I'm not sure how many people played Fallout New Vegas, but in that game the spears were my favorite weapons, i became so good with them that i could hit an enemy in the head without VATS from 50 metres in one try. It would pain me to not have the option to use them in Skyrim, it would make me feel so much like a warrior to have the option of using them. When thrown the spear would either stick into an enemy, and be retrieved after they're dead, or if you missed just picked up after the fight, they should not disappear after being thrown, and instead be just as valuable as any other weapon. Javelins on the other hand, are very light and aerodynamic spears that are dedicated to being thrown, they were used by greek soldiers more than anyone else, and to great effect. Greek soldiers kept their javelins and swords sheathed behind their shields, and would use a sword after the javelins have been thrown and the enemy has closed the distance, with the idea being to cripple and disable your enemy as much as possible before they reach striking distance. A couple of video's below show some thrown spears and javelins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxK0cNOPsZw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZvIoM4oLp0

Yeah, I agree. I'd love to take down a mammoth with throwing spears.

Now this is how spears should be:

Qualities a bit rubbish.. But the film is awesome. Called The Warrior or Musa, best spear fight scenes ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIOBDm6464I

if i have to think of a weapon best suited for bringing down a dragon, it would be throwable spears/javelins

right now im 100% sure ill make a thief first but if they do include something like that ill definitely make a spear+shield melee with ranged capabilites

^this, you should need more than arrows to bring down a large dragon.

Or a bigger http://cdn-write.demandstudios.com/upload//0000/800/50/1/70851.jpg to fire spears

You mean a ballista?

Yea its technically a "big" bow

And spear and throwed Javelin will surely not fill the bill, they are slow, carry low energy and are easely avoidable or deflected above 30 meters, .
Throwing a spear at 50 meters is already a beyong believable shot so i think your thrown distance wasn t all that, and most throws at this distance end up in a flat landing, this without having aiming constraint !
Unless the target is taken by surprise, the probability of avoidance is near 100%.
I would even say that someone with good reflex can even grab one in the air at 30 meters.
Atheltes throw spear at 90 meters without aiming...when you have to consider accuracy you can bet this range will tremendously drop.
Roman army also used javelins, throwed them just before engaging close, like 10m, and it was engeneered with lead ring around the "neck" so any impact would broke/bent it and it would be unusable by the ennemy.

Just dont expect to bring down anything well armored with a spear throw, much less a dragon, it would have a hard time to penetrate its leathery skin.

I m not advocating agaisnt spear / javelins they can do awesome settings, but they aren t awesome weapons for throwing, and are much more weaker than bows, this is so true that it disapeared in warfare after roman time (throwable) and since the mesolitic era spear/javelin thrower existed to augment throwing range.

Although a 2handed spear/1h spear and shield + javelin setting is cool, what i fear much is the spear fight implementation, as much as halberd fighting, i haven t yet see a game do it right. Too much Chinese movie like crappy stuff.

who says a spear is any better than a bow for throwing.. as Succellus said they weren't that good against armored enemies, although an arrow may be flimisier than a spear the force it hits with is much greater..
Battle of Crecy... french heavily armored knights out numbering the english army by at least 3 to 1 (or much more depending on the source some say something like 10 to 1) was utterly smashed by english and welsh longbows ... yes he horses werent overly armored and the knights armor may not be as strong as dragon scales.. but the point is underestimating the bows strength is foolish especially when you compare its killing power of a long distance to a javelin, a bowman has as much if not more chance to kill a dragon than a javelin thrower...
as for a mammoth then the javelin would be more effective as you would be in closer quartes and there no real armor on a mammoth as it is just flesh covered in fur

Yea, that would be fun...and great for machinimas!

Well crossbow you mean

If you're throwing your bow, you're doing it wrong.

thats why i never too good at being a marksman in OB

Annnnndddddd.......another spear thread. Yawn.

That's not a spear, I'm pretty sure it's a glaive.

It is a possibility that those will be included.

It's a heavy Qiang. It's like a fantasy glaive, but is very much a spear in that it's primary use is the thrust, the length of the blade gives it the versatility to slash.

<--- Would honestly love spears to return.