The Elder Scrolls series is filled with easter eggs and secrets for players to find. Even though Skyrim released in 2011, there are still mysteries tied to this game that dedicated fans are trying to uncover.
Skyrim has many secrets that range from character motivations to bizarre objects that have no purpose. Bugs in jars are a great example, with the community spending over 6 years trying to uncover their purpose. A developer mentioned that it was leftover from a cut quest, but not all secrets in Skyrim have the luxury of having a developer explain them. From Daedric-worshipping towns to extinct civilizations, here are 10 Skyrim mysteries that still aren’t solved.
10 The Akaviri
The Akaviri are an ancient civilization in The Elder Scrolls series. Their eastern-Asian architecture immediately sets them apart from every other race in the series.
While you don’t meet any in Skyrim, their presence can be felt everywhere. Sky Haven Temple takes inspiration from their design, and the armor the long-forgotten Blades faction wear is based on what the Akaviri wore. What might be the craziest thing about the Akavir is that they created Aludin’s Wall, presenting the events of every main Elder Scrolls game until Skyrim. No one truly knows of their origins, their goals, and how they were made extinct.
9 The Headless Horseman
Random events are commonplace in Skyrim, giving the world a dynamic feeling that makes The Elder Scrolls series feel alive.
These encounters can range from finding guards patrolling the streets to seeing ghosts wander the wilderness. One of the ghosts players can find is the Headless Horseman. As the name suggests, this is a humanoid that has no head and rides on its trusty steed across the province. No one knows who this horseman once was or why he wanders Skyrim’s interconnected roads. Whether he is simply an easter egg or has a story behind his beheading, we will never know.
8 Who Wants Narfi Killed
Beggers are a common sight in Skyrim, but few beggars are as insane as Narfi. This Nord simply wants to find his sister Reyda, who has been missing for a rather long time.
You can return her necklace to Narfi by finding Reyda’s remains in “The Straw that Broke” quest, but that isn’t what’s strange. The Dark Brotherhood will give the player a contract to kill Narfi, regardless of if Narfi has his sister’s necklace or not. Narfi is an insane beggar, there is no denying that, but who would put a hit on an otherwise harmless Nord? It could be Reyda’s lover or close family who despise Narfi’s insanity, but there is no way of knowing for sure.
7 Rorikstead Conspiracy
One of the prisoners that rides with you to Helgen at the start of Skyrim came from Rorikstead. Little did you know that Rorikstead has some strange traditions.
Every house in the small village contains a soul gem. Farmers, innkeepers, and normal houses all have soul gems. The village is also near a Forsworn camp that dabbles in Daedric worship. Could Rorikstead secretly be using taboo magic to extend their lives? Do they worship Daedric princes when no outsiders are present? There is no way to truly know.
6 Dwemer Disappearance
The Dwemer are similar to the Akavari in that they massively changed the landscape of Tamriel when they roamed the continent.
Yet, none of their people are present in Skyrim. There are plenty of references to them, and ancient Dwemer automatons guard the now derelict ruins. Some say they were all absorbed into another dimension to live forever, transcending reality itself. Others argue the gods banished them for their immense knowledge during the Battle of Red Mountain. Regardless of the reason, there is no concrete evidence to prove any theory.
5 Rune’s Story
Rune is a unique character you can find in the Thieves Guild in Riften. Having no recollection of his earlier years, Rune only knows of objects that had runes carved into them when he woke up from washing onto the shore.
And that’s it. No quest builds off of this premise to uncover the truth behind Rune’s mysterious past. He never mentions his interest in uncovering his history other than a few lines of dialogue. This is so disconnected from how well his premise as a character is set up that Bethesda must have cut this quest from the game. As it stands, there is no way to uncover the truth about who he was as a child.
4 The Ebony Warrior
This larger than normal human finds the player when they reach level 81, the hard level cap of Skyrim excluding Legendary skills.
He says that there are no more battles to win and no more challenges to conquer. It seems analogous to what the player went through, slaying Alduin and conquering the game’s DLCs and various questlines. With that said, we have no idea what the Ebony Warrior has accomplished. There is no information about him other than him wanting a warriors death by your hand.
3 Kagrenzel Orb
Kagrenzel is the name of an ancient Dwarven dungeon on the eastern-most part of the map. It is here where you will find a bizarre dungeon with no context.
An orb floats around this dungeon and guides you through its labyrinth of traps. This orb leads players to a platform surrounded by corpses, which will then give in and causes the Dragonborn to plummet over a hundred feet underground. There is no questline tied to this dungeon except for some radiant missions, so the explanation behind this mysterious guiding orb and the dungeon’s history is lost to time.
2 Friendly Letters
Sometimes, players will have letters sent to them that all end with “a friend.” The first time players see this is when the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller is missing, with the friend obviously being Delphine.
But these letters continue as you progress through the game. When you kill the Dark Brotherhood members in the sanctuary, a friend will thank you for it. If you discover new shouts, a friend will send you a letter saying they’re watching with great interest. Could this be the Ebony Warrior? There is no evidence to support any theory, leaving this assailant’s identity a complete mystery to this day.
1 Who Places Hits On You
Being the Dragonborn, it makes sense that some radical people are going to try and kill you. While that makes sense, the person constantly putting hits on your name doesn’t.
Every letter you will find on a killed assassination group will mention how they want to kill you for some arbitrary reason. There isn’t a definitive author to these letters, however. It’s unlikely that the same person is asking bandits and Dark Brotherhood alike to kill you, but there is no evidence to suggest otherwise, either. You might have stopped the world from ending in the main story, but you can’t stop the constant attacks sent against you as you grow in notoriety.
NEXT: Skyrim: 10 Best Restoration Spells, Ranked
