What is a Dragon Shout?
Dragon Shouts are one of the new gameplay mechanics in Skyrim. A new set of powers, that stand apart from the existing magic system, based around these words of power in the dragon's language (more on this below.) and when learned how to say them right the player can unleash a broad range of powerful effects and arcane powers to supplement other combat and magic skills. The ability to attain these powerful dragon shouts is unique to your hero and the path to attaining them is a quest in itself.
There are over 20 unique shouts and over time, players will collect their own arsenal of shouts.
There are over 20 unique shouts and over time, players will collect their own arsenal of shouts.
How are Dragon Shouts acquired?
One of the benefits of being the Dovahkiin (a Dragonborn) is that you were born with a soul of a dragon and when you manage to slay one you're able to absorb its soul.
Upon defeating a dragon, you automatically absorb it's soul which fuels your ability to learn a new shout. We saw a first glimpse at this in the official trailer. Despite the demo showing so, the player will NOT yell or bellow out a howl (which sounds awesome) while he absorbs the dragon's soul. You will however see a cool transferring of the soul effect and flames cinematic. As the dragon's body magically combusts into flames and burns to cinders you will see these glowing streams of energy coming towards you showing that you are in fact absorbing it's soul.
"You'll see it burning up here and the soul is going to go into you. " Todd Howard explains, "Absorbing that soul allows you to unlock words of power that you've [already] learned, and so you have to learn the words [first] and then kill dragons [for their souls]. Then you choose from the words you know which ones to unlock."
"You'll see it burning up here and the soul is going to go into you. " Todd Howard explains, "Absorbing that soul allows you to unlock words of power that you've [already] learned, and so you have to learn the words [first] and then kill dragons [for their souls]. Then you choose from the words you know which ones to unlock."
How do you learn the words?
The player must search out these long lost walls covered in dragon script. Upon these walls, individual runes stand out to the hero because he or she is dragonborn. As you approach the carvings, one word in particular will begin to glow.
These words are how you increase the power and intensity of each dragon shout as each shout is formed from three words. “There are three words for each shout, and there are three levels to them. The amount of time you hold down the shout button is how many words come out,” Howard explains, “It becomes a bit of a collection mechanic – to collect all the words.” They are written in this ancient language, the dragon's language (more on this below.) and every ancient wall you encounter carries an ancient legend. It is also mentioned in the various magazine articles that "Some dragon shouts can be found inscribed on the walls of ancient Nord dungeons" as the ancient Nords use to worship dragons.
These words are how you increase the power and intensity of each dragon shout as each shout is formed from three words. “There are three words for each shout, and there are three levels to them. The amount of time you hold down the shout button is how many words come out,” Howard explains, “It becomes a bit of a collection mechanic – to collect all the words.” They are written in this ancient language, the dragon's language (more on this below.) and every ancient wall you encounter carries an ancient legend. It is also mentioned in the various magazine articles that "Some dragon shouts can be found inscribed on the walls of ancient Nord dungeons" as the ancient Nords use to worship dragons.
There are even special enemies who guard these Walls. The Undead Dragon Priests are these high level bosses found near the Word Walls and they act as a sort of "guardian of the dragon shouts walls" - Italian magazine article. They are undead Nords who once worshiped dragons.
When the player approaches a Word Wall they'll sometimes pop up and attack you. Official Playstation Magazine described the footage we saw in G4's hands on preview at E3 2011, "a 'ghostly dragon priest' who bursts out of a sarcophagus to attack and startle the player." The dragon priest also can summon what appears to be our first glimpse at a Frost Atronach and they both put up an hell of a fight.
Once a Dragon Priest is killed their body turns to ash and they'll often give off better loot or treasure.
What are all the different Dragon Shouts?
The dragon shouts will vary in style and power and each shout will grow in intensity with each new word you learn culminating in giving the player the same overwhelming might of the resurgent dragon population. After collecting more than 60 individual words that form over 20 complete shouts, Skyrim’s hero will be a force to be reckoned with, especially considering that these dragon-based abilities will be layered on top of his normal leveled-up abilities in combat, traditional magic, and stealth.
Examples of known Dragon Shouts:
- Slow Time does exactly what it's namesake says, it slows down time around you and opens up opportunities such as to rain down arrows on your enemies much like the Dead Eye feature in Red Dead Redemption. "Once its been examined and equipped, a tap of RB slows the entire scene down for eight seconds, allowing you to casually plant arrows in the skulls of any surrounding enemies. Learn the rest of the phrase and you'll get even longer to play at being a medieval Max Payne." - OXM Article
- Ice Form is a shout that freezes your target solid while also damaging them. Todd Howard said that you can use the Frost Dragons attack, which is probably this shout, and that it slows you down and drains your stamina. We'll see if that's this shout or another one all together.
