I love this theory. It’s like seem the more Bethesda thing to do and it’s just way cooler than the other theories

The friend is clearly the courier. He always knows where you are, never attacks you, and will run across bandit infested areas to simply give you a letter.

It's worth bring up that Mara had a appearance back in morrwind where she appeared as a normal imperial women stuck in a cave with monsters if you give her a scroll she will disappear and give you a skirt of Mara So gods pretending to be human isn't a new idea in elder scrolls

I always thought it was the Ebony Warrior sending the letters. Method: He knows the Thuum, so he could easily tell you where he found the words he knows, and maybe some others he didn’t learn. Motive: He not only wants an honorable battle with you, he wants you to kill him so he can go to Sovngarde. To achieve both those goals, he would want you to be as strong as possible. Logic: In a no-cheating playthrough, you would normally have learned every word there is to learn by the time you reach level 80, which is when the Ebony Warrior approaches you, therefore, his death would not influence the letters since, at that point, there would be no letters to send anyway.

I've seen a lot of theories - Delphine (she her letter from the horn was adressed with "a friend") - Paarthurnax and the greybeards - Sheogorath (having fun in his weird ways and because it would never be weird to have Sheogorath, the whole madness thing) - the Dragonborn themselves from the future - Hermaeus Mora (training a new dragonborn to replace Miraak) - the Ebony Warrior (to get a proper fight) - the courier - a bunch of unrelated people who just happen to write the same kind of letter

Not entirely sold on Karita being A Friend, but you did open me up to the aspect of Kyne idea and I gotta say I’m pretty convinced of that. I remember encountering Karita on one of my first playthroughs and I’ve been curious ever since, especially why she disappears and only shows up during the greybeard quest. The fact she wore a circlet seemed important; NPCs generally don’t wear those unless they’re nobility or the like, and it could be symbolic of her divine status. If this is all true, then Karita and the Voice of Kyne reward from the tablets (note the statue of Talos at the final tablet) near perfectly mirrors the aspect of Talos NPC from Morrowind. The fact that both these NPCs also “manifest” at World Towers could also support this theory.

The sender is just the courier himself. He is just sick of having to run around extra to avoid dragons. Hes practically been everywhere and hears rumors all the time so he knows where the words of power are. He has to anonymous because if he just told the dragonborn it would be a breach of duty as a courier to share information that wasn't his to share.

Klemek or whatever his name is might be the middle man. He is the only person to frequently go up the mountain. Has more respect for the graybeards than anyone in my opinion. He goes all the way up there. To deliver food and supplies for nothing in return and has never even seen the graybeards. I'd imagine the mountain of Kyne wouldn't kill Kyne. Is basically her shine. He had probably noticed her there never leaving and there for knew she is a supernatural entity

Now I'm wondering whether or not having an amulet of mara when you speak to her will trigger a marriage option

Wouldnt this theory be proved/falsified by killing her and observing whether the letters stop coming in?

Damn, I wonder if there are incarnations of other divines in the game and if so, who? Karita disappearing like the wind is also a bonus point.

It is wulfgar who sends the letters, he senses the world walls, he knows you, He is also the ONLY NPC IN THE GAME WITH A PIECE OF CHARCOAL AND PAPER ROLLS in his inventory.

I don't see why it has to be _someone._ It's just some random person. The Dragonborn has returned -- the Greybeards announced it to all of Skyrim. So when a random person learns the Dragonborn was in their city, the send an anonymous letter about a nearby ruin they've heard (through rumor or family legend or whatever) has a dragon wall the Dragonborn might be able to make use of. The fact that any random or isolated location can also be listed is just a fluke of the system Bethesda created.

I am definitely sold on Karita being Kyne, but not as certain that she's sending the letters. She may just have wanted a glimpse of you and placed herself on the mountain as you climb. Great video all round though, thanks for sharing an interesting theory.

The answer is Farengar. He's male, a "friend" by Skyrim standards, and he clues you in by writing the word with a capital F. The anonymity can be explained by the persecution the Blades (and anyone associated with them) are suffering. Ironically he wears a cloak and carries a dagger. He also conducts research on dragon history and the dragonstone, so it's not that farfetched to imagine he knows about word walls and some of their locations.

