The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimis not the fi🦋rst game in the series to have dragons. In fact, one is encountered by the main character ofThe Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard. The dragon, Nafaalilargus, not only talked to you (eat your heart out, Paarthurnax), he also fought you. Of course, with how advanced gr🔴aphics are nowadays, he certainly does not look like a spring chicken anymore, but at the time, this encounter wa𒅌s exhilarating and likely set the stage for the winged beasts inSkyrim.

The fifthElder Scrollsgame took the fire-breathing dragon fromRedguardand evolved it into the realistic beasts�🌱� we encounter across Tamriel. Now, instead of a solitary dragon, there are many variations, ranging from harmless brown ones to powerful legendary ones. Some are ice types, others use fire-based attacks, and a few, like Alduin, possess a shout unique to themselves.

With so many different types and their long absence from Tamriel, it is only natural that dragons♔ are shrouded in mystery. No one knows when they first appeared. We aren’t even sure if Alduin is the first of their kind. As players pour over the lore, diving into in-game boo🧔ks such asOlaf and the DragonandMysterious Akavir, they discover more pieces to thi꧙s seemingly infinite ꧟puzzle. We may never know everything there is to know aboutSkyrim’s dragons, but we can at least record and share the little knowledge we do have with𝔍 each other.

15 Dragons Or Wyverns?

The dragons of the land of Skyrim are many things—powerful,🐻 i🍎ntelligent, and sublime to name a few. They do all the things that dragons do, such as flying about and breathing fire (or some other elemental attack). However, there is one minor problem with the in-game dragons—they look more like wyverns.

Wyverns are serpentine creatures with barbed tails who fly about, as dragons do, and occasionally brea🐷t🀅he fire. They are prominently featured on coats of arms from the 16th century to the present day. In heraldry, the main difference between dragons and wyverns are the number of legs each one has. Wyverns, like the dragons found in Skyrim, have two legs. Their front “legs” are fused to their wings like a bat. However, this is where the comparison ends, as Skyrim’s dragons are larger, stronger, and smarter than wyverns.

Now, 𒅌which of you wants to tell Todd Howard he got it wrong?

14 No One Knows Where They Came From

Although it is known that dragons are indigenous to Akavir, a continent to the east of Tamriel, their precise origins are unknown. Sure, Aꦯlduin claims to be the first-born of Akatosh, which implies he is the first dragon, but even if he is, where did he come from? Even the dremora, when summoned and questioned by members of the College of Whispers, cannot recall when dragons first appeared. According to them, dr𓆉agons have always existed; they are immortal, ageless, and eternal.

There are no kꦆnown examples of dragons breeding. It seems that they just appear full grown, as no eggs or🍨 children are ever seen (the dragonlings inThe Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfallare said to be unrelated). Pair this with the fact that i𓃲t is nearly impossible to kill a dragon and it is no wonder they were once worshipped as gods.

13 Dragons Once Ruled Over Men

During the Merethic Era, Ysgramor and many of his people fled their homeland of Atmora for Tamriel. They brought their faith, which practiced animal worship, with them. Since dragons were the most powerful of all the animals, they eventually came to be worshipped as god-kings by the Atmorans. The dragons felt that their rule was justified because they were obviously🍸 more powerful than men, and being powerful means being rig𒐪ht.

Of course, although the dragons were destined to rule didn’t mean that they actually wanted to, which is why they gave the Dr﷽agon Priests the power of kings. This worked out well in Atmora, but in Tamriel, the Dragon Priests’ rule was strict and resulted in the enslavement of the rest of the populace. The priests were met with rebellion and lost control of their subordinates, resulting in a deadly response from the dragons that kickstarted the Dragon War.

12 The Dragon Language Is Complex

Much likeStar Trek’sKlingon and Tolkien's Elvish, the language of dragons is intricate𒉰, as the creatures are quite intelligent. In addition to spoken words, there is also a writing system that appears on words walls and in dungeons that are similar to the cuneiform system of Mesopotamia.

Their alphabet is comprised of 34 symbols. Of the 34, 25 symbols correlate with the letters of the latin alphabet and nine represent letter pairs, such as “AA” or “UR.” Currently, there are over 600 words in the dragon language that use these symbols. Dragon speak is similar to English but with a few notable exceptions: it lacks apostrophes, prepositional phrases appear earlier in sentences, and tense is non-existent. As su𒁃ch there are a few complicated rules to help convey possession, plural words, and perfect verb form.

So, why not learn the language? You might become the mother (or father) of 𒉰dragons.

