Miraak: An Analysis of 'Evil'

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  • čas přidán 20. 12. 2022
  • Miraak is the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's most interesting villain. In this video, I deconstruct his villainy. Miraak, Skyrim, Dragonborn DLC.
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Komentáře • 206

  • @Swedishmafia101MemeCorporation

    You killed Miraak because you thought he was evil.
    I killed Miraak because he took my dragon souls.
    We are not the same.

    • @Xinderkan
      @Xinderkan Před rokem +90

      I killed Miraak cause his cultists kinda annoyed me

    • @ThunderBirb
      @ThunderBirb Před rokem +65

      I wanted his drip

    • @LoneSilverW0lf
      @LoneSilverW0lf Před rokem +54

      I’m a simple man with simple taste. I see a shiny addition to my collection, his mask, I take it.

    • @non1263
      @non1263 Před rokem

      I kill him because the demon of knowledge commands it.

    • @gavinerickson9392
      @gavinerickson9392 Před rokem +34

      You read item descriptions in Dark Souls, I read the Thalmor Dossier on Ulfric Stormcloak. We are not the same.

  • @enoughothis
    @enoughothis Před rokem +548

    Miraak is the dark mirror of the Dragonborn. He wields a staff and sword and his Shouts. He is the final boss of the Skyrim DLCs because, like the Ebony Warrior before him, you are really fighting yourself, or rather what you might become.

    • @RosheenQuynh
      @RosheenQuynh Před rokem +13

      Isn't the Ebony Warrior just a dude who wants to go to Sovngarde?

    • @Mastattak
      @Mastattak Před rokem +73

      @@RosheenQuynh correct, but on a (relatively) deeper level, he’s the perfect reflection of the player character: he claims he has achieved everything that could be done, fought every fight worth his time and all that jazz. Only you are “more” than he his, and so only you can give him a proper end. Or you can be a worthy opponent to defeat in duel, at least

    • @RosheenQuynh
      @RosheenQuynh Před rokem +13

      @@Mastattak I was gonna say, what's he gonna do if he killed the Dragonborn? lol

    • @MatNotMatt
      @MatNotMatt Před rokem +26

      @@RosheenQuynh continue searching, for a more powerful opponent like the player will after killing him

    • @RosheenQuynh
      @RosheenQuynh Před rokem

      @@MatNotMatt Isn't the Dragonborn considered the most powerful though? 🤔

  • @unibrowsheepZ
    @unibrowsheepZ Před rokem +396

    Avarti: "Miirak is Skyrim's most interesting villain"
    Nazeem: "Sounds like someone doesn't get to the cloud district very often."

    • @drinfernodds
      @drinfernodds Před rokem +34

      True villainy is being an NPC so insignificant to your character and the story yet so universally hated you get talked about more than most of the main characters.

    • @Xinderkan
      @Xinderkan Před rokem +22

      Nazeem? Ohhhh right! That black soul gem in the drawer next to my bed

    • @SymbioteMullet
      @SymbioteMullet Před rokem +9

      @@Xinderkan why not offer it to the Ideal Masters, just to really rub it in?

    • @starshooter7128
      @starshooter7128 Před rokem +2

      @@Xinderkan "black" soul gem kek

    • @non1263
      @non1263 Před rokem

      Nazeem is getting cucked anyway, no reason to fight him.

  • @CalistheNick01
    @CalistheNick01 Před rokem +197

    I remember killing Harkon when he was talking with Serana while sneaking with a dagger. I just didn’t respect him. But that fight with Miraak is just awesome

  • @LoneSilverW0lf
    @LoneSilverW0lf Před rokem +254

    One thing I like about the Miirak fight is that it’s essentially a 1v1.
    In Sovengard you defeat Alduin with Tsun and the Three Tongues, you slay Harkon with Serana, Civil War has your Generals with you, the Companions, College, and TG final fights you have your allies(not counting DB because of no real “boss battles” imo), world bosses you can fight with any follower, but with Miirak it’s just you. I certainly don’t remember his dragons helping him any on his side. Previously you fought alongside friends and allies, but Miirak only had servants and slaves. In the end You are alone, at the peak of Apocrypha, surrounded by dead bodies. You are the last man standing.
    I just find that an interesting angle.

    • @sneedfeedandseed2410
      @sneedfeedandseed2410 Před rokem +27

      its an 1v1 unless you use conjuration.

    • @thalmoragent9344
      @thalmoragent9344 Před rokem +5

      @@sneedfeedandseed2410
      Lol, facts

    • @thalmoragent9344
      @thalmoragent9344 Před rokem +14

      Yeah, and while that's assuming you don't have your Companions join you, the game doesn't actually intend for specific allies to help you take him down
      Dovah VS Dovah, no more, no less.

    • @katherinesharp8830
      @katherinesharp8830 Před rokem +8

      It was a 1v1 til Dragon Aspect summoned an ancient dragonborn >:(

    • @joekaz5198
      @joekaz5198 Před rokem +8

      Dragon aspect, Call of Valor, conjure wear bear. It was a tag-team match when I fought him. Only fair since he gets to recharge 3 times.

  • @HickoryDickory86
    @HickoryDickory86 Před rokem +62

    Hermaeus Mora is the real villain of the Dragonborn DLC. The Skaal make this very clear, and Miraak is regarded more as a symptom of the disease taking hold of Solstheim, but not the disease itself. What's more, even if you had done Hermaeus Mora's quest and become his "champion" in Skyrim, you're still regarded as an outsider, an interloper, in Apocrypha and attacked viciously by all its denizens. Like... what the hell, dude?
    Too bad you have no option of teaming up with Miraak and taking the fight to ol' Herma-Mora himself.

