Dragon 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 obscure.

The Dragonborn is able to use the language of the dragons to great effect due to his/her ability to absorb the souls of Dragons.^[1]

A minority of non-player characters also have the ability to use dragon shouts, such as a small group of monks known as the Greybeards, who reside in the fortress of High Hrothgar atop the Throat of the World.

There are twenty shouts in Skyrim†. Each shout is performed by the vocalization of specific words of power. Shouts are learned on the Word Walls of old ruins, and are unlocked with Dragon Souls. There are a select few however, that are unlocked for you by simply completing quests for the Greybeards along the main storyline. Dragon Souls are gained by slaying dragons and absorbing their souls. Each Shout consists of three words of power, and each word of power requires one Dragon Soul to be unlocked. Hence, each shout requires three words of power and 3 Dragon Souls to be used at full power.

These shouts have powerful effects and provide the user with a variety of abilities. For instance, one shout sends foes hurling away from you, another shout allows you to sprint a short distance almost instantly, and yet another lets you conjure forth spells of ice or fire, doing heavy damage. A player with only a partly unlocked shout (only one or two words unlocked) can use it, but the shout grows stronger with each word learned. The second and third words will also usually increase the recharge time of the shout, limiting the use of the shout.

† = Skyrim without any add-ons. The Dawnguard expansion adds three new shouts, and the Dragonborn expansion adds four new shouts.

Significant events involving Dragon Shouts

• Kynareth was the one who granted the power to use the Thu'um to the mortal races of men. Paarthurnax was then the first to teach mortals to use the Thu'um.
• The Nord heroes Felldir the Old, Gormlaith Golden-Hilt and Hakon One-Eye contrive the Dragonrend shout and use it and an Elder Scroll to partially defeat Alduin by casting him adrift in time, marking the turning point in mankind's favor during the Dragon War.
• The Greybeards study shouts and are the primary institution for studying the Thu'um among mortals.
• Akatosh first facilitated the creation of dragon souled and blooded mortals, mortal dov (dragonkind), or dragonborns, by granting the Alessian Bloodline the power of the Dragons (i.e. the ability to use the Thu'um naturally, to steal the power of a dragon by absorbing its soul as it dies).
• After the great Nord army defeat against the Dunmer at Red Mountain, Jurgen Windcaller converted to pacifism and founded the way of the voice to be thereafter practiced and taught by the Greybeards.
• General Talos was known to have been Dragonborn, possessing the natural ability to use shouts.
• Ulfric Stormcloak studied and then used the power of Shouts (Thu'um) to disable the previous High King of Skyrim in order to kill him. This was part of Ulfric's effort to show that the empire was unfit to rule, supporting the cause of the Stormcloaks, the Nordic rebel force named after him. He also used Shouts to retake Markarth from the Forsworn who had taken control during the Great War.
• The Dragonborn hero of Skyrim defeated Alduin and was recognized by the other dragons as the dominant dov in Mundus.

Locating Shouts

After finishing "The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller", Arngeir can be asked "Have you located any Words of Power?". The location will be added to your map and a Miscellaneous quest will be added to your journal.

After shouting in a populated area, a courier may hand you a Letter from A Friend, which reveals the location of a nearby Word Wall, although it may be a location you have already been to.

The first word of the shout is always the first to learn, so traveling to the default location of a shout's second word, will only learn the first word, and the locations will differ. All three locations will hold all three words, but it isn't always precisely that word if one is already known.

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 you kill dragons.

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 3 words.

Unlocking shouts

To unlock the shout, hover over it and press the correct button for your system.

• Xbox 360: Press

• PlayStation 3: Press

• PC: Press the Z key.

