Summary
Ever since dragons were seen inThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, they have become a fan-favorite component ofThe Elder Scrollsfranchise. And while it took some time forSkyrimto actually offer dragon riding and for the concept to arrive inThe Elder Scrolls Onlineset in the distant past, the series’ lore on dragons is quite lacking that there’s a lot of room to develop their role in the overall mythos. In fact, such are the missing details about dragons in the game that not a lot is known about their overall way of life and true physical characteristics - a fitting mystery, considering their legendary nature.
However, fans who want to really immerse themselves in the lore might be intrigued as to just which among the series’ slate of dragons are truly the “largest” - much like how a kaju like Godzilla can impose their superiority through sheer display of height. WhileSkyrimandThe Elder Scrolls Online’s dragons generally follow the same in-game skeleton, tidbits about the lore may imply something deeper going on with their overall heights.
PERCEIVED SIZE
N/A (same asSkyrim’s other dragons, lore-wise could be larger due to mastery over Necromancy)
The idea of a skeletal dragon is an image to reckon with, regardless of where it is found - andDurnehviirserves this exact purpose as the only undead dragon inSkyrim. When the Last Dragonborn and Serana went to the Soul Cairn inside Oblivion to look for Valerica, they’re surprised to discover this undead dragon guarding her. As it turns out, Durnehviir’s quest for domination led him to the study of Necromancy, during which he made a deal with the Ideal Masters to gain their favorite. After unknowingly accepting the deal to guard Valerica “through her life,” Durnehviir didn’t realize Valerica was a vampire and was therefore immortal, meaning he was tricked into eternal servitude.
While Durnehviir isdefeated by the Dragonborn, his soul cannot be devoured, and he cannot materialize due to his unholy pact. Instead, he offers to be summoned by players when they need an ally, allowing him to enjoy even a few minutes of freedom before being called again. While it’s unknown what specific type and size of dragon Durnehviir is, the nature of Necromancy in Tamriel as the art of manipulating souls and corpses. However, Durnehviir being granted Necromancy by those from Oblivion itself could mean they gave him the ability to manipulate his body’s structure, which could infer the capability to increase his size.
Miraak’s Faithful Mount And Servant
N/A (same asSkyrim’s other dragons, lore-wise could be larger than most dragons except for Revered, Legendary variants)
When players finally have to confrontMiraak during “At the Summit of Apocrypha” inSkyrim,they will be surprised to see that he also has his faithful mountSahrotaarwith him. Possessing both frost and fire breaths, Sahrotaar is a force to reckon with, especially when faced alongside his master.
Not much is known about Sahrotaar’s history, except for the fact that at he swore allegiance to Miraak at some point and even considered him the “true” Dragonborn. While not much is known about his size, Sahrotaar as a Serpentine Dragon means he is only a step away from the most powerful types of his kind. If size scales by power inThe Elder Scrolls, then perhaps Sahrotaar should appear much larger than most dragons when faced in his “true” sizing.
ESO Model Viewer: X 45.90 m * Y 9.45 m * Z 31.80 m (presumably can become much larger due to Dark Aeon powers)
Similar to his rival Nahfahlaar,Laatvulondoesn’t have a lot to share about his origins except for his historic rivalry with the former. After being imprisoned with the help of Nahfahlaar’s help, Laatvulon escaped around the same time his master Kaalgrontiid was released from captivity. The two became allies once more, with Laatvulon creating the New Moon Cult to help Kaalgrontiid succeed in the plan of “replacing” Akatosh.
While Nahfahlaar once again aids yeta new ally in defeating Laatvulon, the dragon’s essence is now located in Apocrypha’s Infinite Archives. Here, Laatvulon is made en masse as maligraphies serving the Daedric Lord Tho’at Replicanum. Not much is truly known about Laatvulon’s canonical size, except he’s a bit smaller than Nahfahlaar as indicated in the Elder Scrolls Online Model Viewer.
Laatvulon’s Ancient Rival
ESO Model Viewer: X 46.00 m * Y 10.30 m * Z 33.60 m (presumably can become much larger due to Dark Aeon powers)
Whenfans of theElder Scrollsfranchiserealize thatNahfahlaarwas actually Nafaalilargus, they’ll recognize the red dragon as one of the antagonists inThe Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard, where he met his end at the hands of protagonist Cyrus the Restless. However, in the Alliance War, Nahfahlaar became instrumental in the defeat of Kaalgrontiid, who aspired to tap into the power of the Moons to be “as powerful” as Akatosh himself.
Not much is truly known about Nahfahlaar’s true origins, except for the fact that he’s made quite an ancient enemy in the form of Laatvulon. Nahfahlaar understood his thirst for domination as something innate among dragons, but he often allied with mortals to survive. While his physical essence died at the hands of Cyrus, it’s possible for Nahfahlaar to be risen. In the model files ofThe Elder Scrolls Online, he shares a size profile with Kaalgrontiid.