11 You Can Save That Dragon Soul For Later

You are just walking along, minding your own business, when the dragon battle music starts blaring out of nowhere, but you don’t see anything. You look around and hear the swoosh of beating wings🌠 as the creatur🧜e lands in front you and the battle begins. Of course, you manage to slay the vile beast, as you possess the Dragonrend shout and a healthy arsenal of spells. Now it is time to collect its soul.

Unfortunately for you, the dragon happened to drop dead a considerable distance from your body. No big deal. You can just run up and absorb it, right? Well, not always. In fact, it is unlikely you will bღe able to absorb it at all. However, fear not, for you can leave its corpse where it lies and return in a fe🧸w days to finish the job.

10 You Can’t Use Soul Trap On Dragons

Everyone knows thatℱ when the Dragonborn defeats a dragon that he absorbs its soul. That captured soul remains in their possession un𒐪til it is used to learn a new shout. So, what if you don’t want to absorb a dragon’s soul? What if you want to use it for something else?

Typically, if you want to capture a soul, you use Soul Trap to store it within a soul gem. The soul gem is then used to enchant weapons and armor or to recharge weapons that are already enchanted. Unfortunately, the Dragonborn is unable to forgo absorbing their souls to trap them instead. Even if a regular pers🎶on tried to use Soul Trap, they would fail, as dragons will always resist the spell. Their souls are simply too big to capture.

9 The Skull Above The Jarl’s Throne Isn’tꦚ For Decoration

Spend enough time in Whiterun, and you are bound to notice the dragon skull hanging above the Jarl’s throne in Dragonsreach. You migh🤡t think it makes a great accent piece that ties the room together, evoking a sense of wonder and power. However, that skull is more than mere decoration, and it doesn’t belong to just any old dragon. Oh no, dear reader. For that is the skull of Numinex who was defeated by the Nord hero, King Ol🧜af One-Eye.

Yes, it was by defeating Numinex that King Olaf was able to assume the throne of Skyrim. Dragonsreach was then built to imprison the creature, and that is where it remained until it died. Now his skull hangs over the Jarl of Whiterun, perhaps as a symbol of Nordic pride or to serve as a w🧔arning to other dragons.

8 Alduin Has A Nordic Counterpart

Alduin, the Worl𝓰d Eater, is the main antagonist ofSkyrim. It is said that heཧ is both the creator and destroyer of worlds. Endings that make way for new beginnings are common in myths and religions from around the world. Destruction is a scary but necessary evil. One such symbol of destruction is f🌸ound in Norse mythology and is possibly the inspiration for Alduin—Níðhöggur!

Níðhöggurܫ is a dragon who gnaws on the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree that unifies the nine Nordic realms. Luckily, the tree is able to withstand the damage caused by the dragon. In addition, Níðhöggur also feasts on the dead in thꦺe afterlife, just as Alduin does when confronted by the Dragonborn in Sovngarde. Of course, Níðhöggur didn’t try to resurrect an army of dragons, so this is where the parallels end.

7 Mario Is A Dragon?

Paarthurna🌳x is like your wise old grandfather who survived the war. He is full of great stories and sobering realities that make you a better person for having listened to them. He is easily one of the most interesting and well-rounded characters in the game—and possibly the only true friend or ally the Dragonborn has—much of which is due to his awesome voice actor, Charles Martinet.

If that name sounds familiar, it is because Martinet’s voice has been a constant presence in your life since the 90s. That’s right, he is the voice ꦫof Mario (and Luigi, Wario, and more). Yes,theMario from your favorite pipe-filled platformer. Imagine P🌱aarthurnax greeting you with, “It’s a me, Paarthurnax!” Wow! All of a sudden he doesn’t seem so wise anymore.

6 You Can See Their Remains On The World Map

If you aren’t playingSkyrimto kill dragons (with the exception of Paarthurnax, of course), then are ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚyou really playing at all? There really isn’t any other way to prove yourself as the Dragonborn unless you defeat Alduin, the ultimate threat. The best way to prepare for this predestined battle is to slay every dragon you encounter. The skeletons that you leave behind will serve as a warning to Alduin that you are a force to be reckoned with. But don’t those skeletons disappear after you leave the area? No, they don’t.

In fact, not only do the skeletons remain where they fell, bu🐽t they can also be seen on the map, leaving behind a visual record of your conquests. It isn’t just their skeletons that can be seen on the map; t🧔heir burning remains are visible as well if you open the map as you absorb their soul.