    • @gowiththeflow363
      @gowiththeflow363 Před rokem +5

      I'm pretty sure even for a Dragon born duo-
      A Daedric prince who's full form we can't even comprehend could be too much

    • @rabbitbannerdestroyerofgri7889
      @rabbitbannerdestroyerofgri7889 Před 10 měsíci

      Hermaus is a weaker god, outside of his realm he would be a cake walk for the duo.

    • @HickoryDickory86
      @HickoryDickory86 Před 10 měsíci +1

      @@gowiththeflow363 Well, Daedric Princes has been fought and defeated by mortals brfore. They're not invincible. They may be impossible to kill while they're in their own realm, but they're not invulnerable and can be defeated and all but killed. And mind you, Dragonborns are not mere mortal, but mortals with the souls of dragons, hence they're offspring of Akatosh and are inherently blessed by Kyne. And the Last Dragonborn in particular is also most like a Shezarrine, an incarnation of the spirit of Lorkhan/Shor/Shezarr.
      Then, when it comes to Hermaeus Mora, Apocrypha contains many secrets which he has locked away even from himself. Perhaps two Dragonborns could successfully uncover one or two of those secrets and use them to defeat him. They wouldn't need to kill him, but it would be entirely possible to force him to release Miraak from his servitude and also push back Mora's influence from Solstheim and ward it from future incursions.
      Also, enlisting the aid of another Prince or two wouldn't be unheard of.

    • @duncanthomson7894
      @duncanthomson7894 Před 10 měsíci +3

      there is a mod that allows you to use Bend Will to get Miraak to fight by your side, you have to fight wave after wave of Apocrypha enemies. It's a cool idea as you use Miraak's own shout against him, so that the first and last dragonborn can become allies. Would have been good if Bethesda put that in themselves

    • @superspurgdale1925
      @superspurgdale1925 Před 8 měsíci

      @@duncanthomson7894name?

  • @johnprager662
    @johnprager662 Před rokem +105

    "I have found a new dragonborn to serve me"
    A very strong hint as to what happens to the Last Dragonborn after the events of the game. As Mora is the Prince of Knowledge, I assume he knows far more than the LD does and has already created the conditions to bind the LD to his will.

    • @vroshabhisam5582
      @vroshabhisam5582 Před rokem +18

      Not if he's shezzarine. he could be part of Akatos's oversoul or separate entity like Alduin. He could be Shor himself. He could achieve godhood like Talos, Any of the previous reasons give him more weight than any Daedric princes And Daedric bindings are puny in the machinations of operation of the cosmos. Mora needed Ldb's help to get rid of Miraak.

    • @radlad5999
      @radlad5999 Před rokem +30

      i dont know man, apparently alot of daedra considers me their champion, he can wait in line.

    • @Username-wj8pz
      @Username-wj8pz Před rokem +5

      I'm pretty sure that's just Mora trying to mess with the LD's mind seeing as you can still leave Apocrypha with no issues after defeating Miraak

    • @remote24
      @remote24 Před rokem +1

      Since he's the lord of knowledge he surely knows dragonborns searchhistory😅

    • @JoacoG11
      @JoacoG11 Před 10 měsíci

      ​@@vroshabhisam5582Also, I'm pretty sure when he died his soul will be taken by Akatosh, bc he has a dragon soul

  • @rapecelnationalist
    @rapecelnationalist Před rokem +45

    Miraak is the Sharmat, similar to Dagoth Ur in Morrowind. He was never enantiomorphized because of his enthrallment by Hermaeous Mora, who acts as the Observer, so the role of Hortator was never fulfilled between Vahlok/Konahrik. Miraak, the Sharmat, is the Thief or Rebel, who betrays the Dragon Cult (The Tower) for the pursuit of knowledge or enlightenment (the Thief's raid). The Last Dragonborn, the Hortator, embraces the role of the King, or Warrior, who challenges the Sharmat's rule. Mora acts as the role of the Mage, the Observer or the Maim-ee, who witnesses the Enantiomorph between the First and Last Dragonborns (1 and 1). Together, the Player and Miraak become 11, making each other's roles indistinguishable from one another. They are both Alpha, and Omega, both King and Rebel, and so their conflict results in an Enantiomorphic outcome. However, Mora, to prevent being maimed or to prevent a loss of power, fails to uphold his principle as the Observer, killing Miraak and thereby invalidating the Enantiomorph.
    It is through this understanding that Miraak is a rather tragic character, binded by forces beyond his comprehension, and forced to duel with a counterpart he has no intimate interest in. His destiny, robbed of him by a Daedric prince, is the direct result of his desire to bind the world to his will, characteristic of the Sharmat. It is only fitting that the shout he is known for is aptly given its name.

    • @DummyThiccCheeseCake
      @DummyThiccCheeseCake Před rokem +11

      I like your funny words, magic man. Over here talking about Animorphs and shizz.

    • @rapecelnationalist
      @rapecelnationalist Před rokem +8

      @@DummyThiccCheeseCake I had a manic episode a couple hours after writing this.

    • @JoacoG11
      @JoacoG11 Před 10 měsíci

      I didn't understand a single thing

    • @vexingbrat8605
      @vexingbrat8605 Před 15 dny

      ​@@JoacoG11 play elder scrolls

  • @johnprager662
    @johnprager662 Před rokem +36

    Miraak just got really sick of being surrounded by books all day

    • @6Tainted1370
      @6Tainted1370 Před rokem

      Or tentacles lolol wink wink nudge nudge ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    • @nangsanbhalangblah333
      @nangsanbhalangblah333 Před rokem +8

      Average college student experience be like

  • @vroshabhisam5582
    @vroshabhisam5582 Před rokem +62

    I wanted to make friends with him. People like him, Serana, and parthurnaax are ancient and with them gone I feel the world is becoming empty and meaningless because they represent fulfillment in this world. at least for me.