Shouts

Dragon Shout	Word of Power	Translation	Cooldown	Word Wall Location
Animal Allegiance	A Shout for help from the beasts of the wild, who come to fight in your defense.
	Raan	Animal	50	Angarvunde
	Mir	Allegiance	60	Ancient's Ascent
	Tah	Pack	70	Ysgramor's Tomb
Aura Whisper	Your Voice is not a Shout, but a whisper, revealing the life forces of any and all.
	Laas	Life	30	Northwind Summit
	Yah	Seek	40	Valthume
	Nir	Hunt	50	Volunruud
Battle Fury DB xx02AD09	Your Thu'um enchants your nearby allies' weapons, allowing them to attack faster.
	Mid	Loyal	20	Vahlok's Tomb
	Vur	Valor	30
	Shaan	Inspire	40
Become Ethereal	The Thu'um reaches out to the Void, changing your form to one that cannot harm, or be harmed.
	Feim	Fade	30	Ironbind Barrow
	Zii	Spirit	40	Lost Valley Redoubt
	Gron	Bind	50	Ustengrav - during The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller
Bend Will DB xx0179D8	Your voice bends the very stones to your will. As it gains power, animals, people, and even dragons must do your bidding.
	Gol	Earth	10	Saering's Watch Learned from Hermaeus Mora Learned from Hermaeus Mora
	Hah	Mind	90
	Dov	Dragon	120
Call Dragon	Odahviing! Hear my Voice and come forth. I summon you in my time of need.
	Od	Snow	5	Sky Haven Temple or High Hrothgar All words learned during The Fallen
	Ah	Hunter	5
	Viing	Wing	300
Call of Valor	The valiant of Sovngarde hear your Voice, and journey beyond space and time to lend aid
	Hun	Hero	180	Sovngarde All words learned during Dragonslayer
	Kaal	Champion	180
	Zoor	Legend	180
Clear Skies	Skyrim itself yields before the Thu'um, as you clear away fog and inclement weather.
	Lok	Sky	5	High Hrothgar All words learned during The Throat of the World
	Vah	Spring	10
	Koor	Summer	15
Cyclone DB xx0200C0	Your Thu'um creates a whirling cyclone that sows chaos among your enemies.
	Ven	Wind	30	Benkongerike Kolbjorn Barrow White Ridge Sanctum
	Gar	Unleash	45
	Nos	Strike	60
Disarm	Shout defies steel, as you rip the weapon from an opponent's grasp.
	Zun	Weapon	30	Eldersblood Peak
	Haal	Hand	35	Silverdrift Lair
	Viik	Defeat	40	Snow Veil Sanctum
Dismay	And the weak shall fear the Thu'um, and flee in Terror.
	Faas	Fear	40	Dead Crone Rock
	Ru	Run	45	Shalidor's Maze in Labyrinthian
	Maar	Terror	50	Lost Tongue Overlook
Dragon Aspect DB xx01DF92	Once a day, take on the mighty aspect of a dragon, delivering colossal blows, with an armored hide, and more powerful shouts.
	Mul	Strength	5	Apocrypha Raven Rock Mine Temple of Miraak
	Qah	Armor	5
	Diiv	Wyrm	5
Dragonrend	Your Voice lashes out at a dragon's very soul, forcing the beast to land.
	Joor	Mortal	10	Throat of the World - during Alduin's Bane.
	Zah	Finite	12
	Frul	Temporary	15
Drain Vitality DG	Coax both magical and mortal energies from your hapless opponent.
	Gaan	Stamina	30	Dimhollow Crypt
	Lah	Magicka	60	Forgotten Vale
	Haas	Health	90	Arcwind Point
Elemental Fury	The Thu'um imbues your arms with the speed of wind, allowing for faster weapon strikes.
	Su	Air	30	Dragontooth Crater
	Grah	Battle	40	Statue to Meridia
	Dun	Grace	50	Shriekwind Bastion
Fire Breath	Inhale air, exhale flame, and behold the Thu'um as inferno.
	Yol	Fire	30	Dustman's Cairn
	Toor	Inferno	50	Sunderstone Gorge
	Shul	Sun	100	Throat of the World - during The Throat of the World.
Frost Breath	Your breath is winter, you Thu'um a blizzard.
	Fo	Frost	30	Bonestrewn Crest
