Miraak
The First Dragonborn returns to claim his throne and devour your soul.
Miraak stands as the First Dragonborn, a figure of immense power and tragic hubris who broke away from his dragon masters to rule over the island of Solstheim during the Merethic Era. Unlike later Dragonborn heroes who serve as saviors, Miraak sought to enslave dragons and mortals alike, establishing himself as the Dragon Priest of the Skaal people before being cast into a timeless prison by the goddess Hermaeus Mora.
Centuries later, he returns during the events of the Fourth Era's Dragon Crisis, manipulating the Thalmor and the Greybeards to further his own resurrection. As the primary antagonist of the Dragonborn expansion, he challenges the player's status as the true Dragonborn, representing a dark mirror of what happens when one wields the Thu'um without moral restraint.
- Role
- First Dragonborn / Former Dragon Priest
- Affiliation
- Servant of Hermaeus Mora (formerly), Self-styled Ruler of Solstheim
- First Appears
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn expansion
- Status
- Defeated by the Last Dragonborn
- Origin
- Solstheim, Merethic Era
Lore & Background
In an age before recorded history, Miraak served as a Dragon Priest for the dragons Alduin, Paarthurnax, and others. However, unlike his peers who worshipped their masters, Miraak learned that he could absorb dragon souls and use the Thu'um to dominate them. This revelation sparked a rebellion known as the Dragon Cult Civil War. Miraak defeated many of his fellow priests and enslaved the dragons, but his arrogance drew the attention of Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince of knowledge and fate.
To stop Miraak's tyranny, Hermaeus Mora intervened, dragging him into Apocrypha just as he was about to be killed by his own dragon ally. There, Miraak was preserved in a state of suspended animation for thousands of years, forced to serve the Prince while plotting his eventual return. He learned forbidden secrets and magic within the black library, waiting for the prophesied time when another Dragonborn would rise to challenge him.
In Their Own Story
Miraak does not simply return; he bleeds through from Apocrypha, twisting the wills of the Skaal and raising a cult on Solstheim to carve out his path back to Tamriel. While the Last Dragonborn investigates strange dragon attacks, Miraak watches from the shadows, testing their mettle with assassins before revealing himself atop the Throat of the World. In the final confrontation, he sheds his robes, wielding the power of the First Dragonborn not just as a warrior, but as a master of the Thu'um who commands dragons to turn against their own kin.
Reader's Guide
Miraak is the central antagonist of the Dragonborn expansion, serving as a dark reflection of the player character. As the First Dragonborn, he possesses all the abilities of a Dragonborn but with centuries of additional experience and mastery over the Thu'um. His primary motivation is to escape his prison in Apocrypha and reclaim Solstheim as his own domain.
Throughout the questline, Miraak manipulates events from afar, using cultists to test the player's strength before revealing himself. He utilizes unique shouts like "Bend Will" to enslave dragons and turn them against the hero. His combat style is distinct, involving rapid teleportation between phases, absorbing dragon souls mid-fight to regenerate health, and forcing players to manage their own summoned allies who may be turned by his influence.
Did You Know?
- Miraak was originally intended to be a character in the base game of Skyrim but was cut from development and later reintroduced as the main villain of the first DLC.
- Unlike other Dragon Priests who wear masks, Miraak wears a unique hooded robe and does not have a traditional mask associated with him until his death.
- He is the only known Dragonborn to have successfully enslaved dragons rather than being served by them or fighting alongside them.
- Miraak's voice actor, F. Murray Abraham, is famous for roles in films like Amadeus, bringing a distinct theatrical gravitas to the character.