Lore:Thu'um

The  , also referred to as the Masculine Breath,  the Storm Voice  or simply the Voice, is a form of magic inherent in most Nords and some others which uses the words of the language of the Dragons to form "Shouts", the equivalent of spells, of immense power. The word actually means "shout" in the   language. It is said that dragons makes no distinction between debating and fighting, and so their words have always been magical and powerful, for those who take the time to learn and understand their meaning.  The Nords believe that Kyne, the embodiment of the wind who is viewed as the Nordic aspect of  , breathed onto the land at the   to form them.  As such, the Nords believe that their voice and breath is their very essence, and that channeling this life essence is how the thu'um operates. Those who can wield this power are called Tongues by the Nords. Most, if not all, Nords have some capacity for the thu'um, but it takes particular talent and many, many years of study and training to become a Tongue. The thu'um can be used for a wide variety of purposes, anything from sharpening blades to quickly traveling across the land, even controlling animals or killing enemies. Some stories suggest that the ancient Tongues even had the power to "sing Shor's ghost into the world".   The most powerful Tongues must be careful when they speak and are often gagged for safety, as their voice can cause great destruction.  

Origins
The first Tongues were taught the Thu'um late in the   by the legendary dragon  .  These early Nords rebelled against the dragons, who were worshiped as gods in ancient history, and began using their new-found Shouting abilities to slay them.  The three chiefs of the Tongues devised the shout Dragonrend to render   temporarily mortal, but were unable to kill him and were forced to employ the use of an   to banish him.  Most contemporary Nords believe the Thu'um was taught directly to mortals by the daughters of Kyne, while the truth and existence of Paarthurnax are kept secret. 

Before and during the Skyrim Conquests around  , the greatest Nordic war chiefs were also Tongues: ( ,  ,  ).  They needed no conventional siege weapons when attacking a city, instead using the Voice to shout down the gates and allow their armies to storm in.  During the first  i invasion in   the invaders faced   in a climactic battle at  . When they heard Reman's voice, they realized he was who they were searching for, and swore fealty to him. 

Decline
In the early First Era, Skyrim's military suffered an ignominious defeat against Morrowind at  . Present at the battle was  , an extremely powerful Tongue. He was disturbed by the inability of the thu'um to secure victory, and meditated for seven years on "how Strong Voices could fail".  His eventual conclusions formed the basis of the philosophy of the  , stating that the thu'um should only be used in times of true need, not as a routine tool of conquest. Since then, the most powerful Tongues have typically become  , a group of monks who live at  , a settlement near the summit of the Throat of the World, where they silently study, meditate, and train until if and when a time of true need arrives. They speak only on the rarest of occasions, such as to announce the destiny of the great  , who united   into the   and later became  , the Ninth Divine.  In  , the Greybeards spoke again to call the Dovahkiin to High Hrothgar for instruction on how to use the thu'um.  

A Dragonborn (or Dovahkiin in the Dragon tongue) possesses the ability not only to absorb the souls of slain dragons, but to thereby absorb knowledge of their language, thus learning in a short time what it would take other Tongues a lifetime of intense training and study to achieve. 
Known Tongues
Tongues are individuals who have the ability to use the Thu'um. They usually require a great deal of study and training to develop their power, but in some cases the power come naturally to them.

Dragonborn
Dragonborn, particularly those anointed by Akatosh, have extreme aptitude to learn and utilize Thu'um.
 
 
 
Ysmir Wulfharth
 
 

Ancient Nord Heroes
The Ancient Nord Heroes, described as the "the first mortal masters of the voice", were among the first Nords who learned the power of the Thu'um and were instrumental in Alduin's defeat during the Dragon War.
 
 
 

Great Nord War Chiefs
In the days of the conquest of Morrowind and the founding of the First Empire, several notable Nordic war chiefs were known to wield the Voice. Dunmer historical accounts vilify them as "demon chieftains" and remember some of them by other names.

 
 
 
"Barfok, Maid of Planes"
"Bhag, the Two-Tongued"
"Chemua, the Running Hunger" 

Greybeards
The Greybeards are an ancient and honored order of monks who preach a lifestyle of meditative study of the Thu'um, known as the Way of the Voice.

 
 
Borri 
Einarth
Wulfgar 
  (former)
  (former)

Other
 
 
 
Ebony Warrior
Zaan the Scalecaller 
Ysgramor  
Vahlok the Jailor  
Nurarion the Perfect  

Divines 
Divine beings associated with the Thu'um and its usage 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
All Dragons

Notes
 
Akaviri swordsmen have been described as possessing a power similar to the thu'um, called "kiai". 

Gallery
 

Books
 

References