- Storm Call is a powerful shout that summons a storm in the sky and lightning will strike your enemies from the clouds. It's very impressive to call in a complete thunder storm and see the atmosphere of the area change with the clouds and rain. It's especially useful for getting dragons to land, or come crashing down rather, so you can fight them on your level.
- Unrelenting Force is the Thu'um of lore. A invisible push of staggering power that sends foes hurtling away from you staggered by the force of your yell. Spoken in the game, your hero will intone the three words for the full shout: “Fus, Ro, Dah!” Translated into English, “Fus” means force, “Ro” means balance, and “Dah” means push.
- Whirlwind Sprint will give you a whirlwind burst of speed and allow you to run very quickly through dangerous areas, like getting through a trap in a dungeon, or close the distance between you and a enemy. *This may be the teleporting/blinking one mentioned below.
- *One shout, spoken as a whisper, aids you in stealth by sending you instantaneously from one place to another. Blinking or Teleporting very quickly.
- One particular strong shout has you speaking the true name of an actual dragon which then forces the beast to come to your aid and fight beside you in battle.
- One shout grants you Animal Allegiance where you can use it to summon “beasts of the wild” to assist you in battles.
Any limitations / cooldowns to Dragon Shout usage?
We know there will be a cooldown of some sort to the Dragon Shouts but we don't yet know for sure how it works entirely...
For now we have some hints from Twitter:
Q: @DCDeacon Question on Dragonshouts if you got time. Will there be a cooldown to prevent you from spamming them? Any details for us on that?
A: @Badprenup Definitely will be. We'll give details on that later.
Also from the UK OXM Article:
"Of course, no matter how meaty your diaphragm, you can't just go around barking spells [Dragon Shouts] constantly. There's a cooldown period after every shout you perform, and individual flavours [or different shouts] will have their own individual recharges too." - UK Official Xbox Magazine
So it sounds like there is a cool-down in which all Dragon Shouts are disabled after one is used, with a longer cool-down on the specific power that you just fired off. For example if you just used the Unrelenting Force (Push), or Thu'um for you lore buffs, by speaking "Fus, Ro, Dah" you'll trigger the cooldown for that specific shout but not the cooldown for other shouts such as Storm Call. So you'll be able to use your Storm Call or other shouts before your Unrelenting Force shout's cooldown is finished BUT even though you used Unrelenting Force there may still be a global shouts cooldown, it will just be shorter.
That's my speculation anyways until we get further explanations.
Also maybe the cooldown time is determined by how long you held the shout button down. Even if you have all three words learned for a specific shout you can choose which level you want to use by how long you hold down that shout button. In fact the screenshot above from the demo video indicates as much. Depending on how long you hold down the shout button to use a level 1, 2, or 3 (word) shout it will trigger a longer cooldown. 1 word being 180 seconds, 2 words being 240 seconds, and full three word shout being 300 seconds for the cooldown time. These cooldown times vary depending on the shout too. The stronger or more powerful the shout you can expect to wait longer while the shouts you learn early on won't make you wait quite as long. That's just my guess though after seeing the screen captures from the demo video. Ultimately I hope this is how it works. If you only hold down the shout button and use a 1 word / level 1 shout then the cooldown should be shorter to regenerate until you can use it again. I also want to be able to use level 1 shouts even after I've unlocked level 3 because you don't always need the full force shout in every situation and should not be forced to suffer the full length cooldown of a level 3 shout if you don't need it. Only when I really need it, say when fighting a dragon, shall I hold it down and used all 3 words for a level 3 shout.
For now we have some hints from Twitter:
Q: @DCDeacon Question on Dragonshouts if you got time. Will there be a cooldown to prevent you from spamming them? Any details for us on that?
A: @Badprenup Definitely will be. We'll give details on that later.
Also from the UK OXM Article:
"Of course, no matter how meaty your diaphragm, you can't just go around barking spells [Dragon Shouts] constantly. There's a cooldown period after every shout you perform, and individual flavours [or different shouts] will have their own individual recharges too." - UK Official Xbox Magazine
So it sounds like there is a cool-down in which all Dragon Shouts are disabled after one is used, with a longer cool-down on the specific power that you just fired off. For example if you just used the Unrelenting Force (Push), or Thu'um for you lore buffs, by speaking "Fus, Ro, Dah" you'll trigger the cooldown for that specific shout but not the cooldown for other shouts such as Storm Call. So you'll be able to use your Storm Call or other shouts before your Unrelenting Force shout's cooldown is finished BUT even though you used Unrelenting Force there may still be a global shouts cooldown, it will just be shorter.
