Kodlak Whitemane

Kodlak Whitemane is Harbinger of The Companions. As Harbinger, he does not give orders but his word is highly respected, both in Jorrvaskr and across all nine Holds of Skyrim. Kodlak is also a member of The Circle though he wishes to be rid of his Werewolf powers. Upon death, a Werewolf's soul goes to the daedric lord Hircine 's hunting grounds. Kodlak does not wish for this, and instead wants his soul to go to Sovngarde.

If you completed the Companions questline and became Harbinger, after cleansing Kodlak of his Lycanthropy you will see him in Sovngarde among the other lost spirits that are trapped in the mist formed by Alduin.

Background
For 20 years, Kodlak has commanded The Companions, balancing his tactical skill, ferocity in combat, and commanding presence. But those days are drawing to a close. A year ago, Kodlak contracted the rot and his condition has rapidly deteriorated. He has become weak in body, and his frustration shows. He's taken to locking himself behind closed doors, poring over old documents, desperate to cure himself of Lycanthropy.

Just before the arrival of the Dragonborn, a dream came to Kodlak. As he describes in his journal, he dreamed of Tsun denying the former Harbringers access to Shor's Hall, where honored heroes gather. One by one, their wolf spirit drags them to Hircine, to hunt with him forever. Kodlak helplessly watches as his turn comes and his beast attacks him. However, a stranger arrives to protect him. This person drives back the beast and saves his soul. After seeing the player for the first time, Kodlak recognises him as that person and allows him to become a Companion.

Quests

 * Take Up Arms
 * Blood's Honor
 * Glory of the Dead

Personality
Kodlak Whitemane proves to be a benign and wise individual for such a rowdy group. As Harbringer, he is the one that helps channel the Companion's skills in a way that can benefit Skyrim's people, rather than leaving them to brawl and drink all day long. His wisdom is respected throught the nine holds as well. When the player firsts meets Kodlak, he is in his twilight years. He has lost his will to win glory in battle, partially because his body cannot allow it. He hints annoyance at this limitation, but he never openly complains.

Kodlak proves to be very wise and perceptive. He see the dragonborn's potential instantly, ignoring the fact he had seen him in a dream. His awareness is also very clear when he discovers the secret campaign to avenge Skjor. He informs the Dragonborn that the circle of retribution will turn on them and that they have taken more blood than honorable. Kodlak's foresight is proved correct at the Silver Hand's attack on Jorrvaskr. his observation on honor is very definitve too. While he greives at Skjor's loss, he does not condone unnecessary bloodshed as it is dishonorable. He explains how wrong it can be to react in fury and grief. And he follows this statement. Even with his stern disapproval, Kodlak is not angry with the player's actions and gives him a chance to redeem himself.

Stoic in disposition, Kodlak can be very withdrawn at times. During the storyline, we learn why. He is haunted by the thought of joining Hircine in the afterlife. As a true Nord, he wishes to go to Sovngarde. However, with the curse upon him, he cannot, and he persistently devotes his time to trying to find a cure. In his journal, he explains how he saw this in a dream, how each Companion was dragged to Hircine by his own wolf spirit. However, Kodlak see the Dragonborn save him in his dream. Kodlak writes how his insticts don't fail him, and he ensure the Dragonborn's entry into the guild, in the hope that he will find the salvation he devoted his life to.

Trivia

 * When performing the quest Glory of the Dead, you are sent to retrieve the last shard of Wuuthrad from Kodlak's end table. There you can also find Kodlak's Journal, where you can learn Kodlak's thoughts on you and other members of the Circle as you progress through the story of the Companion's main quest line.
 * Kodlak's name is most likely drawn from the word "vukodlak", which means "werewolf" in some Slavic languages such as Czech, Bosnian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Croatien etc.
 * If you have completed the Companion's main quest line, and then go to Sovngarde, Kodlak Whitemane can be found there.
 * After completing the quest Glory of the Dead, Kodlak's spirit will mention a "great harrowing," a gathering of the heroes of Sovngarde to rescue the werewolves in Hircine's hunting ground. Note that no such quest exists at this time.
 * If you run ahead of the Heroes of the Dragon War to face Alduin alone, it is possible that Kodlak will charge in to assist you in fighting him.
 * Kodlak is never seen equiped with a weapon. But upon arriving back to Jorrvaskr after the Silver Hand attack, a steel war hammer can be seen next to Kodlak, indicating he used it to battle the Silver Hand
 * If you steal something in front of Kodlak, he will start punching you until you yield.

Bugs

 * Sometimes after completing the Proving Honor quest, there will be no conversation option about the werewolves. Apparently you must have the The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller quest unfinished to trigger this bug.
 * Sometimes when Kodlak Whitemane dies you will not be able to loot his body. Although this is a very common bug it will automatically fix itself if you decide to leave before talking to a member of the Circle.

Kodlak Whitemane