Bethesda’s inclusion of dragons in Skyrim is one of the game’s most distinct features. These immortal beasts are some of the most unique creatures the franchise has seen, not because of gameplay, but because of lore.
Dragons have a strange history tied to them, serving as immortal enemies that can only be truly killed by losing their soul to another dragon. Even after beating the main story in Skyrim, many players and Elder Scrolls veterans still have questions about these winged beasts. From their origins to their influence on Nord legends, here are 10 questions about dragons Skyrim leaves unanswered.
10 Where Do Dragons Come From?
Dragons have existed longer than history has been recorded in The Elder Scrolls universe. Their influence on Ancient Nords is well documented, but no one knows where Dragons truly come from.
Their souls are eternal unless absorbed by one of their kin, but where exactly do their souls originate from? The most likely theory is that dragons are fragments of Akatosh, although their exact purpose is unknown.
9 How Did The Dwemer Perceive Dragons?
Back when the Dwemer were made up of Dwarves and not ancient constructs, they secluded themselves from the rest of Nirn’s inhabitants to pursue their own goals.
What many don’t consider is that dragons existed during this period. How did the Dwemer view dragons? Did they look towards them with indifference or with curiosity? It’s hard to say, although it’s shocking that Bethesda hasn’t expanded on this concept with Dwemer dragon constructs or at least a lore entry around these two iconic beings.
8 Dragon Skeletons Have No Weight
Speaking of Elder Scrolls lore, why is it that dragon skeletons have next to no weight? An Unrelenting Force Shout or simply running into one can cause the skeleton to fling into the skies as if it weighed as much as a feather.
What’s especially strange is their actual bones and scales are rather heavy, weighing 15 and 10 units respectively. These small parts of a dragon weigh much more than the entire enemy’s skeleton.
7 Do Dragon Shouts Have Synonyms?
Shouting in Skyrim is much more than yelling at foes to death. Shouts are words in the dragon tongue that create devastating effects. Dragon fights are closer to life-threatening debates than a typical fight.
That said, do dragons ever use synonyms when in the middle of a debate? Would stating “heat” cause a different effect than “fire?” If yes, then why do dragons stick to the same arguments for the entirety of Skyrim? Surely dragons must get tired of hearing Flame Breath repeated hundreds of times throughout their life.
6 Was Ysgramor A Dragon Priest?
Nords triumphantly tell of Ysgramor’s glorious conquest to claim Skyrim during his life. It is indeed a grand tale that most Skyrim players are familiar with, but the story’s omission of one fact heavily implies that Ysgramor worshipped dragons.
Once Ysgramor died, references of the Dragon Cult began to arise. Atmora Nords began to serve under the dragons, worshiping them as gods. Does this mean that Ysgramor was a Dragon Priest? It isn’t out of the question, especially considering that Atmora Nords have encountered dragons before their pilgrimage to Tamriel. Ysgramor never crowned himself king, either.
5 Why Can’t You Soul Trap Dragons?
Absorbing dragon souls is a core part of Skyrim’s gameplay loop. The more souls a player absorbs, the more Shouts they can use while also chipping away at the dragon threat.
Why hasn’t a Conjurer or any mage been interested in trapping a dragon’s soul into a Soul Gem mid-transfer? It would make for a fantastic quest for the College of Winterhold, yet the game never theorizes what would occur if a player tried this. Assuming normal Soul Gems are too weak to store dragon souls, could Azura’s Star or the Black Star work? Bethesda never posed the question during Skyrim, so players are left in the dark.
4 How Did The Ka Po’ Tun Clan Enslave Dragons?
Akavir is a mystical place in Elder Scrolls lore, a land beyond the seas of Tamriel that houses strange beings such as monkey people and serpent men. Dragons were once indigenous to this land until the Ka Po’ Tun began eating them in the pursuit of morphing into dragons themselves.
Supposedly, it worked, and the remaining dragons retreated to Tamriel. How is it that such a feared species that can single-handedly destroy cities in Skyrim were both enslaved and eaten by a clan of tiger people? The Dragonborn spends their entire game learning how to defeat dragons and save Nirn from annihilation, but this strange group in Akavir could enslave them with no issue? Either the Ka Po’ Tun are stronger than immortal beings, or this famous story about Akaviri inhabitants is fabricated.
3 Do Female Dragons Exist?
Many would assume that dragons had no gender associated with them, but a strange French translation of “A Child’s Tamriel Bestiary” heavily implies otherwise.
In the French version of Skyrim, this book replaces the creature associated with the letter “J” from Jackal to Jills. Jills are stated to be female dragons that fix inconsistencies with time itself. Michael Kirkbride, a former writer at Bethesda who made much of Morrowind’s lore, has also written about these creatures since he departed from Bethesda that sounds nearly identical to the depiction seen in this children’s book. If this book can be taken as canon, why do players never see Jills during Skyrim? Surely one would appear after Aludin was banished to the present.
2 Why Do Dragons Land In Combat?
Flying constantly must get tiring for a giant creature such as a dragon, but the times they choose to land make no logical sense.
During combat, dragons will typically land in an open area and begin to attack the player with their sharp fangs. It’s necessary for melee players to stand a chance against dragons, but why land in the middle of combat instead of retreating first or waiting until the opposition is defeated? It’s likely for gameplay purposes, but an in-universe explanation for this would be great to see.
1 What Happened To Fairy Dragons?
Fairy dragons are referenced in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, through an Alchemy ingredient out of all things. Named Fairy Dragon Scales, this ingredient granted Spell Reflection on any potion that used it.
This raises a couple of questions. Most importantly, what is a fairy dragon? It isn’t a strange term for typical dragon scales, as standard dragon scales also exist in Daggerfall. Perhaps these scales relate to female Jill dragons?
NEXT: Skyrim: 10 Reasons Why It’s One Of The Best Triple A RPGs Of The Decade
