The Dragonborn Prophecy

The Dragonborn Prophecy

by Jorundr Grey-Eyes

Historian and Scholar of Metaphysics at the Imperial Library

21 Rain's Hand, 4E 201

A common prophecy among the worshipers of Talos is the prophecy of the Last Dragonborn. Many have attempted to interpret it and, as Emelene Madrine of the Order of Talos wrote in his Book of the Dragonborn, it "suggests that the true significance of Akatosh's gift to mortalkind has yet to be fully understood." I, however, believe I have found a proper interpretation to the Prophecy that fits with recent events.

"When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world"

I believe this refers to the Imperial Simulacrum. In 3E 389, the Imperial Battlemage Jagar Tharn imprisoned Uriel Septim VII in a realm of Oblivion and, using Illusion magic, took on the form of the Emperor (see Stronach k'Thojj's Brief History of the Empire, volume 4.) In order to secure his position, Jagar Tharn broke up Staff of Chaos, a symbol associated with the "misrule" of Jagar Tharn, into eight pieces and spread them across "the eight corners of the world."

"When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped"

This obviously refers to the Warp in the West. During this time, an Agent of the Emperor (whose name is unknown) reclaimed the Mantella and the Totem of Tiber Septim, the two artifacts needed to power and control Numidium, known to metaphysical scholars as the Brass Tower, one of the fundamental Towers that keep reality in check. The Warp is a recent example of a Dragon Break, where Time itself is broken and is "reshaped" until it can be repaired.

"When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles"

The "thrice-blessed" refer to the False Tribunal, a group of three God-Kings that once ruled much of Morrowind. The Red Tower refers to Red Mountain, another fundamental Tower of Tamriel. The failing of the Tribunal might refer to the Red Year, where Vivec's power over the moon Baar Du finally gave out, causing the Red Mountain to "tremble" and erupt.

"When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls"

This seems to refer to the death of Martin Septim. With his death, two major events occured. The first was the end of the Septim Dynasty. The Dragonborn Emperors no longer sat upon the Ruby Throne. The second was the destruction of the Amulet of Kings. The Amulet gave the White-Gold Tower, another important Tower, it's magical power to hold reality together. Without the Amulet, the Tower deactivated, and it metaphysically "fell."

"When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding"

The Snow Tower refers to the Throat of the World, the tallest known mountain in all of Tamriel. The mountain lies in Skyrim where, as of the time of this writing, the Stormcloak Rebellion and the murder (or honorable death, depending on who you ask) of Deadking Torygg has left the province "sundered, kingless and bleeding."

"The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn."

The World-Eater may refer to one of two deities. The first is the Yokudan god Satakal, the World Serpent. It, both makes up the world and is in a state of "eating" itself. The other deity it refers to could be Alduin, an ancient Nordic god of time, a potential aspect of Akatosh (though very, very different in character) and the leader of the Dragons during the Merethic Era. Legend has it he serves to "eat" the Mundus, making way for a new world to begin.

If and when the World-Eater wakes, that is the most likely time for the Last Dragonborn to appear. However, this prophecy makes no mention of what will actually happen once the Last Dragonborn appears. We can only hope that the World-Eater shall fail in it's plans. If not, that would very bad for all of us. The prophecy's text seems to imply that the World-Eater will arise soon, and we can only pray to the Eight that a Hero will rise to the occasion.