Sort of off topic but not entirely off topic thought I keep having about Alduin. Paarthurnax says that Alduin had forsaken the title of World-Eater and instead chose to rule over Mundas with his fellow dragons. Either I'm missing something or Paarthurnax is mad that Alduin didn't just choose to destroy the whole world, unless "world-eater" has a different meaning that's right in front of my face

Bullcrap! Paarthurnax is innocent you blade lover you!

This. Alduin came to Helgen to save the Dragonborn from being slain before Alduin got a chance to get a real fight out of the Dragonborn.

My speculation-
It is just serendipity: You are the first person to have contact with Alduin AND be around a dragon death.
You are not dragon born until the 1st dragon is slain.
From the perspective of Akatosh, you must have the winning mojo to receive the gift.

As for Alduin's motivation to destroy Helgen? This is an opportunity to kill both Ulfric AND General Tulius. Both are organized threats against his ability to raise dragons in their respective territories. Killing both would disorganize both militaries allowing him to rez more dragons safely before anyone realizes what is going on. This is why his first attack is concentrated on both side's soldiers.

Also, Alduin speaks while he is attacking helgen, does anyone have a translation? This might shed some additional insight.

See, now I figured that you've been dragonborn your whole life, there just haven't been any dragons around whose souls you would've absorbed had they been. Alduin at Helgen is the first dragon around in ages, and shortly thereafter you participate in one dying, which is the first chance in your life that a dragon soul is available for you to absorb.

Forensic Evidence against this

Some thoughts...
You actually have a Dragon Soul, not some special blood. (misinterpretation of "Dovah Sos" as a literal meaning)
St Alessia was granted "Dragon Blood" after her covenant with Akatosh. This blood line is broken. So nobody is "born" with a dragon soul in the world anymore. This also explains how a non-human can be Dovahkiin.

Probably wanted to kill the DB

Was this moved? I could have sworn we were in the spoiler section.

and how was Alduin supposed to do research? its not like he could walk up to the College of Winterhold and ask to read a book you know (He's a DRAGON)

Check the name of the sub-forum, dude.
Complaining about spoilers in this sub-forum is like complaining about fire being hot.

OT:
He was few seconds too early.

Oh, sounds like the DBZ Cell saga. "Lets kill the people that killed me in the past, by killing them in the future!" Must be nice to be the son of Akatosh. Being able to see through time and stuff haha.

This. He's just been teleported into the future from a few thousand years ago, I doubt he's going to want to head up to Solitude to check out the library in the Bard's College for a book on Ulfric

Not to mention how some people assume Alduin would even have the slightest bit of notion about the ongoing politics in Skyrim. He just arrived straight from the Dragon War, went poof! right smack in the middle of the battle. I heavily doubt he first took a leisurely stroll across Skyrim to get to know it better, before burning down Helgen.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought....

Becuz he wanted the war to continue, so he can eat the souls of the dead in Soverngarde and regain his energy. If the Empire killed Ulfric, the war wud have been over, and after u kick his ass on The Throat of the World, he wud have been much weaker when u finally face him.

A lot of people miss that being Dragonborn has nothing to do with genetics, it simply means that Akatosh blessed you with a dragon's soul (Which apparently has the properties of absorbing other dragon souls, a bit strange to learn that dragons are cannibalistic soul-eaters).

As far as why Alduin was at Helgen, I assume it's because he was pissed off at losing a war against humans and decided to go burn something down before considering his next move.

Alduin doesn't retreat to Sovngarde until he has been crippled by the Dragonborn - he had no need to trap souls beforehand, because he hadnt been affected by Dragonrend for thousands of years.

I always thought that even though the DB was led to his or her execution, he or she is protected by Prophecy and some kind of an intervention happened.

You guys ever actually read The Dragonborn book you find in the beginning?

You are the LAST Dragonborn.. and the only reason Alduin showed up (Basically got outta his time rift trap) is because you showed up essentially. If the DB wouldn't have been made Alduin would've never appeared.. prolly ever. The way I see it at least.

Um. First: Never believe ANYTHING you read in books you find in TES games. Second: If you recall, when you discuss the Dragonborn with Arngier, he states that you are the only Dragonborn they know of at that point. NOT that you are the "last" and "only" one.

Probably under the influence of the Thalmor, these filthy apes. And he's a bully among Dragons.

I know not to always believe the books, but they have to be in the game for some reason or another. To at least try to add SOME backstory lol..

Care to explain the last sentence in the book then?: "The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn."

Who wrote the book? What does the author have to gain by manipulating the scenario? What does Beth have to gain by planting specious info? What I really think? It's fiction. Just like 90% or more of the rest of the books in TES games. I wouldn't EVER build a toon based on some fiction in a TES in-game book....

It means, when Alduin shows up, the Last Dragonborn will show up too.

And since it's already established that you're the Last Dragonborn, no other Dragonborn will be born again. It is pretty much fated that Alduin will die, because really: if there will be no other dragonborn, it is imperative that there will be no more dragon overlords (because if dragons wreak havoc, Akatosh would've created another Dragonborn to sort out the mess)

As for why Alduin is in Helgen, there really is no explanation. There is 100% no reason for Alduin to actually be there in the first place. If anything, the first place he would've visited is High Hrothgar, because it's the place where the great Thu'um users were trained, and as such will be the most likely place a Dragonborn will reside

Also, Alduin knows that just about everybody can use Thu'um, he himself was struck by 3 Thu'um users, none of which are Dragonborn. Relying on the fact that Ulfric is a true Nord to determine whether he's a Dragonborn or not is very unwise, but Alduin is probably not that wise

Further, even if we speculate that Alduin is there for the Dragonborn simply because he sensed the DRagonborn, it makes no sense whatsoever that he can't sense the fact that the Dragonborn is still alive, and chose not to kill him personally along with Salohknir. Then again, perhaps he's really not that wise.

Lastly, Alduin need not have to attack when the Dragonborn is in Helgen. He could have attacked right after the Dragonborn was captured along with Ulfric (if he can't be certain whether the Dragonborn is a badass dragon-absorber or not). It is imperative to say that at least a few hours have passed when the Dragonborn arrives in Helgen, Alduin could've attacked at any point in that time.

Also to note is the fact that Alduin did not actually attack the Dragonborn, he simply messed around and swiped a few Dragon-soulless guys. If you cite the moment where he breathes fire into the tower, he could've breathed fire right at the Dragonborn when he's literally perching above the Dragonborn a.k.a. a few minutes before without much interruption, if at all.

Not to mention the question: "When did Alduin show up exactly?" If he just showed up, he could've been confused and attacked the first human settlement he encountered, explaining why he didn't attack the Dragonborn, but the Helgen itself

If he had arrived at least one day before, he could've sniffed the Dragonborn and try to find him

HOWEVER, this assumes that Alduin can sense the presence of the Dragonborn

And the most logical explanation is that he can't

So, why is Alduin at Helgen? Lore-wise it's either because it's the first settlement he came into or an archer from Helgen accidentally shot him with an arrow while hunting an eagle for its feathers, and Alduin is one grudging guy

Technical-wise, it's because the developers put him there. There really is no actual explanation