Easter Eggs (Skyrim)

The following are Easter Eggs that appear in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:

(To add to these, please keep them in Alphabetical order)

Assassin’s Creed Reference

 * In The Reach, southeast of Markarth, there is a tall waterfall named "Bard's Leap Summit".
 * Following a wooden walkway, you will find a wooden suspension over the waterfall that bears a remarkable resemblance to the eagle lookout points in Assasin's Creed.
 * If you jump off of this bridge, a ghostly bard will appear to congratulate you.BL.jpg

Choose Your Own Adventure

 * A Choose Your Own Adventure style book can be found in Kolb and the Dragon.

Beowulf

 * High Hrothgar bears the name of the King that Beowulf fights for in the epic poem Beowulf. Hrothgar was also a factual Danish king.

Chrono Trigger

 * Aela the Huntress is very similar to Ayla from Chrono Trigger. They both not only have the same name, despite spelling, but are also both primal in nature and are in touch with the wild.
 * Incidentally, both of these characters' names call back to the heroine of the 1980 novel Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel.

Earthsea

 * The lore about Shouts has some elements of similarity to the way magic works in Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea novels and stories. Both of them depend on the language of dragons, where speaking the name of something in that language gives you control over it. The general concept of the dragons' long absence and return is also reminiscent of the plot of "The Farthest Shore," the third book in Le Guin's famous Earthsea quadrilogy. Further, the fourth book in the quadrilogy, "Tehanu," includes a character named Therru, a young woman who is said to be "a double being, half human, half dragon."

The Legend of King Arthur

 * If you have found Broken Tower Redoubt, directly south of it there will be a place called Rebel's Cairn where you will find a pile of stones in the front of the cave and there will be a Steel Sword in the top stone, which is a reference to the sword in the stone in the legend of King Arthur.Arthur.jpg


 * Slightly Northeast of Bleakwind Basin, there is a pond with a skeletal arm holding a leveled sword coming out of it, which is a reference to the Lady in the Lake in the legend of King Arthur.
 * The Lady Stone is found in the middle of a lake, another reference to the Lady in the Lake

Katatonia Reference

 * During the quest on along the Pilgrim's Path to return the Skeleon key, a diary titled "Nydstrom's Diary" is found. Nydstrom being the guitarist from prominent Swedish progressive metal band Katatonia. In it contains several references to the band's music including "Night is the New Day" their latest album and "Ghost of the Sun," a song from another album.

Lord of the Rings

 * In Whiterun, the giant tree there is called the Gildergreen. It is grown from the Eldergleam, the oldest living thing in Skyrim, but is failing. This references the Gondorian capital of Minas Tirith in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, where the legendary White Tree faces a similar fate.
 * Whiterun and the surrounding areas (especially to the west) are similar to Edoras and Rohan respectively in appearance. Whiterun's symbol is a horse, just like Rohan's.
 * Hag's End sounds just like Bag End.
 * In Whiterun, if you are on the quest Battle for Whiterun, you see Hadvar near the city wall after the battle. He makes a reference to Legolas and Gimli's competition in the third movie. "I'm pretty sure I killed more than you. I was counting"

Minecraft Reference

 * On the top of The Throat of the World, one can find the Notched Pickaxe wedged in a stone wall.


 * This is the first instance of this item in the Elder Scrolls series by all appearances, however limited that information may be. While verified evidence to the contrary is welcome, it should have applicable source included.


 * The fact that no other item in Skyrim carries the 'Notched' description, combined with the fact that the pickaxe is found in a distinctive area (The highest point in Skyrim) and surrounded by an uncanny amount of mineable ore leads to the conclusion that this is indeed a tip of the hat to Notch, the creator of Minecraft. It is also supported by the fact wielding the pickaxe increases your smithing skill, the essential 'crafting' of Skyrim. The tool covers both mining and crafting.


 * It may have been added because of the recent court case between ZeniMax (Bethesda's parent company) and Mojang.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

 * When fighting, enemies occasionally yell "It's just a flesh wound!" which is a reference to the scene with the Black Knight in which his arm is cut off before exclaiming said phrase.

