Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-26145872-20170304015604

It's a question that I'm curious about. Do you agree with the Greybeards and the Way of the Voice in that the Thu'um should be used for worship and enlightenment, or do you agree with the ancient Nord Tongues and Dovah who used it as a weapon and symbol of dominance?

In my eyes, I see it as the latter. Kyne and Paarthurnax gave Men the Thu'um to be used as a weapon against the Dovah in a time of great need. The Nords at that time had no talent in magic, had no means of flight, and only posessed traditional melee weaponry that was used most effectively at close range on the ground, not in the sky at long range. Dovah knew this, and kept their greatest advantage by remaining in flight, rendering it near impossible for a Nord to take down a Dovah in battle. In short, they could not win without the Thu'um being used as a weapon, and the Nords today would not exist as a race without it. I believe their defeat at Red Mountain was the result of fair combat. Multiple factors on the battlefield have an important part to play in determening whether a battle is won or lost. The conditions of the battle gave the Nords poor odds of victory, and thus, they lost. The Thu'um, much like everything else on Nirn, has its limits and is not invincible. Everything has a weakness or loophole, even a being like Alduin or the Elder Scrolls themselves. To summarize, I think the Greybeards are entirely wrong on this issue.

What do you think? 