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)

Alice in Wonderland

 * When Sheogorath is first encountered he is conducting a tea party in the middle of a forest, which is referencing the Mad Hatter (a fellow madman)'s tea parties. The plate nearest Sheogorath also has a mammoth snout on it, and in the American Mcgee's Alice, and Alice: Madness returns video games snouts serve as collectible items.

Army of Darkness

 * At the beginning of the game when you get off the cart and into Helgen, one of the other prisoners (the one in front) is adamant that he is innocent, "No, I'm not a rebel, you can't do this!" which is a reference to Henry the Red's men in the Army of Darkness, in which one of his men say a similar line and run away, and also get killed by bow and arrow.

Beowulf (Norse Myth)

 * High Hrothgar is a reference to the character Hrothgar from the epic poem "Beowulf". He was a real Danish king who reigned in the early sixth century, who also appears in the legend of Beowulf and Grendel.

The Bourne Series

 * The Black Briar clan in Riften may be an allude to the Bourne series of books and movies.

Cartoon Network

 * Finn's Lute is a reference to the Cartoon Network show, "Adventure Time", in which one of the main characters "Finn" was seen playing a Lute and singing a song about his lute suit.

Choose Your Own Adventure

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

The Clive Barker Connection

 * In Riften, you can receive a small box called the Lexicon for the quest Unfathomable Depths from an Argonian named From-Deepest-Fathoms, who is more than happy to get rid of it. The Lexicon strongly resembles the Lament Configuration (the puzzle box) from the "Hellraiser" horror movie series.


 * In the lair of the Dark Brotherhood the little girl named Babette is an Easter egg to a little girl in the movie "Nightbreed".

Fallout Series

 * In many areas of the game, there are both Ruined Books and Burned Books. This is a reference to all of the books of the same kind in both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.
 * Guards in Various towns will occasionally say "Let me guess, someone stole your sweetroll?" This is a running joke in Bethesda games.
 * The priest worshipping Talos in Whiterun shares many similarities to Confessor Cromwell in Megaton, Fallout 3.

Galaxy Quest

 * As you walk into an inn, two people who work there are talking about the smell of the cellar. One says "It smells like a foreign animal was turned inside out, and then exploded!" Clearly a reference to Galaxy Quest.

The Hangover

 * The quest A Night to Remember could be an allusion to first The Hangover movie in that you wake up after a night of heavy drinking, not knowing where you are, and having to follow your footsteps back through all of Skyrim learning you stole a prize goat off a farm, were planning to get married to a girl you met that night, and that you trashed a shrine.

The Headless Horseman



 * At night on the way to Northwatch Keep for the "Missing in Action " 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 Hamvir's Rest where there are several skeletons to fight and a chest which is Master lock pick. It contains several enchanted items. He also, ignores you and will very rarely say "Finality", which is weird because he doesn't have a head and you can't talk to him. Also he says "Such an abrupt end to our game" or something like that.Perhaps "finality" is a play on a reference to the word fatality from Mortal Kombat in which a decapitation would be an abrupt end to a match. the actual definition of finality 1. the condition or quality of being final or settled; conclusiveness the finality of death 2. a final or conclusive act

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 random Sword in the top stone, which is a reference to the sword in the stone in the legend of King Arthur.
 * Slightly Northeast of Bleakwind Basin, there is a pond with a skeletal arm holding a steel sword coming out of it, which is a reference to the lady in the lake in the legend of King Arthur.
 * Dragonsreach in Whiterun may be a reference to the current BBC series of Merlin, which has previously featured a dragon that had been captured and kept in the caves below the castle, which is also part of the background for Dragonsreach. Olaf who brings the dragon to the Dragonsreach was a dragonborn which is referring to Dragonlords who brings the great dragon to Camelot in the Merlin series.Also the protagonist of both is connected to dragons.

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 Håkan 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.

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.


 * The city of Whiterun is also very similar in appearance to Edoras (the capital of Rohan) from the Lord of the Rings.