    • @thatoneguy8146
      @thatoneguy8146 Před 11 měsíci +4

      I have the exact same thoughts and that’s goes for any game with ancient beings it’s so hard to kill them because killing them is like killing a part of that in game history.

    • @trashbrainnn
      @trashbrainnn Před 6 měsíci +1

      I just lost brain cells reading this

  • @gavinerickson9392
    @gavinerickson9392 Před rokem +20

    I think many Bethesda games are simple on the surface, and that allows for the wide appeal that they have, but the best titles have a beautifully complex underside.

  • @SymbioteMullet
    @SymbioteMullet Před rokem +136

    Miraak wasn't a villain. He was just a bellend.
    You go in at low level? "You're nothing, punk"
    You go in at high level? "You killed Alduin? I could have... if i wanted to"
    He's _that guy_ you've met online in so many games talking smack to you constantly. And you can finally take glorious vengeance.
    He's not a world shaking terror. Conflict with Miraak is _personal_

    • @6Tainted1370
      @6Tainted1370 Před rokem +6

      Be funny as fuck if you could've called him a bellend hahaha, wouldn't fit in that world but still.

    • @damo4464
      @damo4464 Před rokem +1

      Well, maybe not

  • @venepskeuten9206
    @venepskeuten9206 Před rokem +14

    With aldiun it was simply duty and responsibility.
    But miraak stole my dragon souls, this is personal.

  • @thalmoragent9344
    @thalmoragent9344 Před rokem +15

    Both Miraak and Ahzidal let their hunger for knowledge and power consume them, though Ahzidal was always a gifted Mage who went ever deeper into magics. The first major human Mage that learned most of his works from the Elves of the Merethic Era, whereas you have Miraak who went through his lengths with the aids of just the Dovah.
    But in the end, both went to Hermaeus Mora for the endless abyss of the Aurbic knowledge.

  • @RadRes1stant
    @RadRes1stant Před rokem +40

    Miraaks always been my favourite character, I wish there was more info on him and his past.
    I'd loved to have seen him accomplish his goals and return to skyrim as a third player in the main story line

    • @jvaschagas1082
      @jvaschagas1082 Před rokem +10

      It saddens me that there was an option to help him out at escaping apocrypha at the end of the dlc but that was cut content, there is a mod to bring that back tho

    • @loboinu
      @loboinu Před rokem +3

      @@jvaschagas1082 yesss i was gonna mention the mod!! it’s so good. Miraak is my favorite TES character for SURE - it’s such a shame they didn’t do more with him when he had SO much potential

    • @LordMiraakedits2142
      @LordMiraakedits2142 Před 9 měsíci +2

      Miraak had the potential to be the perfect friend and follower of dragonborn, he is my favorite character too

    • @jahrhome
      @jahrhome Před 3 měsíci

      @@LordMiraakedits2142miraak slams talos. Change my mind

    • @LordMiraakedits2142
      @LordMiraakedits2142 Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@jahrhome W, also CHIM is overrated as fuck

  • @mjrtaurus2714
    @mjrtaurus2714 Před rokem +6

    Miraak was a man who discovered that he had the same innate power as the ones he worshipped as gods. He learned that he could kill his gods. He learned he could be beyond his gods. He learned there were no gods. Only the one.
    Himself.

  • @RuinnTheGreat
    @RuinnTheGreat Před rokem +53

    what always kept Skyrim below FNV for me was the severe lack of choice. In New Vegas there are always many choices and ways to end quests the way that you like. Imagine if you could have helped Miraak free himself from Hermaeus Mora even if he betrays you in the end which i think would be likely, Also the fact you have to kill Parthurnax to complete the Blades questline. Very few times where the player has choice, i pray they acknowledge this in ES6.

    • @6Tainted1370
      @6Tainted1370 Před rokem +10

      I severly hope so to, really doesn't feel like a roleplaying game at times. Like at the end of the thieves guild, you're forced to serve nocturnal, I get they're trying to establish Mercer as an actual threat, but I am the dragonborn at the end of the day.

    • @RuinnTheGreat
      @RuinnTheGreat Před rokem +5

      @@6Tainted1370 100%

    • @Umbra_Ursus
      @Umbra_Ursus Před rokem +6

      Let's be honest, it's Bethesda. Odds are, unless they want to acknowledge pretty much everyone hates the Skyrim Blades (For good damn reasons), then the next we hear of Parthurnax will be "Oh, that dragon? Yeah, some Blade killed him. Seemed sad about it".

    • @magicoddball1452
      @magicoddball1452 Před rokem +2

      Really wish someone would do a “Serena dialogue overhaul” like thing for Miraak and creating more options in the dlc

    • @gowiththeflow363
      @gowiththeflow363 Před rokem +1

      ​@@magicoddball1452Best follower/quest mod ever tbh. I'd love that for many followers among storylines.

  • @ultrocity514
    @ultrocity514 Před rokem +47

    I’m a big fan of the thematic parallels between Miraak and Darth Vader

    • @ashtonpeterson4618
      @ashtonpeterson4618 Před 2 měsíci

      How so? Apart from the "craving more power" from a forbidden source, i don't see much else.

