Almost all the dragons of Skyrim are all undead! Their bodies killed, but souls lived on to return to their husks. I am going to look at all of undead dragons of Skyrim slowly, one or two every so often.
Durnehviir is my favorite dragon of Skyrim, not looking like a usual dragon, but rotting and zombie-like. Because of this, Durnehviir is a degree spookier than the usual dragon. 8/10.
Durnehviir is quite dangerous. While he is trapped in the Soul Cairn, the land where the souls trapped in soul gems go, he is undying even when defeated by a Dragonborn, as his soul is trapped in the undead realm. However, this also means he cannot leave the realm, and so he is not some unstoppable force. 8/10.
The transformation process never occurred from skeleton form to skinned form, however, he is rotting and his skin breaks off and turns to ash in the wind. Probably a 6/10.
Durnehviir means Cursed, Never, Dying in the Dragon Tongue of Skyrim. That is some cool lore, and the name sounds cool by itself. 9/10.
Krosulhah is not given a unique model and matches the model of any number of dragons and as such would be matched with the spook of that basic dragon type. However, Krosulhah is given unique voice lines talking about the coming rule of Miraak, and how powerful he is. While this gives the dragon a clear position of henchman, it brings a deeper sense of fear, as dragons don't often speak to the player during a battle, and this one comes as a message bearer of fear. 6/10.
The danger of Krosulhah will be 1 more than the basic Frost Dragon as he is for all intents and purposes a Frost Dragon, but his level fluctuates and can be higher than a normal Frost Dragon, undeniably making him more powerful. 6/10.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Finally the name. Translated from Dragon Tongue, his name means Sorcerer, Day, Mind. Obviously, his intellect is focused on, and him speaking much more than the average dragon leads to this name having some merit, however has nothing to do with undead. 4/10.
Kruziikrel is given a uniquely radiant look due to being in Apocrypha, with deep blacks for scales and bright, bleached yellows on his wings and underbelly. Because this is more lighting than the actual design it will remain a 5/10.
Danger is extremely low as Kruziikrel is in essence a health potion for Miraak when his health gets low. Kruziikrel will fly around the arena and avoiding the player until such a time comes. 1/10.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
The name Kruziikrel translates to Ancient, Dominate. This is a cool one again. Kruziikrel looks ancient due to his unique color pattern and is meant only to be dominated by Miraak. 6/10.
With the more serpentine look of the Revered Dragons, Naaslaarum already has an advantage in spook, however beyond this, he, along with his twin, are able to dive into the frozen lake they reside in, and resurface at will. 8/10.
The danger of Naaslaarum is actually less than the average Revered Dragon due to scaling. Unlike Krosulhah, Naaslaarum can scale below the normal base of the Revered Dragons, down to level 10(!), that of the lowest possible dragon level. Their extra shouts due to the Revered Dragon status, and the potential higher level mean that Nasslaarum is still of decent danger, but that is it. 4/10.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Naaslaarum has no official translation. The presumed parts of their name, Naas, Laar, and Um all are not words in the Dragon Language. 4/10
Nahagliiv is not tied to any specific model of any dragon, so we will give him a 5/10, gifting an extra point above basic dragon for the possibility of various other models.
His danger is going to be relatively low as he is capped at level 10, so a 3/10 for this draconic undead.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Finally the name, the best part. Nahagiiliv is broken down into Nah-Ag-Liiv, which means Fury, Burn, Wither. A very primal, rage-fueled name that is quite daunting. 7/10.
Odahviing features a unique model with sharp red spines and distinctly white wings that his name takes after. This means Odahviing has a slightly spookier look than the usual spooky dragon, which I will put at 9/10.
Odahviing can never be killed in game, but his level range matches that of many named dragons, and will be put at a 4.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Ohdahviing is broken down into Oh-Dah-Viing, and means Winged, Snow, Hunter. The snow and winged referring to his white wings, and hunter for his skill in battle. While more specific than most, I would give the name only a 5/10.
Relonkiv matches Kruziikrel in being a distinct glowing dragon in Apocrypha, however is also a Blood Dragon, and will be raised to a 6/10 in spook.
Danger will also match Kruziikrel with a 1 as he also does not fight in the game.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
The name breaks down into Rel-Onikiv, meaning Dominate, Enlightenment. Both of these two having only two words is unique, and lends to their inferiority, living literally just to be consumed. Another 6/10.
Shaloknir can appear as any number of dragon models as he is a levelled dragon. A 5/10.
Maxing as a frost dragon means he will get a 5/10 in danger as well.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Sahloknir, Sah-lok-nir or Phantom, Sky, Hunt. Phantom being included in this well balanced name going to save him from a very average name, being given a 7/10.
Modeled after the Serpentine dragon, Sahrotaar will often be your first look at this smooth, pearly dragon. I feel like this breed fits the undead aesthetic closer than most others, and will be given a 8/10.
Sahrotaar is a locked level, sitting at 58, and while you may never fight them, they are a more powerful being than most dragons. 6/10.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Sah-rot-aar stands for Phantom, Balance, Slave. Honestly a pretty beta name when compared to Sahloknir, 4/10.
Viinturuth can appear as any number of basic dragon models - 5/10.
He levels from 1-50, - 5/10.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Viin-tur-uth sounds wicked on its own, and translates into Shine, Hammer, Rage. Very cool translation. 9/10.