When you fight mirmulnir, the guard inside the tower says "Kynereth save us, here he comes again, he also uses the nord voice.

Love the video! I've always looked at Karita and wondered what story there was there. I went looking online for any theories anyone had come up with but found nothing. No one really seemed to care about Karita, but I'm glad you did!

While I do agree that these hints can point towards Karita being Kyne, I think there are way more likely reasons for all the hints you mentioned: - First of all it seems very much you arrived at this conclusion because you were looking for „Who is the „A Friend“ person that writes all of these letters about Dragon word walls. This can be a source for false conclusions, because just like „When you have a hammer everything starts to look like a Nail.“ When you are looking for a specific conclusion, everything starts to hint at this conclusion. - She is presented as a Pilgrim of probably the most tiring Pilgrimage location in all of Tamriel. So she is pretty dedicated. And this pilgrimage is very much about the history of the Nords (the shrines tell the story of the first rebellion against the dragons). - So her having books about other Parts of Nord history only shows that she is interested in history. If I wanted to hint at Karita being Kyne I would not choose books that perfectly fit with her persona of being a Nord Pilgrim. - Same thing goes for her Name, it is not a direct link to Kyne by for example translating to Wind/Strom, Warrior-Wife, Mother of Men , … but instead only links to a very indirect role she has in relation to Shor. Beloved also fits as a Name simply given by loving parents, to Dibella (fits also better for her), Mara (fits better to her as well), … and seems again like an odd choice if you wanted to hint at an NPC being Kyne. So I liked this video and your conclusion I just think you could have reached a more convincing one by asking: Is there a simpler solution as to why this would be here? and If I had to job to hint at this conclusion, would I do the same? If the first one is no and the second one is yes, then you have a strong case for your hint being what you think it is.

Personally I assumed it was possibly the Ebony Warrior, as he seeks a foe with potential to be stronger than himself and a full strength Dragonborn well could be that final challenge. Never something I put an ounce of thought into tho. Interesting theories all around on this channel, always a good time and better thought out than my passing assumptions

Delphine's anonymity isn't an issue its a solution, She is a blade, the blades are being hunted by the Thalmor. A known blade signing a letter with their name is a bad idea, hence the anonymity. So Delphine stays the most likely cantidate.

I can't say I'm convinced, but I do appreciate the detective work. Karita being an avatar of Kyne/Kynereth certainly is interesting, and while I don't think it's the case literally speaking, I can buy that the character might have been inserted with the intention to nudge the attentive player or someone interested in RP into thinking of the goddess in an immersive way at least. In that regard, she is, in a way, an avatar of a divine... It can't be denied that she was put in the player's path with only matters of Nordic faith to consider.

Good video, but you missed probably the most compelling piece of evidence: According to Nordic mythology, Kyne was the one who taught the Thu'um to the Nords, to begin with. It makes complete poetic sense that she would teach the Dragonborn.

No one will ever convince me that the sender is anyone other than Akatosh himself. You can receive a "letter from a friend" after using a thu'um way out in the wilderness, or in the depths of Blackreach, or on the top of Hvitkald Peak, with literally no one else around -- no witnesses. How is that possible unless the sender has some god-like ability to know exactly where you are and what you're doing? And who has the most vested interest in making sure the Dragonborn becomes stronger? For me, I will always believe it's Akatosh.

Absolutely phenomenal video. Topic touched on perfectly with your supporting details being given clearly and also being engaging. I'm a sucker for new, fresh, and solid ES theories/themes/etc. Effortlessly earned a subscription my dude. Keep up the awesome work!

I remember in Morrowind before entering ghost gate to climb red mountain with the tools. There is an avatar of Tiber Septim named Wulf you can meet only briefly in this same way.

The way we know it can’t be Delphine is because Delphine is just A friend, meanwhile the person sending the letter is A Friend, a real homie

You think a lettercasing was significant in a Bethesda game? Need I remind you that these are the same people who made the password to an underground railroad "RAILROAD"?

Always warms up my heart whenever I see somebody still uploading Skyrim content ❤

Makes sense to me. I've watched numerous lore related videos on Skyrim and you covered the points one could bring up about "the friend". Very convincing.