    • @deadsoul7409
      @deadsoul7409 Před měsícem +1

      ​@@ashtonpeterson4618well they're both were a" chosen one" that somehow abandoned their purpose (for miraak it was not killing Alduin and for Vader it was his fall from grace ) they both fought a "new chosen one" , they're both betrayed and killed by their masters and they were both cruel
      Only difference is miraak stayed an asshole to the end unlike Vader who had his redemption at his last moments

  • @idipped2521
    @idipped2521 Před rokem +11

    The thing about Hermaeus Mora is that he is not opposed to chaos and violence, but the fact that Miraak used his power to try to have himself worshipped as a god and take over Solstheim was why he was against it in the Dragonborn DLC

  • @nathanieljohnson5414
    @nathanieljohnson5414 Před rokem +11

    This reminds me of the Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Ganondorf in that game was given a sense of humanity by way of the conversation with Link, at the final battle on top of Ganon’s Tower. I now see Miraak as a person, rather than just an embodiment of evil😎

  • @lad6606
    @lad6606 Před rokem +26

    It would’ve been pretty damn cool if he was actually the one to fight Alduin and use the Elder Scroll to “destroy” him. Perhaps then parallels between good and evil would’ve been more ambiguous and it gives him a personal reason as to wanting to take the player out, his insecurity of not being the one to finish the World Eater would be a massive slight against his pride.
    Edit; when talking about the fight, I mean the one that happened ages ago when Alduin was sent through time with the Elder Scroll

    • @MadRaiiden
      @MadRaiiden Před rokem +4

      Would be really cool as the dragonborn could then "be" Miraak when viewing the memory of how he banished Alduin.
      Could also make this moment the moment Miraak learns about the dragonborn instead of just the arbitrary level 20. Creating some sort of "link" between them.

  • @mike-0451
    @mike-0451 Před rokem +10

    Miraak seeks power for power’s sake. This is the only reason to seek power. One does not seize power to safeguard a revolution, one makes the revolution to seize power. Power is not sought to be relinquished, power is sought to be immortalized. Power is flux, and power that does not stabilize itself by always confluxing within itself will always become other than itself, and dash away. Power is not a means to an end: it is the end.
    Power for “the greater good” is like using fire to cool your home. Power does not seek its contradiction to be made stable; it seeks contradiction to be contradicted, and to be made unstable.
    Miraak’s mistake was not an original mistake; it was simply foolish to think that a man could truly desire power as his final end. Man does not arise by power; he arises out of nothing by love. Power seeks itself to possess itself, but cannot go out into the other and find itself-it can only evacuate the will of what is already there and impose itself in the hole left behind. But love already possesses what it desires, and can pull infinity out of a hat, and a hat out of infinity. It finds in every place the reflection of itself, and does not need to impose anything, because the other’s hand is already outstretched for a shake. Man desires, is desired by, and is already the desire of love; power is an illusion and has been overcome at Golgotha.
    Miraak to the very end did not seek power, but sought power so strong that it could defeat power, and set himself free from it. But He who has sat on the throne has said, “I am making everything new,” and has elected Miraak and all souls a place at his table, where every seat is the best seat in the house, and every guest is the guest of honor. He has chosen, before and after all time, flesh-the flesh of mankind-as his vessel, because he is already, “I am becoming the shape of boundless bliss,” and so has naturally ascended down into the human form and made his judgment: “I am flesh is worthy of me,” and, “for your crimes against yourselves and God, your sentence is mercy, for the duration of forever, in the palace of love.”
    All is reconciled: we have not been saved from the world, but the world has been set free. He has brought himself into the world that is already the spoken word “I am”, that is not a secondary moment in him, that is already the decree, “I am who I am.”

  • @pomeranianproductions647
    @pomeranianproductions647 Před rokem +10

    I feel like even Alduin could have been given more nuance. After all he is literally the main antagonist of Skyrim.
    What if his goal is misunderstood. He doesn't want to devour the world, but instead have a new Dragon Cult take over Skyrim so as per controlled ritualistic sacrifices (which the Dragon Cult was known to do) aswell as with atrocities towards possibly rebellious cities and villages, he would have a steady and unlimited stream of souls to devour in Sovngarde.
    The conflict would then not just be about defeating him but his servants all over Skyrim with Alduin being not just morally questionable, but also unwilling to face punishment by Akatosh for betraying him.
    It would make him more than just a moustache-twirling bad guy.

  • @SkrapMetal84
    @SkrapMetal84 Před rokem +6

    there was a bit of cut content in the ending of this DLC there were more than one way to end the fight with Miraak there was the way we know already, but there was another end fight of Miraak where you use "Bend Will" on him a few times and by the end of that one he turns into a Follower. This cut content still has voice lines if you know where to look.

    • @thegreatacky7983
      @thegreatacky7983 Před rokem +2

      And I’m pretty sure someone used those files to make an alternate ending mod

  • @domino_201
    @domino_201 Před rokem +8

    Add Miraak to the short list of well-developed Elder Scrolls antagonists:
    -Dagoth Ur
    -Almalexia
    -Mankar Camoran
    -Jyggalag

    • @badluck5647
      @badluck5647 Před 2 měsíci

      Ulfric?

    • @ashtonpeterson4618
      @ashtonpeterson4618 Před 2 měsíci

      ​@badluck5647 he's an intriguing character but his true nature is largely left up the player's intuition. While we have some facts about his life (fighting the the great war, freeing Markarth from the Forsworn, training under the greybeards when he was younger) much of what he learn about him comes from hearsay. We know he killed the High King, but was it for the reasons Ulfric claims, or was it a simple grab for power?

    • @badluck5647
      @badluck5647 Před 2 měsíci

      @@ashtonpeterson4618 It sounds like you are describing what makes him an interesting antagonist.

