Four months ago in early November, it had been already been 6 years since Skyrim's release date. Feel old yet? Does the phrase "'til I took an arrow to the knee" make you nostalgic? How about taking on a giant at level 4? Or did you come from the other way and found a creepy little jester carrying a thing he calls mommy? Over the years, as we rode on Shadowmere across the snowy terrain on our way to Windhelm, trekked across the marshy swamps of Falkreath ending any mudcrab standing in our way, or through the dark forests of the Reach carrying news to Astrid.

The world of Skyrim somehow always makes us feel smaller than we think we are. Even though players emptied this game's sandbox through-and-through, there is still much we don't know about the chilly province of Skyrim. As Bethesda kept the game going with DLCs and allowed players to modify the game as they wished, Skyrim remains a game we can always go back to and expect something new to do. As we open TheGamer's Elder Scroll and take a glance at the past, we'll see what we've missed, what we've overlooked, and especially what we still don't quite understand. Here are 20 Skyrim fan theories that actually got confirmed!

20 The Cloud District Creep

vie: memecenter.com

"Do you get to the Cloud District very often?" An infamous phrase that never fails to get you annoyed in your trips to Whiterun. The Cloud District is the area near Dragonsreach in Whiterun where Nazeem goes to often. Nazeem is among the first NPCs you'll meet when you first enter the city. He's the epitome of arrogance, any chance he'll get his regal you of his excellence before you can behead him.

But what does he do other than condescend everyone in Whiterun?

No one would feel guilty pickpocketing Nazeem. If you do you'll notice he carries a boy's red tunic... not weird at all. If you head over to the place where Nazeem lives and snoop around his stuff a little, you'll find his drawers are filled with skulls! No wonder Nazeem complains to Anoriath about the quality of his "finest cuts fresh from the wilds."

19 The Fate Of The Emperor

One of the most interesting points of the game is when you’re tasked with discretely ending Emperor Titus Medes II of Tamriel. The entire quest is an up-and-down roller coaster of deceit, ending with the passing of Tamriel’s ruler.

Once you enter the room, you’d expect the emperor to cower.

Instead, Titus stands there as if he was expecting you. Fans claim he was reading to perish, to begin with, and who could blame him? With an empire overrun by dragons and civil war, what else could you motivate you to end things? A subtle end seemed like the easiest way out while saving face. Not to mention, once you find him, he reads a book called, "The Brothers of Darkness." It's a book all about the Dark Brotherhood and their workings. Not suspicious at all…

18 Paarthurnax The Tyrant

via. Astarcis.deviantart.com

Most of us had a soft spot for our mentor Paarthurnax. However, it seems there’s more than meets the eye with him. Lest we forget, he's an immortal creature that feasts on men that breathes fire (or frost) that seemingly wants to regain control of the Dragon Cult.

Paarthurnax waited at the top of the Throat of the World trying to overcome his “will to dominate.”

He honed his hostility to teach the Dragonborn, which I’m assuming is no easy feat for a dragon. Once Alduin was gone, Paarthurnax could take back control of the Dragon Cult, for reasons that seem probably more dangerous than friendly. Even your pal Odahviing seems skeptical of Paarthurnax claiming few dragons would settle for his “tyranny." Not to mention, the name “Paarthurnax” in Dovahzul means ambition, tyranny, and cruelty.

17 Lokir's Heel

via:etgeekera.com

Although this is a less popular theory, remember Lokir at the start of the game? Yeah, the horse thief from Rorikstead that foolishly ran and away to avoid getting executed, only to get an arrow in the back? Yeah, that guy.

If you manage to pause the game and move your camera over his body, you’ll see the arrow actually hit his heel and not his back. Well, unless you download a mod that moves the arrow up to his knee. I can understand an arrow ending you and piercing your organs through your back, but to the heel? There’s only one explanation. It's that Lokir is the reincarnation of the immortal Greek Hero Achilles, whose only weak spot was his heel.