Alduin’s Former Ally Turned Dragonborn Mount
N/A (same asSkyrim’s other dragons, lore-wise could be larger as stats when summoned depended on player level)
WhenSkyrimteased how players can not only call upon a dragon to help them in combat but actuallyridethem in theDragonbornexpansion, the game is pertaining toOdahviing- a dragon slain in the Merethic Era but revived by Alduin in his quest to enact the end times. By the time players, as the Last Dragonborn, traps and defeats Odahviing, the dragon bargains for his freedom for the price of aiding the player in combat whenever it is called. This transforms Odahviing into an on-call dragon that players can “summon” through the “Od-Ah-Viing!” shout.
By the timeOdahviing becomes an ally, he is technically immortal and only leaves when all enemies are dead - making him quite a powerful asset. Odahviing’s stats will differ based on how powerful players are when they start “The Fallen.” And while Odahviing, like otherSkyrimdragons, technically follow a similar “skeleton,” Odahviing is the only dragon inSkyrimthat can appear across different levels - either as a Blood Dragon at his lowest and an Ancient Dragon at his strongest. Assuming a dragon’s strength means they can grow as well, then Odahviing is perhaps among the largest and most powerful dragons around.
The Dark Aeon Aspirant To Be Equal To Akatosh
Believed to have originated from Alduin’s rage in ancient times,Kaalgrontiidmay have split to form his own rage in order tosatiate his primal ambition for domination. Back then, Kaalgrontiid aspired to consume the Moons of Tamriel in order to become the Dark Aeon and have power “rivaling” that of Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time. While the Khajiit hero Khunzar-ri managed to lure Kaalgrontiid and his dragons into “putting” some of their power into the Jode’s Core and being sealed, events ofElder Scrolls Onlinehad inadvertently led to the dragon’s escape.
Moreover, Kaalgrontiid managed to find the Jode’s Core and absorb the powers of his rage’s members and some lunar power, turning him into an even more powerful threat. While eventually slain, Kaalgrontiid is implied to have been quite a large foe due to his nature as an Elder Dragon. AlthoughElder Scrolls Onlinedragons share a larger “common” skeleton, the fact that Kaalgrontiid managed to absorb powers of other dragons and have split from Alduin’s rage means he may have grown in size to match his new powerset.
Alduin’s Former Lieutenant And Younger Brother
N/A (same asSkyrim’s other dragons, scale could increase due to nature)
Another dragon that players eventually meet in theirSkyrimplaythrough would bePaarthurnax, whose name in the Dragon Language means “Ambition Overlord Cruelty.” Originally the brother of Alduin, Paarthurnax also became Alduin’s lieutenant throughout the tumultuous Dragon War. Being a skilled sorcerer,Paarthurnax taught other dragons how to use the Thu’umbut eventually rebelled against his brother when Alduin proclaimed his own godhood.
Since Alduin’s defeat, Paarthurnax has meditated in the Throat of the World, where he hid in seclusion for centuries. Not many get the privilege to visit Paarthurnax, and he only reappeared when the prophesied Last Dragonborn had been spotted in Skyrim to teach him the Thu’um and defeat Alduin. Given howSkyrimdragons generally follow a similar skeleton, Paarthurnax is similar to Alduin in size. However, given his mythical nature, it’s implied Paarthurnax might have the ability to become much larger in nature.
Beyond Planetary (but in-game same asSkyrim’s other dragons)
When players encounterAlduinfor the first time inSkyrim, they might be surprised to learn they will actually eventually have to fight this behemoth of a threat - a supposed World-Eater who appears at the end of time. WhileThe Elder Scrolls Onlinehas much larger dragons compared toSkyrim’s that had to use a different engine,Alduin in the lore is a much bigger threat: he born out of Akatosh, the Time Dragon, himself.
Given Alduin’s mythical nature, different races in Tamriel have different accounts of his true nature - with others even sharing different interpretations of his “World-Eating” apocalyptic duty. However, loremaster Michael Kirkbride implies this is quite the literal case. According to his notes in 2011 (as archived byThe Imperial Library site), Alduin will end all life not in a metaphorical sense - like leaving Tamriel as a barren wasteland. Rather, in his own terms,“…it’s going to be the whole of Nirn inside his mighty gullet.”This implies Alduin has shape-shifting capabilities, with at least the capability of becoming as large as an actual planet.
Godlike, Beyond Planetary
WhileAkatoshcomes in different names throughout theElder Scrollsfranchise, he’s most popularly known as the “leader” of the Nine Divines and is considered the great Dragon of Time. The living embodiment of service, duty, invincibility, and endurance, Akatosh is mythically known to be the first of the gods to be created in the Beginning Place. Across different religions, Akatosh is associated with aspects of unitheism (The One), a god of time (Alkosh of the Khajiit and Auri-El of the Mer), destruction (Alduin, among others), and more obscure aspects.
Akatosh in the lore is best known for creating the Covenant of the new Cyrodiil Empire with Saint Alessia, represented through the Amulet of Kings. Although Akatosh has remained largely behind the scenes, the Oblivion Crisis hadMartin Septim use the Amulet to become the avatar of Akatosh, transforming into a fiery gold dragon as large as houses in the game to fight an avatar of Mehrunes Dagon. While no official size charts exist for Akatosh, it’s implied that he is potentially much larger than Nirn itself due to his deitic nature.