  • @joekaz5198
    @joekaz5198 Před rokem +5

    I don't think the struggle between LDB and Miraak is a question of morality. I think it's just two of the dragonblood acting in accordance to their nature. They share the will to dominate and overcome. I don't think two Dragonborn could ever exist simultaneously without each being compelled to destroy the other.

  • @n.z7160
    @n.z7160 Před rokem +8

    We need a video to explain the backstory of the dragonpreists their masks and diffrent abilityes makes me wonder what they where like and the diffrence between them

  • @Lossandthepanda
    @Lossandthepanda Před rokem +5

    Great vid as always, we'd love to see more Elder Scrolls character analysis from you

  • @noahthonnard293
    @noahthonnard293 Před rokem +2

    Late to the party, but I've been playing Skyrim for the umpteenth time and am about to duel Miraak again. Strangely enough Miraak kind of reminds me a bit of Agent Smith in the first Matrix movie. I can just picture Miraak saying to the Dragonborn in Apocrypha, "I...hate this place. this zoo. this prison. this reality, whatever you want to call it." Both are stuck working for bosses they hate and share the same thoughts about it in a way. Idk, thats just my thoughts, great video.

  • @alanolex3962
    @alanolex3962 Před rokem +5

    He also looks really cool.

  • @onefromkekistan1828
    @onefromkekistan1828 Před rokem +1

    Glad to see you're still making videos

  • @Blessom
    @Blessom Před rokem +9

    Been getting into a lot of skyrim versus debates and miraak scales way higher than people give him credit.

    • @Blessom
      @Blessom Před rokem +1

      @@mockingjay4776 true but it's more of an problem of people not understanding his feats i mean him and valok created a continent through battle.

    • @dragonbornEmperor
      @dragonbornEmperor Před rokem

      ​​@@Blessom he become way stronger after being in Mora realm for thousands of years the daedric prince of knowledge he practically knows everything hence why he probably wants to leave his realm he might've achieved chim

    • @Blessom
      @Blessom Před rokem +1

      @@dragonbornEmperor true but remember chim was only mentioned one in lore and is mostly a fan theory.

    • @dragonbornEmperor
      @dragonbornEmperor Před rokem

      @@Blessom didnt tiber septim use chim to change the landscape of cyrodiil ?

    • @Blessom
      @Blessom Před rokem

      @@dragonbornEmperor that is the theory the community used to explain him ascending to godhood we actually have no idea how he did it

  • @callumtorrance9180
    @callumtorrance9180 Před rokem +6

    I think miraak is evil because of his hunger for power.
    He would happily serve the dragons as a tyrant over his people. And when he finds out he is dragon born he chose to betray the dragons and the cult, as he knows he has the power to betray them and become something even greater than they.
    He will do anything for tyrannical power. This is evil.

    • @zarrg5611
      @zarrg5611 Před rokem +1

      But is he any different from Talos in that regard?

    • @callumtorrance9180
      @callumtorrance9180 Před rokem

      @@zarrg5611 Talos wanted a united Tamriel. And there was conflict between the provinces well before Talos. Talos stepped in and ended all the conflict creating an era of peace at last.
      Huge difference. Miraak cares nothing for peace. He served the dragon cult that enslaved their own country for the favor of the dragons.

  • @JazzJackrabbit
    @JazzJackrabbit Před rokem +26

    Miraak is not a misunderstood "Anti-Hero" - he is a power-hungry narcissist that failed his attempt at a jailbreak.

  • @sinva4847
    @sinva4847 Před rokem +1

    Very nice analysis

  • @wolfbane7497
    @wolfbane7497 Před rokem

    It's been so long since I watched your video glad to see you old friend

  • @Thiccolo86
    @Thiccolo86 Před rokem +7

    LET ME SHOW YOU TRUE POWER 🎶🔥

  • @Unown-mg1fj
    @Unown-mg1fj Před rokem

    Love all your videos

  • @editorrbr2107
    @editorrbr2107 Před rokem

    Comment for the algorithm. Merry Christmas, Avarti.

  • @smokingunstudios6474
    @smokingunstudios6474 Před rokem +3

    Miraak and the Dragonborn would be unstoppable on the same side

  • @joshuamourning6650
    @joshuamourning6650 Před rokem +2

    Also there is cut dialogue of him that implies he wanted to return and in his words set things right also from what I can discern via cut dialogue our characters try's talking sense into him but seems to fail

  • @n.z7160
    @n.z7160 Před rokem +11

    I actually got a theory: that in the next elder scrolls game we will get a story that tells the tale of the dragonborn of the 4th era, the last dragonborn, and that he protected the world against alduin during the skyrim civil war where he/she negotiated a truce between the 2 opposing side but refused to join either, after alduins defeat the Imperials would win the war but not without the cost of a weakend empire and all the political corruption in skyrim and unfriendly people would make the dragonborn want to leave tamriel. but then he gets word of something strange happening on solstheim and when he goes over there and figure it out and battle miraak he/she is consumed by or made the new champion of hermaeus mora..i think the fact we actually get to have an encounter with Septimus Signus which leads to an encounter with lord hermaeus more god of secrets and fate is a too big coincidence and then have an expansion/dlc where we interract even more with hermaeus more, +when it comes to the dawnguard dlc i would safe it is probly an event that the dragonborn is not part of even tho the elder scroll of dragons are needed in the game, i think that everything outside of the main story, the civil war arc and the dragonborn dlc are events that will transpire in skyrim during the 4th era, mabe not at the same time but are events they put in the game to let the player know how it would feels to there during one of these events(dark brotherhood quest line. winterhold college questline, thieves guild quest line, the companions questline) - this is just a theory and arent built on any new groundbreaking facts

    • @DummyThiccCheeseCake
      @DummyThiccCheeseCake Před rokem +1

      I understand many believe the council has made a decision. But since it's a stupid ass decision, I have elected to ignore it. That would be such an ass ending to DB's story.

