Falkreath Hold

"Kreath" redirects here. For other uses, see Kreath (disambiguation).

Falkreath Hold (Nordic: Falkreith-hald; Cyrodilic: Crithia or Crenthia), often shortened to Falkreath and historically Kreath, is the south-central hold of Skyrim, between the plains of Whiterun and the Jerall Mountains. The area is covered by a gloomy pine forest, where the rains often linger for days on end. This border region, along with its capital settlement Falkreath, have changed hands between Skyrim and Cyrodiil throughout history, being a sometime part of the Colovian Estates.

Etymology

The name Falkreath comes from the Nedic word crith, meaning to shake, quiver, or tremble. It is speculated that the original name of this region was Cranncrith, the "land of trembling trees". It later became Falkreath, adapting the elven root fal- ("cold, snowy, icy") as likewise seen in Falmer ("snow-folk" or "people of the cold"). This name probably originated with the Ayleids, who lived in warmer lands to the south across the Jeralls, and are known to have made regular contact with the Falkreath region.

The mountain of Kilkreath in Haafingar shares a similar etymology and meaning, with the Nordic kil ("cold, chilly") combined with Nedic crith to mean "shivering cold".

History

The earliest attested inhabitants of the region were a group of Nedes known as the Men-of-Kreath, who were the victim of Ayleid slave raids, and later took part in Alessia's rebellion to overthrow the elves in Cyrodiil alongside Pelinal Whitestrake and Vrage of Skyrim.

Minotaurs came to dwell in the Falkreath area after the third century 1E, but were later driven out by Bjarfrud Skjoralmor, a Nord warrior who founded the settlement of Falkreath. The Nords also pushed the Kreathmen deeper into the woods, forcing them to join with other Nedic tribes for their protection. Within the Duraki confederation, the ruler of Falkreath was called the "Forest King"; the last person to hold this title was Kestic, who died during the siege of Calachel by the Redguards in the 9th century 1E. The Men-of-Kreath dissolved after this point and were absorbed into surrounding cultures.

Falkreath Hold was ruled by the descendants of Bjarfrud Skjoralmor until the late Interregnum of the Second Era, uninterrupted except for the brief usurpation of Domihaus the Bloody-Horned. Eventually, the region was conquered by the Reachmen and subsequently by the Colovian Estates, who each placed their own kings on the throne. Among those kings was Cuhlecain, who conquered Cyrodiil, and whose general Hjalti Early-Beard would go on to conquer all of Tamriel, taking the name Tiber Septim.