The phrase “Once upon a time I was led along the path of adventure, but then I got shot in the knee” is one of the most recognizable quotes from video games, despite the fact that in Skyrim it is only a fleeting line from the character. In fact, this phrase is so popular on the Internet that it even reached a medievalist who decided to seriously examine the mechanics of such a wound in a historical context.
Kevin Hicks on his YouTube channel thehistorysquad explained that whenever the channel posted videos about medieval wounds, viewers would quote this saying from Skyrim in the comments. Hicks, as a historian, was very confused by this, since he had never heard of Skyrim.
Luckily, Hicks discovered the world of The Elder Scrolls this year through his son. This inspired him to finally make a video about this injury and take the usually funny phrase very seriously.
Well, in the Middle Ages, if you were wounded in the knee by an arrow, would you survive? Could you fight again? What would really happen to you?
Hicks notes that the world of Skyrim is clearly inspired by the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages, so historical context may shed light on this wound as well.
The video contains some bloody details, which should be avoided by people with a weak nervous system. Although Hicks only demonstrates the arrow wound to the knee using a plastic model of the kneecap and the ligaments that support it.
The video features actual drawings from the period, showing homemade devices that people with injuries and disabilities used to get around. Hicks himself recreated one such tire – a strap made of copper strips and leather. He says such a splint would not make a wounded soldier combat-ready again, but would allow him to serve as a guard. So the guard didn’t lie.
