Elder Scrolls
Register
Advertisement
Elder Scrolls

"If you love history, you're in the right place. Skyrim is steeped in it."
―Giraud Gemane[src]

Giraud Gemane is the Breton Dean of History at the Bards College in Solitude, and the author of Songs of Skyrim and Songs of Skyrim: Revised. He also teaches Speech at Master level.

Interactions[]

Investigate the Bard's College[]

Asking any Bard in Skyrim about where they learned their craft will result in their pointing the Dragonborn towards Solitude, where they can potentially become a member of the College. Viarmo is the man spoken to before gaining admittance, which leads the Dragonborn to locate the last remaining copy of King Olaf's Verse.

Rjorn's Drum[]

After the Burning of King Olaf, Giraud sends the Dragonborn to locate Rjorn's Drum. After returning the Drum, he increases the skills Block, Archery, One-Handed, Two-Handed, Smithing and Heavy Armor each by one point.

Tending the Flames[]

Giraud believes that King Olaf's Verse is in Dead Men's Respite, and speaks of this to the Dragonborn during the quest.

Dialogue[]

Tending the Flames[]

"Good to meet a prospective bard."

Viarmo said you could tell me about the Poetic Edda. "He's sending you after King Olaf's Verse then? That's good, we shouldn't leave it lying around now that I've figured out where it is. The Verse was Svaknir's contribution to the Poetic Edda, the living history of Skyrim. Each bard adds to the Edda in his or her time."
So King Olaf's Verse is a lost part of the Edda? "And a very ancient one. The verse criticized the reigning King Olaf. He was so incensed the bard was put to death and all the copies burned. At least, that's what we thought until I translated some ancient texts a year or so ago. We now believe King Olaf buried the truth with the bard. If I'm right Svaknir and King Olaf's Verse lie in Dead Man's Respite, along with the burial chamber of King Olaf himself."

"Be careful, you might find more than just King Olaf's Verse in Dead Man's Respite."

Rjorn's Drum[]

"They found it! They actually found it!"

What did they find? "Rjorn's drum! Nobody knows where he died, and therefore where his drum might be. Halldir was the missing link. Rjorn entered Halldir's Cairn in secret, and presumably died there. Now all I need to do is find someone to get it. Wait. You. You could do it. I need you to get me that drum."
Who's Rjorn and why do you want his Drum? "You're joking, right? Rjorn? Only the most famous battle drummer of the second age. Well, famous among bards at least. That drum has been in half a dozen famous battles. It's a priceless artifact. Rjorn was always looking for new stories to tell. It seems he was writing a lay about Halldir when he vanished. That was the missing clue."

(After retrieving the Drum)
I have Rjorn's Drum. "At last! I have searched for this drum for 20 years. The college treasury is a bit thin right now. But I can show you some tricks I learned from my days with the army."

Conversations[]

Illdi's poem[]

Giraud: "Pardon me, but I trust you've been working on your poem, on the classical heroes of Skyrim, yes?"
Illdi: "Why do we always focus on retelling the old stories? There are so many new stories being made, right now..."
Giraud: "Patience, Illdi. We study the heroes of the past so we can have better understanding of the heroes of today... and tomorrow."

Jorn's poem[]

Giraud: "Pardon me, but I trust you've been working on your poem, on the classical heroes of Skyrim, yes?"
Jorn: "Yes sir, Professor Gemane! It's a war epic about Hoag Merkiller's last stand!"
Giraud: "I'm sure it will be fine, just don't be late."

Aia's poem[]

Giraud: "Pardon me, but I trust you've been working on your poem, on the classical heroes of Skyrim, yes?"
Aia: "Must it be written? Poetry is so dull when it isn't set to music."
Giraud: "I'm sure it will be fine, just don't be late."

Note: the preceding conversations are never exchanged in-game, due to a bug.[2]

Giraud's students[]

Viarmo: "How are your students coming along?"
Giraud: "Bunch of distractions, if you ask me. They just interrupt the rest of my work."
Viarmo: "I'm sorry to break it to you, Giraud, but students are an unfortunate necessity of a college. Do try to persevere."
Giraud: "Yes, Headmaster."

Quotes[]

  • "My position, Dean of History, actually covers a wide range of subjects. I teach poetry, writing, history, and the finer points of court life."
  • "What a fascinating time to be alive. Mark me, these days will be remembered long after we're gone."
  • "If you love history, you're in the right place. Skyrim is steeped in it."

Bibliography[]

Trivia[]

  • He has a Potion of Lasting Potency in his room at the Bards College.
  • If someone within the College is killed, Gemane may send the murderer a note, saying the murdered person will not be missed.
  • It is possible to receive a radiant quest that requires the Dragonborn to bring a book to him.

Bugs[]

This section contains bugs related to Giraud Gemane. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

  1. Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening.
  2. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
  3. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.
  • The option to train with Giraud may not be available after finding and/or returning Rjorn's Drum.

Appearances[]

References[]

Advertisement