That's my speculation anyways until we get further explanations.
Also maybe the cooldown time is determined by how long you held the shout button down. Even if you have all three words learned for a specific shout you can choose which level you want to use by how long you hold down that shout button. In fact the screenshot above from the demo video indicates as much. Depending on how long you hold down the shout button to use a level 1, 2, or 3 (word) shout it will trigger a longer cooldown. 1 word being 180 seconds, 2 words being 240 seconds, and full three word shout being 300 seconds for the cooldown time. These cooldown times vary depending on the shout too. The stronger or more powerful the shout you can expect to wait longer while the shouts you learn early on won't make you wait quite as long. That's just my guess though after seeing the screen captures from the demo video. Ultimately I hope this is how it works. If you only hold down the shout button and use a 1 word / level 1 shout then the cooldown should be shorter to regenerate until you can use it again. I also want to be able to use level 1 shouts even after I've unlocked level 3 because you don't always need the full force shout in every situation and should not be forced to suffer the full length cooldown of a level 3 shout if you don't need it. Only when I really need it, say when fighting a dragon, shall I hold it down and used all 3 words for a level 3 shout.
Dragon Language
Towards the end of the announcement trailer, you probably noticed that the nord's were singing. What you might not have known at that time was the words being sung are actually part of this mysterious language in the tongue of the dragons, an entirely new Draconic language was crafted by Bethesda for use in the upcoming game.
This complete language plays an integral role in the story and gameplay of the upcoming epic, and introduces an intriguing new facet to the Elder Scrolls mythology.
Complete with a written alphabet including 34 unique characters. “The idea was, how would the dragons write or scratch this language in the stone or on the ground? Everything is done with the three talons." Todd Howard explains, "You’ll always see combinations of one to three scratches, and sometimes the dot, which is like the dewclaw.” Don't worry they will include a full grammar and syntax guide to aid you in the extensive vocabulary of words which serve as the backbone to the dragon shout system.
In Skyrim "dragons will speak in the game," Todd Howard explains, "it's actually what they do when they are spouting fire [and other attacks as well.]" He hinted that some dragons will be able to communicate with the player in "the common tongue." Howard told Spike TV at E3 2011, "Not all Dragons are out to destroy the world." Whether that means there are friendly dragons or just dragons who won't attack you right away unless provoked is not yet known.
"How do they speak? Do they sound like people? Do we find someone with a naturally very deep voice and try a straight read? That's sort of what I'm hoping for." Mark Lampert, Skyrim's sound designer and audio director, explains. "Is to find someone who already has a very interesting gravelly or a deep voice. Have them effected in some way to put on some sort of, not an accent persay, but just a manner of speaking whether they drop their pitch or slow it down or something like that."
Skyrim will have 70 different voice actors compared to just 14 from Oblivion and will have around 47,000 lines of dialogue.
"They want to have different voice actors for each race and gender to perform the dragon shouts. Hopefully we'll record them a few times doing the shout a few times doing the best they can, each level or word of the shout." Mark Lampert says about how they create dragon shouts in game, "On top of that when you hear it in the game I'll just reverb the hell out of it and put some sort of magic effect with it whatever the shout does."
Hopefully they will approach the actual dragons the same way. With a different voice for each different dragon it would let the voices represent the dragon and, therefore, each dragon would be distinguishable from the next. Surely the dreaded Alduin, the godlike dragon destined to devour the world, will have a great voice actor at the least.
The sound of the dragon language when you hear it spoken or sung has a vaguely Germanic or Scandinavian sound to it. It’s a harsh but oddly beautiful sound that feels right at home in the rugged landscape of Skyrim. And you’ll hear it in plenty of places. Not only do the dragons and the Greybeards recall this long-dead language, but many other creatures in the world do as well. Included among them are the undead draugr. Draugr are these ancient Nord warriors that are now dead and dwell in and guard their tombs.
Every creature that cries out in dragon is saying an actual translatable thing to you. And perhaps most importantly, every dragon shout you acquire carries real meaning behind it.
The language concept abandoned tense, conjugation, and even upper and lower case letters, preferring that the context imply meanings instead. For instance, in the translation of Game Informer’s back cover, the word “fundein” translates to “unfurled,” but it could mean either unfurl or unfurled, depending on where the word is used. Similarly, the word “prodah” could mean either foretell or foretold.
The word ‘dovahkiin.’ ‘Dova’ means dragon. ‘Kiin’ means child. So we did a lot of that.
