---
title: "arrow in the knee"
canonical: "https://openvibe.meme/m/arrow-in-the-knee"
updated: null
---

# arrow in the knee

HTML: [arrow in the knee](https://openvibe.meme/m/arrow-in-the-knee)

Internet meme · Classic

# arrow in the knee

A catchphrase from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim where a city guard says, I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee; it became a widely circulated internet meme and snowclone.

- First seen: 2026-10-31
- Last seen: 2026-10-31
- Uses cited: 3
- Revision: 2

## Where it started

"I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee...", or simply "arrow in the knee", is a quotation and Internet meme that originated from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, an action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Originally a procedurally generated line of dialogue conceived by Senior Bethesda game designer Emil Pagliarulo and spoken by Voice Actor Paul Ganus, a non-player character (NPC) who voiced the Whiterun guard, the phrase became unexpectedly popular among Skyrim players. The phrase and its variations, such as "arrow to the knee", have since found popular reference outside of the game's original context, as well as media unrelated to The Elder Scrolls franchise.

## The use timeline

1. 2026-10-31

    

   City guards in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim would utter the line: "I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee". The latter part of this phrase quickly took off as a catchphrase and a snowclone in the form of "I used to X, but then I took an arrow in the knee" with numerous image macros and video parodies created.
2. 2026-10-31

    

   Wikidata Q42417145: Arrow in the knee — Internet meme.

## Examples

No example is attached yet.

 How was this page documented?

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