Draugr Origins etc.

[Daemos Avetorii]

How exactly do interred dead in barrows etc come back as undead warriors etc. Is this the work of Necromancers? And if you "kill" a Draugr, do they stay dead forever? o.o

[BetaB17]

Draugr are traditionally the work of the Dragon Cult and ancient nords

In life, many were followers of a Dragon Priest (though others can be found guarding nobility or treasures).[1][2] When the Priest died, his followers were made undead and buried with him. The followers would rise from their resting places in shifts to worship at the sarcophagus of the Priest, transferring their life force to him, and to defend their barrow against unwanted intruders. They would then return to their graves and regenerate their life force while sleeping. It's speculated that these undead followers would have been indistinguishable from the living when the barrows were new.[1] Over time, the followers' bodies withered despite the ancient Nordic embalming techniques and they became the modern draugr of Skyrim.

Safe to say, while the craft and purpose of Draugr differ from zombies and most undead.. They are in fact still proof of necromancy and are far from unkillable

[Dohva.]

How exactly to interred dead in barrows etc come back as undead warriors etc. Is this the work of Necromancers? And if you "kill" a Draugr, do they stay dead forever? o.o

If you ever get the chance to read about the Nordic legends of Draugr, it'll explain a lot that Skyrim lore necessarily doesn't. It's rather interesting, actually. Like an addition to the game from real life.

[legoless]

Worth noting that the Skaal believe that the draugr of Solstheim were an ancient tribe that shared the island, until they were cursed to undeath by the All-Maker for committing cannibalism. Who knows how true that is, considering the Dragon Cult had a heavy presence on the island.

[The SheoDovah]

I think in lore, they can only be rendered knocked out once they have taken enough punishment(barring being turned to ash) but that would be very unfair in gameplay if they were invincible. The Dragon Cult was into a lot of shady stuff and the dragon priests pretty much viewed their followers as tools. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Alduin himself who created the first draugres to use as weapons and as a way of spreading more fear.

[legoless]

I think in lore, they can only be rendered knocked out once they have taken enough punishment(barring being turned to ash) but that would be very unfair in gameplay if they were invincible.

That's not true. Destroy the flesh and the unlife will fade.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

Worth noting that the Skaal believe that the draugr of Solstheim were an ancient tribe that shared the island, until they were cursed to undeath by the All-Maker for committing cannibalism. Who knows how true that is, considering the Dragon Cult had a heavy presence on the island.

Skyrim's early concept art contains a hint that could tie these two theories together nicely. Supposedly the Dragon Cultists built machines called 'elf grinders' that did what you'd imagine they did, and then proceeded to devour the pulpy remains in imitation of their Dragon masters. It doesn't take a huge leap of logic to assume this may have had some sort of spiritual effect, intended or not.

[ToTheMadhouse]

I'm sure I read somewhere that the ancient nords were cursed with undeath for crossing the sea of ghosts. Could someone verify please? I can't remember where I seen this, but there was also some speculation of ysgramor being a dragon or some such

[legoless]

I'm sure I read somewhere that the ancient nords were cursed with undeath for crossing the sea of ghosts. Could someone verify please? I can't remember where I seen this, but there was also some speculation of ysgramor being a dragon or some such

Not in any text I remember.

[ToTheMadhouse]

Ill try and find it, could be completely off though so apologies if im wrong

[BetaB17]

It could be just a passing mention in some in-game book? But even then, I have no memory of such notes

Though the 'curse' aspect does reflect a bit to how the skald legends depict their explanation of said origin. But now we know different, cause, ya know, mainland skyrim has them too

[TheGayNord]

In Hillgrund's Tomb, where you help Golldir get rid of a necromancer who is defiling the bodies of his ancestors by using them for research and spell practice, you can ask him if he feels bad that you both are killing his ancestors when you kill the draugr. He responds by saying that they have already been killed, and that he is just returning their souls to Sovnguarde.
He may also be referring to the work of the necromancer, but regardless, if what he says is true, it's likely that they can truly be killed.