You can get an early start on the Dragon language here and for more on this expansive feature be sure to check out GI's article on the Dragon Language, the Language's Alphabet, and their Translating the Cover Page.
This complete language plays an integral role in the story and gameplay of the upcoming epic, and introduces an intriguing new facet to the Elder Scrolls mythology.
Complete with a written alphabet including 34 unique characters. “The idea was, how would the dragons write or scratch this language in the stone or on the ground? Everything is done with the three talons." Todd Howard explains, "You’ll always see combinations of one to three scratches, and sometimes the dot, which is like the dewclaw.” Don't worry they will include a full grammar and syntax guide to aid you in the extensive vocabulary of words which serve as the backbone to the dragon shout system.
In Skyrim "dragons will speak in the game," Todd Howard explains, "it's actually what they do when they are spouting fire [and other attacks as well.]" He hinted that some dragons will be able to communicate with the player in "the common tongue." Howard told Spike TV at E3 2011, "Not all Dragons are out to destroy the world." Whether that means there are friendly dragons or just dragons who won't attack you right away unless provoked is not yet known.
"How do they speak? Do they sound like people? Do we find someone with a naturally very deep voice and try a straight read? That's sort of what I'm hoping for." Mark Lampert, Skyrim's sound designer and audio director, explains. "Is to find someone who already has a very interesting gravelly or a deep voice. Have them effected in some way to put on some sort of, not an accent persay, but just a manner of speaking whether they drop their pitch or slow it down or something like that."
Skyrim will have 70 different voice actors compared to just 14 from Oblivion and will have around 47,000 lines of dialogue.
"They want to have different voice actors for each race and gender to perform the dragon shouts. Hopefully we'll record them a few times doing the shout a few times doing the best they can, each level or word of the shout." Mark Lampert says about how they create dragon shouts in game, "On top of that when you hear it in the game I'll just reverb the hell out of it and put some sort of magic effect with it whatever the shout does."
Hopefully they will approach the actual dragons the same way. With a different voice for each different dragon it would let the voices represent the dragon and, therefore, each dragon would be distinguishable from the next. Surely the dreaded Alduin, the godlike dragon destined to devour the world, will have a great voice actor at the least.
The sound of the dragon language when you hear it spoken or sung has a vaguely Germanic or Scandinavian sound to it. It’s a harsh but oddly beautiful sound that feels right at home in the rugged landscape of Skyrim. And you’ll hear it in plenty of places. Not only do the dragons and the Greybeards recall this long-dead language, but many other creatures in the world do as well. Included among them are the undead draugr. Draugr are these ancient Nord warriors that are now dead and dwell in and guard their tombs.
Every creature that cries out in dragon is saying an actual translatable thing to you. And perhaps most importantly, every dragon shout you acquire carries real meaning behind it.
The language concept abandoned tense, conjugation, and even upper and lower case letters, preferring that the context imply meanings instead. For instance, in the translation of Game Informer’s back cover, the word “fundein” translates to “unfurled,” but it could mean either unfurl or unfurled, depending on where the word is used. Similarly, the word “prodah” could mean either foretell or foretold.
The word ‘dovahkiin.’ ‘Dova’ means dragon. ‘Kiin’ means child. So we did a lot of that.
You can get an early start on the Dragon language here and for more on this expansive feature be sure to check out GI's article on the Dragon Language, the Language's Alphabet, and their Translating the Cover Page.
Are you the only one who can do this?
“There are other people in the world who can use the dragon shouts, but it’s very rare. It’s like arcane knowledge. It used to be done more in the past,” Todd Howard explains. “The Greybeards know it. But your ability to absorb the dragon souls and do the shouts on the level that you can is beyond them.” The ability to use the dragon language and the dragon shouts already existed in the fiction and lore of TES somewhat. It was called “Thu’um.” The concept roughly translates as “The Voice.”
Dragon Shouts and Thu'um are very much one and the same.
Atop a great mountain that rises above the tundra and forests of Skyrim sits High Hrothgar. Settled at the peak of The Throat of the World this settlement is home to the Greybeards who live in absolute silence in order to better attune themselves to the voice of the sky and use “Thu’um.” The concept roughly translates as “The Voice.”
These mysterious old men will play a key part in the Dragonborn’s story. They are highly versed in the power of dragons and you as the Dragonborn hero must climb the 7,000 steps to reach the remote retreat and be trained by them.
These mysterious old men will play a key part in the Dragonborn’s story. They are highly versed in the power of dragons and you as the Dragonborn hero must climb the 7,000 steps to reach the remote retreat and be trained by them.
