http://i.imgur.com/JbdT3.jpg

Larger, better quality version: http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/114/1149185/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-20110211094912883.jpg

Bethesda updated their Facebook page today with several official versions of the screenshots from GI and some of the concept art. This is the first time I have seen the full version of this statue concept. I have to ask, what is he stepping on? Originally I thought it was a dragon but now with this full shot it really appears to be a giant snake. The only thing I know of even close to this in the lore is the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Tsaesci, the vampire snake people from Akavir. They have invaded Tamriel at certain points in the lore history landing in Skyrim if I remember correctly.

I am just curious if this might be our first official shot of what they look like. There's always been a debate if they actually look like snakes or if they are humans that have had their image exaggerated over time. This would be awesome if this is the case!

*edit* by the way, I always thought Tsaesci where suppose to have human upper bodies which is the only thing that makes me skeptical if this is or not.

*edit2* As pointed out below this is a statue of Talos, so it's most likely not the Tsaesci. Still looks more snake like then dragon to me.

I'm willing to bet it's a dragon, since I'm pretty sure the picture is of one the Dragonborn.

I just thought it was a damn big snake, but it's plausible that it could be a Tsaesci. Looks pretty cool-- though, I don't think it's big enough to say definitively.

Just looks like a snake to me. >_>

I agree. I don't really see anything special....

Tsaesci at the very least wear armor, so no. My personal idea is they are human like, but years of dining on snakes and dragons has morphed them into something more snake. Though, still humanoid. The legends and stories of them beginning part snake is just a myth born of fear and the way they fight.

The statue might be a symbolic symbol for the Blades. Stepping on their tsaesci past.

I never thought about it but it could be a Tsaesci. It does look like it could be a vampiric snake, though it seems a bit small compared to what I imagined. Also I imagined they had some kind of humanoid upper body too.

To me, the ridge on it's back and the shape of it's head makes it unlikely to be a snake. As for a Tsaesci, we've heard nothing that even begins to hint that they're in the game.

My guess, as Lerf said, is that it's a statue of a Dragonborn. Whether it's to scale or not, it's at the very least symbolic. The guy has his foot on it's neck and sword poised to deliver a finishing blow. And that is exacty what the dragonborn do: slay dragons.

Lore wise; this might not be true, we're all going on speculation when it comes to the Tsaeci. They might actually be human in appearance. Interestingly, when reading one of the courier notes when trying to find Pale Pass Fort. He mentions having broken his leg.

But it appears to be a Dragon, it makes more sense for it to be a Dragon at least.

It's way too small to be a Tsaesci, in my opinion. I was thinking that it may be a young version of a dragon, or a wyrm or something.

I think you're most likely reading more into it than there actually is

It's clearly some sort of statue, and as such might not necessarily represent a 'real world' encounter. It could just as easily be symbolic of a piece of lore where one of the Dragonborn 'crushes the head of the serpent'. In other words, it could symbolise the vanquishing of evil, rather than representing an actual enemy that is going to be in the game.

Dragon... larva ?

Probably has another name for it Hatchling or something --- pre-coccoon dragon, you find your own name

Which is why this clearly isn't Tsaesci. Definitely a dragon.

According to the Flickr description, the statue is a shrine of Talos.

It is possible it is one of the snake race as somewhere in one of the foreign mags it says 8 playable races, but with at least 12 races represented in all I think but I could be wrong and I have no idea where I read it .

Probably a Dragon.

I think it's perhaps a more symbolic image of a Dragonborn slaying a Dragon. The 'dragon/Tsaesci' looks too small to be either, but IMO it makes more sense for it to be a dragon but more of a symbolic/styleised version. It reminds me of the styleised woven tapestries and drawings of St George slaying a dragon.

I thought the Tsaesci were humanoid?

Prolly a dragon.

The weirder thing is that if I look really closely, it looks like the guy is wearing sandals. I think I can see toes in this pic. What kind of boots ARE those?

Good catch, that explains a lot then.

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Talos

I think the picture is making Talos look so mighty that he is bigger and stronger then anything and thats why the dragon looks so small. It representing that Talos is this mighty warrior that makes all creatures, even dragons, look weak compared to him. Thats what a lot of people did back in the day of medieval times for Heros. Thats my take anyway.

Very, very, very nice artwork form them IMO.

It looks almost leech-like too (in a fantasy dragon sort of way :hehe:)

I am fairly certain it's not a Tsaesci now but it's certainly unlike the dragons we've heard described in TES lore and seen in previous games. That's what threw me off.

Looks like a snake to me..

we've seen screenies of dragons, and this looks nothing like it.

I somehow highly doubt that's a Tsaesci, we don't know exactly what Tsaesci look like, of course, but they're said to be snake-PEOPLE, that implies humanoid attributes, which I see none of in that image. Besides, that design wouldn't make any sense for an intelligent race that can supposedly use weapons, tools and ships, there aren't even any arms there. Although I suppose it could be taken to symbolically represent the Tsaesci, since they're supposed to be snake people, they could be represented by the image of a snake, but I'm fairly certain it's not actually supposed to be what a real Taesci would look like.

It doesn't look like a dragon either, though, not at all. More like some sort of giant surpent, so maybe it's some sort of creature we've never seen or heard about, or maybe it's not actually a creature that really exists at all, at least in the game.