Video Games · 2011
I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee.
— Skyrim Guard • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
A Skyrim guard explains why his adventuring days are behind him. The joke is in the sudden change of scale: a heroic past gives way to an ordinary injury and a quieter job. Repeated by guards across the game, it became a familiar shorthand for plans interrupted. Bethesda's account of writing the line describes an actual arrow injury, rather than a hidden reference to marriage.
- Bethesda: How an Arrow in the Knee Made Its Way to SkyrimParker Wilhelm, 9 November 2021; interview with Emil PagliaruloReference checked
Context reviewed