So why did Alduin decide to attack Helgen?

[thesapien]

Its never truely revealed in the story.

* Alduin will actually kill you, if you linger too long outside -> he is not there to save you.

 

If you linger around like a stray and don't do some saving your own butt, I would then go ahead and kill your pathetic mortal form, as well, for your own good. So I don't think these are mutually exclusive. He will kill you over and over again in this game any time you fail to be worthy.

 

In this case, I like to think he prevented my death because I was showing my worthiness by facing my death for past crimes maybe I did commit. Had I been acting like the runner, he probably would not had interfered. I can't even picture it happening without laughing.

 

I never meant to imply he's saving you in the sense you're using it, as if on a rescue mission. He's the first born, so an older brother to you. Maybe he's wanting you to make him proud while still thinking he's the better, with doubts, maybe even wouldn't mind being beaten by you, but unlike a father, he may still kill you if you give him reason.

[faifh]

Its never truely revealed in the story.

* Alduin will actually kill you, if you linger too long outside -> he is not there to save you.

In this case, I like to think he prevented my death because I was showing my worthiness by facing my death for past crimes maybe I did commit. Had I been acting like the runner, he probably would not had interfered. I can't even picture it happening without laughing.

 

I never meant to imply he's saving you in the sense you're using it, as if on a rescue mission. He's the first born, so an older brother to you. Maybe he's wanting you to make him proud while still thinking he's the better, with doubts, maybe even wouldn't mind being beaten by you, but unlike a father, he may still kill you if you give him reason.

 

Its actually explained somewhere you where no criminal, but happened to be on the same boat as Ulfric, that was all your crime.

 

I don't believe this "brother" thing, you are not that special a dragonborn, there where several before. At least 3 of them banished him into the time whirl in a fight.

[supafuzz]

it's not a coincidence that Alduin shows up right when they're about to kill Ulfric. part of the prophecy for the end of the world was that there would be a civil war - if Ulfric is dead then that would compromise the Stormcloak uprising. i don't think Alduin knows about the Dragonborn at this point let alone that he/she is seconds away from execution. the fact that you cheat death thanks to the World-Eater is just a little irony that Bethesda threw in to possibly reinforce the whole theme of fate and destiny in the story early on.

just one interpretation of it. i think it's good that it's yet another thing left ambiguous by the developers.

[thesapien]

He can sense the Dragonborn, he didn't save him on purpose. He was going to devour his soul, a soul much more powerful then any from Sovngarde.

 

Then why did he stop just before doing so?

 

Can Alduin devour Dovakiin's soul? Dovakiin can't absorb Alduin's soul.

 

In reading further, lol, there's an Elder Scroll that says Todd Howard, the executive producer of Skyrim, remarked that the dragonborn in this game is different than the general dragonborn bloodlines mentioned in previous games.

 

I asked in a previous post, who is your character, wondering what ancient name is given to your soul. But, I now kind of think it's the most obvious one. All dragons have a three word name that is their proper name. Dovakiin is three dragon words. It means "dragon hunter born", according to whoever wrote the official Skyrim wikia.

 

So, "Dovakiin" is your characters' real name. Interestingly, this makes you the evil one in the eyes of dragons. Your soul purpose is to turn on your own kind and hunt them down.

[Rennn]

Its never truely revealed in the story.

* Alduin will actually kill you, if you linger too long outside -> he is not there to save you.

 

If you linger around like a stray and don't do some saving your own butt, I would then go ahead and kill your pathetic mortal form, as well, for your own good. So I don't think these are mutually exclusive. He will kill you over and over again in this game any time you fail to be worthy.

 

In this case, I like to think he prevented my death because I was showing my worthiness by facing my death for past crimes maybe I did commit. Had I been acting like the runner, he probably would not had interfered. I can't even picture it happening without laughing.