How I think you'll get your first dragon shout.
The tallest mountain in Skyrim, Throat of the World.
Todd Howard had this tidbit to share in a interview, "When you start off with your character he doesn't know that he's dragonborn?"
"Correct."
"He does find out. There's an event that happens with a dragon, where you find out you're dragonborn. I think for anybody listening, it won't matter, 'cause they know."
"The greybeards, the guys who live up on the throat of the world, who are the masters of the voice, they find out about this fairly quickly, and they shout your name. They shout Dovahkiin to the wind, and it kind of rumbles through the world. The mountains shake when they call you. And you think 'what was that,' and someone says 'that was the greybeards calling you. To walk the 7,000 steps up the throat of the world to meet them.'"
"I have been promised 7,000 steps, and I am going to count them. Our world artists are amazing. We have just an amazing team, and they put so much detail in the world, so they didn't blink when I said 'it MUST HAVE 7,000 steps. When you look at all the stuff we have in the world, 7,000 steps obviously is not that hard."
So now for my speculation:
In previous Elder Scrolls games, such as Oblivion, you are sent to visit someone to get the main questline started. In Oblivion's case it was Jauffre. We know that we are once again going to be imprisoned starting out but this time we're on our way to be executed. So instead of being let free and having to visit someone I think with Skyrim that someone will come to you first. "The executioner is going to chop off your head when Esbern appears and saves you." - via Italian Magazine Coverage.
Esbern is one of the last surviving members of the Blades and the mentor to Skyrim's protagonist. Through Esbern I'm almost certain that's where you'll first learn that you're the Dovahkiin or a Dragonborn, and were born with a soul of a dragon. Long ago a force existed that expelled the dragons. The Dragonborn. These individuals can wield the same mighty power as the dragons themselves and battle them on another level. These Dragonborns are anointed by the gods so they could light the dragonfires to become empire. Such as Alessia, Reman, and Tiber Septim. Esbern will profess your importance claiming that no other Dragonborns have been seen for many many years. You are the only one in decades actually. As dragonborn you are destined to save mankind and stop Alduin from returning and destroying the world of Nirn as well as probably unite the races of Tamriel once again under a unified empire.
These Dragonborn are powerful figures but they were not alone. They were supported by the Dragonguards, later called the Blades. Most recently, The Blades served as the bodyguards to the Septim Empire. Hundreds of years after the events of Oblivion, where the Septim Dynasty collapsed, Skyrim takes place. The Septim line was wiped out and with them went all the Dragonborns. Not only that though but almost all of the Blades were hunted down and nearly destroyed as well. Esbern fled and sought refuge at Sky Haven Temple in the icy northern province of Skyrim and has since devoted his time to monitoring ancient prophecies and I believe he has decoded Alduin's Wall, which sits at Sky Haven Temple (an actual place in the game you can visit and view the wall) and has predicted the return of the dragons under Alduin, the World Eater or better known as the Nordic God of Destruction.
Esbern, now your mentor, guide, and advisor, begins to explain to you what you must do. Perhaps one of the first things you must do in Skyrim's main storyline (which is always optional) is go visit the Greybeards atop High Hrothgar, so they can train you in the way of the tongues, A.K.A. Thu'um where you'll get your first Dragon Shout.
"Correct."
"He does find out. There's an event that happens with a dragon, where you find out you're dragonborn. I think for anybody listening, it won't matter, 'cause they know."
"The greybeards, the guys who live up on the throat of the world, who are the masters of the voice, they find out about this fairly quickly, and they shout your name. They shout Dovahkiin to the wind, and it kind of rumbles through the world. The mountains shake when they call you. And you think 'what was that,' and someone says 'that was the greybeards calling you. To walk the 7,000 steps up the throat of the world to meet them.'"
"I have been promised 7,000 steps, and I am going to count them. Our world artists are amazing. We have just an amazing team, and they put so much detail in the world, so they didn't blink when I said 'it MUST HAVE 7,000 steps. When you look at all the stuff we have in the world, 7,000 steps obviously is not that hard."
So now for my speculation:
In previous Elder Scrolls games, such as Oblivion, you are sent to visit someone to get the main questline started. In Oblivion's case it was Jauffre. We know that we are once again going to be imprisoned starting out but this time we're on our way to be executed. So instead of being let free and having to visit someone I think with Skyrim that someone will come to you first. "The executioner is going to chop off your head when Esbern appears and saves you." - via Italian Magazine Coverage.
