Holds

Map of Skyrim.

Holds are the 9 administrative divisions of Skyrim.

Each of the nine Holds is governed by a Jarl who resides in the Hold's capital city. The Jarls are largely independent, but swear fealty to Skyrim's High King, who in turn swears fealty to the Emperor.

Each Hold also employs their own guards, who can be identified by the color of their uniform and the Hold symbol they bear on their shields.

Given the independent nature of governance, crimes are tracked independently by each Hold, and a criminal who is wanted in one Hold may have no bounty in another.

Old Holds

Winterhold, Eastmarch, The Rift and The Pale are known collectively as the "Old Holds" and have remained more isolated - not only from a geographic standpoint, but a political one as well given that they are all initially aligned with the Stormcloaks during the civil war .

The Holds of Skyrim

Hold	Capital	Jarl	Allegiance
Eastmarch	Windhelm	Ulfric Stormcloak	Stormcloak
Falkreath	Falkreath	Siddgeir	Imperial
Haafingar	Solitude	Elisif the Fair	Imperial
Hjaalmarch	Morthal	Idgrod Ravencrone	Imperial
The Pale	Dawnstar	Skald the Elder	Stormcloak
The Reach	Markarth	Igmund	Imperial
The Rift	Riften	Laila Law-Giver	Stormcloak
Winterhold	Winterhold	Korir	Stormcloak
Whiterun	Whiterun	Balgruuf the Greater	Neutral

Footnotes

   5. When taking a carriage to a hold, holds that have no walls (Falkreath, Morthal, Dawnstar, and Winterhold) cost 50 gold, where as those with walls cost 20 gold.

Also See

• County

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim