The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim language puzzle cracked

Skyrim screenshot

It turns out the strange language that can be heard singing in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim trailer isn't just a lot of made up nonsense. Bethesda have created a whole language for the game. and Bethesda have already been putting out cryptic messages, asking readers to translate them.

It's all part of GameInformer's upcoming look at the game. The next GameInformer cover bears a mysterious passage in Dragontongue, which looks a little bit like this:

DOVAHKIIN DOVAHKIIN / NAAL OK ZIN LOS VAHRIIN / WAH DEIN VOKUL MAHFAERAAK AHST VAAL / AHRK FIN NOROK PAAL GRAAN / FOD NUST HON ZINDRO ZIN / DOVAHKIIN FAH HIN KOGAAN MU DRAAL

AHRK FIN KEL LOST PRODAH / DO VED VIING KO FIN KRAH / TOL FOD ZEYMAH WIN KEIN MEYZ FUNDEIN / ALDUIN FEYN DO JUN / KRUZIIK VOKUN STAADNAU / VOTH AAN BAHLOK WAH DIIVON FIN LEIN

Thankfully the collective megabrain of Reddit has already had a good look at the text, and have provided a translation, which reads as follows.

DRAGONBORN DRAGONBORN / BY HIS HONOR IS SWORN / TO KEEP EVIL FOREVER AT BAY / AND THE FIERCEST ROUT / WHEN THEY HEAR TRIUMPH'S SHOUT / DRAGONBORN FOR YOUR BLESSING WE PRAY

AND THE SCROLLS HAVE FORETOLD / OF BLACK WINGS IN THE COLD / THAT WHEN BROTHERS WAGE WAR COME UNFURLED / ALDUIN BANE OF KINGS / ANCIENT SHADOW UNBOUND / WITH A HUNGER TO SWALLOW THE WORLD

So we've got a dragonborn hero sworn to protect the world from evil, then something about the scrolls, then something worrying about an ancient shadow with a hunger to swallow the world. It looks as though the translation needs another translation, what do you think it all means?

[via CVG ]

Tom Senior

Part of the UK team, Tom was with PC Gamer at the very beginning of the website's launch—first as a news writer, and then as online editor until his departure in 2020. His specialties are strategy games, action RPGs, hack ‘n slash games, digital card games… basically anything that he can fit on a hard drive. His final boss form is Deckard Cain.