Skyrim

 

Skyrim's harshness has a way of carving a man down to his true self.

— Tullius

Skyrim ( listen) (Draconic: , Keizaal) is a mountainous country in northern Tamriel, and a province of the Empire. It is the land of the Nords, a mannish people with ties to Atmora. Skyrim borders Morrowind to the east, Cyrodiil to the south, and High Rock and Hammerfell to the east. It is bounded on the north by the icy Sea of Ghosts, by which it is separated from Atmora.

Name

Alternative names for the country include the North, the Northlands, and Nordland. In Cyrodilic, the province is usually known by its Nordic name, but occasionally the Imperialized forms Scyrimia, Scyremia, or Nordia are used. The early Nords referred to the Falmer-inhabited areas as Mereth (elf-land). Patriotic Nords call the country "Fatherland".

The etymology of Skyrim is rooted in Old Nordic, from sky ("sky, cloud") + rima ("edge").

Holds

Skyrim is traditionally divided into nine holds (Nordic: haldar), which function as small kingdoms subordinate to the High King of Skyrim. The nine holds of Skyrim are: Eastmarch, Falkreath, Haafingar, Hjaalmarch, the Pale, the Reach, the Rift, Whiterun, and Winterhold. The number and scope of holds has fluctuated throughout history. Historical holds include the Aalto (now part of Eastmarch), Hrothgar (nominally part of Whiterun), and Karthald (now part of Haafingar and the Reach).

The landscape of Eastmarch, with hot springs and the distant fires of a Giant camp

Eastmarch

Eastmarch is a region in eastern Skyrim and one of the Old Holds. Its capital is the ancient city of Windhelm. Other major settlements include Amol and Kynesgrove.

Falkreath

Falkreath Hold 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.

Haafingar

Haafingar is a hold in northwestern Skyrim. It covers the mouth of the Karth River, where stands the city of Solitude, as well as the Haafingar Peninsula, which juts into the Sea of Ghosts.

Hjaalmarch

The dark, sunken forest of Hjaalmarch

Hjaalmarch is a wetland region and hold in northwestern Skyrim, between Haafingar and the Pale. It is dominated by the Drajkmyr or "Black Morass", a vast and eerie marsh formed by the delta of the river Hjaal. The main settlement is Morthal.

The Pale

The Pale is a region of northern Skyrim, situated between the Sea of Ghosts to the north, Winterhold to the east, Whiterun Hold to the south, and Hjaalmarch to the west. Settlements of note include Dawnstar, a small port on the Sea of Ghosts, and Bardmont, a city of historical significance located further inland.

The Reach

The Reach is the westernmost hold of Skyrim, and the eastern part of the transprovincial Greater Reach. Its capital is the city of Markarth.

The Rift

A Nordic nobleman's house in the western Rift, showing architecture similar to that of neighboring Falkreath Hold

The Rift is a broad area of southeastern Skyrim, with its capital at Riften. Here, the pleasant forests and meadows around Lake Geir and Lake Honrich give way to steep mountains that form a natural border with Morrowind and Cyrodiil.

The Rift is home to its fair share of banditry, both in the wilds and in the city of Riften, where criminals operate under the watchful eye of the Thieves Guild.

Whiterun

The river-crossed plains of Whiterun give way to the ragged peaks of Hrothgar.

Whiterun Hold, located in central Skyrim, encompasses the city of Whiterun and its surrounding plains in the valley of the White River; the Western Plains, including Blackmoor, Rorikstead, and the headwaters of the Hjaal; the southerly Bleak and Brittleshin ranges down to Riverwood Forest and the town of Riverwood; and the Hrothgar Mountains, topped by the Greybeard monastery.

Other regions

Hrothgar

Hrothgar (Cyrodilic: Rhogar or Rhodogar) is a mountainous region in south-central Skyrim. It forms the easternmost part of Whiterun Hold, although there is some overlap with Falkreath and the Rift. The Hrothgar region has sometimes been considered a hold in its own right, owing to its geographical and political isolation from the rest of Skyrim.

Functionally a northern branch of the Jeralls, the Hrothgar Mountains boast the highest peak in the known world, the Monahven, home to the ancient monastery of High Hrothgar.

The settlements of Low Hrothgar and Ivarstead sit in the lower reaches of Hrothgar, and from either place, the Seven Thousand Steps can be accessed. Other places of note include Athalvund, Guldun Rock, Orphan Rock, Ramprasandat, and Skybound Watch.

Karthald

Karthald is a historical region of Skyrim, in the Haafingar–Reach borderlands. During the Interregnum, it was a hold of the Kingdom of Western Skyrim.