Quick Links
No, not the DnD race. Dragonborn (or “Dovahkiin” in the dragons’ language) refers to an individual in the world of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Elder Scrolls, otherwise referred to as Tamriel🎶, blessed with the magical blood of a god associated with dragons. If you’ve played Skyrim, you know that your main character in tha🦹t game is one such Dragonborn – but they are not the only one.
The concept and history of Dragonborn are so deeply rooted within Nord culture that they even have songs about them. “With a Voice wielding power of the ancient Nord art” is one exemplar line from the song The Dragonborn Comes (Songs of Skyrim: Revised by Giraud Gemaine). Let’s take a looﷺk at what a Dragonborn actually is and where we can find them in history.
Much of this information is sourced from in-game books. When this is applicable, the books will be ref🌺erenced in parentheses. Othe💙r information is taken from in-game dialogues.
What Is A Dragonborn
In a nutshell, a Dragonborn is an individual with the soul of a dragon within them who has the ability to use dragon shouts and absorb the souls of fallen dragons. There is more to it than that, however - there is mythology and history surrounding Drago💮nborn creation involving gods, the founding of empires, and wars that happened in eras past.
The most important figure when looking at Dragonborn is Akatosh. He is one of the Nine Divines and is often considered the head of the pantheon, akin to Zeus or Odin. Also known as the Dragon God of Time, Akatosh is responsible for🥂 the creation of both dragons and Dragonborn – all of these individuals have a piece of Akatosh’s soul within them.
For an individual to be considered a Dragonborn, they must ༺have either two or three qualities, depending on your personal definitions.
Dragon Blood
The term Dragonborn has its roots in the Cyrodilic Empire and, again, Akatosh. Saint Alessia, the first Cyrodilic Empress, was blessed personally by Akatosh on her deathbed, and her bloodline forever connected to the Amulet of Kings (Trials of St. Alessia) – only individuals with true dragon blood inside them (in other words, descended from Alessia) could don the ༺Amulet.
Thusly, Cyrodiil has been ruled by what are known as the Dragonborn Emperors of the Alessian, Reman, and Septim dynasties (The Book of the Dragonborn by Prior Emelene Madrine).
Having Akatosh-blessed blood does not seem to be a solid requirement for being a Dragonborn. Miraak is a Dragonborn from the Merethic Era and was a high-ranking member of the Dragon Cult with the abilities of the Dragonborn without being blessed by Akatosh (The Guardian and the Traitor by Lucius Gallus). This implies that individuals can be born Dragonborn or become Dragonborn through a draconic influence removed from Akatosh himself.
The Thu’um
Perhaps the most noticeable ability of a Dragonborn is a natural proficiency with the thu’um, also called the Voice. This is the language of the dragons and manifests in men and ꧅mer as powerful shouts with a varieܫty of effects depending on the words spoken.
While it’s possible for anyone to learn the thu’um, it is incredibly difficult. The Greybeards of High Hrothgar can wield it with some skill and teach it to others (such as Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak of Windhelm) but it obviously take༒s them a great many years – hence their title. Showing great skill with the thu’um, as the player character of Skyri♛m does, is a surefire sign of being a Dragonborn.
Dragonslaying
The one true defining feature of Dragonborn is their ability to absorb the souls of dragons. 💜This is used as a gameplay mechanic in Skyrim but is also incredibly important to their lore and history as enemies of dragonkind.
When a dragon is killed, there is always the possibility that it can be raised from the dead. This is witnessed during the main story of Skyrim, where Alduin raises dragons from their burial mounds. Dragons obviously have a great potential f☂or magic 🌃and a grasp of necromancy.
If a dragon has its soul absorbed before this can happen, however, it cannot be raised from the dead. It also seems like Dragonborns will absorb dragon souls simply by being in the proximity of a decease⭕d dragon. Put two and two together and you have a long-standing hatred between dragonkind and Dragonborn.
