Finally we have an answer to how bad the guard in Weisslauf is. An expert reveals astonishing things
At the latest, when an NPC from a video game is the proud owner of their own Wikipedia entry we know: We’re dealing with huge meme potential here!
I used to be an adventurer too, but then I got an arrow in the knee!
This sentence made video game history and is now the topic of conversation for a real history expert.
After 13 years, an expert takes on the matter
Kevin Hicks runs the YouTube channel The History Squad and deals with all kinds of important questions relating to human history, such as:
- How was surgery performed in the Middle Ages?
- What role did Bunker 24 play in the Cold War?
- What happens when an adventurer gets an arrow in the knee?
Admit it: The last question is probably not in the top 10 for historians. But we just want to finally get an answer!
And that’s apparently what happened to many of Kevin Hicks’ viewers, who pointed out the Skyrim meme to the expert under pretty much every one of his medieval videos.
The answer to the question is …
So, enough tension building, we don’t want you to burst. We have Kevin Hicks and his detailed analysis to thank for the following insights:
- An arrow in the knee is much more painful than you might think.
- If the arrow hits one of the lateral ligaments, the joint is irretrievably lost.
- If the arrow hit right through, you would most likely have bled to death.
- Surgical techniques were too rudimentary in the Middle Ages to repair the damage.
The guard in Weisslauf was probably lucky and got away with a black eye, or rather a torn ligament. So he was able to tell us – and every other inhabitant of Himmelsrand – his story. Over and over again.
Obviously, the Skyrim NPC even has himself to blame. Because following his very interesting knee analysis, Kevin Hicks lists some protective measures that a medieval adventurer could have taken to protect at least the front of his precious knee, such as long leather boots, protective pads made of thick leather or even iron.
Who immortalized this phrase in Skyrim? Even Bethesda itself has dedicated itself in a detailed blog entry to the history and fame of this NPC phrase.
So the next time you come to Weißlauf and the guard chats you up, you can raise your index finger know-it-all and confront him with your newly acquired knowledge. “Why were you so careless?” – We’re looking forward to his answer!
Are there any other myths from Skyrim that you’d like to know the answers to? Write them to us – or rather to Kevin Hicks? – in the comments below