Penny Arcade Celebrity Dungeons and Dragons Series

 * The Embershard Mine, southwest of Riverwood, is a reference to the Celebrity Dungeons and Dragons campaign hosted by Wizards of the Coast, featuring Mike Kahulik (Gabe) and Jerry Holkins (Tycho) from the webcomic Penny Arcade, Scott Kurtz from the webcomic PvP, and Wil Wheaton. The mine is named after the "Ambershard" clan of dwarves who, in the campaign, stole a mine from the clan of Scott Kurtz's character, Binwin Bronzebottom.


 * A tattered journal within the mine speaks of "Wooden beams that we reinforced with bronze bottoms," another reference to the Bronzebottom clan. Later in the journal, the writer mentions that they might "stop drinking for good," a reference to Binwin's father, a dwarf, who quit drinking out of shame for losing his mine to the Ambershards.

Shakespeare reference

 * When you join the Dark Brotherhood you will see a jester Named Ciccero there was a Ciccero in A midsummer nights dream

Snow White Reference

 * The War Room in Blackreach has seven short beds in a circle around a larger one; this is a clear reference to the beds of the Seven Dwarves from Snow White.

Star Trek Reference

 * In the village of Ivarstead there is a woman named Temba Wide-Arm. This is a reference to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Darmok, where one of the often-repeated phrases is "Temba, his arms wide."
 * When seated in any Jarl's throne, the character will take on Captain Kirk's iconic slouching stance.

The Pied Piper

 * During the Thieves Guild questline, the player visits a tunnel in the basement of Honningbrew Meadery. The tunnel is infested with Skeevers, and in it is a mage by the name of Hamelyn, a reference to the town visited by the Pied Piper in the children's tale (the town also being infested with rats).

Thief Series

 * Mercer Frey, the head of the Thieves Guild, is voiced by Stephen Russell, who voices Garrett, the protagonist of the Thief series of video games.

Three Billy Goats Gruff

 * On your way to Hag Rock Redoubt, there is a bridge with a dead troll underneath. If it's your first time visiting, you will witness two goats meeting a third at the end of the bridge then running off together. This is a reference to the children's tale, "Three Billy Goats Gruff," where a troll is defeated by a trio of goats.

Star Wars Reference

 * Inside of Bleakcoast Cave (Eastern Winterhold) there is a skeleton hanging upside down from the ceiling. Below the skeleton is a glowing sword. This makes reference to Star Wars when Luke Skywalker was caught on Hoth and hung from the cavern ceiling. The sword below representing his lightsaber.


 * If you travel with the ghost of Lucien Lachance he will some times say "I feel a disturbance in the void" which is very similar to the phrase "I feel a disturbance in the force" from the Star Wars movies.
 * Companions are sometimes heard saying "I have a bad feeling about this" before going into battle, a well-known line which appears at least once in all six of the Star Wars movies.

Let The Right One In Reference

 * Babette, a member of the Skyrim's Dark Brotherhood, is a possible reference to the Swedish book and movie of the same name Let The Right One In, aka Let Me In. Both she and the book's major character Eli were turned into vampires at a young age (Babette 10, Eli 11), and upon first entering the Sanctuary, Babette is telling a story of her last contract in which it is heavily alluded that she used her seemingly young age to beguile a pedophile into following her to a dark alley where she completed her contract by killing him. Let the Right One In has a pedophile character named Hakan who has a relationship with Eli.


 * Babette may also allude to Claudia, a child-turned-vampire from The Vampire Chronicles. Claudia is known in Interview with the Vampire to use her age to charm her victims. She also uses a poison of her own making to poison her "dark father" and gashes his throat, both techniques expected of an assassin in the Dark Brotherhood. The creation of her own poisons is also a connection to Babette being an alchemist.

The Headless Horseman



 * At night on the way to Northwatch Keep for the "Missing in Action" mission or on the way to the tomb of Ysgramor for the "Glory of the Dead" mission, you have a chance of encountering a spectral horseman without a head galloping toward you full tilt. He carries an axe on his back, which is likely a reference to Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". If you follow him, he takes you to a graveyard where there are several skeletons to fight and a Master chest. It contains several enchanted items.


 * You can also meet the horseman South-East of Morthal. He will lead you to Lost Valkygg roughly in between Labyrinthian and Skyborn Altar.


 * The Horseman has also been seen running through Dragon Bridge at night.
 * The Horseman has also been seen near Whiterun at night, during the Dragonborn's first transformation into a Werewolf.