I've seen so many theories on the the "Friend" and yours is one of the more original, I really like it

You may be correct that Karita is Kyne personified. But I think the letter sender that hires the courier, the “He” in “He didn’t say” is Klimmek. That’s the guy who quests you to deliver food to the Greybeards. I’m thinking he is a middleman for middleman Argneir who represents Paarthunaax. P is a dragon and has a network of dragons on his side to help him easily talk to dragons and thus find all the word walls guarded by dragons.

Finally, a Skyrim theory video that actually makes sense and presents something new! Subscribed.

This is a really good theory, but in another video I saw, it explained that, if you look in the code (or something like that), the letters are shown to come from the word walls themselves.

I am surprised that you didn't mention the boon attached to visiting every shrine of etched tablets, Voice of the Sky. This power gives the benefit of animals not attacking you for a period of time and can be regained by visiting every shrine going up or down whenever you want it. Sky and animals, must be Kyne I think. This was something I actually thought years ago so glad someone else thinks it too. 👍🇬🇧

After all these years.. I honestly think this makes the most sense. you explained it so logically and even if it isnt her...this discovery alone is so crazy dude. props! im subbin

The idea of Karita sending these letters is an good theory. However I just have one issue with it. If you kill Karita, she still sends the letters to you

think about how sad this is. she knows, and likely remembers, but goes unrecognized. waiting for the time when she finally is recognized, but time continues to pass, and she still walks the world alone.

Interesting idea, I'll be blunt. That quest marker thing sounds like a crackpot nonsense coincidence.

This was an incredibly thorough theory! I especially enjoyed that after all my many years of playing this game i am still learning secrets (Karita being an incarnation/aspect of Kyne) very cool, and kudos to you on the research 👍

Great theory, but I personally think its miraak, because not only does he want the dragonborn to be extremely powerful, so we can fight him, he also thinks no one but another dragonborn would be a worthy opponent to face in battle, and last but not least miraak also shows the dragonborn where a word of power is. Thats just my theory, you could say its wrong because its a dlc, but most games have part of the dlc in the base game to give you a hint on what its going to be

For Karita to be Kyne makes sense to me, and her just disappearing makes sense too. For there's two times in which i think Kyne interferes in the path of the dragonborn. When we accept the help of Maurice Jondrele during the gildergreen quest, bro simply vanishes and the sampling appears exactly where he was. Since Kyne is the goddess of nature, it would perfect fit for her to protect it. (Since the other way to end this quest results in harming the tree) What prevents kyne from impersonating this other character? (As a way to protect gildergreen) It is worth mentioning that he is also a pilgrim just like Karita. Of course this isn't a way to make the dragonborn more powerful as the theorie of the video ended, but this event made me think.

5:55 "One thing people overlook about the Ebony Warrior and Ulfric Stormcloak is that they both can speak"

She only appears there and this makes so much sense I’ve been curious of her for YEARS

So you're saying in Skyrim we play as Lorkhan, the god whose heart was haarnessed and destroyed in Morrowind?

I have a different theory. The sender of the letter is... The courier. The courier is always male, and accesses Every town (but not every town at once), so he has a letter right away when you shout around town). He has the means. The courier knows the land better than anyone, he has been to Ivarstead, Labrynthian, he has been through lots of word wall locations, and knows all the shortcuts. No explorer in Skyrim is his equal. But why? Because the dragonborn can read them, and the dragonborn is the only one that can stop Alduin.

This makes even more sense, if you remember that the Graybeards themselves call High Hrothgar the "blessed mountain of Kynareth". Makes sense she would appear there. Also if you read the shrines story it says that Kyne was the one who gave the voice to humans with the help of Pharthurnax. Giving the voice is literally teaching them shouts. If you add the fact that the "friend" knows where you use the Thu'um, even if its on the most isolated and mystical places; it suits an all seeing goddess.

Odahvings Dragon faction is a really cool theory i never even considered before! We already know that the dragons are very smart and can speak. Its very plausible that the dragons have human servants (similar to dragon priests) who are able to write letters for them and contact the dragonborn. If anything, they probably know much more about thuum/ word walls than Delphine. They also want to remain anonymous because if other dragons learn which one betrayed Alduin, then it could come back to haunt them.