 

I never meant to imply he's saving you in the sense you're using it, as if on a rescue mission. He's the first born, so an older brother to you. Maybe he's wanting you to make him proud while still thinking he's the better, with doubts, maybe even wouldn't mind being beaten by you, but unlike a father, he may still kill you if you give him reason.

 

I'll expand on this. If he was trying to save you, it'd be likely that he just wanted to save you... from mortals. It's entirely possible he didn't care at all what happened to you as long as you (essentially part of him, being his brother and all) didn't get killed by men or mer. His kin being killed from something so pathetic would say he's weak, from his own point of view. It's also possible that he was arrogant, so he saved you temporarily hoping that by killing you later when you were most powerful, he would validate his arrogance and power.

Edited January 9, 2012 by Rennn

[faifh]

it's not a coincidence that Alduin shows up right when they're about to kill Ulfric. part of the prophecy for the end of the world was that there would be a civil war - if Ulfric is dead then that would compromise the Stormcloak uprising. i don't think Alduin knows about the Dragonborn at this point let alone that he/she is seconds away from execution. the fact that you cheat death thanks to the World-Eater is just a little irony that Bethesda threw in to possibly reinforce the whole theme of fate and destiny in the story early on.

just one interpretation of it. i think it's good that it's yet another thing left ambiguous by the developers.

 

Thats the suggestion of Delphine, who believes the Thelmor are behind it (where the evidence in the embessay turns out that theory to be false anyway). Anyway, even without the Thalmor, I don't think Alduin knows who Ulfric is, or the details of the politics. How could he? He doesn't talk with any humans. Thats why I disregard her theory. Nor does Alduin ever again try to stop the war from being ended. Like showing up at Windhelm or Solitutde to help the loosing side, so the war doesn't end.

[Zinnorokkrah]

The three that banished Alduin were not Dragonborn, just Tongues. Paarthurnax taught them to shout the same way he teaches the Greybeards to shout- the same way he teaches you to shout. Admittedly these three were exceptional individuals, but if they were Dragonborn, then they would have succeeded in killing him. Also, when they kill a dragon that comes up to fight them, it doesn't burn up through soul absorbtion- proving that they weren't Dragonborn. Exceptional Tongues and heroes yes- Dragonborn, no. The whole "brother" thing is based off the fact the St. Alessia made a pact with Akatosh that her children would share her blood, as well as his- this was the Septim line. The concept of the Dragonborn was created at this time, and presumably Talos helped in the Dragon War. In any case, a Dragonborn seems to be an individual of both mortal origin but blessed with the blood of Akatosh- ie. A Dragon's Soul. However, there is a difference between having a dragon's soul, and being a child of Akathosh. Alduin and Paarthurnax are Akatosh's children, and by extention, so were the Septims due to St. Alessia's pact. As a Dragonborn is someone given the divine blood of Akatosh- and the only other dragon known to absorb souls other than the Dragonborn is Alduin- it isn't much of a stretch to see the Dragonborn as Alduin's younger brother.

[faifh]

The three that banished Alduin were not Dragonborn, just Tongues. Paarthurnax taught them to shout the same way he teaches the Greybeards to shout- the same way he teaches you to shout. Admittedly these three were exceptional individuals, but if they were Dragonborn, then they would have succeeded in killing him. Also, when they kill a dragon that comes up to fight them, it doesn't burn up through soul absorbtion- proving that they weren't Dragonborn. Exceptional Tongues and heroes yes- Dragonborn, no. The whole "brother" thing is based off the fact the St. Alessia made a pact with Akatosh that her children would share her blood, as well as his- this was the Septim line. The concept of the Dragonborn was created at this time, and presumably Talos helped in the Dragon War. In any case, a Dragonborn seems to be an individual of both mortal origin but blessed with the blood of Akatosh- ie. A Dragon's Soul. However, there is a difference between having a dragon's soul, and being a child of Akathosh. Alduin and Paarthurnax are Akatosh's children, and by extention, so were the Septims due to St. Alessia's pact. As a Dragonborn is someone given the divine blood of Akatosh- and the only other dragon known to absorb souls other than the Dragonborn is Alduin- it isn't much of a stretch to see the Dragonborn as Alduin's younger brother.