16 Who Gets The Dragonborn's Soul?

via: youtube.com

As the Dragonborn, you venture around Skyrim as a pretty popular guy. What happens when you pass, though? If you become a werewolf, your soul goes to Hircine. If you joined the Dark Brotherhood, you're claimed by Sithis, what about Nocturnal when you became a Nightingale?

Who gets it? The answer is that it’s up for grabs.

Speculation goes that once the Dragonborn passes all heck (pun intended) breaks loose in the afterlife. Who wouldn’t want claim to the Dovahkiin’s soul? An all-out war would happen in between spiritual realms for the soul of the Dragonborn. Hircine’s hunters jumping in and out of realms chasing the fallen warrior of Sithis? Now that’s a mod I’d download.

15 Skyrim Child Support

via: youtube.com

Remember Edda? That poor beggar in Riften. Theory has it she left her child at the orphanage run by the wicked caregiver, Grelod the Kind!

"No one cares about us! No one! We could [perish] and no one would ever know! They'd just throw our corpses in the canal."

If you cast a simple “Fear” spell on Grelod, she’ll flee from the orphanage and into the city. However, Edda is the only one in all of Riften to go out of her way, take a dull knife from her rags, and attack the caregiver in broad daylight. The only logical explanation for this chaotic behavior is that Edda had a child, but was too poor to care for them and thus sent him/her to the local orphanage. You can see inside the orphanage a room with shackles and buckets making it likely Edda’s child passed from Grelod’s infamous care.

14 Markarth Meat

via: Reddit

Walking into Markarth market and you’ll find yourself a pretty casual looking butcher selling some meat. Hogni Red-Arm gets stranger when he starts preaching about his products being “the [redacted] meat in the Reach” or mentioning things like, “The secret to chopping meat is never washing your hands.” Unsanitary, you may say, but this is Skyrim after all.

Towards the end of quest “The Taste of Death,” after escorting Brother Verulus to the creepy hall, you’ll find Red-Arm eating some good meat. It’s highly speculated that the meat he sells at the market stand is indeed human. His case isn’t helped when his claims his favorite body part is the liver, and that his brother's was the juiciest he's had...

13 Dragonborn Ulfric

via: PolevaESdevianart.com

Ulfric Stormcloak was among the few Nords, let alone people, that knew how to use the power of the Thu’um. Although taught to use it pacifically by the Greybeards, he used it to end High King Torygg which led to the Civil War. This was extremely common knowledge among the citizens of Skyrim and in all likelihood, Alduin could have easily known too.

“I fight so that all the fighting I've already done hasn't been for nothing. I fight… because I must.”

It’s possible that Alduin sensed a Dragonborn, believing it to be Ulfric given the supposed stories. Little did he know the man/woman he meant to destroy was right next to his target. This would also explain the sudden attack on Helgen instead of the more populated surrounding villages such as Rorikstead of Riverwood.

12 The Werewolf Dilemma

via: youtube.com

Upon waking up from your dreaded hangover from your first taste of lycanthropy, Aela the Huntress warns you of the Silver Hand: a despised rival group dedicated to exterminating werewolves. Not the best of allies to the Companions, one would say.

It is theorized that the Silver Hand and the Companions may have been part of the same group before Companions associated themselves with the “hunt,” if you catch my drift. The Silver Hand worship the legacy of their founder, Ysgramor. It’s unexplained why the Hand have such an obsession in the exterminating of werewolves nor the origin of their rivalry with the companions. What is known, however, is that they do consider the companions shameful to Ysgramor and that in all possibility, the acquisition of Wuuthrad, Ysgramor’s battleaxe, would assure them their legitimacy over the Companions.

11 The Cost Of A Mistake

via: elderscrolls.wikia.com

It’s not commonly known that there’s a skeleton floating beneath the bridge connecting Dragonsreach to (insert Nazeem’s voice) the Cloud District. Theorists suggest that these bones belong to a poor fellow called Christophe Bartlet. He’s not an NPC you can actually see in the game, but his letters to Maven Black-Briar do indicate some foul play.