Esbern is one of the last surviving members of the Blades and the mentor to Skyrim's protagonist. Through Esbern I'm almost certain that's where you'll first learn that you're the Dovahkiin or a Dragonborn, and were born with a soul of a dragon. Long ago a force existed that expelled the dragons. The Dragonborn. These individuals can wield the same mighty power as the dragons themselves and battle them on another level. These Dragonborns are anointed by the gods so they could light the dragonfires to become empire. Such as Alessia, Reman, and Tiber Septim. Esbern will profess your importance claiming that no other Dragonborns have been seen for many many years. You are the only one in decades actually. As dragonborn you are destined to save mankind and stop Alduin from returning and destroying the world of Nirn as well as probably unite the races of Tamriel once again under a unified empire.
These Dragonborn are powerful figures but they were not alone. They were supported by the Dragonguards, later called the Blades. Most recently, The Blades served as the bodyguards to the Septim Empire. Hundreds of years after the events of Oblivion, where the Septim Dynasty collapsed, Skyrim takes place. The Septim line was wiped out and with them went all the Dragonborns. Not only that though but almost all of the Blades were hunted down and nearly destroyed as well. Esbern fled and sought refuge at Sky Haven Temple in the icy northern province of Skyrim and has since devoted his time to monitoring ancient prophecies and I believe he has decoded Alduin's Wall, which sits at Sky Haven Temple (an actual place in the game you can visit and view the wall) and has predicted the return of the dragons under Alduin, the World Eater or better known as the Nordic God of Destruction.
Esbern, now your mentor, guide, and advisor, begins to explain to you what you must do. Perhaps one of the first things you must do in Skyrim's main storyline (which is always optional) is go visit the Greybeards atop High Hrothgar, so they can train you in the way of the tongues, A.K.A. Thu'um where you'll get your first Dragon Shout.
It's not yet been confirmed if the Greybeards will infact be teaching you your first dragon shout but if they did it begs the question. Which one? My guess is the one that act most like the Thu'um of Nord legends. This push of great power that sends foes hurtling away from you staggered by the force of your yell.
The Greybeards are known for prophesying certain people's destinies. They did so with Tiber Septim aka Talos, "It became known from the arriving storms that the Greybeards were about to speak. As the nearby villages were being evacuated, Talos, instead, made his way to the mountains where the Greybeards lived. When he arrived, the gags of the Greybeards were removed and when they spoke his name the World shook. The Greybeards told Talos that he would come to rule Tamriel and that he must go south to do so."
The Greybeards are known for prophesying certain people's destinies. They did so with Tiber Septim aka Talos, "It became known from the arriving storms that the Greybeards were about to speak. As the nearby villages were being evacuated, Talos, instead, made his way to the mountains where the Greybeards lived. When he arrived, the gags of the Greybeards were removed and when they spoke his name the World shook. The Greybeards told Talos that he would come to rule Tamriel and that he must go south to do so."
These dragon shouts are the same source of power that launched the last line of emperors. Tiber Septim would use the dragon shouts or Thu'um to lead his troops into battle and unite Tamriel under one empire.
Before that, King Harrald Hairy Breeks was known to have used Thu'um. Also King Wulfharth who's thu'um was so powerful that he could not verbally swear into the office when elected by the Pact of Chieftains and so scribes were used to draw up his oaths, and finally with Tiber Septim who was visited at the battle of Old Hrol'dan and taught Thu'um by Shor (aka Lorkhan) himself.
Before that, King Harrald Hairy Breeks was known to have used Thu'um. Also King Wulfharth who's thu'um was so powerful that he could not verbally swear into the office when elected by the Pact of Chieftains and so scribes were used to draw up his oaths, and finally with Tiber Septim who was visited at the battle of Old Hrol'dan and taught Thu'um by Shor (aka Lorkhan) himself.
This Thu'um power is thought to have been learned to mankind when Orkey, the god of the orcs, tried to ruin the Nords, back when they lived on Atmora. The continent north of Tamriel off of Skyrim's coast.
Orkey stole their years. Seeing the strength of king Wulfharth, Orkey summoned the ghost of Alduin Time-Eater. At Orkey's request the god of time transformed nearly every Nord to the age of six. Wulfharth, now a child, pleaded to Shor, the dead Chieftain of the Gods, to help his people. Shor's own ghost then fought the Time-Eater on the spirit plane, as he did at the beginning of time and won. Orkey's folk, the orcs, were ruined by this act. Wulfharth watched the battle in the sky and learned a new thu'um, which he called What Happens When You Shake the Dragon Just So.
He used this new magic to change his people back to normal. But in his haste to save so many, he shook too many years out on himself. He grew older than the Greybeards themself, and died. The flames of his pyre were said to have reached the hearth of Kyne.
