Eye of Magnus

The  is an ancient magical artifact discovered by the Dragonborn and Tolfdir at Saarthal in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This massive orb is guarded by a Draugr, named Jyrik Gauldurson. The Synod coveted the object, hoping to use its power to gain an upper hand against the Thalmor of the Aldmeri Dominion.

Discovery
After destroying the creature, Tolfdir sends the Dragonborn on an errand to research the Eye of Magnus (Hitting The Books). Finding the research material below Fellglow Keep, the Dragonborn reads more about the object in Night of Tears.

Afterward, Quaranir, a member of the Psijic Order, visits the Dragonborn, telling them the object is dangerous and to seek out the Augur of Dunlain. This then leads to search for the Staff of Magnus.

Ancano's betrayal
After returning to the College, the Dragonborn learns that Ancano has tapped into the power of the Eye and gained tremendous power. The Dragonborn then has to travel to Labyrinthian to locate the Staff of Magnus and use it to absorb the power of the Eye and so defeat Ancano. After Ancano is defeated, Quaranir appears and says that the world isn't ready for the Eye's unlimited power and that the Psijic Order will guard it. He and two other Psijic monks then teleport the Eye away.

Origin
Tolfdir can be heard questioning the origin of this artifact. "It's not Dwemer...not Falmer...not Ayleid...certainly not Daedric..." -Tolfdir

The only possible origin could be Aedric. This means that, if this artifact were to be Aedric, it would be one of the only artifacts left on Mundus by the gods.

One theory suggests that it's the energy stored by the gods when they sacrificed their immortality to create Nirn, and acted as Nirn's "generator", or 'core'.

Quests

 * Under Saarthal
 * Hitting the Books
 * The Staff of Magnus (Quest)
 * The Eye of Magnus