 

Okay, okay, so the three weren't. But you are not the first dragonborn. I don't remember who was dragonborn. Talos was one. Also the blades for example where formed around one, and hinted there was more than one. Maybe there is only one per generation. So you might argue its the same reborn? But there that ends.

 

I find any connection theory to Alduin and him mystically wanting to help you thing shady at best, because Alduin "feels" the prophecy, doesn't make sense.

[thesapien]

Its never truely revealed in the story.

* Alduin will actually kill you, if you linger too long outside -> he is not there to save you.

In this case, I like to think he prevented my death because I was showing my worthiness by facing my death for past crimes maybe I did commit. Had I been acting like the runner, he probably would not had interfered. I can't even picture it happening without laughing.

 

I never meant to imply he's saving you in the sense you're using it, as if on a rescue mission. He's the first born, so an older brother to you. Maybe he's wanting you to make him proud while still thinking he's the better, with doubts, maybe even wouldn't mind being beaten by you, but unlike a father, he may still kill you if you give him reason.

 

Its actually explained somewhere you where no criminal, but happened to be on the same boat as Ulfric, that was all your crime.

 

I don't believe this "brother" thing, you are not that special a dragonborn, there where several before. At least 3 of them banished him into the time whirl in a fight.

 

I dunno, but I'm getting the sense that other dragons are actually saying my character's real name when talking to me, Dovakiin. It's a proper name to dragons but a general noun to Nords. I don't think the Nords use it correctly, but dragons do. Mortals tend to have offspring who keep last names and only change the first, so it makes sense they'd call a bloodline all by the same name, which later just became a description. But, to dragons, there can be only one Dovakiin.

[thesapien]

The three that banished Alduin were not Dragonborn, just Tongues. Paarthurnax taught them to shout the same way he teaches the Greybeards to shout- the same way he teaches you to shout. Admittedly these three were exceptional individuals, but if they were Dragonborn, then they would have succeeded in killing him. Also, when they kill a dragon that comes up to fight them, it doesn't burn up through soul absorbtion- proving that they weren't Dragonborn. Exceptional Tongues and heroes yes- Dragonborn, no. The whole "brother" thing is based off the fact the St. Alessia made a pact with Akatosh that her children would share her blood, as well as his- this was the Septim line. The concept of the Dragonborn was created at this time, and presumably Talos helped in the Dragon War. In any case, a Dragonborn seems to be an individual of both mortal origin but blessed with the blood of Akatosh- ie. A Dragon's Soul. However, there is a difference between having a dragon's soul, and being a child of Akathosh. Alduin and Paarthurnax are Akatosh's children, and by extention, so were the Septims due to St. Alessia's pact. As a Dragonborn is someone given the divine blood of Akatosh- and the only other dragon known to absorb souls other than the Dragonborn is Alduin- it isn't much of a stretch to see the Dragonborn as Alduin's younger brother.

 

Okay, okay, so the three weren't. But you are not the first dragonborn. I don't remember who was dragonborn. Talos was one. Also the blades for example where formed around one, and hinted there was more than one. Maybe there is only one per generation. So you might argue its the same reborn? But there that ends.

 

I find any connection theory to Alduin and him mystically wanting to help you thing shady at best, because Alduin "feels" the prophecy, doesn't make sense.

 

That's fine. Only Alduin could really say why he did what he did.

 

One question though, what do you mean by Alduin feeling the prophecy and it not making sense? He's first born to the chief god of the divines who existed before time began (maybe just for the mortal world).

 

Consider this metaphor: All of the world created by Elder Scrolls is just a game with the scrolls being lines of code. Akatosh represents the chief programmer. Might his son, Alduin, be able to play in his father's game and maybe have some foreknowledge about what happens in that game?