Voslaarum and Naaslaarum are effectively identical in everyway other than their names, so spook is an 8.
Danger is a 4.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
And the name is where we see some difference, if not much. Just like their twin, Voslaarum has no canon translation to their name, so we need to subjectively decide which name is cooler, Voslaarum, or Naaslaarum, and in my opinion, the winner is Voslaarum. The very end of the alphabet, V W X Y and Z, always give me undead vibes, and I am unsure exactly why. V and Z are simple, Vampires and Zombies are of few words we associate with those letters, but W X and Y? I do not know. Anyway, we will give Voslaarum and additional point for their name, and have them sit at 5/10.
Vuljotnaak is one of the variable dragons and as such will be ranked at a 5/10 for his spookiness.
Again, his level is variable so he is also ranked at a 5/10 for his danger.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Vuljotnaak is broken down into Vul, Jot, and Naak, and translates to Dark, Maw, Eat. I think this gives us a perfect example of the disappointment I have with Skyrim, as instead of creating a uniquely designed Dragon for their cool unique name, Vuljotnaak has no dark maw, and could very well have a bright maw, or a green maw. My disappointment aside, this has the build of a cool name, and I will give it a 7/10.
Vulthuryol always looks like an ancient dragon and appears in an underground cavern. This will award him a 7 in spook.
Danger is apparently less than that of a normal ancient dragon, and so a 4 is what he gets.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Vul, Thur, Yol, breaks down into Dark, Overlord, Fire, which actually fits thematically as they live in an underground cavern where a technologically advanced species used to live. 8/10 for Vulthuryol.
The basic dragon has the least interesting, and least spooky design. They are pale brown, very generic-looking flying lizards. A 5.
The weakest of all dragons capped at level 10, will be matched with the weakest of the fighting dragons mentioned above, a 3/10. Some may see a literal dragon being at an equal danger of a basic draugr as dumb and inconsistent. You are correct.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Dragon is a cool word. It has wide renown and innate fear. 5/10.
The Blood Dragon has a more serpentine, slick look. With green scales and a frilled crown, it resembles a viper, and will be increased to a 6/10 in spook.
The level is doubled. Is the danger doubled? No. The danger is going up by one. We are embracing the lack of sense. Maybe one day I will write a book about undead in media and I will make a more accurate ranking system. For now though the Blood Dragon is a 4/10 in danger.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Blood Dragon doesn't make much sense to me as a name. Where is the blood? Blood is not green. Even dragon blood is not green. Bad name. 2/10.
The Frost Dragon is so spiky so thorny so pointy. Spookier than the smooth scales of the Blood Dragon for sure. 7/10.
Danger will increase by 1 once more. A Frost Dragon can be dangerous, but it is still not at the challenge level of some other normal enemies. 5/10.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Frost Dragon shoots ice from their face and looks like an icicle. This name has cohesion. 7/10.
The Elder Dragon is larger and more defined than the basic dragons looked at as of yet, with a set of bronze scales and black spots, but its lack of spines keeps it at a 7 in spook.
Danger increases to a 6 as health and damage pools greatly increase.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Elder as a prefix makes the dragon seem more frail than intimidating, and so the name will only be given a 2.
The Ancient Dragon is tied for largest dragon in the game, and is extremely similar to the Elder Dragon in design, however, is much darker in many areas, and features more prominent spines on their back. Spook raises to an 8.
The danger is a 7, as the jump from Elder to Ancient is the highest jump in hard numbers, about a 30% increase.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Ancient Dragon as opposed to Elder Dragon sounds somewhat intimidating, and so the name will be raised back to a 5.
The Revered Dragons have been seen before as they are what Voslaarum and Naaslaarum are modelled after. As such they will be matched at an 8 in spook.
Danger will remain at a 7 but only barely. They are close to breaking into the 8 category due to their drain vitality shouts, which will literally suck the life out of their enemies.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Revered is quite the word. I am fond of Revered. 6/10.
The Legendary dragon has another interesting look we have not seen yet. With curved back horns, purple and black scales with white wings, they certainly stand out from the average. Their spook then will be amongst the highest of spooky dragons at an 8.
The Danger of these dragons is at its peak. Stronger than any other undead dragon, they deal the most damage and have access to the most abilities of any dragon (save for Alduin). As such they will be an 8 in danger, reaching the heights of Durnehviir.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Legendary Dragon is certainly interesting. I feel it is the strongest of the dragon prefixes and will be given a 7/10.
The Serpentine Dragon, with its silvery smooth scales will be given an 8, as we went over with Sahrotaar.
The danger is pretty much equivalent to that of a Revered Dragon, and will be given a 7 to match.
Transform is a 1 as all dragons will be (excluding Durnehviir) as they match their old forms before death.
Serpentine is a nice prefix, we will give it a 6/10.
The Skeletal Dragon is unique, and appears only once in Skyrim, within the entrance to the Labyrintian. Its lifeless face and spiny body certainly give off a spookier look. 7/10.
The danger is relatively small for the Skeletal Dragon. They are low level and have limited shouts. 3/10.
The transform is still a 1, but this time because it is simply some bones. Bones with nothing else is always a 1.
Skeletal Dragon is a little boring for me. No creativity. Clown Zombie levels of obvious. 2/10.
Skyrim Dragons Wiki - https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dragons_(Skyrim)
The Dragon Language Encyclopedia - https://www.thuum.org/