Skyrim players finally work out why there are no 'female' dragons

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is full to the brim with interesting lore and features but one issue that has been plaguing fans all these years is the game’s lack of female dragons. However, the mystery may have recently been debunked.

In our journey across Skyrim as the fabled Dragonborn, we encounter our fair share of them. From the much-loved Paarthurnax to the World-Eater, Alduin, our journey never lets us stray too far from the winged beasts. However, many players have noticed that the game is seemingly not the home to any dragons of the female variety.

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In order to get to the bottom of this mystery, one player recently took to Reddit for answers. “Why aren’t there any female dragons in Skyrim?” they asked. “So from a game dev standpoint, it makes sense. It’s at least one more VA, double the lines to record, etc. But from the lore perspective, is there a reason? Are dragons just a single gender species? How do they reproduce?”

Since the question was asked, almost 300 people have responded and there appears to be a plethora of answers. One comment quoted an excerpt from a book found in the game which reads: “They are not born or hatched. They do not mate or breed. There are no known examples of dragon eggs or dragonlings.” If this is true, a lack of breeding would mean that the dragons don’t really have a gender. The dragons just simply exist.

This corresponds with a later comment which reads: “No gender. Dragons just are. They're the children of Akatosh, they don't reproduce. They don't have sex, they don't lay eggs. They just live forever and eventually die when someone kills them. And if they're lucky, Alduin brought them back for round two. But yeah once all the dragons are dead that's it. No more dragons. They can't make more. That's why they're thought to be extinct by Skyrim.”

Although fans may be looking too much into a simple design decision, it is interesting to ponder the male-orientated dragon species in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.