I've never really thought much about the sender of these letters. From the very first playthrough, Greybeards automatically seemed to me the only possible option

This is so obscure and accurate that I wonder if this is that big secret Bethesda was saying nobody’s ever found

How does the letters not stopping after killing Karata count as something you can handwave but it remaining anonymous after meeting Delphine cant be?

This is just a passing thought, but it could also be the Ebony Warrior. He doesn't appear until you reach level 80 and his whole schtick is that he wants a powerful opponent to kill him in battle, so that he can go to Sovngarde. It would definitely be within his interests to help the Dragonborn grow in power, and you never learn his true identity so anonymity is right up his alley.

I assure you, none of the greybeards writes that note. We don't have papers. We usually just shout to call someone from afar.

I think this theory is compelling, but there's a small flaw. The reason she disappears after the Way of the Voice quest is probably just because she only makes the trip up the Throat of the World occasionally, and just happens to leave while you're at High Hrothgar. She literally says she only makes the trip every few weeks as one of her 3 lines of dialogue.

Her being Kyne might also explain the “glitch” that use to always cause a dragon to spawn there when you talked to her could it be Alduin sensed her and sent one of his minions to check it out

Delphine is the only character [NPC] that uses the exact quote "I am 'A Friend' .". The stone on every shrine of Kynerath is Blue . Why would she have a green stone? PS: I have killed Karita , and still have gotten a Letter from a A Friend .

I have to agree with one of the comments saying that the conclusion sort of stretches the evidence. Essentially, the theory of Karita’s relationship to Kyne is based entirely on circumstantial evidence- evidence that can be interpreted multiple different equally valid ways. Eye color, gem color, significance of wearing a circlet, beginning letter of names, held books, are all circumstantial- they don’t tell us in themselves what the truth is. I’m not really aware of Bethseda staff and how they think, but they seem to be somewhat aware of the rules of evidence (reading through the in-game books gives me that impression). In order for me to be sold on this theory, I’d need at least one piece of empirical evidence for each relevant connection. For example, let’s say Karita is indeed Kyne- is it understood that Kyne just inherently knows where all the walls are? If she does, why are the letters phrased “I understand that it holds a power…” instead of something more declarative and authoritative like “It holds a power…”? If she’s remaining anonymous (and keeping her distance from interacting with you) there would be no incentive to hide her expertise on the matter. What this means is, if I’m keeping myself completely hidden from sight, I lose nothing by writing “By the way, I know for a fact that there is something significant specifically for you up in this location I’m sending you.” So this wording of “I understand it’s supposed to do something”, might be accidentally revealing that the writer only knows about this subject in theory. Would Kyne’s knowledge on the Dragonborn’s powers be theoretical? Probably not. There’s also the link between the letters and the courier’s identification of the sender (not necessarily the writer) being male. While it’s true the writer can (and probably would have) a middleman to interact with the courier, you can’t just ignore this by providing a simple, speculative explanation. Does Kyne/Karita have any known male associates that would handle messages on her behalf? Who is this person that the courier is meeting? We need some kind of empirical link to this because this is an important fact in determining the origin of the letters. Essentially what I’m saying is, is not that I think the theory is impossible, but that it’s incomplete- we’re missing too much substantive evidence for me to be fully on board. I admit, I did just automatically assume it was Delphine for a while, because of the letter to retrieve Windcaller’s horn- however, now that I’ve thought about it, Delphine being the writer doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. First, like it’s been pointed out, the letters keep coming even after you get to know Delphine as a Blade. What’s the point in staying anonymous when you two already know each other? The second is that Delphine doesn’t even know who the Dragonborn is before you prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. You meeting her to “rent the attic room” proves you were skilled enough to reach the letter, but not that you’re the Dragonborn (after all, she was able to leave it there without being the Dragonborn). So the idea that the sender knows your identity and Delphine is SO skeptical about you she makes you prove it, completely contradicts each other. The other theories mentioned in this video don’t make a whole lot of sense either. Daedra don’t have the motivation (or temperament) to stay anonymous. They can’t go 5 seconds without speaking their own name, or info-dumping you about how you’re going to serve them. Herma Mora in particular, is one that’s an open book (pun intended) about his thoughts and intentions. If you reject him at Septimus’ Outpost; and then later in the DLC look for the Second “Bend Will” Word of Power, he will immediately point out that despite your rejection, you’ve come to his realm looking for knowledge anyway. He cannot help himself but to say “See? Told you so!” Doesn’t really seem like the kind of personality to shy away from identifying himself. Anyway in conclusion, I’m actually skeptical about every theory I’ve heard, including my prior assumption it was Delphine. I guess I’ll be thinking about this myself for some time.