In a letter to Maven, Christophe mentions his “mistake” cost Maven a lot.

He says that he’ll be at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun if Maven wanted to speak. Maven replies being “deeply touched” and that she’ll send someone to "fetch" him and bring him to Riften. Further evidence shows if the player were to unlock an “expert” door in the Black-Briar manor, a letter to Astrid can be found demanding a certain “contract” to be handled immediately.

10 Have You Ever Heard Of Shalidor?

via: walldevil.com

Later in the game, the player finds the Konahrik mask that belonged to a Dragon Priest that didn’t attack you for once. Theories have it that it belonged to the Arch-Mage Shalidor who was an immensely powerful Nord wizard that devoted the majority of time to the study of magic.

"Have you ever heard of Shalidor? Immensely powerful mage. Had an understanding of magic few have ever matched."

He’s credited with building Labyrinthian, but seldom is it known that it was built on top of the old forgotten city, Bromjunaar, which tended to be the old HQ of the Dragon Cult. It’s also worth noting that Shalidor was obsessed with Dragons, writing about them sporadically in his notes which makes it plausible that he was a Dragon Priest. It’s possible Alduin awarded Shalidor the Konahrik mask, a tool that allowed him to warp through time.

9 Spare A Septim?

via: reddit.com

It appears that theorists would go as so far to claim that the player is not only a Dragonborn but an incarnation of Tiber Septim, a.k.a Talos. The God of man and war that pure Nords fight so hard to worship.

"Talos says: Be strong for war. Be bold against enemies and evil, and defend the people of Tamriel."

Evidence for this can be drawn from your visit to Sovngarde toward the end of the main quest where the ghost of Old Hroldan will insist on you being Hjalti (another name for Talos). Not to mention that on many occasions, the Greybeards will refer to you as “Ysmir,” “Dragon of the North,” and “Stormcrown” on several occasions... all of which are different names for Talos.

8 Back To The Skyrim

via: kiptheargonian.deviantart.com

For all we know, Skyrim could be taking place in the future and we wouldn’t even know. Sure it’s difficult to think that in a place like Skyrim where swords and arrows are still being used, but could it actually be the future?

Look up at Skyrim’s sky and you’ll see a giant “moon” called “Masser.” It looks a lot like our Mars, doesn’t it? “Secunda,” it’s little sister could actually Phobos or Demos; Mars’s smaller moons. In a world like Skyrim where most things are possible, it isn’t all that crazy to suggest that humans sent people to one of Mars’ moons and thus populated the system, creating all sorts of evolutionary life forms such as frostbite spiders and skeevers. On the other hand, Dragons, Daedra, and other creatures could just be native species to the moon humans crash-landed on so many years before.

7 Thalmor Intervention?

via: elderscrollsfanon.com

If there's one thing true Nords hate more than Imperials, it's the Thalmor. They meddle in political affairs and have the Imperials around their long colorful fingers, but did they play a bigger part in Ulfric's escape from Helgen?

"The Aldmeri Dominion is ruled by the Thalmor, a shadowy cabal dedicated to Elven supremacy."

A Thalmor dossier on Ulfric Stormcloak indicates that the Thalmor planned to free him before his demise. They obviously failed, as we know Alduin engulfed all of Helgen in flames. Also, if you sided with Hadvar, you would have needed to fight a dozen Stormcloaks to escape via that secret passage. It wouldn't be unwise to say, the Thalmor knew of such passage and tipped the knowledge to the Stormcloaks so they could free their leader, but I guess a dragon will do the job just fine.

6 The Fallout Connection

via: youtube.com

When playing Fallout 4, you’ll notice if you head on aboard the Prydwen, the airship belonging to the Brotherhood of Steel. Inside you’ll find, “experimental plants.” Thing is, to the hardcore players of Skyrim, these plants look somewhat familiar.

On first glance, this would come off as just some wacky radioactive plant.

