Forums » Elder Scrolls

Role of the Dragonborn in the Men v. Mer Conflict

    • 17 posts
    April 17, 2013 9:17 AM EDT

    Since the "no more DLCs" announcement, I have been contemplating how Skyrim ended, particularly as it pertains to the Dragonborn.

    Let me start with a little background. First, correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to me that chief deity of the divines, the Dragon God of Time, has different aspects that appeal to both Man and Mer. Men typically refer to him as Akatosh and Mer know him as Auri-El (among other names). Second, the growing conflict between Man and Mer is an underlying theme in Skyrim. The game seems to be heading for some sort of showdown.

    Here's my thought: has Dragonborn unwittingly aided a shift in power in favor of the Elves?

    It seems to me that Dragonborn has weakened the Man-favored aspect of the chief god in a few ways. First, he restored Auriel's Chantry and avatar in Dawnguard. Second, he subverted the All-Maker's/Skaal's secrets to Hermaeus Mora in Dragonborn. All of these events happened in a logical progression. Dragonborn destroyed (?) Alduin in Sovngarde. Alduin was a threat to all of Tamriel. This threat could have kept Man and Mer loosely united to fight the World Eater. Now that Alduin is, at the very least, out of the picture, Man and Mer can resume their fight over dominance. Then come the DLCs, which seem to support the Mer aspects of Akatosh, while weakening the aspect favored by man. (Of course, Talos is EVERYTHING to the Nords. Akatosh is not given much thought. One could argue that banning Talos-worship was a calculated move by the Thalmor to weaken the adoration that men give to Akatosh).

    While Dragonborn may not have given the Elves more power, per se, his actions could have the effect--at a minimum--of emboldening the Elves to fight harder.

    What say ye?

    • 1913 posts
    April 17, 2013 11:48 AM EDT
    Auri-el is Akatosh. The snow elf from Dawnguard says "they all are the same just differently named: Auriel, Auri-el, Akosh, Akatosh. And since the dragonborn receives his or her powers from Akatosh, I don't think it would matter which one he/she worships since they are the same...
    • 661 posts
    April 17, 2013 11:55 AM EDT

    hehehe, thats why I love being Altmeri. Thalmor still blow balls though. I figure every High Elf I make is Rogue from the Dominion.

    • 1913 posts
    April 17, 2013 11:56 AM EDT
    I personally feel the dragonborn wouldn't have cared either way... They owe no allegiance to either side
    • 1913 posts
    April 17, 2013 11:58 AM EDT
    Not every high elf agrees with the dominion...
  • April 17, 2013 11:59 AM EDT
    Most do though. And yes, I realize all=/=most.
    • 140 posts
    June 1, 2013 2:01 PM EDT

    Sorry I missed this way back when it was posted, but I think you are right on with this topic!  I kind of look at this whole thing like a Chinese finger trap...on one side is a more Aedric  influence pulling against a more Daedric influence with Nirn in the center, being squeezed and flattened.  I have not played the DLC's yet to see how they contribute to this theory.

    I do see the banning of Talos worship as provocative, but only in pursuit of the truth that the Altmer believe is theirs to pass on and act as guardians of.  I think each game adds more and more info that place man and mer on opposite sides of the equation, and it seems increasingly difficult to imagine that a showdown of sorts is not inevitable.

  • June 1, 2013 2:22 PM EDT
    Even though dragon blood is a gift, in history, its man that are dragonborn ain't it?
    Bethesda' s Dragonborn was nord. Obviously, we know who the favorite people are.
    This is a man's world
  • June 1, 2013 2:36 PM EDT
    It's probably the last one that's given the gift. The dragonborn could get busy and have more dragonborns in no time at all.
  • June 1, 2013 2:36 PM EDT
    Don't be scared, we all know its true
  • June 1, 2013 2:37 PM EDT

    The Last Dragonborn doesn't have a race. You talking about the trailer one? That's not a character, that's a faceless concept, kind of a fill-in-the-blanks type deal. This is how the canon Dragonborn will likely be mentioned.

