Why the double standard? The Voice, or shouting, is clearly magical in nature.

It's because the standard schools of magic are from a system created by Altmer.

Every guard I've met has had a lot of respect for the Restoration school of magic. They also think Illusion is impressive.

There nords...There arrogant...

The Altmer created it so nords hate it? if this is true then it seems silly

And restoration and illusion are schools I would gladly choose in real life if they existed but in a video game I want something flashy. But I'm a Breton so regardless of the school/s I choose, I'll always hear the guard saying "So you can cast a few spells. Am I suppose to be impressed?"

Nords seem to put more respect into iron and steel than magic.

Course with how Skyrim did the Destruction school.... you're better off with a sword than fireball...

Nords don't see the Thu'um as Magic, they think of it as a Spiritual thing.

Haven't seen a single unified opinion shared by the Nords about magic, TBH. Some distrust it because of personal experience, some are jealous of you, some are in awe. Just like members of every other race. The people of have a reason to distrust magic, and the people at are superstitious backwater folk. But there's no single opinion on it. Hell, one of the master level magic trainers is a Nord, and at a high level position in the
Edited to add:

Actually, now that I've checked, there are several magic trainers who are Nords.

Let's see... the college of magic blew up one of the larger cities in the region... or so the rumors would have it. I'm surprized it's still legal.

The Voice isn't magic. At least, not like the traditional magic. It's not about controling mystical energies or anything of the sort. It's the language of the dragons and the words carry power. It' use has a long history among the Nords. That history has a lot to do with why it's respected, as well.

And they ask you to stop shouting.

Shouts arent magic, they are words. Just because Harry Potters spells are words, doesnt mean shouts are.

The way of the voice was bestowed upon man by "akatosh" or *ahem* through pity... read the 10 tablets on the way up to high hrothgar..

and altmer created magic


So one is a blessing and the other is a creation. Nords believe in earning rather than making greatness... hence the fact they wear fur armour and prefer steel of magical metals =] they are badass (if but a little ignorant)

Qoute "...the work of the mind, something sadly undervalued in skyrim" - Whiterun court wizard
they are men of heart, not mind

Maybe it's because a simple ward can negate a Fus Ro Dah.

But seriously though, let's look at the evidence.

Potema and the War of the Red Diamond
Camoran Usurper
Jagar Tharn and the Imperial_Simulacrum
Oblivion Crisis
Great Collapse
Great War

Random religious group, they respect their own theology and ideologies, but why not others?


Same thing really, especially in a place where previous mentioned things and concepts are unquestionably real. Even more so. Thu'um, and Dragon Shouting is magic, but is divine to Nedic culture and pantheon. With the Stormcloak, Thalmor, and Imperial political quandaries, these beliefs and choices become even more obscure and complicated. Inherently Nords are opposed to conventional magic because it was used extensively against them through the Mer wars throughout the Eras.

Whereas magic stems from aetherius and was made popular by elves and has often been used against the nords, the voice was a gift from Kyne which the nords venerate quite highly(Just below Shor/Talos)

Everyone with a lick of sense should distrust mages in the lore, to be honest:

These are people who traffic with alien beings with unknown motivations, can make a room explode with the flick of a finger, can make the dead do their bidding, make seemingly life-threatening injuries disappear in seconds, move items without touching them, etc. etc. etc. Of course they're going to be distrusted by someone who has no idea of how or why any of this is happening.

On the other hand, if magic is so disrespected in Skyrim, why does every bandit camp seem to have at least one hedge wizard in it, and every jarl seem to find it appropriate to have a court wizard?

You are right....When is magic every a good thing...

they may respect the voice because they had been saved before from using it, and its origins are different from schools of magic. You may not even consider the voice "magic" because its just a dragon (its skyrim, so in this sense its "real", more or less) shout.

Some great points have been stated so far.

But if the nords don't like magic because the elves used it against them then they should learn it themselves instead of being close minded. If they learn it they will only become more powerful.