The world of Skyrim is abundant with caves to explore, loot to plunder and ancient shrines
and ruins to find. Building on the previous games in the Elder Scrolls franchise, Skyrim
takes the experience to new heights with an insane amount of depth and detail layered
throughout Tamriel. When creating this detail, Bethesda drew inspiration from more than a
few notable real-life sources. You’re probably familiar with the Spriggans, a race of tree-like
like creatures that can be found in the many dense forests of Skyrim, but you may be surprised
to learn that they bear a striking resemblance to a creature of the same name from Welsh
lore. In old folklore, Spriggans are depicted as beings that would be found guarding buried
treasure in ancient forests and ruins. Like the Spriggans of Skyrim, they were to be crossed
at one’s own peril. It’s actually surprising to see how often the idea of Spriggans comes
up in the mythology and fiction of many other cultures, including the Greek “Dyrads”,
a race of tree-nymphs, and of course, Tolkien’s Ents.
Speaking of fantasy, there’s really no denying the effect that the Lord of the Rings films
have had on the landscape of the genre, and Skyrim is definitely no exception. The city
of White Run is believed to have been inspired by The Two Towers’ city of Edoras, the capital
of Rohan. The layouts and appearance of the cities are very similar and the hold of Dragonstone
is elevated on a hill, exactly like Meduseld, the hold that King Theoden ruled from. Both
places also bear the sigil of a horse on their banners.
Other buildings within the walls of Whiterun are most certainly influenced by Norse craftsmanship,
and side by side photo comparisons quickly reveal the source material Bethesda was using
when crafting their fifth Elder Scrolls installment. In fact, the towering mountains, mighty rivers,
and golden plains surrounding cities like Whiterun were all modeled after Norway’s
breath taking landscapes. The beauty and splendor of Skyrim’s greatest vistas were ripped
straight from the real life panoramas of Norway’s greatest mountain ranges.
Beowulf, one of the oldest known pieces of writing in the English language, also made
an appearance in Skyrim. “High Hrothgar” is thought to be named after “King Hrothgar”
from the Beowulf story. In the story, another name King Hrothgar went by was “Ro”, which
funny enough, is one of the words used in “Fus Ro Dah” a dragon shout you learn
at High Hrothgar. Undoubtedly, Norse history and mythology played
a huge role in the development of Skyrim. One example is the undead warriors known as
the Draugr. Also found in Norse mythology, the name “Draugr” translated means “undead
man or ghost”. According to the Old Norse legends, any especially evil or greedy person
could become a Draugr after death, and awaken to an insatiable urge to devour human flesh
or drink blood. To the Scandinavian people of the time, the threat of the Draugr was
no game. They had many bizarre ways to insure that a dead body would not rise to kill them;
including lifting and lowering the coffin in three different directions to make sure
that the potential Draugr would lose their sense of direction and not be able to find
its way back to the village. I know that you already know that Sovngrade
is a clear reference to Valhalla, the great hall Norse warriors found their way to after
death. However, did you know that in several Scandinavian languages Sovngrade translates
literally to mean "a place for sleep," or "resting place." This is fitting considering
that worthy Nords find peace there after death. The title of “Jarl” is also a reference
to Norse Mythology. Though it was never actually something that rulers were called, it is the
name of the last man created by the Norse god, Heimdallr. In legend, the first man created,
Thrall, represented the slaves and lower-class. The second, Karl, represented the “Free
Man” and the third, Jarl, was the representative of the rich, ruling class. A visual reference
to Celtic mythology is found in the game as well, the Seal of Morthal looks very close
to the Triskele design often found in Celtic artwork. As a matter of fact, Celtic knots
and design can be found all over the game, right down armor pieces and elements in the
UI. Do you know some SKYRIM historical or literary
references we didn’t cover here? Share them in the comment section below and we might
include it in a future episode. If you liked this show and its format, don’t forget to
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