    The Dragonborn returned to stop the Dragon Break during 4E 201. They traveled into Sovngarde and defeated Alduin.

    That's it, no race/gender/bio/etc . No credible source will list his/her race. I say credible because I'm gonna assume there will be some Nordic cults proclaiming the Dragonborn as a strong Nordic warrior. They tend to be pretty egotistical that way.

  • June 1, 2013 2:40 PM EDT
    Why is a mask? If its how the canon dragonborn is mentioned then that's the answer. Twas a man , yo.
    • 856 posts
    June 1, 2013 2:42 PM EDT

    Deadpool is most likely correct.  The race and gender of the canon dragonborn will be unknown.

  • June 1, 2013 2:52 PM EDT
    Are the trailers cannon? Was the live action commercial cannon. They were Bethesdas. So there's you're answer
    • 856 posts
    June 1, 2013 2:56 PM EDT

    No, they're not canon.  There's your answer.

  • June 1, 2013 3:00 PM EDT
    That's stupid. Why wouldnt they be?
    Besides, Dragonborns have always been human. What makes this time any different?
  • June 1, 2013 3:03 PM EDT

    Why wouldn't they be?

    Simple, they never have been. The Nerevar, didn't have a race. Champion of Cyrodiil, didn't have a race. Eternal Champion, didn't have a race. 

    What makes this time any different?

    • 856 posts
    June 1, 2013 3:05 PM EDT

    Time will tell, I'll guess we'll have to wait for ES 6.  (and don't call my responses stupid, no reason to be insulting ...)

    • 140 posts
    June 1, 2013 3:06 PM EDT

    "Shor" simply objects to a "mer"-itocracy.  He is just playing true to type. 

    I am being playful with my above comment, not incendiary, and we do not need a man versus mer showdown now.  I think ArcanusLex brought up some interesting points in taking the TES game universe as a whole...looking at the power paradigms of different eras, and yes, we have participated in mostly man dominated ones.  Could Skyrim be the turning point to an earlier era of mer domination or influence?  I believe that is the question that is being debated.  

  • June 1, 2013 3:06 PM EDT
    Cause only the neravarine dude MIGHT have been dragonborn. I'm not talkin about the game playable people. Im talking like wulfharth, Talos, whitestrake and all them.
  • June 1, 2013 3:23 PM EDT
    Idk if yall know this, but sometimes a leader will incite the enemy to attack his people to stir them to act.
    What I'm saying is sometimes you got to set yourself up to get hit in order to hit them back harder.
    The Dragonborn will be the hammer of men, and the elves will be broken under his blows.
    the empire will be whole and the dragonborn will sit on the throne.
    The son of akatosh will rule.
    • 5 posts
    July 30, 2013 2:25 PM EDT

    The Last Dragonborn has the blood of Akatosh, the dragon god of time. He is a chief diety worshipped by men. Mer worship a similar deity, Auri-El. The difference between the two is comparable to the difference between the christian and muslim variants of "god". But since the dragonborn has the blood of Akatosh, this implies that the dragonborn is a human race (particularly imperial or nord). Nothing is made canon because that is Bethesda's way of keeping the game open to however you want to play.

  • July 30, 2013 3:51 PM EDT
    I myself like the elves more than the humans, but I'll try not to be too biased. I actually hope that this is setting the stage for what the Dwemer have been trying to achieve: "un-creation." With Alduin's return, he marked the end. Even if it was delayed, every pantheon agrees that the world will be destroyed. What Man is trying to do is keep their way of life and keep it alive, almost trying to avoid the world's destruction. The Dwemer uncreated themselves, while the high elves (or Thalmor) look to restore themselves to the Magna Ge they once were. Lorkhan sucks because he tricked those wonderful beings to make such and imperfect Tamriel! But seriously, I dunno I'm just going off bits and peices I know.
    • 152 posts
    July 30, 2013 11:25 PM EDT

    Case in point: a race that hates daedra as the nevarine, seeing as Azura is pretty much the reason behind all that shenanigans