Finding Similarities: Norse Culture and Mythology

Upon start of the game any player will recognize The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim to be reflective of Nordic culture and mythology. From the Norse names and architecture, to the Gods and afterlife, we can see  the definitive influence Norse culture and mythology has had on Skyrim.

In Norse mythology there is a king of gods known as Odin. He grants brave warriors victory in battle, guides the dead, and rules the hall of the dead in Valhalla. We can see the Dragonborn shares many of these traits.

When defeating a dragon the Dragonborn absorbs the soul of the dragon ensuring its death. According to the Nord’s mythology “A dragon cannot be truly defeated by any other than the Dragonborn.” It is believed that even though one may kill the dragon’s physical body the dragon may still return to fight again at a later time. The only way to permanently defeat a dragon is for the Dragonborn to absorb it once it has slain the dragon, because of this the Dragonborn shares a similarity with Odin in that he grants victory in battle.

Throughout the game the Dragonborn travels to ancient barrows where the player can find restless dead. These walking corpses, known as Draugr, were once dragon worshippers. They sentenced their lives to an eternity in servitude to the Dragon Priests, the leaders of the Dragon cults. Like Odin the Dragonborn acts as custodian of the dead by releasing these Draugr from their mindless servitude to the Dragon Priests and granting them everlasting peace and freedom.

According to Norse mythology warriors of noble birth would travel to Valhalla after death in battle. Allowance into Valhalla granted the fallen heroes an afterlife of feasting and fighting. In Skyrim Valhalla is referred to as Sovenguard, inside Sovenguard there is a location known as the Hall of Valour, this is the Hall where only kings and the bravest of all noble warriors live out the rest of their afterlife.

We can see similarities in how one gains entrance to Valhalla and the Hall of Valour. To enter the Hall of Valour the desist must cross a bridge of whale bones, similar to the Bifrost rainbow bridge which is needed to enter Valhalla.

But before the Dragonborn can cross the bridge to the Hall of Valour the player meets Tsun. Tsun is the Nord God of Trials and Advisory, he must challenge all who wish to enter and asses their worthiness. We can see the similarities in roles between Tsun and Heimdall, the gatekeeper of Asgard.

Throughout Skyrim we can see influences of Scandinavian architecture. The visual similarities are undeniable.

From the language to the architecture, the gods to the environment there is no denying the deep influence Nordic culture and mythology has had on The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.

Citations:

Warren, Ben. "The Links between the Dragonborn and Odin-An Essay."Verbal Fisticuffs. N.p., 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Baltimore, MD: Penguin, 1964. Print.