Olaf and the Dragon Content . One of the more colorful legends in Nord folklore is the tale of Olaf One - Eye and Numinex . Long ago in the First Age , a fearsome dragon named Numinex ravaged the whole of Skyrim . The dreadful drake wiped out entire villages , burned cities and killed countless Nords . It seemed that no power in Tamriel could stop the monster . This was a troubled time in Skyrim ' s history , for a bitter war of succession raged between the holds . The Jarls might have been able to the beast if they had worked together , but trust was in desperately short supply . A skillful warrior named Olaf came forward and promised to defeat the beast . In some accounts , he is the Jarl of Whiterun . In other versions of the legend , Olaf promises the people of Whiterun that he will capture the monster if they will name him Jarl . At any rate , Olaf ventures forth with a handful of his most trusted warriors and seeks the beast out , eventually finding Numinex in his lair atop . Needless to say , it ' s an epic battle . First , Olaf comes at the dragon with his axe and his shield . Some variants of the legend say that Olaf and the beast battled with blade and claw for days , but were too evenly matched for either to gain an advantage . Most accounts hold that Olaf , perhaps frustrated that his weapons are completely ineffectual against the dragon , finally casts them aside . Giving voice to the rage that has been building within him , Olaf unleashes a terrible shout . Here again , the stories diverge . Many accounts hold that Olaf did not realize he possessed the power of Dragon - speech , while others suggest that he had long possessed this gift , but wished to test himself against the dragon in martial combat first . Virtually all variations of the legend , however , agree on what happened next . Using the awesome powers of the Dragon language , Numinex and Olaf engage in an epic shouting duel atop Mount Athor . So forceful are their words , they are said to shatter the stone and split the sky . Finally , Numinex collapses from a combination of injury and sheer exhaustion . Somehow - and this detail is conspicuously absent in virtually every account - Olaf manages to convey the dragon all the way back to the capital city of Whiterun . The people of Whiterun are suitably impressed with Olaf ' s hostage . They build a huge stone holding cell at the rear of the palace , which they rename " Dragonsreach " . This enormous cell serves as Numinex ' s prison until his death . Olaf himself eventually becomes the High King of Skyrim , putting an end to the war of succession . Presumably , his great deed made him the only leader upon whom all the people could agree , and so the land once again has peace . As a visitor to Skyrim , I find this tale both fascinating and highly entertaining . It is one of the most celebrated legends of the Nords , and one can easily understand why . It ' s a story of surpassing heroism , in which a resourceful and worthy Nord does battle with a truly terrifying adversary and emerges victorious by yelling him into submission . The only way in which this could have been even more of a Nordic tale would be if Olaf beat Numinex in a drinking contest . The legend is not without its doubters , however . The bard Svaknir , who lived during Olaf ' s reign , wrote and performed an alliterative verse that challenged Olaf ' s version of events . Enraged , the High King threw the rebellious bard in prison and destroyed all written copies of the verse . How I would love to lay hands on a copy of that verse ! I admit , I am immensely curious to know what assertions Svaknir made about how Olaf really defeated Numinex . There are a few ancient bard texts that provide one possible answer . These tomes suggest that Numinex was particularly foul - tempered because he was extremely old . In these accounts , the dragon spends his final years terrorizing the country side before flying off to the top of Mount Athor to die in peace . When Olaf finds Numinex , the dragon is too weak to defend himself . Olaf and his men capture the beast without effort , but decide to take advantage of the situation by fabricating a heroic tale . It is worth noting that all of Olaf ' s warriors who were said to witness the shout duel went on to become wealth leaders during Olaf ' s reign as High King . However , it is equally likely that Svaknir had some grudge against Olaf , and his scandalous verse was an attempt to damage the High King ' s reputation . Alas , we will never know . I leave you now , good reader , with this gentle reminder : A good historian must remain impartial , and consider all points of view . Time has a way of distorting our record of events , so the closer you can get to the original sources , the better !