  • @2A_W3ND1G0
    @2A_W3ND1G0 Před rokem +3

    One of my favorite villains of all time

    • @6Tainted1370
      @6Tainted1370 Před rokem +2

      Love his design, especially that mask.

  • @christopherhartford5066
    @christopherhartford5066 Před rokem +6

    I can't help but disagree for couple reasons.
    I would argue he is the most or second most evil villain, second only to Harkon. As a dragon, Alduin is compelled by his nature as such to behave a certain way. So much so that is gets in the way of his purpose of ending the cycle. This makes Alduin debatably evil by nature because it's a dragon being painted through a human lense of morality.
    Miraak is the opposite of that point as by his very nature, he can be painted by human morals. He is selfish, cruel, and only values others based on what he can get from them. His ambivalence to the suffering of his fellow man is juxtaposed his desire to being the on top of the hierarchy. He would and does oppress others for his own selfishness. He is so blinded by his inflated self worth that like Harkon, he is a fool.
    I would argue Harkon is in fact the most evil here because out of the 3 main antagonists, Harkon had the most choice you could say in his path. I'm giving slight consideration that by the nature of being dragonborn, Miraak isn't entirely human so this could play a part, though I don't find it a strong or genuine point by the contrast of how literally every other dragonborn in history acted.
    I never thought Miraak was a boring ot I'll defined villain. I have always felt he was a fool and the world was better off without him. He should be forgotten as punishment for his literal lack of any meaningful accomplishment with his life. Even Dragon Priests left more of a mark and accomplished more with the power of others than the natural potential Miraak held. He is no anti hero. There is nothing remotely redeeming or heroic about him. You are right in he is a foiled protagonist.
    That's my opinion and I'm standing by it. Though I fundamentally disagree, I still like your video. I lament there aren't more idiots to talk about in video games. Lol

    • @DensApri
      @DensApri Před rokem

      Well said!

    • @ravindunandirathna1600
      @ravindunandirathna1600 Před rokem +5

      The point you made about Alduin could also be said about Miraak as well. He is also essentially a Dragon and as Paarthurnax says even people like the LDB has a innate desire for power and dominate because of their draconic nature. Hermaeus Mora says it's their birthright to rule over others. In Miraak's case it also didn't help the fact that he grew up in a society ruled by dragons where power=being right and was filled with plenty of powerful individuals. He was also the very first dragonborn so he didn't had anyone else he could relate too at the time or someone who could guide him towards a good path.

    • @eamonlyons8318
      @eamonlyons8318 Před rokem +2

      Said before but paarthurnax, alduin, miraak, and last dragonborn all are dragons in soul so the desired power argument falls apart, however this inherent desire can be overcome as seen by paarthurnax, dragons are children of a god and alduin is a god, he is supposed to be akatosh in Nordic belief, they have a purpose to fill. What this means for miraak Is that he has a strong desire to dominate and best others, he can't do so in the prison of oblivion in which he finds himself, he seeks to rule therefore he could be argued to be only doing what nature decrees for him, his arrogance is due to his implied immortality, dragons are only truly dead when killed by another dragon, the absorption of the soul, Thus miraak fulfills natures call and he feels that hermaeus mora cannot interfere with him, only akatosh has that power. This fuels the arrogance and self confidence but, hermaeus is daedra, this gives him high power ability over miraak, whom only seeks to dominate and control, he did come from a time where his kind ruled, and he is special as he has human form but the mind of their overlords, he is special to those he knew when he walked tamriel, he essentially has an ego problem that needs fixing.

  • @gowiththeflow363
    @gowiththeflow363 Před rokem +1

    In canon Toldfir is reffered to as one of the best Alteration mages of the current era by Maribel. Levitation spells are canon in Morrowind so they probably just got a group snd levitated there.
    Also i believe fhe black sacrament being a ritual had a magical tie to the brotherhood do they will find out one way or another.

  • @arwahsapi
    @arwahsapi Před rokem +1

    Last I heard Miraak opened a deli store in Whiterun called Miraak's Bakery

  • @legofan4409
    @legofan4409 Před rokem +1

    I think Miraak is a great character that could have been even better if they added more dialogue and perhaps also his perspective on he events. We know that in the ES universe the lore is biased sometimes, so perhaps Miraak has a different recollection of what happened. Add that with the fact that he has seen what goes on into the world or likely knows about it due to the watchers collecting information, and you end up with a person who coul have a deep conversation with the Dragonborn regarding what they have been through and what they could accomplish together.
    It sucks that he dies at the end, imagine roaming Skyrim with Miraak at your side, with him recalling what the land was like before he was trapped in Apocrypha.

  • @danielb3573
    @danielb3573 Před rokem +2

    I insulted Miirak every step of the way.
    Then again when I played it I was in middle school.

  • @byronsmothers8064
    @byronsmothers8064 Před 9 měsíci

    I heard runmors once that Mora whispered ambitions into Alduin's mind, planning for Akatosh to intervene with something like a dragonborn, like Miraak. Why, possibly because a shaman wouldn't share their secrets.

  • @thewimp9630
    @thewimp9630 Před rokem

    He‘s basically dark link. Mirroring what could have been and be.

