Summary
Given how much stuff there is to do inSkyrim, it doesn’t seem fair to summarize it as a game about dragons. However, dragons are one of the main thingsSkyrimis about, with the dragon Alduin’s attack on Helgan serving as the game’s inciting incident. The entire concept of the Dragonborn is that they are a mortal with a dragon’s soul, giving them the power to kill dragons permanently.
However,Skyrim’s iconic dragon logo isn’t about the dragons, at least not directly. It’s also not exclusively about the Dragonborn, though the concept of Dragonborn is important to it. In fact, the dragon emblem has a deeper meaninginElder Scrollslore, and its presentation onSkyrim’s box art subtly represents the state of Tamriel 200 years after the Oblivion Crisis.
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The Dragon Emblem in Elder Scrolls Lore
As longtime fans know,The Elder Scrolls' dragon emblemdidn’t begin withSkyrimand appeared front and center on the box art ofThe Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. The Empire’s dragon seal first appeared as the symbol of the Empire in 1998’sThe Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard. It was the symbol of the Dragonborn Emperor Tiber Septim, who became the god Talos after unifying all of Tamriel under his rule.
Tiber Septim was the first person to rule all of Tamriel, with previous Empires only controlling parts of the continent.
Alessia, Akatosh, and Tiber Septim
To explain that meaning, one must go back to the founding of the Alessian Empire, the first human Empire in Cyrodiil. The Empire owed its existence to the pact between Queen Alessia and the Akatosh,The Elder Scrolls' God of Time. The pact was symbolized by the Amulet of Kings, a magical artifact that the rightful Emperor or Empress can wear. The Amulet’s massive Red Diamond became the symbol of the Alessian and later Cyrodilic Empire.
Akatosh is often represented as a dragon and created both dragons and the Dragonborn. Thus, Tiber Septim combined the diamond shape with dragon imagery. The small diamond above the dragon’s head is also a direct representation of the Red Diamond and Amulet of Kings. Actual dragons are, at best, tangentially related and are almost irrelevant to the symbol’s meaning.
Some fans believe the dragon design was inspired by symbols used by the Akaviri Dragonguard, though canon sources are unclear.
The Symbolism in Skyrim’s Logo
However,Skyrim’s logo and the Imperial emblem have a few notable differences. As withMorrowind,Oblivion, andOnline,Skyrim’s original box art is supposed to look like the cover of a book. Specifically,Skyrim’s is “The Book of the Dragonborn,” a copy of which the player can find in Helgen’s dungeon. However, the book isn’t exactly in pristine condition, with the sigil missing its diamond and the tip of one wing. The emblem’s association with the Dragonborn makes it an obvious choice forSkyrim, but the fact that it’s damaged also represents the state of the Empire.
The Decline of the Third Empire
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion’s main questsaw Tiber Septim’s last-living descendent shatter the Amulet to save Tamriel from the Oblivion Crisis. However, while the land was saved from Daedric Conquest, the Empire would never recover. The Mede Dynasty, who ruled the Empire inSkyrim, lack any divine right to rule, with Titus Mede The First taking power by force.
Meanwhile, the Empire seen inSkyrimis far from the height of its power. It suffered military defeats at the hands ofthe High Elven Aldmeri Dominion, who even sacked The Imperial City During the Great War. The Empire was forced to outlaw Talos worship and give Dominion agents authority to enforce the ban in Imperial territory.
The name Empire of Tamriel is also starting to ring a bit hollow. Black Marsh, Elsweyr, Hammerfell, Morrowind, The Summerset Isles, and Valenwood all either became independent or fell under the sway of the Aldmeri Dominion. Depending on the outcome of Skyrim’s Civil War, that region might also follow suit.Skyrim’s logo is thus an elegant and subtle representation of the state ofTamriel in modernElder Scrolls.
