectly with the kind of anti-bullying logic that never actually helps.

Oromis reframes Vanir’s cruelty as a lesson Eragon needs in discipline and mental calm. When Eragon is in extreme pain, Oromis downplays it, telling him he has to accept it and reminding him it won’t kill him. This treats suffering as something Eragon is supposed to grow from, instead of a sign that something is wrong with how he’s being treated.

Oromis also constantly scolds Eragon for getting angry or upset, saying that reacting only proves the elves who dislike him right. That’s classic victim-blaming. Eragon’s emotional response becomes the “problem,” while Vanir’s behavior is treated as unavoidable or justified.

Most importantly, Oromis never actually challenges the system Vanir is taking advantage of. He acts like elven superiority, Eragon’s youth, and his injury are just facts of life instead of reasons Eragon is being targeted. The only solution he offers is internal: Eragon has to be calm enough to rise above it all, even though the system itself never changes.

In the end, Oromis’s teaching demands that Eragon prove himself by enduring cruelty without complaining, instead of actually creating a fair and supportive environment for him to learn in. This is the same flawed thinking behind a lot of ineffective anti-bullying advice: it assumes bullying happens because victims react, not because bullies are protected by power and social structures.

Aesir spearing Gullveig. They burned her 3 times and she was reborn everytime. Did you know this goddess is theorized to be Freyja???