I'm pretty sure "dragonborn" phenemona go as far back as Auri-El.. the mythic age. Auri-El is associated with being Akatosh himself, but I suspect he was just a badass dragonborn elf, whose legend is lost in myth. He was an aspect of the Time Dragon to the point that he was equivocated. At least, I like this idea... it may not be true. It helps me sleep at night though. Otherwise, it makes no sense why Akatosh would be an "elf with a bow and shield".

Being Dragonborn is not hereditary. The Covenant with Alessia was made by Akatosh with her and her "heirs" - future rulers of the Cyrodiilic Empire - but that is "heirs" in a spiritual/political sense, not her literal progeny, otherwise the Covenant would not have lasted all the way down to Martin Septim... who wasn't even descended from Tiber, and neither was any Septim ruler save Tiber's grandson after which his line died out.


Dragonborns (in the Skyrim sense) are born with the "gift" of having the soul of a dragon. While this does give them a huge advantage in the Thu'um department, the two are not inextricably linked. You can be Dragonborn and never learn a single Shout, or be a master of the the art and not be Dragonborn.

This. think of it as Imperial propaganda that is now proven wrong.

Aedra are shaped by belief.

has that ever been confirmed?
i mean not by some old imperials but by some people we truly beleive ?
we all know Imperials talking about Imperials is not a good trade

This.

Yeah, but he was an actual elf who lived on Nirn for a time. There's nothing about beliefs in that respect. He had a corporeal form. I can't think of any reason for that other than he might've been a dragonborn or something like it. And considering how far back in time it is, I think it's understandable if he somehow got lost in myth.. became something even greater over time.

Auri-El is also called "The Alinor-Dragon" in the sermons of Vivec, though.
Sometimes he is portrayed as a giant bird. It's a metaphor for he alone transcended the Mundus and returned to Aetherius - what the Thalmor want to achieve.
He was a bird tied to the ground, but then broke free - like the elves themselves are trying.

I'm pretty sure the elves recorded history during much of the merethic, but I doubt they cared much for the affairs of man, or that much of those accounts remains after milennia and the fall of Crystal-Like-Law.

That is totaly incorrect. Martin is very distantly related to Tiber, all the Septims are. I think you need to carefully re-read the Dynasty of the Septims. Dragonborn IS hereditary. Otherwise the Blades would not have obsessed over making sure the Septim Bloodline continued at any cost, since we know their entire purpose was to ensure Dragonborns continued so they would exsist when the World Eater returned.

Ah yeah..

In any case, I think this mingling with flesh and gods (or rather the Time God specifically) goes back further than Alessia. It doesn't invalidate Alessia though. I also think she honed in on an aspect of the time god/oversoul that was close to the truth.. one that wasn't specifically Elven and one not centered on humanity (ala Shor/Lorkhan).

This. The First Era was first time the races of Tamriel started to record important events and people.

And Tiber wasn't related to Reman afaik. Reman did claim some descendency with Alessia though, if I recall.

Go Go Powers of Retcon!

If you read the Pocket Guide, it states that the Aldmer left little or were given to documenting (relatively speaking).. I think it'd make sense if a lot from the merethic era would be lost. edit: The 1st Pocket Guide, that is.

Nords noted that Dragonborn became famous for killing Dragons and devouring their souls. They were respected because they played an important part in destroying Dragons and could use Th'um without need to learn it the hard way.
However, the Dragons were supposed to have been beaten by Alessia's time, with only some remaining. Additionally, none of the Emperors had anything to do with Soul Eating so obviously the Imperial Dynasties are not where Nords got all that.

Imperial Propaganda claims Alessia is the first one... and as far as they care, she was (as far as Imperials are concerned, the Dragonborn are those who can light the Dragonfires and keep oblivion Gates closed)... but Nordic oral traditions tell a different story. They tell about Dragonborn who, before Alessia was even born, killed Dragons and devoured their very souls... but it is questionable if Imperials would think that their and Nordic Dragonborn are the same thing (Akaviri think it is).


Only second Emperor was Tiber's descendant actually. The rest are from branch family.
However, I agree that gift can be hereditary. It is just that not everyone awakens the unique Dragonborn abilities I think.

In the trailer, the guy did say he devoured dragons. Maybe he gained the power of dragonborn this way.

The only descendant of Tiber who ruled the Empire was his grandson. After that, his line died out, and the crown passed to descendants of his brother.

Empress Katariah was the widow of one of those descendants, Pelagius III, and was considered a "Septim" ruler despite having absolutely no blood relationship to the Septims at all, much less Tiber himself. When her son by Pelagius died, his half-brother - son of Katariah and her Imperial consort - took the throne. He had been legally adopted into the Septim family, and may have been a distant relation, but he was not a descendant of Tiber Septim.

The idea that being Dragonborn was somehow passed down in the blood of family members falls totally apart when you consider that in order for this to be true there would have to be an unbroken line of descent from Alessia down to Reman Cyrodiil then down to Tiber Septim and on to Martin. The fact that the vast majority of Septim rulers weren't descended from Tiber is a minor issue when you consider how far back the Covenant went before he was even around to get in on it.