More on the History about Dragon Shouts in TES Lore
5 things I learned about the dragon shouts in past Lore of TES:
1. Dragon Shouts are not this new concept.
A long practiced spiritual form of Nordic magic, also known as the Tongues, that is based on their worship of the Wind as a personification of Kynareth. Through the use of the Voice the power of a Nord can be formed into a thu'um, or shout - which has a large variety of applications. Shouts can be used to sharpen blades or to strike enemies. A common effect is the shout that knocks an enemy back, or the power of command. A strong Nord can instill bravery in men with his battle-cry, or stop a charging warrior with a roar. Back in the day when the Nords would attack a city, they take no siege engines or cavalry; instead the Tongues form in a wedge in front of the gatehouse, and draw in breath. When the leader lets it out in a Thu'um, the doors are blown in, and the axemen rush into the city. When they defeated great enemies they would take their tongues as trophies. These are woven into ropes and can hold speech like an enchantment.
Master Voices (known simply as Tongues) have legendary, and often unbelievable powers. They can call to specific people over hundreds of miles, and can move by casting a shout, appearing where it lands. The most powerful masters must even be careful whenever they speak, as their voice can cause great destruction. They must go gagged, and communicate through a sign language and through scribing runes. (Alduin's Wall scribed by Greybeards?)
2. During the Conquest of Morrowind, the Nordic war chiefs were also Tongues (Derek the Tall, Jorg Helmborg, Hoag Merkiller). They needed no typical siege weapons when attacking a city as they merely used the Voice to break down the city gate and allow their armies to storm in. The future of the Tongues was forever changed by the most powerful Tongue, Jurgen Windcaller, also better known as the Calm. Jurgen converted to a pacifist and refused to use the Voice for any martial purposes. In a confrontation with 17 other tongues he reportedly swallowed the Shouts of the 17 for three days until they lay exhausted, later to become his followers.
The art of Thu-um as a weapon is now lost and forbidden. Apart from the students of the discredited School of Thu'um in the Imperial City, Tiber Septim was reputedly the last man to wield this power. However, the ancient Greybeards still sit atop the many steps leading to the peak of High Hrothgar. (Hint at the training you shall receive in Skyrim to learn the Fus, Ro, Dah Dragon Shout.)
3. Nords consider themselves to be the children of the sky. They call Skyrim or rather the tallest mountain in Skyrim the Throat of the World, because it is where the sky exhaled on the land and formed them. They believe that they were created by the goddess Kyne when the sky breathed onto the peak of this mountain, where High Hrothgar stands. Kyne is the Nordic aspect of Kynareth. Nordic Goddess of the Storm. Widow of Shor and favored god of warriors. She is often called the Mother of Men. Her daughters taught the first Nords the use of the thu'um, or Storm Voice. Kyne is notably more assertive and warlike than the nature-loving Kynareth. Although Mara is present in her role as a mother goddess, it was Kyne who is the mother of the Nords. She is also credited with sending her son Morihaus (and perhaps Pelinal) to the aid of the Cyro-Nordic slaves in their uprising.
4. The religion of Skyrim is focused on the Aedra and their old ally, Lorkhan. The Nordic Akatosh is known as Alduin, a terrible, ravenous dragon who presides over the cycle of existence and devours the universe at intervals. His coming is feared by all pious Nords, and he is the object of (through Nordic eyes) perverse worship by the Altmer (Elves), who venerated Auri-El (their name for Akatosh/Alduin). In more recent days, it has been shown that the traditional Alduin can co-exist with the less adversarial Cyrodiilic interpretation of Akatosh the Time Dragon. The chief of the pantheon of Skyrim is Lorkhan, and he merits the most mention. The Nords know him as Shor. The king of the gods, a champion of men in their struggles against the elves. He was treacherously slain by elven devils, yet continues to bestow favor on his people by aiding them with immortal champions such as Ysmir, another member of the Nordic pantheon. Today, Ysmir is the name by which Nords recognize the divinity of Talos. Known also as Tiber Septim, he is one of the past Dragonborn.
5. In many ways the breath and the voice was, and still is, the vital essence of a Nord. Today, all Tongues live secluded lives on the highest peaks of Skyrim in tough conditions and contemplation, and have only spoken to announce the destiny of the great Tiber Septim. (Maybe in Skyrim they will speak to announce the great Dovahkiin?) The further north you go into Skyrim, the more powerful and elemental the people become, and the less they require dwellings and shelters. Wind is fundamental to Skyrim and the Nords; those that live in the far wastes always carry a wind with them. (Not exactly sure what they mean by some of this? Could just be story filler.)