The point you made about keeping anonimity doesn't completely line up. Delphine's concern is with the Thalmor tracking her down, not with you knowing who she is. So any correspondence she writes would still take safeguards in case of interception. And she still might use correspondence since she doesn't know when you'll next meet. Why wait for you to come to her when she can send you the information as soon as she has it by courier? I do agree on the signature side, though.

Great video! Sincerely, A Friend

This video deserves way more likes and views

I like to think in my own head cannon that it is the nerevarine who is sending the letters. I know it is unlikely but it would be cool to have the player characters of the games somewhat tied together.

Excellent theory...I always thought it was Esbern, considering he's in hiding, and would write the letters, knowing damn well where all the walls are, and would use the Thieves' Guild to send out the letters.

I think it is faringard (the jarl of whiteruns court mage) he showed his experience and interest with dragons and ancient burial sites/ruins in the dragon stone quest and he works with dalphine the leader of the blades and I think the reason he only writes “from a friend” is because his pride and that after the dragonstone quest he could consider himself a friend to the Dragonborn

I like the idea that the guard who asked you to stop sent it :D

I always thought that the sender must be someone different in each town as you have to Thum in a different location to get another letter.

I think this is cool and interesting. You did a lot of research! I think this is a fun answer, and I like it. (It could certainly be Kyne, and it's fun for that to be the answer). As for whether or not I believe it, I think the answer is kind of a yes and no. I believe it because it's fun and interesting, and makes sense in a way. But Bethesda is also notorious for random throwaways because of cut storylines, so she could be just no one in the final game. But, it does make the game a little more interesting, for her to be Kyne.

A good theory, but it leaves me asking: how does kyne have the power to manifest on nirn? Aedra are known to have very little power these days, and even a daedra struggles to manifest, which would be much easier for them than it would be for kyne.

i can’t believe i have thousands of hours in skyrim and i’ve never seen or heard of her

Theres other nammed people on that same path that also vanish. I assume their named to bring attention to the stones they are in front of, as reading all of them gives to a temporary bonus that makes animals peacful.

You didn’t even need a deep dive to tell its not Delphine because she says herself that she had no idea who the dragonborn was until they ask for the attic room.

I feel like akatosh also fits the bill. He has a human form so he can write and blend in, he's a god so he probably doesn't want people knowing who he rly is, out of everyone he has the closest connection to the DB as he is essentially the DB's father/creator considering DB's are fragments of his soul and since they all just so happened to be sent during times of crisis one could say he himself sends them on purpose. And there's even a DB that akatosh has interacted with. In the first era akatosh gave the amulet of kings to Alessia so she could keep the armies of oblivion at bay. The amulet can also be seen as Akatosh willing to keep mortals safe from the daedra. With all that in mind it wouldn't be surprising if he helped out the dragonborn every now and then. Plus considering he's a god and has a connection to the DB it wouldn't be surprising that he knows when and where the DB causes a commotion at, which just so happens to be in the cities and towns of the ppl who worship him.

The courrier is the Same guy from Fallout new Vegas without his riot gear on. He doesn’t want unnecessary attention.

Something I feel to be very contradictory is that based on lore, all of the Gods and Goddesses lost their mortal connection to nirn when saving it, and only the Dadreic Prince's have the ability physically interact with nirn. To support this, the Gods and Goddesses would not use alternative methods if they could physically stop the Prince's. They would put their physical bodies on the line instead of everyone and everything they wished to protect. At least, that's what I gather.

she disappears after the mission, and is never seen anywhere else even where you meet her for the first time, it's..., very strange

Very likely, since we get Voice of the Sky power(does the same as Kyne's Peace shout) from reading those tablets and this is not the last time a deity disguises as a regular npc in these games. Fun fact: In elder scrolls blades(mobile) we have Theodor Gorlash. Reordering letters of the name will give his identity away if his obvious appearance didn't.