Dragonborn In Nord Culture
Dragonborn are extremely important in Nord culture. They have written books about them, sing folk songs about them, and idolize historical Dragonborn such as Tiber Septim and Ysmir Wulfharth as prominent heroes of ages past. This is likely due to the important role they played in the formation of the empire and the Dragon Wars.
A significant marker of the importance of Dragonborn within Nord culture is the important status held by the Greybeards. These individuals are notable for being able to speak the language of dragons and teach it to others - and knowing how to use the thu'um offensively surely contributed to the popularity of Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak during the civil war taking place over the course of Skyrim. This exemplifies the reverence placed upon those even associated with Dragonborn.
Notable Dragonborn
There are a few figures who are known as Dragonborn, both recorded in the annals of history and passed on through word of mouth. While many Dragonborn are immortalized anonymously through folk songs - primarily by the Nords - some are far more prevalent and relevant to you, the gamer reading thi🅘s.
Through these individuals, we can see that the idea of what a Dragonborn is and does has fluctuated over the years. They are all significant in their own✱ ways thanks to their associations with Akatosh and d💖ragonkind.
Saint Alessia
Alessia was a Nede who led the landmark rebellion against the Ayleid Empire and freed humanity from slavery. She’s an almost mythological figure thanks to her starting a new religion, founding an entire empire of her own, and being blessed by Akatosh. In many cultures, she is even known as the patron saint of humanity thanks to her effo🌊rts to protect Tamriel against the evil Daedra.
While she was only anointed with Akatosh’s blessing on her deathbed (Trials of St. Alessia) and therefore was not able to exhibit any of the abilities that we know Dragonborn have, she is still known far and wide as the First Dragonborn.ꦿ As a result, she gave this title to all who were descended from her, in🌠cluding her minotaur son, Belharza.
It is notable that while the Reman and Septim dynasties were also considered to be led by Dragonborn Emperors thanks to their ability to wear the Amulet of Kings, there is no solid evidence that they are descended from Saint Alessia. This implies that Akatosh may have blessed their founders individually, or that the blessed bloodline is not necessarily inherited through actual bloo🔯d. It is certainly a point of debate.
Tiber Septim
Tiber Septim is well known as a Dragonborn Emperor and is the founder of the Septim dynasty. He achieved this through decades of conquest in which he led battles himself and used the thu’um liberally. His status as a Dragonborn is central to his legend and his identity, with some calling him “Dragon of the North.”
While historical sources on the world of Tamriel conflict somewhat, some do state that Septim was able to absorb dragon souls (There Be Dragons by Torhal Bjorik) and there are some accounts that people only saw a dragon when they looked at him (Varieties of Faith by Brother Mikhael Karkuxor). That he was associated with and had the powers of dragons is an inextricable fact and the idea that he was personally blessed by Akatosh may be held up by his eventual apotheꦑosis into a god.
Miraak
As mentioned previously, Miraak is an example of a Dragonborn without having blood blessed by Akatosh. He was a Dragon Priest during the times when such priests held immense political powers thanks to their bond with dragons. Miraak turned on the dragons, and with the help of the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora, he killed many dragons and absorbed their souls.
His allies turned on him for this betrayal, but he was saved by his betentacled patron and languished in Hermaeus Mora’s Daedric realm (The Guardian and the Traitor) until the events of Skyrim started to unfold൩. He started to rebuild his place of power and sent assassins after a certain other Dragonborn, and if you’ve played the Dragonborn DLC you’ll know how well that went for him.
The Last Dragonborn
The Last Dragonborn is one of many titles given to the player character of Skyrim. Thanks to player customization, there is little canon information known about this individual other than the fact that they were arrested on the border of Skyrim, survived an attack from Alduin, and went on to master the thu’um and slay the World-Eater.
They are the focus of a propheওcy depicted on Alduin’s Wall within Sky Haven Temple. It speaks of a number of events that precede the return of Alduin and the coming of the Last Dragonborn. The prophecy fully comes to fruition when the Dragonborn is discovered after defeating a dragon and absorbing its soul during the quest Dragon Rising.