 Paolini chose to have Eragon mature throughout the book because " for one thing , it 's one of the archetypal fantasy elements " . He thought Eragon 's growth and maturation throughout the book " sort of mirrored my own growing abilities as a writer and as a person , too . So it was a very personal choice for that book . " Eragon 's dragon , Saphira , was imagined as " the perfect friend " by Paolini . He decided to go in a more " human direction " with her because she is raised away from her own species , in " close mental contact " with a human . " I considered making the dragon more dragon @-@ like , if you will , in its own society , but I haven 't had a chance to explore that . I went with a more human element with Saphira while still trying to get a bit of the magic , the alien , of her race . " Paolini made Saphira the " best friend anyone could have : loyal , funny , brave , intelligent , and noble . She transcended that , however , and became her own person , fiercely independent and proud . " Saphira 's blue tinted vision was in turn inspired by Paolini 's own color @-@ blindness . 