This is pretty well thought out and I'd say I've been convinced this is the case, head canon at least. Talos did much the same in Morrowind.

I find these theories as fun as anyone else; yet my question is why do so many people assume it has to be only one sender?

This is my absolute answer to this theory!

I have one thing that blows this out of the water, when I first started playing Skyrim I killed her and was still receiving the letters.

this would also explain why the greybeards found out you were the dragonborn so incredibly fast; i mean if a god were to use some means of predicting/ observing you from afar and waited on the mountain ready to report to the greybeards it would make a lot more sense on how they could know the dragonborn has appeared even without shouting and call him before he could even walk back to the jarl. on a related note, dragonsreach is disabled as a fast travel target when you first absorb the soul however if you fast travel while absorbing it you still get the soul and you can fast travel closer.

swear to god you were under 2k subs last night and now you gained another quick 200! You have a good backlog of videos for people to binge, so I think this is the start of something good for your channel :) Just keep at it with the uploads, you got this bro!

What happens if you use a mod or console code, to allow you to marry her or have her as a follower? Will she still disappear? ~ On March 26th 2022, just past midnight, I was restless in bed, my limbs became numb & tingly, my chest became tight, & my heart felt like it was being crushed. So I sang out to God and Jesus, about my pain, my feelings, my faults and my inabilities. As I sang, I began to feel like a river, & a hand was on my back, it's fingers where skimming the surface of the waters, separating the waters, causing ripples through my body. Then the hand reached inside my chest, lit my heart on fire, & the heat moved like waves through my body. When I was done singing, all the pain was gone, & I looked at the clock, it was past 1am, I had sang near an hour. Then the voice of my guardian angel called my name from above, & there was a hymn of energy in the air, the same hymn I hear in my dreams of God. Glory, Honor, blessings, thanks and praise to the Lord my God, for healing my heart during a heart attack! Hallelujah to the Lord my God for healing my heart! Hallelujah for His son Jesus my King, Lord and savior for saving my soul! Hallelujah for every day! Hallelujah for every breath! The Lord is Faithful and true! God still does miracles! The kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Jesus died for us and paid the debt of Sin! May the Lord Bless your hearts, so that you have the will and strength to turn from selfish sins, and flee from the slaveries of the flesh!

Awesome theory, my guy. You are very perceptive

I always thought it'd be Ulfric. 1. He's dedicated to Skyrim and the letter says specifically Skyrim, not Tamriel. 2. He'd have a great use for a middle man to keep himself safe from the Empire. 3. He'd know about word walls since he studied with the Greybeards.

I always thougt: "What if it's the emperror?" Because in the Dark Brotherhood quest, where you "meet" him he seems like a guy that has an overview over anything and he sort of tells you that he's been keeping an eye on you all along. It would also make sense for him to have a man in the middle and to have eyes everywhere. Also he does know about the Thu'um n stuff

Karita gets instagibbed by the Frost Troll when I fled from it at level 5 and realised the sucker regen faster than I hurt him. And I still got letters from a friend after her death

The friend is the dragonborn himself (yes I once received a letter after killing someone signed with my character's name with the objective to go get money from said person, aka get money from yourself, of course could never complete the objective)

What.. what if she's a form of Talos...? Wearing the Amulet of Talos, which reduces Dragon Shout cooldown, sending you after.. Dragon Shouts..