  • @paulmwendamberi755
    @paulmwendamberi755 Před rokem +2

    You killed Miraak
    I bent his will
    We are not the same....
    in a mod though😅

    • @loboinu
      @loboinu Před rokem +1

      you and me both 🤝

  • @jasonmension3979
    @jasonmension3979 Před 10 měsíci +1

    I think that miraak did have a plan, what if his plan was to become a daedric prince? He obviously wants the power to never be a servant again and after he realised that no matter where he gets his power from he will always be a servant. He prob realised that he needs to gain that power the same way the daedric princes do which is through worship, and the only way he can do that is with moras help, by gaining the bend will shout, and honesty if the dragonborn didnt come along i think he could have, idk the full extent of moras power but could he kill a dragon for good? Its stated only akatosh and dragon kin can actually kill a dragon and by extension dragonborn so can mora actually kill miraak without another dragon there? So in theory if you just ignore mora and miraak, then moras actually kinda fked but obviously mora wouldnt do this without a reason but that reason is the skal.
    All of this is actually brought on by mora wanting the skals secrets and he knew that he could leave this scuffle between dragonborns and daedric princes with those secrets but the question is would mora risk creating another daedric prince in return for knowledge and i think he would.

  • @tarheelpro87
    @tarheelpro87 Před 7 měsíci

    My only issue with Miraak is the lack of explanation on why he’s a “bad guy”. I theorize perhaps he wanted more than to just go home. Dragons or anyone with a Dragon’s Soul wants to compete, dominate their peers. And they say that Dragonborns can see more than lesser men, like the Septims. Notice Uriel Septim was so trusting of us in Oblivion when we were just a prisoner? And look what we ended up doing for the world, helped Martin end the Oblivion Crisis.
    So perhaps the Last Dragonborn sensed that Miraak was up to more sinister plans than just returning home. But us the player can decide just what we sensed in Miraak. Plus, if all he wanted was to go home, he wouldn’t have instantly sent out the Last Dragonborn from Apocrypha at first sight. He would’ve explained his situation and asked for help, although probably not since he’s so arrogant. Still though, if he was good he wouldn’t have attacked us. He didn’t kill or attack the Ancient Dragonborns when they asked for his help, why us now?
    Only thing here i wouldn’t get, is why did the other Dragonborns not seek to dominate or compete? The ancients freed humanity from the Dragon’s tyranny, the Septim Emperors were Emperors, but not complete dictators. The Last Dragonborn, evil or good, still helped the world ultimately by killing Alduin. So are some Dragons/Dragonborns more ambitious and arrogant than others, like Miraak? And others remain unaffected and do heroic things? I’m guessing that’s it, since only Miraak is one evil Dragonborn we’ve seen.
    So i’m guessing perhaps Miraak during his time in Apocrypha learned knowledge of how to govern, lead and things like that, and being trapped in that realm drove him a little crazy, so now his arrogance has further influenced him. Now he plans on controlling all of Tamriel using the Bend Will shout, maybe more.

  • @AndroidNoir-L06k
    @AndroidNoir-L06k Před 10 měsíci +1

    Miraak got dragon blood, it is in the dragon to dominate other. But unlike us, he just follow his dragon blood.

  • @tinyguy1015
    @tinyguy1015 Před rokem

    Yes

  • @loboinu
    @loboinu Před rokem +1

    *clutching my seat as i read through this comment section because i am a miraak apologist first before anything* 🫣
    this is most likely the story writer in me, but Miraak has SO MUCH potential for more than he was given in-game. i want to learn about his past, how being in the dragon cult shaped him, how Apocrypha probably did irreversible damage on him and either made him 1000x worse or made him just want Freedom (or both), just… Man.
    he really is just an anti-hero, with a potentially* rather tragic story of you think way too hard about it like i do. as much as he definitely is one of Skyrim’s top most interesting characters, there is still so much more room for speculation and discussion over him. im just gonna say it, anyone who says he’s “just a villain and that’s that” is so boring LOL. if you’re looking at him from a one-dimensional pov, sure?? but i will always argue that there is SO much more to him than that.
    *i say potentially since i am the kind of person to delve into headcanon/theory territory haha, i know know everyone is the same but 🤷
    good video op 💪

    • @dragonbornEmperor
      @dragonbornEmperor Před rokem +1

      It's very interesting how akatosh chose him to be dragonborn he might've been a good guy while being a dragon priest like vahlok before becoming dragonborn and succumbing to the dragon's blood desire to dominate hes a very interesting charater my favourite es charater no doubt

  • @bundersproductions2240
    @bundersproductions2240 Před rokem +1

    Thought for a moment this video was from The Vile Eye.

    • @TomSNC
      @TomSNC Před rokem

      Literallt got me too lmao Love Vile Eye

    • @tudormorar02
      @tudormorar02 Před rokem

      Oh, I really like that channel!

  • @hamizanyunos1502
    @hamizanyunos1502 Před rokem

    Are you going to make a video about the Soulsborne games?

  • @kamerondonaldson5976
    @kamerondonaldson5976 Před rokem

    no plan survives first contact with the enemy. if the plan doesnt fall apart by itself, the enemy will copy it as part of some kind of arms race.

  • @spartanpozzum6855
    @spartanpozzum6855 Před rokem +1

    I was going to let him live because. Ya know, I got sweet rolls to steal and a house that doesn't have enough loot. Then some mf wants to steal my dragon souls. Now it's my problem

  • @Stephanpar23
    @Stephanpar23 Před rokem +1

    Miraak was probably the dopiest villian in Skyrim. How exactly do you think you are gonna hide a secret plot from the Daedric God of Secrets and Forbidden Knowledge IN HIS OWN REALM OF OBLIVION????
    Make it make sense.
    That's like a toddler trying to hide behind the curtains of your bedroom while you have cameras installed.

