TheElder Scrollsfranchise is known for many things; its accessibility, its varied range of character classes and skill trees, its seemingly never-ending array of side quests, and its deep lore, most of which is hidden in books throughout the games' overworlds. Ofall theElder Scrollstitles,Skyrimis the probably the most well known, but the lore behind some of its key characters and locations often flies under most players' radar.
One such location isSkyrim’s"Skyforge," tucked away behind The Companions' headquarters in Whiterun Hold. The Skyforge is used in-game to craft powerful and unique weapons and armor, and can be used to upgrade the vast majority of the Dragonborn’s tools. However, there’s a little more to the Skyforge than first meets the eye.
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The Five Hundred Companions Arrive In Skyrim
While the Skyforge likely has a very long history, nobody quite knows just how long it’s been around, or who created it. The only real records surrounding the Skyforge begin when theFive Hundred Companions of Ysgramordiscovered the forge, many years before the Dragonborn would stumble upon the city of Whiterun.
Sometime in the Merethic Era, the first city of the Nords was built in Skyrim. Known as Saarthal, this city acted as the capital for the Nord civilization acrossall of Tamriel, that is until the Snow Elves destroyed the city in the late Merethic Era. Saarthal was eventually retaken and rebuilt by Ysgramor, the first human ruler of Skyrim, and his followers.
Among Ysgramor’s followers was his closest friend, Jeek, the captain of the Jorrvaskr, and the keeper of the ancientOath of the Companions. After their battle for Saarthal was done, Ysgramor tasked Jeek, and his other followers, with conquering the rest of Skyrim. Jeek and the crew of the Jorrvaskr arrived near Whiterun, where a scout by the name of Jonder “The Tiny” was sent to recon the land before them.
It didn’t take long for Jonder to stumble upon the hawk statue standing tall above the Skyforge. As the crew of the Jorrvaskr made their way towards the Skyforge, they noticeda significant lack of any Snow Elves,who were said to be crawling all over the region. As they came face-to-face with the large stone structure, the Elven captives they had brought with them cowered in fear, exclaiming that the forge was shrouded in mystery, that not even their people knew where it came from. However, the Elves did know one thing, that the structure was imbued with ancient magic, possibly from the Gods themselves.
To the Elves, the monument was something to be feared. To the crew of the Jorrvaskr, this was the perfect place to set up camp. The crew got to work immediately, stripping their ship’s hull and turning it into a mead hall that was positioned at the foot of the Skyforge.
As the years went by, civilization grew around the Skyforge. Soon,Whiterun became a fully-fledged city, with the original members of the Jorrvaskr becoming the city’s founders. This small band of warriors would take on the moniker of The Companions, and would reside in Whiterun until the day the Dragonborn steps through the mead hall’s doors.
Along with The Companions, the Clan Gray-Mane would be one of the first to come to the city. The Clan soon tried their hand at smithing, using the Skyforge’s powerful flames to createarmor and weapons for The Companions. This natural talent for smithing would be passed down from generation to generation, before finally landing upon the shoulders of Eorlund Gray-Mane.
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The Ceremonies in the Underforge
Towards the end of the Second Era, an older follower of Ysgramor by the name of Kyrnil Long-Nose set out to unite the scattered Companion forces around Skyrim, and take control of Jorrvaskr away from the Companions he called “usurpers.” Following the successful invasion,Kyrnil created The Circle, designed to be an elite sub-section of Companions that would be used to pave the way for subsequent followers. However, the Circle had a dark secret.
It was eventually revealed that Kyrnil, and the Harbinger Terrfyg, had made some form ofarrangement with the witches of Glenmoril Coven, trading the mortal lives of their guild for a chance at power. This deal would soon cause the Companion leaders to become werewolves.
Through the years, this “gift” was passed down the generations of Companions, with new members forced to attend a ritual underneath the Skyforge. In the Underforge, aCompanion infected with lycanthropywould drain some of their blood, giving it to the new member to drink.
The Fires of Kodlak
A few centuries later, at some stage in the Fourth Era of Skyrim, the Jarl of Whiterun would find theancient Daedric Ebony Blade. The Jarl, terrified of the blade’s power, tried to use the Skyforge to destroy it, but even the ancient fires of the forge couldn’t bend or melt the blade.
The Skyforge was now maintained by the latest of the Gray-Mane Clan, Eorlund, who would carry on the tradition of his forefathers and forge weapons and armor for The Companions residing in Whiterun. Meanwhile, thewerewolf hunters of the Silver Hand guildwere starting to grow in numbers, eventually becoming bold enough to attack and kill the Companion Harbinger Kodlak Whitemane.
After a chance encounter, the Companions task the Dragonborn with tracking down Kodlak and his ancient battleaxe Wuuthrad. Upon the Dragonborn’s return, Kodlak’s body is placed on the Skyforge, which stokes the flames and seemingly imbues the forge with even more power. The Companions believe that the forge must have absorbed Kodlak’s soul, recognizing that he was a great warrior. This added power gave the Skyforge the ability to produceincredibly sturdy metal, dubbed Skyforge Steel.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch.
