Yngol Barrow is an ancient Nordic tomb in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Location[]
It is an ice-filled tomb located northeast of Windhelm on the south side of the river bank. It contains draugr and adept-level chests.
Interior[]
The area contains a puzzle door that requires the coral dragon claw to open, which can be found either from Birna in Winterhold at her general goods store next to the Jarl's Longhouse, or within the barrow itself, located on a pedestal past a puzzle room. If one obtains the quest to retrieve the Helm of Winterhold from this destination before talking to Birna and obtaining the coral dragon claw from her, and instead obtain the claw from within the barrow, then one can still return to Birna and receive the second claw for a modest price. However, that will not start a second quest, and returning to the barrow at that point shows things are exactly as they were left.
If the Dragonborn has started the quest for the Helm of Yngol, then the final room contains Yngol's Shade, an undead wielding a leveled ancient Nord or ebony weapon; it appears to use Frost Breath and Disarm as its choices in the Thu'um. Upon defeating Yngol, the exit can be unlocked by removing the Helm of Yngol from the skeleton seated in the chair. Yngol Barrow is used for multiple quests, and the enemies within may vary depending upon which quests, if any, are active. Yngol's Shade may not always appear, instead being replaced by a draugr death overlord or an unmasked dragon priest. The rest of the barrow may also be either filled with draugr or completely empty before the final room.
While exploring the interior of Yngol Barrow, the Dragonborn will encounter several eerie light orbs. They will follow them around, but are completely harmless. They tweet lightly and roll from room to room often bouncing or coming out of holes and cracks in the wall and ceilings, before pouring out of the puzzle door. They will follow after the Dragonborn, even if no draugr are awakened or present.
In the room with the bridge over shallow water, there is a chest and a burial urn under the water on the left hand side.
Pillar puzzle[]
The Dragonborn will come across the corpse of a scholar and a pillar puzzle early in the dungeon. The scholar's corpse contains a book titled Notes on Yngol Barrow. It appears he had discovered the barrow in his travels and had been transcribing the Nordic carvings in the cave for the College of Winterhold. The notes provide the key to the pillar puzzle:
| Riddle | Solution |
|---|---|
| Man in his throne, so should he be | Sit on the throne after you complete the correct Pillars below or just leave the skull there. |
| Whale in the Sea, so should he be | Whale where the waterfall is bottom right Pillar next to the throne. |
| Eagle in Sun's Sky, so should he be | Hawk where there is light from outside beaming in, top left Pillar. |
| Snake in the weed, so should he be | Snake where grass has grown around, bottom left Pillar. |
Door puzzle[]
Activating the lever now opens the gate, revealing a Coral Dragon Claw on a pedestal. If one has already obtained the claw from Winterhold, it will not be there. The Coral Claw is used to open the puzzle door and contains a clue to the sequence.
Its order is (top to bottom): Snake, Wolf, Moth.
Quests[]
- This is one of the possible locations in which the Helm of Winterhold may be found for the miscellaneous quest initiated by Jarl Korir of Winterhold
- This is one of the possible locations in which Azra's Staff may be found for the quest initiated by Neloth at Tel Mithryn
- The quest to find the Helm of Yngol
- Dungeon quest: Ashore in a Sea of Ghosts
- A location of the Ring of the Beast in Rings of Blood Magic
- Meridia's Beacon may be found here.
- This is one of the possible locations for Ancient Power
- Fetch Me That Book!
Notable items[]
Enemies[]
The following enemies appear depending on one's active quest:
- Draugr Death Lord or Dragon Priest (Retrieving the Helm of Winterhold)
- Yngol Shade (Retrieving the Helm of Yngol)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- It is possible to defeat Yngol's Shade without ever entering a fight. To do this, enter the Barrow via the exit (it is a door facing the eastern sea, and usually guarded by a frost troll), head down the steps in the tower, and then sneak and snipe Yngol from the spaces in the gate. As Yngol's Shade cannot open the gate (it is only opened by taking his helm from his skeleton), it is possible to kill his shade from the other side of the gate without taking any damage from him. Note, however, that a bow and arrows must be used, or precision spells such as Firebolt, Ice Spike, Lightning Bolt or their "stream" counterparts (i.e., Flames, etc.) to get through the gaps. To then get the loot from within the Barrow, exit back through the tower and enter the normal way.
- Although the book Yngol and the Sea-Ghosts states that Yngol Barrow was dug "far below the rocky face of Hsaarik Head," this is incorrect, as maps of Skyrim indicate that Hsaarik Head is the bluff on which Winterhold was built. Owing to the Great Collapse, Hsaarik Head would have been further out into the Sea of Ghosts at the time of Ysgramor's landing. Ysgramor's Tomb can be found on an island northwest of Winterhold.
Bugs[]
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This section contains bugs related to Yngol Barrow. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:
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| Click to see the list of bugs encountered |
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