"Arrow in the knee" Meme Question

How exactly did this thing become a meme in the first place? I got Skyrim far later than everyone else, so I knew nothing about the game, though I was aware of this arrow to knee meme. When I first heard about it I was expecting it to be a line from a character during some hilarious quest, but as it turned out it's just some generic phrase guards seem to throw out. How did it become so popular?

quote battousai

I dunno, my guess is that there was this really lonely guy (100% sure it was a dude) sitting in his room and playing Skyrim the day of its release, in search of something from the game to make a meme about, then, he suddenly heard the phrase, and immediately proceeded to spamming it all over the internet as if he was many different people, until everyone finally followed as well, of course its just a theory

Hahaha Pretty good theory. Maybe you're right.

quote Kommando

1. Anything that sounds exceptionally ridiculous has a chance of becoming a meme.

2. It's part of every guard's generic random dialog.

3. Don't you think it's a little ridiculous that every single guard in Skyrim has at some point been an adventurer and at some point has taken an arrow to the knee?

That's why it's a meme, it's so ridiculous that it's memorable.

I see. I agree with you that it's ridiculous that all those adventurers had the same misfortune, but it's also ridiculous that they were able to work as guards at all. I imagine suffering such an injury would be quite disadvantageous in the long run.

It's just because of the fact that it seems every guard in the game, "... used to be an adventurer, like you, then I took an arrow in the knee."

Plus it's a good excuse as to why you didn't do something you were supposed to do.

I was going to do the dishes, take out the trash, and mow the lawn, but then I took an arrow in the knee.

I was going to change the baby's diaper, but then I took an arrow to the knee.

I was going to do my homework, but then I took an arrow to the knee.

etc...

Also see, ".... my dog ate it."