Dragon Shouts Dragon Shouts ( ) , also referred to as Shouts or Thu ' um in the Dragon language , are an ancient form of magic prominently used in Skyrim during the late Merethic and early First Era , but has gradually become obscured . Shouts use the vocalization of specific " words of power " to create powerful magical effects , usually for offensive purposes . Each Shout is made up of three words . However , one or two words of a given Shout may be used , but the effect is correspondingly less powerful compared to the full force of the whole shout . Dragons are able to master and use their Thu ' um at will , as this sacred language is their natural language , inborn into their souls from the moment of their creation , ( when dragons shout , breathing fire or frost at each other with the Thu ' um they are actually having a deadly verbal debate ) . Mortals are only able to learn and use the Thu ' um through a long process of meditation and the practice of the words . There are exceptions to this , these rare individuals are known as Dragonborns , those who are born with the body of a mortal but the soul of a dragon . The Dragonborn is able to intuitively learn Shouts and use them after absorbing the Souls of dragons and with it the dragon ' s understanding of the words . As shown during " The Way of the Voice , " they can also absorb knowledge from other individuals who have mastered specific words . The events of follow the Dragonborn as they learn to use the language of the dragons to great effect . A minority of other characters also have the ability to use Dragon Shouts , such as a small group of monks known as the Greybeards , who live in seclusion inside of the fortress of High Hrothgar . This fortress is located near the top of the mountain known as the Throat of the World , which is said to be the highest peak in all of Tamriel . The Greybeards use their Thu ' um to meditate , as well as praise and worship the Divines . However , their beliefs differ from the Blades , who believe that the Thu ' um should be used as a weapon in the battle against dragons . There are twenty Shouts in , the expansion adds three new Shouts , and the expansion adds four more . The Dragonborn learns the shouts which are inscribed on word walls found on ancient Nordic ruins , and are unlocked with dragon souls . There are a select few , however , that are given by the Greybeards as a reward for completing quests for the Greybeards along the main quest . Dragon souls are gained by slaying dragons and absorbing their souls . Each word of power requires one dragon soul to be unlocked . Because each shout contains three words of power , it requires three Dragon Souls to be completely unlocked , thus enabling its full power . These Shouts have powerful effects and provide the user with a variety of abilities . For instance , one shout sends foes hurling away , another shout allows for traveling a relatively long distance almost instantly . Others also project spells of fire or ice , inflicting heavy damage to opponents . The Dragonborn can use a partially unlocked Shout ( only one or two words unlocked ) . The more words used in a shout , the longer it will take for the shout ability to recharge ( the recharge time is displayed by the blinking outline of the compass ) . Locating Shouts . Find the Word of Power . After finishing The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller , Arngeir can be asked , " " Have you located any Words of Power ? " " The location will be added to the map and a miscellaneous quest will be added to the journal . It is to be noted that if Paarthurnax is killed , then Arngeir will no longer give out the locations of the words of power . Find the Source of Power . After shouting in a specific area , a courier may deliver a letter , which reveals the location of a nearby word wall , although it may be a location that has already been visited . Learning Shouts . Once a new shout has been discovered , a dragon soul is required to unlock it . Access the shouts sub - menu from the magic menu . Locked shouts are grayed out . In the bottom right corner of the menu is the number of dragon souls available to use . These accumulate as dragons are killed . According to the Greybeards , a Dragonborn absorbs the knowledge of the words from the dragon ' s soul . Fully unlocking a shout requires the use of one dragon soul for each word of power learned , with each shout being composed of three words . Unlocking shouts . To unlock a shout , select it and press the corresponding button .