  • @25Erix
    @25Erix Před rokem

    Miraak was my absolute favorite boss. Dawnguard was good...but I'm still exhausted from the oversaturation of vampire YA fiction from the early 2000s. So yeah, wasn't too fond of more vampires. Serana was cool, though. No arguments there. Just wasn't big on Harkon. HE was the boring villain. Miraak was anything but and he's got some interesting lore implications.

  • @jellybean547
    @jellybean547 Před 4 měsíci

    Didn't Miraak basically just do exactly what the player does? Rebel against the dragons, use their remains for stuff, then get screwed around with by Daedric Princes.

  • @joshuamourning6650
    @joshuamourning6650 Před rokem

    Can you do this kind of video for mannimarco

  • @seanlee408
    @seanlee408 Před rokem

    More more more more more more more more more more more more elder scrolls

  • @JustSomeDude42
    @JustSomeDude42 Před 3 měsíci

    Me and my one shotting legendary dragons dragon bone war-hammer camping at Miraak’s respawn point during the final battle: “this is the most disappointing game of whack-a-mole ever!”

  • @brothers_of_nod
    @brothers_of_nod Před rokem +1

    Does the Dragonborn belong to Hermaeus Mora after the DLC?

    • @MindNumbingInc
      @MindNumbingInc Před rokem +1

      We'll have to find out when the sixth game comes. Running off of what happens in-game. I am pretty sure Hermaeus Mora will come to the Last Dragonborn eventually before their passing or during a point in their lives, similar to how he brought Miraak to his world. Unless something went down outside of the main story that they'll add to the character's lore. Who knows, maybe Akatosh comes to the Dragonborn and gives them an alternative as opposed to following in the same shoes as Miraak.

  • @2020Twenty
    @2020Twenty Před rokem

    Anyone know what the outro song is?

  • @barkasz6066
    @barkasz6066 Před rokem

    Oh really Miraak? Freedom? Kind of like how your fellow Nords wanted to be free of the Dragons?

  • @6Tainted1370
    @6Tainted1370 Před rokem +2

    Whaaaaa?! Bethesda? Lazy!?

  • @mynameisstepon7860
    @mynameisstepon7860 Před rokem

    Miraak should be interesting
    And then Bethesda ruined it at final battlr with their bugs

  • @johnkhaw3213
    @johnkhaw3213 Před rokem +2

    Lies. Nazeem is clearly the ultimate enemy in Skyrim.

  • @spartanq7781
    @spartanq7781 Před rokem +1

    Miraak sure is boring. Even in this dlc the game never explains what the new dragonborn concept is supposed to be. They retconed it and didn't even explain it. Saying he was the first dragonborn is very questionable. It contradicts Reman Cyrodill and all thr others. Explain Bethesda explain. Everything in Skyrim has to have people reaching because Bethesda couldn't be bothered to write it themselves. Everything is nebulous even the focal points of storylines. Skyrim never commits to it's ideas.

    • @Muwufoxy
      @Muwufoxy Před rokem

      meow

    • @mountainaccident2001
      @mountainaccident2001 Před rokem

      i think reman was the first dragonblood, not necessarily dragonborn. there is a difference

  • @cannibaletiquette5038
    @cannibaletiquette5038 Před rokem +1

    Disagree. his actions so far speak of his actions to come. his use of the dominate shout goes beyond juat the use of it because dlc. his altering of the stones sacred to skaal is done as a means to amplify the shouts power acting as an antenae to boost sigmal strength. Closer proximity would greatly amplify the range. He was overwhelmed and exhausted the last time he was opposed. so he understands that even a lion can be consumed by ant so he seeks to remove the one thing his power cant break. Peoples will. miraak is a creature of ambition. When he had everything he could get from the priests he took those who would follow him an left. when power wasnt enough he sought knowledge and when he had it he was ready to bounce. Hes the dark mirror because like the protag he is like a dragon just different traits. He wont stop until he has subjigated all even dragons and gods wouldnt be safe. Consider the chant as the stones are altered and the prayer like conotations. Why would a clan leader of the skaald forgo a vow to never let herma mora acquire their knowledge if there wasnt a bigger threat looming on the horizon and not just some poor unfortuante soul longing to be free and feel the sun on his face.

  • @bigmike9486
    @bigmike9486 Před rokem +1

    Mirrak is weak because he lacks the ability to use plates to walk through walls and have seemless immortality via vampirism without having the weaknesses of being one. The last dragonborn is immortal, has durnaviir, an army of undead as well as a whole clan and castle ready to take over all of tamriel and nobody can stop him because he is also a god level alchemist and enchanter. Miraak could only dream of that type of power.

  • @mootneyvlogs6677
    @mootneyvlogs6677 Před 11 měsíci +1

    Yeah no, I like your video's avarti. But miraak is very evil, just because he has human desires does not mean he is any less purely evil in his actions and desires

  • @topcat59
    @topcat59 Před rokem +1

    All this video does is give me more motivations to not be a power hungry old fart like miraak.😺

  • @nixxgen9574
    @nixxgen9574 Před rokem

    Miraak is not the first Dragonborn that honor goes to Alessia

  • @mrmelt9835
    @mrmelt9835 Před rokem +2

    Hameious moria is a belllend

    • @SymbioteMullet
      @SymbioteMullet Před rokem +1

      Just because of his slow, unskippable speech, never mind anything else he does.

  • @norddorian5791
    @norddorian5791 Před rokem +1

    I wish skyrim didnt shit on you all the time also that it was an rpg