Alice in Wonderland

 * When Sheogorath is first encountered he is conducting a teaparty in the middle of a forest, which is referencing the Mad Hatter (a fellow madman)'s tea parties. The palte nearest him also has a mammoth snout on it, and in the two Alice games snouts were collectible items.

A Song of Ice and Fire books

 * There is an NPC in Dawnstar named Horik Halfhand, a reference to the Qhorin Halfhand character in A Song of Ice and Fire.


 * This could also be a reference to Berek Halfhand, the mythical hero from "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever" series by Stephen R. Donaldson.
 * The character Mercer Frey share's the same last name with House Frey. Both also prove to be very untrustworthy and betray their allies.

Finntroll

 * Troll Slaying authored by Finn, is a possible reference to the folk metal band Finntroll from Helsinki Finland. The band got its name from an old Finnish legend where Swedish priests coming to Finland had an encounter with a wild-looking man who killed most of their party. The survivors came back bearing the tale of the Finn-Troll.

Warcraft

 * The Silver Hand werewolf hunters share their names with the order of Paladins from the Warcraft universe.

Historical References

 * The East Empire Company is a reference to the East India Company.


 * Sovngarde has very notable similarities to the Norse Valhalla.


 * The Poetic Edda sought by the Bards College reflects a collection of texts of the same name from Old Norse culture.
 * A mammoth can be found directly east of Frostflow Lighthouse, frozen into the side of a glacier with arrows and what appear to be prehistoric spears embedded in its hide.

Alduin's Wall

 * Alduin's Wall showcases events from the previous four games, such as:
 * The shattering of the Staff of Chaos from The Elder Scrolls I: Arena.
 * Numidium from The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
 * Red Mountain from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
 * An Oblivion Gate over the White Gold Tower from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

M'aiq the Liar

 * M'aiq reappears in Skyrim. He appeared in Morrowind and Oblivion, as an Easter Egg Basket of sorts for developers to comment on some of the game features that were removed, added, or were/are planned for the series as well as other RPG gaming community related remarks.

The Mortar and Pestle

 * In Dawnstar, there is a shop called the Mortar and Pestle that sells Alchemical supplies. This is a reference to the Mortar and Pestle alchemy apparatus used in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

 * During Sheogorath's quest, he tries to guess who the message you bring him is from. One of his picks was King Lysandus' ghost.


 * At the inn in Solitude, the bard sometimes plays the melody heard in the stores in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall.
 * If playing a Breton, Hadvar will guess the player is from the High Rock Kingdom of Daggerfall.
 * A quest for the Companions involves killing Glenmoril Witches to cure Lycanthropy. Glenmoril Witches, and their relation to lycanthropy's cure were first introduced in Daggerfall.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

 * Deep in Calcelmo's Dwemer Mueseum is a Dwemer Puzzle Cube. This is a reference to Morrowind's main questline where you had to find a Dwemer Puzzle Cube in Dwemer ruins outside of Balmora.


 * During the quest The Cure For Madness in the ice cave portion of the quest, you encounter a unique ice troll named Udefrykte which is a reference to The Udyrfrykte from Bloodmoon who bears a similar appearance and is also found in a similar location though their names are spelled slightly different. The Udyrfrykte in turn is likely a reference to Grendel in the epic Beowulf.
 * The artifact Keening from the main quest of Morrowind makes a return. Unlike in Morrowind, Keening can be used without Wraithguard with no ill effects.
 * A drug called Balmora Blue figures in a Thieves Guild quest, named after the town of Balmora from Morrowind.
 * There is now a volume 2 to The Lusty Argonian Maid, a book figuring prohiminently in Morrowind whose first volume was introduced there.
 * If you fail a persuasion check when first encountering Nelacar in the Azura's Star quest, he says "Right, now tell me the one about the Argonian maid and the lusty baron." This is a reference to the book from the Elder Scrolls series: The Lusty Argonian Maid. The same book exists in Skyrim, easily missed on a bookshelf amid burned and ruined books as well as found in Haelga's room in Haelga's Barracks in Riften.
 * A bar in the Grey Quarters of Windhelm is called New Gnisis Corner Club named after Gnisis from Morrowind, and the habit of the Dunmer to call taverns "Corner Clubs". Local nords will remark on the later. Incidently, Gnisis did not have a Corner Club.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

 * Lucien Lachance returns in Ghost form when you obtain the power "Summon Spectral Assassin".
 * Lucien will make several references to Oblivion's plot, especially to the Dark Brotherhood quests of Oblivion. These include mentioning the death of Uriel Septim VII, the story of Mathieu Bellamont and mentions of performing a "purification" on a Dark Brotherhood sanctuary, which includes how he is "more partial to apples" than the poison stew during the quest "To Kill An Empire".
 * One of the employers for the Dark Brotherhood is named Amaund Motierre. Francois Motierre hired the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion. Gabriella will remark that the Motierres are a powerful, old family of Bretons on Cyrodill. Both Motierres' missions involve a trip through a zombie-filled crypt.