	Krah	Cold	50	Folgunthur
	Diin	Freeze	100	Skyborn Altar
Ice Form	Your Thu'um freezes an opponent solid.
	Iiss	Ice	60	Frostmere Crypt
	Slen	Flesh	90	Saarthal
	Nus	Statue	120	Mount Anthor
Kyne's Peace	The Voice soothes wild beasts, who lose their desire to fight or flee.
	Kaan	Kyne	40	Ragnvald
	Drem	Peace	50	Rannveig's Fast
	Ov	Trust	60	Shroud Hearth Barrow
Marked for Death	Speak, and let your Voice herald doom, as an opponent's armor and lifeforce are weakened.
	Krii	Kill	20	Autumnwatch Tower
	Lun	Leech	30	Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
	Aus	Suffer	40	Forsaken Cave
Slow Time	Shout at time, and command it to obey, as the world around you stands still.
	Tiid	Time	30	Hag's End
	Klo	Sand	45	Korvanjund
	Ul	Eternity	60	Labyrinthian
Storm Call	A Shout to the skies, a cry to the clouds, that awakens the destructive force of Skyrim's lightning.
	Strun	Storm	300	Forelhost
	Bah	Wrath	480	High Gate Ruins
	Qo	Lightning	600	Skuldafn - during The World-Eater's Eyrie.
Soul Tear DG	Your Thu'um cuts through flesh and shatters soul, commanding the will of the fallen.
	Rii	Essence	5	Each word learned from Durnehviir after he is summoned.
	Vaaz	Tear	5
	Zol	Zombie	90
Summon Durnehviir DG	Durnehviir! Hear my Voice and come forth from the Soul Cairn. I summon you in my time of need.
	Dur	Curse	5	All words learned from Durnehviir in the Soul Cairn.
	Neh	Never	5
	Viir	Dying	300
Throw Voice	The Thu'um is heard, but its source unknown, fooling those into seeking it out.
	Zul	Voice	30	Shearpoint - All words learned at once.
	Mey	Fool	15
	Gut	Far	5
Unrelenting Force	Your Voice is raw power, pushing aside anything - or anyone - who stands in your path.
	Fus	Force	15	Bleak Falls Barrow
	Ro	Balance	20	High Hrothgar - during The Way of the Voice.
	Dah	Push	45	High Hrothgar - during The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller.
Whirlwind Sprint	The Thu'um rushes forward, carrying you in its wake with the speed of a tempest.
	Wuld	Whirlwind	20	High Hrothgar
	Nah	Fury	25	Dead Man's Respite
	Kest	Tempest	35	Volskygge

Dragon Shouts not available to player

† Meteor Storm is the only shout with no words associated with it. During both encounters of this shout, Alduin's roar is what seems to produce the storm.

Gallery

First word of the Clone shout

Clone being summoned by Greybeard using FIIK LO SAH

The Clone summoned by Greybeard for Dovahkiin to attack with Unrelenting Force

Power of the FUS RO DAH shout

Add a photo to this galleryAdd a photo to this gallery

Trivia

• Using a shout in a city may prompt a guard to run up to the Dragonborn and request that they stop, stating that it's making people nervous.
• Storm Call will strike friendly NPC's, including followers.
• It is possible to learn the first word of Whirlwind Sprint before going to High Hrothgar If learned before going to High Hrothgar, the Greybeards will teach the second word of Whirlwind Sprint.
• All three words of Throw Voice are learned at a single word wall.
• The locations are shout specific not word specific, meaning you can visit the locations in the reverse order as listed and learn the words in the proper sequence.

Achievements

	Words of Power Learn all three words of a shout
Points	10
Trophy

	Thu'um Master Learn 20 shouts
Points	40
Trophy

References

1. ↑ Game Informer - Skyrim’s Dragon Shouts