Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-14222126-20130805101858/@comment-84.196.186.69-20141018004006

The "Askelde Men" the poem references to are one of the crews of the original Five Hundred Companions, who began to roam Skyrim after they had reclaimed Saarthal from the Snow Elves and had parted ways with Ysgramor. The poem is told from the perspective of a slain Snow Elf, who haunts his ancient Nord killers only to witness this crew of Companions find, stalk and ultimately slaughter all the rest of his men soon after.

It's a pretty grim tale, but it definitely gives a fascinating insight into what was going on in Skyrim during the time of The Return. Whether or not the Askelde Men were the same crew who ultimately founded Jorvaskrr isn't known, as their identities aren't revealed. But that would make things even more interesting. On the other hand, the Songs of the Return make clear that the crew of the Jorvaskrr took Elven prisoners (who told them about the Skyforge, among other things). The crew of Companions which this song is about obviously left no Snow Elves alive.