User blog comment:Dovahsebrom/Theory: Who is Konahrik?/@comment-1738746-20141206044632

I'm currently developing my own theories as to who Konahrik is, and I do find your theory fascinating and it's definitely the most original I've seen so far! However, I have some criticisms to add to some of your points, which are my reasons for not being bought by the theory on the whole:


 * Relation with Bromjunaar: Despite being rubble on the outside, Bromjunaar on the inside would have likely still been mostly intact as the majority of Nord ruins are across Skyrim. This one is arguably one of the largest of said ruins, if not the largest, as well as being somewhat close to Winterhold- it seems like a completely logical place to set up a maze challenge of sorts, which wouldn't really need too much crazy modification to the current interior.
 * Obsession with Dragons: A lot of different in-game authors, mages especially, have had research obsessions surrounding dragons and the Dragon Cult on the whole. It may have also been what inspired him to use Bromjunaar as the base for Labyrinthian, as well as the aforementioned reasons. Shalidor was an extremely well known researcher and mage and a prominent figure in history overall, it seems more plausible that others used excerpts from his research in their stories and books, rather than his excerpts being from future books.
 * Large Lifespan: I think this is my biggest bone to pick overall. Apart from someone below pointing out Serana began sleeping in late Second Era, we know for sure that he battled the Dwemer in 1E 420. To go back even to the very late/end of the Merethic era, he needs to be a minimum of 420 years old, something that's just not achievable by anyone of a human race (being confirmed as a Nord in ESO). It's been pointed out in many places, via in-game and out, that elves can live to these types of lifespans but Nords just cannot (one of the points used for elven supremacy I believe, is the Elven long-lifespan). The Dragon War ended even before the Merethic Era did- the numbers just don't add up in favour of Shalidor. The longest-lived Nord was Tiber Septim, dying at around 100 (108 according to The Arcturian Heresy) and the longest lived human was the Redguard Randic Torn, estimated to have died at around 150-160. Fan estimates have put Nord lifespans to be between 100-150 years, so even with the immense magical powers Shalidor has, he has to be far older than 420 years for this to work, and it seems too unrealistic.
 * The use of magic to extend one's life is also a somewhat limited argument considering that Tiber Septim's most powerful mage used magic to extend his life to the age he died. I will elaborate on the "time-defying" Dragon Masks in it's own point later on, that could be used as an explanation for his long lifespan.
 * There is also a smaller hint that Shalidor didn't live that long- Urag gro-Shub's lecture on Shalidor's writings states a hypothesis that Shalidor used the Glamoril to have "allowed him to live multiple lifetimes in a short span of time" in order to know as much as he does on the variety of subjects he knows of. So instead of living a long lifespan as you suggest, he may have lived multiple lives within a normal lifespan, using the Glamoril (perhaps using it to go back in time, which would tie in to the stolen-from-Akatosh point?)
 * Glamoril: The Glamoril was something Shalidor stole from Akatosh, yet the dragon priest masks are forms of power granted to great people by the dragons themselves- two very different and conflicting descriptions. It doesn't make sense time-wise either that Labyrinthian was built to house said secret IF the secret was this mask- the fact that you need to go back in time to when the cult was at its height to retrieve it means that the mask was placed there during the time of the Dragon Cult, not when Labyrinthian was built. If the secret of life is as you suggest, to defy time, then the Glamoril should be the Wooden Mask, considering it is what allows you to travel to the past in the first place; the Konahrik Mask doesn't hold these sorts of abilities.
 * "Time-Defying" Dragon Masks: The line "strange artifacts that defy the laws of time" is a very arbitrary line from the game as it can be interpreted in a multitude of manners. However, if you interpret it literally as you have done with your theory, then the only mask that does this is again the Wooden Mask. Evidence supporting that the masks don't literally defy time, and grant Shalidor the ability to live so long, is that the other Dragon Priests have long since become Liches or undead- if the masks did literally defy time, they should be able to live as long as you claim Shalidor has. To elaborate on the arbitrary nature of the phrase, the phrase could refer to the enchantments of the mask not being from this time/being from a more advanced time or that the masks are so durable, they look just like when they were first made and therefore "defy time".
 * Exaggerated Deeds: One of Shalidor's supposed deeds has already been proven to be incorrect (the destruction of the Crimson Book of Skulls), which doesn't give much credit to supporting his other deeds, especially considering the aforementioned point about Bromjunaar likely still being in-tact on the inside for the re-modelling to Labyrinthian.
 * Powerful Nord Mages: Ahzidal was a Nord and a well-accomplished mage before becoming a Dragon Priest, and is actually one of the reasons he became a Dragon Priest. So it is very possible for a Nord to be a great mage without any previous relation to the Priests.
 * Shalidor's Personality: To have become a Dragon Priest, there's a major assumption there that Shalidor would dedicate himself and his time to something else either than his research, in this case the dragons and their cult. That's a huge assumption to make considering we know that he couldn't even dedicate enough time to his wife to see her leave him, as shown in one of Sheogorath's oblivion realms.

All of your theory also assumes that the Konahrik mask was actually used during the time period it was created in, yet there is no lore evidence to support this and instead, some that supports that the mask wasn't used during the time it was created in (the era of the Dragon Cult). All of the other Dragon Priests and their associated masks have been written about and spoken of because of their immense powers and magical abilities- which makes sense. Shalidor himself was an amazing man and has had much literature about him written as well for much the same reasons. Why then is no mention made of the Konahrik mask? It's an extremely powerful mask, far more so than all the others- why then has no one written about it and its associated Priest if it was used during that time? If it had been used during that time, someone would have had to have written about it, considering its immense powers and abilities. This is what leads me to believe that the mask was made for a purpose in the future (considering it wasn't used during the era it was made in or any after that), namely during the current era when the dragons are rising again and attempting to resurrect the Dragon Cult. It was no secret that the Priests all knew Alduin would return- the quest to find Rahgot in Forelhost will lead you to many journals of cult followers who told of Alduin's return.