InsaneJournal

Introduction

This headcanon is based loosely on a video describing an interesting theory about the Dragonborn. I don't really care for the parts about the Shezarrine, so I'll be disregarding that.

The Dragonborn & Royalty

The important thing to know about the Dragonborn is, it is extremely rare to see more than one Dragonborn per era. Miraak (a Dragon Priest from the Merethic Era) was the First Dragonborn.

After Miraak, we had Alessia, Reman Cyrodiil, Tiber Septim/Talos, Uriel Septim VII, and Martin Septim.

After the Septim bloodline, we have the character known as the Last Dragonborn, born sometime in the Fourth Era.

Aside from Miraak, all the Dragonborn are from royal families. The Last Dragonborn is assumed to be just a random warrior blessed by Akatosh, but what if there's so much more to it than that?

Another thing to note is the Amulet of Kings.

Only a Dragonborn blood relative of Alessia can wear this amulet - otherwise it falls off your neck.

The amulet was destroyed during the events of the Oblivion Crisis when Martin Septim assumes the form of Akatosh (the Dragon God) to fight against the Daedric Prince, Mehrunes Dagon. Martin defeated Mehrunes, but the battle ultimately killed him and he had no children which therefore ended the Septim bloodline and began the Fourth Era.

Reincarnation & Apotheosis / Mantling

The Elder Scrolls has always touched upon themes of reincarnation and apotheosis (ascendence to godhood), both closely tied to religion. Which, is what the video was basically about.

Reincarnation is defined as, "the idea or belief that people are born again with a different body after death".

In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the player character is the "Nerevarine", who is a direct reincarnation of a Chimer known as Indoril Nerevar.

In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Martin Septim literally becomes the Dragon God of Time (Akatosh) in order to fight Mehrunes Dagon and save the world, plus in the Shivering Isles expansion your character becomes Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness.

In Skyrim, Tiber Septim is still revered as one of the greatest emperors Tamriel has ever seen, but he is also known by three other names - Hjalti Early-Beard, Ysmir: Dragon of the North, and Talos, the 'Ninth Divine'.

There is a small tavern located outside Markarth called Old Hroldan Inn. Tiber Septim led a battle against the Reachmen, and following his victory he slept overnight at the tavern located there. Your Dragonborn meets a ghostly spirit here that insistently refers to you as "Hjalti".

The barmaiden notes that people know the Inn is haunted, but no ghosts had been seen there since the Great War. The restless spirits in TES have proven time and time again to still be sentient and intelligent, so it is very peculiar that this entity regards you as Hjalti and insists you retrieve Hjalti's sword and bring it back to him so you can be 'sworn as brothers'.

While these spirits have been dead for a long while, they can usually pick up on things a mortal would be blind to. The Ghost of Old Hroldan had a close and personal connection to Hjalti Early-Beard/Tiber Septim, so it makes sense they would pick up on his "energy" and react to it.

Tiber Septim: A Man of Many Names

As I mentioned above, Tiber Septim has been known by many names.

He was born in 2E 828 as Hjalti Early-Beard. When he was twenty, he led the forces of Skyrim against the Reachmen and met Cuhlecain, who was the King of Falkreath back then. The two became allies and Cuhlecain declared Hjalti as a General.

Hjalti then lead his forces against the Reachmen of Old Hroldan, and broke past their front line, pushing the Reachmen back behind the gates.

The following night, Hjalti is given a vision by the spirit of Wulfharth, a long-dead Nordic king. He teaches Hjalti the "Way of the Voice" and the next day, Hjalti uses his newfound ability to bring victory to his men as a storm followed his troops.

Overjoyed with their success at Old Hroldan, the Nords rename Hjalti as "Talos", which means "Stormcrown".

Cuhlecain wanted to become Emperor, but Talos was still haunted by the visions from Wulfharth. Before Cuhlecain could be crowned, Talos secretly murdered him, and then burned the Imperial Palace to the ground.

To take suspicion off himself, Talos slit his own throat. Though he survived, he could no longer use his Voice, but he was still crowned as the new Emperor of Cyrodiil and given the name "Tiber Septim".

There is a lot of controversy following the life of Tiber Septim, one of the most notable being The Arcturian Heresy. Though there were so many copies of this book produced, many of them caused factual discrepancies and therefore The Arcturian Heresy is considered to be untrustworthy.

Tiber Septim also had an affair with young Queen Barenziah. When he discovered Barenziah was pregnant, he forced her to terminate the pregnancy, as it would interfere with his legitimate heir.

Obviously, Tiber Septim wasn't the most moral of men, but he is still one of the only Emperors to truly unite Tamriel, even if he did have to do a lot of questionable things to get to that point.

Present Day Skyrim: Septim Reborn

THE PROPHECY OF ALDUIN'S WALL

When MISRULE takes its place at the eight corners of the world
When the Brass Tower walks and Time is RESHAPED
When the THRICE-BLESSED fail and the Red Tower trembles
When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower FALLS
When the Snow Tower lies SUNDERED, kingless, bleeding
The World-Eater WAKES, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn

All the events detailed from Alduin's Wall have come to pass, but the line to pay attention to is:

"when the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding".

Skyrim is in the midst of a civil war, and if it ends, it may never heal. The entire civil war was brought on by the creation of the White-Gold Concordat.

Many of Skyrim's people want the freedom to worship Talos, but the Aldmeri Dominion don't see Talos as a true god.

They see the worship of the long-dead Tiber Septim as blind and foolish heresy, as he was but a man.

But what if Tiber Septim has returned, this time wearing a new body? What if that body is no mere mortal, but the Dragonborn?

Isn't it curious that this outsider from Cyrodiil appears just as things in Skyrim are about to become a lot worse?

Alduin has returned, Skyrim's stability as a province is hanging on a thread, and the Thalmor are breathing down the necks of Skyrim's citizens.

Everybody knows you can't truly kill a god. Lorkhan is a prime example of that, or he wouldn't have reign over Sovngarde as Shor.

Talos has been a beacon of hope for the sons and daughters of Skyrim for years. If the Aldmeri Dominion don't want the people to believe in Talos anymore, he can give them something new to rally behind - The Last Dragonborn.

Ysmir & The Greybeards' Recognition

Another thing I'd like to point out is the Greybeards' special ceremony for greeting the Dragonborn. Ysmir is described to be the Nordic aspect of Talos. When the Greybeards recognize you as Ysmir, they are essentially recognizing you as divine / divinity.

When they formally greet the Dragonborn, the words they speak are as follows:

Lingrah krosis saraan Strundu'ul, voth nid balaan klov praan nau.
Naal Thu'umu, mu ofan nii nu, Dovahkiin, naal suleyk do Kaan, naal suleyk do Shor, ahrk naal suleyk do Atmorasewuth.
Meyz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daar rok.

This translates to:

Long has the Stormcrown languished, with no worthy brow to sit upon.
By our breath we bestow it now to you in the name of Kyne, in the name of Shor, and in the name of Atmora of Old.
You are Ysmir now, the Dragon of the North. Hearken to it.

All the gods in the pantheon are basically the same, but they're known by other names in the racially-specific pantheons.

Tiber Septim is known as "Talos" in the Imperial pantheon, which is like the universal pantheon that all other pantheons are based off.

However, Talos is also known as "Ysmir" in the Nordic pantheon, and so there you have it.

The Last Dragonborn, in my canon, is not only a reincarnation of Tiber Septim, but he's also at the very least, a demigod.