Description:
The Thu'um, also known as Storm Voice or simply the Voice, is a form of magic that utilizes dragon language. The word means "shout" in dragon language, and this is also the expression of the magic, by shouting combinations of three words in the ancient dragon language to create an effect. Originally, only dragons had this power, and they used it to wreak havoc and enslave humanity. The goddess Kyne took pity on the mortals and convinced Paarthurnax (LINK), the lieutenant of Alduin (LINK), to betray his kind and to teach humans how to use the Voice. Ancient Nords then used this power to rebel against the dragons, igniting the Dragon War. These heroes were called the first Tongues, those who can use the Thu'um, and they created their own Words of Power to form a shout known as Dragonrend specifically to render the immortal dragons vulnerable. Normally, the Thu'um requires years of study, practice, and meditation to hone and perfect. However, those who are Dragonborn (LINK) are born with the innate ability to absorb the knowledge and power of dragons, and thus also to absorb their language and Words of Power without such extensive study. Although there is no direct parallel for the Voice in Old Norse literature, the knowledge of dragons and special powers obtained from them after defeat is certainly present. The defeat of dragons and draugar (LINK) is a common motif in the test of a young warrior's mettle, as well as their initiation to become a hero of legend. This can be more literal too, as happens in Völsunga saga (LINK) and Fáfnismál (LINK), which both depict Sigurðr's (LINK) slaying of the dragon Fáfnir (LINK). After dealing a death blow to Fáfnir, as the dragon lay dying, he talks with Sigurðr, asking him his name and ancestry, and then responds by warning him about the curse on the gold he possessed (see Völsunga saga and Andvaranaut entries); he goes on to bestow mythological lore to Sigurðr as well, and the scholar Ármann Jakobsson has argued that this scene can be read as a sort of father-son relationship between Fáfnir and the young, fatherless Sigurðr, drawing parallels with other dragon slayings that function in a similar manner (LINK TO ARTICLE). After Fáfnir dies, his brother Reginn, who tasked Sigurðr with killing the dragon, appears and asks Sigurðr to roast the heart for him. While it is cooking, the blood foams out of the meat and Sigurðr checks its doneness with a finger, and is burned, bringing the finger quickly to his mother. When he ingests the bit of dragon blood, he gains the ability to understand the speech of birds. Some are discussing the scene before them nearby, and Sigurðr overhears them saying that Reginn then plans to murder him and to keep all the treasure for himself. Instead, Sigurðr cuts off Reginn's head and rides off with all the treasure. Lastly, the Thu'um is an interesting magical gift to attribute to the Nords in The Elder Scrolls due to its resonance with medieval Scandinavian social norms surrounding slander and public insults. As honor societies, in which honor was form of currency which was won and lost among peers in the same social class, words and deeds carried additional weight. Insults damaged one's reputation, and thus their honor, and this was magnified if the insult went unanswered, so that the defendant in this situation would be considered cowardly. Certain kinds of insults demanded repayment with goods, livestock, money, and even blood, if not properly repaid in a court. The Thu'um can be seen as a kind of literal manifestation of the destructive power of words in medieval Scandinavian societies. In The Elder Scrolls universe, among the dragons there is no differentiation between a physical fight and a debate, as both involve the use of each party's Thu'ums in dragon language.No links to Medieval Citations yet.