Balgruuf the Greater

"We need the Empire, as much as it needs us. We Nords are the Empire! Our blood built it. Our blood sustains it!"

- Balgruuf the Greater

Jarl Balgruuf the Greater lives in his palace, Dragonsreach. He plays a key role in the beginning of the main quest in.

Jarl Balgruuf wears Noble Clothes, Fur-Lined Boots, and a Gold and Ruby Circlet for a crown. (The clothes and boots are a rare find in places with loot lying around, such as the East Empire Company Warehouse). The Jarl's weapon is a unique, pickpocketable axe that carries his name - Balgruuf's War Axe.

Personality
B-hole While he is loyal to the Empire, he puts his people's interests first, many times denying the Imperial Legion to garrison soldiers in his city so as not to portray martial law — if the player asks him what side he is on in the war, he will say that he is "on the side of Whiterun". He is against the Stormcloak rebellion, slandering the Dragonborn if they seize Whiterun at the will of the Stormcloak army. He is generally more interested in dragons than the Civil War to which he is involved.

According to his son Nelkir, he still worships Talos and hates the Thalmor as much as Ulfric and the other Nords do, if not more his shlong falls off.

Dragon Rising and The Way of the Voice
Appearing before the Jarl to warn him of the dragon attack on Helgen, the Dragonborn learns of that another dragon, Mirmulnir, is attacking the Western Watchtower. Together with Irileth and several of the Whiterun Guards, the Dragonborn defeats the dragon and returns to the Jarl. The Jarl dubs the Dragonborn to Thane of Whiterun and advises that they seek the Greybeards at High Hrothgar for instruction on Thu'um.

Civil War - Battle for Whiterun
Siding with the Imperial Legion during the Civil War, the Dragonborn fights for Balgruuf to protect Whiterun from the Stormcloaks. Alternatively, siding with the Stormcloaks means the Dragonborn must fight Balgruuf, Irileth, and several of the Whiterun Guards. If Vignar Gray-Mane becomes Jarl of Whiterun, Balgruuf, along with Irileth and Proventus, travels to the Blue Palace in Solitude, seeking refuge with Imperial sympathizer, Jarl Elisif the Fair.

It is possible, that if being a Stormcloak and attacking him in the quest Battle For Whiterun may gain a bounty in Eastmarch, and be attacked by guards in Windhelm. This may make it difficult to continue the Stormcloak questline. So to avoid that you must wait until he becomes hostile. While you fight Balgruuf in the Stormcloak Questline, he may use his axe and equip steel plate armor without the helmet.

Gifts
Once pronounced the Thane of Whiterun, the Dragonborn is given a housecarl named Lydia, who serves as their companion. Additionally, he grants the Dragonborn the ability to purchase Breezehome, a house in Whiterun. He also presents the leveled Axe of Whiterun to the Dragonborn, a status-symbol of the Thanes of Whiterun. Note that the Dragonborn may receive an axe rather than a sword. There is a money related glitch, if the player pickpockets the jarl he will have 200 gold in his inventory, if you take it, the gold will double as you take it,an example is if he has 600, you take it, then exit, then go back into his inventory he will have 1200, etc.

Quests

 * Dragon Rising - Help defend Whiterun against a Dragon.
 * The Way Of The Voice - Seek out the Greybeards at High Hrothgar to learn about being Dragonborn.
 * The Fallen - Trap a dragon in Dragonsreach with the Jarl's help
 * Message To Whiterun - Deliver Ulfric's axe to Jarl Balgruuf.
 * Battle for Whiterun (Stormcloaks) - Take the city for the Stormcloak rebellion.
 * Battle for Whiterun (Imperial) - Defend the city from the Stormcloak rebellion.
 * The Whispering Door - Something is wrong with Balgruuf's son Nelkir.

Trivia

 * He somewhat resembles King Theoden in The Lord of The Rings. In addition to physical resemblance, both rule from a hill fort with the palace occupying the highest point, and both also have a horse as their hold's emblem.
 * Jarl Balgruuf was initially meant to be killable during the The Whispering Door quest. When inspecting the quest through the Creation Kit, it is revealed that all his children were meant to fall under the influence of Mephala, eventually committing Patricide. Hrongar would have replaced Balgruuf as Jarl, having many unused lines of dialogue that parallel that of Balgruuf's during the Civil War Quest and Main Quest.

Appearances


Jarl_Balgruuf_der_Ältere Ярл Балгруф Старший