For some odd reason I was thinking back to this thread recently, and my mind kept ending up on this bit:

paarthurnax

I think an often overlooked canon resource are the names of the dozens of dungeons and Nordic ruins that dot Skyrim. What I'm interested in is figuring out which ones might possibly be names in the dragon language.

Below is a short analysis of names that I think are worth looking at. By default I assume all names are Nordic in origin, so I'm searching for very convicing evidence that a name could possibly be dragon. As we'll see, some spellings or patterns can rule out the possibility (unless we really stretch our imaginations). I'm also taking location and function into consideration; the tomb of a dragon priest is more likely to have a dragon name than an old tower on the roadside.

. . .

Skuldafn - Nordic, "fn" isn't seen in Dovahzul.

Do we know this for sure? Noticed a couple things about it that had me wondering:

 - Spelling (specifically, fn) - as far as I know there's a few other letter combinations that's only seen once in the entire language (ae in mahfaeraak and eyr in Deyra) so might it be possible that fn's like that, also?

- Location - it's the only entrance to Sovngarde that you can use if you're still alive, and Sovngarde is still Sovngarde in Dovahzul; the entrance features loads of generic dragons, a Word Wall, a Dragon Priest, Draugr who can use shouts on you and occasionally Alduin. That's about as dovah-centric you can be without actually being one.

 - Dragons say the word out loud in the game - one of the lines that they say when they're beating you up when you enter the area is "Skuldafn fent kos dinok." I don't remember any places where dragons outside of cutscenes (i.e. Paarth and Alduin) mix other languages into their Dovahzul. I would assume that dragons have some name for Skuldafn in their language, since they obviously spend quite a bit of time there, and I also assume they would have used it when they talked instead of its English/Nordic name.

Is this interesting to anyone else, or do I just need to get some sleep?

It's some food for thought. Is it impossible for Skuldafn to be a dragon name? Not 100%, but based on what we know, it seems very improbable.

Sovngarde is a non-dragon name that dragons also use, so the last point is moot. Just because the dragons use a name doesn't mean it has a Dovahzul origin. This isn't the only case; several names are borrowed in the Word Walls, such as "Alik'r" and "Oblivion."

It isn't helpful to say that "fn" could hypothetically exist in the dragon language, because that could be true for any hypothetical spelling. When categorizing names as either dragon or Nordic, we have to compare it to the words and names we know. "fn" doesn't appear in any known Dovahzul word or name, so it is unlikely that Skuldafn is of dragon origin.

This is a quite interesting topic! Not sure if dovahzul is based on the human language, about skuldafn I think it's more like a dragonic  name. Those Dragons always say this word. It is also possible that because it's a dragon place, humans call it by its name in dovahzul. Nice thought!

paarthurnax

It isn't helpful to say that "fn" could hypothetically exist in the dragon language, because that could be true for any hypothetical spelling. When categorizing names as either dragon or Nordic, we have to compare it to the words and names we know. "fn" doesn't appear in any known Dovahzul word or name, so it is unlikely that Skuldafn is of dragon origin.

I see. So you mean not only is fn not seen, it's also not remotely close to any other sound we've seen?

I see. So you mean not only is fn not seen, it's also not remotely close to any other sound we've seen?

Correct - a spelling more typical for Dovahzul might look like "Skuldafin" or "Skuldafen." There are no places in Dovahzul where consonants are jammed together like this, for the lack of a better explanation, but it's a feature of Nordic names like Sovngarde, Jorrvaskr, Ragnvald,  or Knjakr.

From what I'm reading, it's more likely that the portal existed as long as Alduin has (since he is the Soul-Eater), BUT the ruins Skuldafn itself, was of Nordic origin, hence it's remarkable similarities to other Nordic dungeons. Another thing I want to point out is the portal to Sovngarde itself - it looks a lot like a Dragon Burial site, and there's only one bulding in Sovngarde that exists that the honored Nords really populate. But at the same time, the portal can be closed by a manmade looking staff - by removing it even. 

Sorry, this raised a lot of questions for me =P

Another thing I've been thinking that maybe 'Skuldafn' is a combination of both Dovah and Nordic? English does this quite a bit with European words, so perhaps? It may also explain how both Draugr and Dragons are present in the area.

123sendodo

This is a quite interesting topic! Not sure if dovahzul is based on the human language, about skuldafn I think it's more like a dragonic  name. Those Dragons always say this word. It is also possible that because it's a dragon place, humans call it by its name in dovahzul. Nice thought!

Well there are lots of Dragons there to fight (Sorry, spoiler)