Far from! Those of us who’ve invested hours upon hours of time into Skyrim, especially those of us who've spent an unimaginable amount of points into our alchemy tree, can safely say that this plant is a Nirnroot... the exact plan that grows by the marshes of Skyrim’s swamps. Could this further suggest a connection between Fallout and Skyrim in belonging to the same universe? A connection between the two would be quite the nod from Bethesda.

5 Descendant Of The Gray Fox

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Next to the tavern in the Thieves' Guild lair, you'll find an Imperial man by the name of Rune. He's an orphan who's spent most of his time tracking down his lost parents.

"Curb your tongue, Shadowfoot! I am the Gray Fox. If you ever want to become a Master Thief in the guild, you had better learn respect."

The cool thing is, he may be a descendant of the Gray Fox... the Thieves' Guild master in Oblivion. You'll find a letter next to him from a researched by the name of Newberry who claims that, despite his efforts, he was unable to find Rune's parents. It was as if they, "have erased themselves from history." The Gray Cowl in Oblivion does just that, not to mention its previous owners in Oblivion, the Umbranoxes, were also Imperials.

4 Lokir Accidentally Summoned Akatosh

via: artstation.com

Lokir who accompanies you on your way to the chopping block prays to these gods, but did it actually work? Could have Alduin, who claims to be the son of Akatosh have been sent to save Lokir, indirectly causing your escape?

“Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me!”

Fans speculate that Akatosh sent Alduin on his behalf to save Lokir, ultimately freeing a devoted soldier, Ulfric Stormcloak, and a Dragonborn... oh my! This isn't as far-fetched as it sounds since Alduin is part of Akatosh himself. The theory has enough backing to suggest that it could have even been the Dragonborn was sent to save the horse thief. Who knows, maybe if Lokir didn't run away, the divine would have answered his calling.

3 Saadia's Demise

via: uespforums.com

Remember those weird Redguards when you enter Skyrim? They claim they've been looking for a girl they need to bring back to Hammerfell for being a Dominion spy. When you find Saadia she'll tell you the exact opposite. So who do you believe?

"Oh, come now. You didn't really expect to manipulate people forever, did you? Your luck had to run out sometime."

Ultimately the decision is yours, but who was right is never really proven. Say you, bring Saadia to the Redguards. Kematu, the leader assures you he'll bring her harmlessly back to Hammerfell to stand trial. However, was he lying? If you head later on to Whiterun's Hall of the Dead you'll find an urn labeled, "Saadia's Urn." Is this someone else's ashes, did she ever make it back to Hammerfell, or was she telling the truth all along?

2 Another Purpose

via: blaze-tfd.deviantart.com

The Dragonborn DLC introduced new elements to Skyrim, especially spicing things up by adding another Dragonborn, Miraak. What we don't get is a glimpse of is his purpose in Tamriel.

"And so the First Dragonborn meets the Last Dragonborn at the summit of Apocrypha."

Could it be that it was Miraak who was supposed to end Alduin? If so, we did he never get around to it and instead made his little cult. He does explain that he could end Alduin if he needed to, but he doesn't seem quite able to walk-the-walk as you could. The theory goes that you were sent as a second Dragonborn to eliminate Miraak AND Alduin sent by Akatosh himself to rid the world of his failed creations. Quite biblical, if you ask me.

1 Dragonborn Lokir

via: pinterest

Last but not certainly not least, what if Lokir the horse thief was the actual Dragonborn who was supposed to destroy Alduin? Players speculate that Alduin couldn't have found you at Helgen without having sensed something stronger. If he did, why not attack you while wandering Skyrim?

"Skyrim legend tells of a hero known as the Dragonborn, a warrior with the body of a mortal and soul of a dragon."

No, instead Lokir could have been a Dragonborn as well. As we know, two Dragonborn's in the same era is pretty rare, yet not impossible. It's likely that Alduin went looking for a dragon to resurrect at Helgen, but instead found the souls of two Dragonborns! It's a shame that such power was wasted by an Arrow to kne-...I mean, to the heel.