Olaf One-Eye

"Insolent bard. Die!"

- Olaf One-Eye

King Olaf One-Eye was a Jarl of Whiterun who rose to become High King during the First Era (r. 1E 420 - 452) after defeating the dragon Numinex atop Mount Anthor.

During the Burning of King Olaf festival, an effigy of Olaf is burned, depicting him as a tyrant. During the quest "Tending The Flames", a book called King Olaf's Verse must be obtained, before the Bards College can be joined. One of the choices for rewriting the Verse includes changing the character of Olaf into Numinex, making him a dragon.

Background
According to Adonato Leotelli's account, Olaf and the Dragon, Olaf One-Eye fought the dragon Numinex with the aid of Thu'um in the presence of several witnesses. Drawing the battle toward Whiterun, Olaf contained the dragon within a prison in the Cloud District. The people of Whiterun renamed the keep Dragonsreach in honor of this task. Numinex resided there, trapped in a cell until his death.

Olaf became High King of Skyrim after the battle, facing mixed opinions from his peers. Because most witnesses of his victory against Numinex became extremely wealthy after he became High King, many believe they were paid to provide false testimony to the events that took place atop Mount Athor.

The poet Svaknir wrote a heretical elegy, defaming Olaf and labeling him a traitor. Copies of Svaknir's script were burned until none remained, save the one buried with Olaf in his tomb.

Tending the Flames
Viarmo employs the Dragonborn with recovering Svaknir's lost verse, said to still reside in Olaf's tomb. The verse is needed to convince Jarl Elisif the Fair of the legitimacy of the Burning of Olaf festival the Bards College wishes to perform. Recovering the manuscript, Olaf, in the form of a Draugr attacks and is defeated by the Dragonborn, allowing the festival to continue.

The Dragonborn can pass a persuade test to change Olaf's history, where it is rewritten as Olaf actually being a dragon in human form.

Sovngarde
The Dragonborn encounters Olaf One-Eye in the Hall of Valor at Sovngarde, implying that he did indeed legitimately slay Numinex, for he probably would not have been allowed entry had he not.

Spirit Olaf also states that, despite Svaknirs's defaming words, he respects the bardan a honest foe and had wished to greet him as a friend in the Hall of Valor. Svaknir is seen making his way to the hall of valour, thus making it probable that he got his wish.

Plaque
A plaque in Windhelm, outside the Palace of the Kings is dedicated to Olaf. The adjacent plaque is dedicated to Harald. Olaf's plaque reads:

Olaf One Eye

Reigned 1E 420 - 452

Subdued the foul dragon Numinex. He united Skyrim after the War of Succession, and conquered the traitorous Reach.

Although the plaque claims that Numinex was held prisoner in Dragonsreach until his death, dialogue in "Tending the Flames" reveals that Numinex escaped Dragonsreach some time after Olaf was made king. Thus, the dragon-skull above the the Jarl's throne in Dragonsreach may not belong to Numinex.

Trivia

 * The two versions of King Olaf, as honored dead and as Draugr, are quite dissimilar in many ways. They have different hair colors, with Olaf's spirit having black hair and the Draugr having brownish. The style of their facial hair is also different, the Draugr version sporting a braided beard and the spirit Olaf bearing long mustaches. And lastly, their armor is different, the Draugr Olaf wearing customary ancient Nord armor, while the spirit form is clad in steel plate armor. Additionally, the Draugr version has two fully intact, identical eyes, albeit one being lit like standard Draugr and the other being unlit like dead Draugr.


 * After Olaf is defeated in Dead Men's Respite, on return visits he will have been replaced with a generic Draugr overlord/deathlord.

Quests

 * Tending the Flames
 * Sovngarde