Minecraft Reference

 * On the top of The Throat of the World, one can find the Notched Pickaxe, the first time this has appeared in the series.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

 * During Roggvir's execution, he yells "Get on with it!". This is possibly a reference to the Castle Anthrax scene.
 * When fighting, people occasionally yell, "It's just a scratch!" The Black Knight responds with "'Tis but a flesh wound" after his arm is cut off.

Poltergeist



 * After completing the mission The House of Horrors go to the kitchen and look at the table. The chairs are stacked on the table like the chairs seen in the movie "Poltergeist".

Spaceballs

 * In the Thieves Guild there is a thief named Rune. Speak to him about his name and he will tell you a story that is a reference to the scene where Lone Star tells princess Vespa about his pendant.

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."

Star Wars Reference
Inside Bleakcoast Cave, there is a skeleton hanging upside down from the ceiling. Below the skeleton is a glowing sword. This may reference Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back when Luke was caught on Hoth and hung from the cavern ceiling. The sword below would represent his lightsaber.
 * The same reference appeared in Bloodmoon.
 * When meeting Delphine to get the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, you have the option to say "I was expecting someone taller", a reference to when Luke rescues Leia from the Death Star.
 * The companion Lydia will comment "I have a bad feeling about this..." commonly while exploring the end of a dungeon or approaching a boss fight.

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. A similar reference appeared in Oblivion. The Troll is also unlootable.

The Wheel of Time

 * One of the checkpoints is Mount Althor - complete with a dragon. This may be a reference to Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, born on Dragonmount, from the Wheel of Time.

Historical References

 * The East Empire Company is a branch of Morrowind's East Empire Company in Ebonheart. It is probably a reference to the British East India Company.
 * The Imperial forces of Skyrim take heavy inspiration from the armies of the historical Roman Empire, both in their uniforms and military titles (legionnaire, quaestor, prefect)

M'aiq the Liar

 * M'aiq reappears in Skyrim. He appeared in Morrowind and Oblivion, as an Easter Egg for developers to comment on some of the requested features that were removed or added.

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

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The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

 * Some NPCs in the game comment "Let me guess, someone stole your sweetroll." or something along those lines, this is a clear reference to Fallout 3 where the bully at your birthday party demands you hand over your sweetroll that was given to you as a gift. The Fallout event is, in turn, a reference to the character creation process in the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, wherein the player character is asked how they would react to a bully stealing their sweetroll in order to determine the player's class. The stolen sweetroll is thus a long-running Bethesda joke. It can also be found when creating your character in "Daggerfall", the second Elder Scrolls game Bethesda released.
 * Some of the characters, when in combat, occasionally yell "Nerevar guide me", a reference to the hero from Morrowind of whom the Nerevarine is a reincarnation of.
 * Some of the characters (particularly Dunmer human characters (e.g. Dunmer Necromancers) will sometimes say "Filthy N'Wah" in battle, an Easter Egg of a common combat phrase in the game.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

 * Lucien Lachance returns in Ghost form when you obtain the power "Summon Spectral Assassin".
 * 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.
 * The Bust of the Gray Fox can be found in the Mercer Frey's house Riftweald Manor in Riften.
 * The husk of a giant Mudcrab can be found within the plains surrounding Whiterun, continuing the giant mud crab tradition from prior games. This giant mudcrab can be found in a small pond directly southeast from Gjulkar's Monument. It is, however, very much dead upon discovery, There is also a live giant mudcrab on the small island in Mara's Eye Pond.
 * 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. There is also a reference to the purification of the Cheydinhall Sanctuary, which the player is responsible for.
 * 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.
 * If it's a clear day and you're at a high enough elevation along the southern border of Skyrim, you can see the White Gold Tower in Cyrodiil. You may have to use console commands to remove collision and 'fly' up to an elevation high enough to see the tower.
 * A courier will give you a pamphlet about the opening of a museum in Dawnstar, the curator of the museum will give you a quest to retrieve the pieces of Mehrunes' razor which was DLC from Oblivion.