 * Upon finding a Crimson Nirnroot (see bottom of the page) you start a quest named, "A Return To Your Roots" which is a reference to Oblivion's Nirnroot quest. Sinderion, the Altmer who was after Nirnroot in Oblivion, can be found by a Crimson Nirnroot, however he is dead and nothing but bones.


 * The Gray-Fox statue can be found in the blockaded house in Riften.


 * The husk of a giant mudcrab can be found within the plains surrounding Whiterun, continueing the giant mud crab tradition from prior games. It is however, very much dead upon discovery, unlike in Oblivion, where the giant mudcrab is alive and fightable. However, there is a quest were you have to fight the Guardian Mudcrab Spirit at that location.


 * In the Dark Brotherhood, if you read Cicero's Journal Volume 1, he writes; 27th of Rain's Hand, 4E 187 Completed the Arena contract. I ultimately decided to pose as a starstruck fan, and immediately got into the Grand Champion's good graces. While escorting the arrogant fool through the Great Forest, I slashed his throat and left the corpse for the bears. This is a reference to the Adoring Fan in Oblivion.


 * Shadowmere, the horse given to you in Oblivion by Lucien Lachance, is again given to you by Astrid during the Dark Brotherhood quests. If you have the spell "Summon Spectral Assassin" cast and Lucien is following you as the spectre, as he approaches Shadowmere he will say "Shadowmere, my old and dear friend."


 * When asking Elgrim about his store, he mentions that it is hard to get painted troll fat, an ingredient from Oblivion, only acquirable by painted trolls from the quest A Brush With Death.


 * In Riften, you can find a Dark Elf named Romlyn Dreth working for the Black-Briar's mead production, who is related to Valen Dreth, the Dark Elf prisoner in Oblivion who taunts the player character at the beginning of the game. At night, in the Bee and Barb, you can hear Romlyn tell fake stories about Valen and the Oblivion Crisis (example being how Valen single handedly killed 6 Imperial Guards before he was taken to jail.)

​
 * The Dark Brotherhood quest, "Where You Hang Your Enemy's Head" strongly resembles a quote made by Gogron gro-Bolmog from the Cheydinhal Sanctuary: "You know what they say-- Home is where you hang your enemy's head...."

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles

 * Inside Riften's Keep, in the court mage's room you may find a letter behind the counter, called "Per Your Note_location.jpgst". It is a response to a letter sent by Wylandriah, a female Bosmer, regarding the unexistance of a bunch of items that the mage asked for. One of the items is the infamous drug from the Isles called "Greenmote". Mirabelle assumes that Wylandriah has made a mistake, writting that Greenmote does not exist and that she miswrote "Greenspore".
 * This could also explain the mage's clumsiness and short memory.
 * Sheogorath has the same voice as his predecessor from Shivering Isles. He also makes references to Passwall and Haskill. He also refers to the plot of Shivering Isles when introducing himself, saying Sheogorath is a title that gets passed "From me to myself."

The Sweetroll Joke
A long running running joke in Bethesda games about sweetrolls can be found throughout the game.
 * Town guards will occasionally say, "Let me guess, someone stole your sweetroll?"
 * The item Sweetroll can be found throughout Skyrim as a normal food item, and sometimes placed in strange locations.
 * While following you, Cicero will sometimes say, "Cicero is hungry for a sweetroll..."
 * Children can rarely be heard saying, "Give me back my sweetroll!" while chasing each other around.
 * The Wabbajack can sometimes place a sweetroll behind the enemy causing them to turn around or rarely turn an enemy into a sweetroll.
 * The Jarl of Whiterun's daughter can be heard complaining that it is almost impossible to find a decent sweetroll in Whiterun.