1. Dragon Shouts are not this new concept.
A long practiced spiritual form of Nordic magic, also known as the Tongues, that is based on their worship of the Wind as a personification of Kynareth. Through the use of the Voice the power of a Nord can be formed into a thu'um, or shout - which has a large variety of applications. Shouts can be used to sharpen blades or to strike enemies. A common effect is the shout that knocks an enemy back, or the power of command. A strong Nord can instill bravery in men with his battle-cry, or stop a charging warrior with a roar. Back in the day when the Nords would attack a city, they take no siege engines or cavalry; instead the Tongues form in a wedge in front of the gatehouse, and draw in breath. When the leader lets it out in a Thu'um, the doors are blown in, and the axemen rush into the city. When they defeated great enemies they would take their tongues as trophies. These are woven into ropes and can hold speech like an enchantment.
Master Voices (known simply as Tongues) have legendary, and often unbelievable powers. They can call to specific people over hundreds of miles, and can move by casting a shout, appearing where it lands. The most powerful masters must even be careful whenever they speak, as their voice can cause great destruction. They must go gagged, and communicate through a sign language and through scribing runes. (Alduin's Wall scribed by Greybeards?)
2. During the Conquest of Morrowind, the Nordic war chiefs were also Tongues (Derek the Tall, Jorg Helmborg, Hoag Merkiller). They needed no typical siege weapons when attacking a city as they merely used the Voice to break down the city gate and allow their armies to storm in. The future of the Tongues was forever changed by the most powerful Tongue, Jurgen Windcaller, also better known as the Calm. Jurgen converted to a pacifist and refused to use the Voice for any martial purposes. In a confrontation with 17 other tongues he reportedly swallowed the Shouts of the 17 for three days until they lay exhausted, later to become his followers.
The art of Thu-um as a weapon is now lost and forbidden. Apart from the students of the discredited School of Thu'um in the Imperial City, Tiber Septim was reputedly the last man to wield this power. However, the ancient Greybeards still sit atop the many steps leading to the peak of High Hrothgar. (Hint at the training you shall receive in Skyrim to learn the Fus, Ro, Dah Dragon Shout.)
3. Nords consider themselves to be the children of the sky. They call Skyrim or rather the tallest mountain in Skyrim the Throat of the World, because it is where the sky exhaled on the land and formed them. They believe that they were created by the goddess Kyne when the sky breathed onto the peak of this mountain, where High Hrothgar stands. Kyne is the Nordic aspect of Kynareth. Nordic Goddess of the Storm. Widow of Shor and favored god of warriors. She is often called the Mother of Men. Her daughters taught the first Nords the use of the thu'um, or Storm Voice. Kyne is notably more assertive and warlike than the nature-loving Kynareth. Although Mara is present in her role as a mother goddess, it was Kyne who is the mother of the Nords. She is also credited with sending her son Morihaus (and perhaps Pelinal) to the aid of the Cyro-Nordic slaves in their uprising.
4. The religion of Skyrim is focused on the Aedra and their old ally, Lorkhan. The Nordic Akatosh is known as Alduin, a terrible, ravenous dragon who presides over the cycle of existence and devours the universe at intervals. His coming is feared by all pious Nords, and he is the object of (through Nordic eyes) perverse worship by the Altmer (Elves), who venerated Auri-El (their name for Akatosh/Alduin). In more recent days, it has been shown that the traditional Alduin can co-exist with the less adversarial Cyrodiilic interpretation of Akatosh the Time Dragon. The chief of the pantheon of Skyrim is Lorkhan, and he merits the most mention. The Nords know him as Shor. The king of the gods, a champion of men in their struggles against the elves. He was treacherously slain by elven devils, yet continues to bestow favor on his people by aiding them with immortal champions such as Ysmir, another member of the Nordic pantheon. Today, Ysmir is the name by which Nords recognize the divinity of Talos. Known also as Tiber Septim, he is one of the past Dragonborn.
5. In many ways the breath and the voice was, and still is, the vital essence of a Nord. Today, all Tongues live secluded lives on the highest peaks of Skyrim in tough conditions and contemplation, and have only spoken to announce the destiny of the great Tiber Septim. (Maybe in Skyrim they will speak to announce the great Dovahkiin?) The further north you go into Skyrim, the more powerful and elemental the people become, and the less they require dwellings and shelters. Wind is fundamental to Skyrim and the Nords; those that live in the far wastes always carry a wind with them. (Not exactly sure what they mean by some of this? Could just be story filler.)