Great Theory, I do like it. I know I am very late to the party, but during my current play through of skyrim, I decided on saving the main quest for last. I have only gotten up to the Greybeards Questline. I was only just summoned and have not spoken to them nor have I passed by that one NPC up there, and I have recieved lettered signed A Friend. This is still gonna be my canon for who the mysterious person is. Anyway. Love this theory, and you make a very valid point with everything

I'll stick to my own theory that is impossible to prove but has some supporting evidence, that they're actually coming from some *old* ES lore. I'm talking Daggerfall old. Gyron Vardengroet, the Sage, is an immortal wizard who lives in the Dragontail Mountains. He lives purely to help others master the art of magic, was granted special privaledge being the only non-Altmer member of the Psijic Order, and is portrayed as a goodly person, focused on helping only those worthy of his knowledge. As such, it stands to reason The Sage, with all the mysticism and scrying abilities of the Psyjics, would be able to not only keep track of the Dragonborn and know of their use of the Thu'um, even in places one cannot reasonably have seen them without the aid of magic (You can get a letter from a friend for shouting in Apocrypha, for instance), but determine where these word walls are through any sort of means, whether they be experience from his travels in the 2nd era, scrying, divination on where the Dragonborn must go next, etc. Take my theory with a grain of salt, there is absolutely no evidence that this forgotten bit of lore I got attached to in Daggerfall even still exists, let alone ties in to Skyrim; but all the factors line up, which is more then can be said about any in-game pcs.

just some experience to back further your theory, in one playthrough i attacked her for no reason and she fought back but as she is set as essential and I sheeted my weapon and after recovering so did she. I do not recall other NPC who would give up the fight after recovering the stamina, so clearly she has a better set predisposition towards the character of the player !

5:58 The Greybeards, Ulfric and the Ebony Warrior all have studied the way of the voice, yes. But not under the same influence. Ulfric and (presumably) the Ebony Warrior are able to speak because they studied the teachings of Akatosh, which *allow* the voice to be used in violence, where as the greybeards study the teachings of Jurgen Windcaller, who taught that the thu’um could be an instrument of peace. The Dragonborn was also gifted the voice through Akatosh, which is our justification for using it in combat as well. Nobody is overlooking anything :)

Ulfric Stormcloak, taught by the Greybeards, he's sharing their knowledge without their permission, hence the friend.

Personally I always thought it was the courier himself writing the letters. He travels all around the world and would hear rumours of you using shouts in front of people, if not even witness it himself sometimes. He would also hear rumours of or pass by ancient Nord locations often. Delivering letters himself under his own name may also be something he or whoever pays him would consider unprofessional. Others may posit that there’s some greater mystery behind him, which is fine, but from a purely narrative perspective I like the idea of a working every man who wants to do his small part to help you save the world whilst keeping his head down and not directly involving himself in whatever danger may come from aiding you.

i will say the Kyne stuff is good, but this still leaves out a couple of relevant conditions for a candidate to be the real Friend, for example how you can get letters from a friend about having shouted once in really weird places, like the Dark brotherhood sanctuary or the Thieves guild or similar gated/restricted locations that have physical/and or magical protection from outisders (this is real btw I got a letter from shouting at Astrid in the falkreath sanctuary once). If Karita is A friend, how could she possibly know we shouted in there? I do feel like this might be reason why Hermaeus Mora makes some more sense, as the Daedric Prince of knowledge like him could be kinda omnipresent to nullify this weird condition that otherwise cancels out most candidates to my mind, but since Kynareth is a goddess i guess it's possible but just weird she's paying attention to you shouting in such random places that aren't really cause for concern. I will also say this all hinges on Bethesda being smart enough to have an actual answer to this question but that kinda ruins the fun of theorizing so who cares. another more lame option is multiple people we know write the letters to explain all the weird locations the letter can remember you shouting in but that raises the writing style question again because surely these people would not all write their letters the exact tsame way and all sign anonymously the same way too. food for thought I guess?

9:55 I have to call this out; No. I’ve studied Latin for over ten years and I have never seen Karita mean beloved. Unless you are referring to the Spanish “Querida”?

"Who is Karita?" "Joost a piligrrim. I'd prreferr to leave it at dat, if you don't mind"

The greybeards can already send you to find walls anyway so there's no need for the letters. I assume that it was just a backup method incase you fall out with them during your game and still want to find all of the words, Bethesda like to keep things open ended like that.

Well, damn. I'm not often convinced but you know what they say. One point makes a dot, but several points makes a line.

ngl this theory has that 2016 illuminati confirmed mlg feel to it

It's the ebony warrior. He wants you to be strong enough to defeat him in the end.