The Dragon Priests in Skyrim are some of the hardest enemies to fight in the game, but it’s not uncommon to wonder if there were female leaders in the dragon cult. One fan has encountered some Skyrim concept art as evidence that there was at least an idea of female Dragon Priests that never made it to the final game.
Dragon Priests are powerful undead enemies that used to rule over the land of Skyrim at the behest of the dragons whom they worshipped as gods. They are found in ancient tombs and have masks that can be looted from them upon death each with unique enchantments.
Reddit user Bugsbunny0212 posted an image of a piece of concept art for Skyrim featuring a design of a female Dragon Priest that was never featured in the final game. The piece of art is from a collection Bethesda released after the death of the late artist Adam Adamowicz back in 2012. The design features this female version of a Priest wearing a cool-looking headdress mirroring the horns seen on dragons and scaled robes similar to the concept art for the original Dragon Priests. She’s also carrying her own staff and incense with long flowing hair.
The Dragon Priests, with their powerful connection to the dragons, are some of the coolest enemies in Skyrim, and it’s unfortunate fans never got to see this female version in the final game. With the diversity already present in the game, especially with many female warriors and rulers in the land, it would come as no surprise that some Dragon Priests might have been female as well.
Elder Scrolls Online does have a version of the dragon armor set which of course has a set for female player characters, but it’s nothing compared to this concept. One fan in the comments, Reddit user devilthedankdawg, did suggest that any of the currently known Dragon Priests could be female since they are too withered and decayed to be able to tell. Since there are draugr that are just as withered but can be identified as being female kind of debunks this theory, however.
Fans may be disappointed that this concept never came to life in the current Elder Scrolls games, hope can still be found in future games. With Elder Scrolls 6 still in development, it could still be possible that this concept art could come to life in some shape or form, even if only present in lore.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
