Originally a procedurally generated line of dialogue conceived by Senior Bethesda game designer Emil Pagliarulo and spoken by non-player characters (NPCs) who act as guards, 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.
According to chief game developer Todd Howard, Emil Pagliarulo was asked to write dialogue that would have the guards reflect their observations back to the player character, and to reinforce their importance as the Last Dragonborn or Dovahkiin within the in-game world of Skyrim.
It was frequently quoted on numerous message board forums and blogs across the Internet, either as a catchphrase or a snowclone in the form of "I used to X, but then I took an arrow in the knee", by players who were amused with the guard NPC's line of dialogue and voice acting.
[13] It has also been referenced in the Skyrim mod Enderal,[14] and professionally produced media works which are independent of The Elder Scrolls franchise and the owners of its intellectual property (IP).
[17][18][19] An Internet urban legend circulated through websites such as Know Your Meme alleged that the phrase was inspired by Patrick Rothfuss's book The Name of the Wind, a claim which Pagliarulo denied.
[4] By July 2012, Bethesda offered the sale of a skin for Xbox Avatars, which features a character model that has one of its knees impaled with an arrow, as an acknowledgement to the meme's popularity.