“I Took an Arrow in the Knee” is a memorable quote originating from the role-playing video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. An often repeated stock line throughout the game, it went on to inspire the snowclone “I used to X, then I took an arrow to the knee.” In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the town guard non-player characters (NPCs) have several stock lines they will repeat when the player walks near them, including a bewildered statement about “curved swords”, a patronizing statement about “sweetroll” theft, and the melancholy reminiscing of the past “I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee.”