Whiterun
Map
Province	Skyrim
Hold	Whiterun Hold
Jarl	Balgruuf the Greater

For this location in The Elder Scrolls: Arena, see Whiterun (Arena).

Whiterun is the capital city of Whiterun Hold, in the province of Skyrim. Whiterun is seen as the most “pure” Nordic city in Skyrim. In Whiterun, Nords live as they have for centuries: their lives are simple, harsh, and rooted in ancient traditions. Even the city’s fortifications—wooden and stone palisade walls and the sheer defensive advantage offered by its position on a large bluff that raises the city above the surrounding tundra—are archaic by contemporary standards. So while Windhelm may serve as the Stormcloaks’ center of operations in the Civil War, it is the culture of Whiterun that best exemplifies what it means to be a "True Nord".

Contents 1 History 2 Sociology 3 Allegiance 4 City layout 4.1 The Plains District 4.2 The Wind District 4.3 The Cloud District 5 Points of interest 5.1 Inns 5.2 Shops 5.3 Houses 5.4 Jarl's Residence 5.5 Other 5.6 Outside the City 6 Purchasable property 7 Characters 7.1 Clan Battle-Born 7.2 Clan Gray-Mane 7.3 The Companions 7.4 Dragonsreach 7.5 Followers 7.6 Merchants 7.7 Priests 7.8 Others 8 Gallery 9 Trivia 10 Bugs 11 Appearances 12 References

History

Whiterun is located on the eastern end of its Hold, in the tundra plains that fills the center of Skyrim. It was founded by Jeek of the River,^[1] who was the captain of Jorrvaskr.^[1]Upon discovery of the Skyforge, he and his men constructed the great mead hall of Jorrvaskr, which at the time was the sole structure on the bluff. Now, Whiterun is a large city, albeit one that retains the feel of a smaller Nord village. The central location and easy access make it one of the most successful cities in trade.

When approaching Whiterun, the towering fortress of Dragonsreach dominates the view. Its history can be traced back to the First Era, when King Olaf One-Eye subdued the great dragon Numinex in a legendary duel of Thu’ums atop Mount Anthor, and brought him back to the fledgling town as a captive. It was then that the magnificent keep was rebuilt and renamed to serve as a cage for Numinex, whose head still adorns the Great Hall.

Sociology

Whiterun was once considered Skyrim's equivalent of the Imperial City, but in recent times has suffered from many problems. The Civil War, excessively harsh winters, harassment by Horme bandits, and the attacks of Frost Trolls have diminished the once-proud city.^[2]

It's a strategic city for both the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks because of its central location, however Jarl Balgruuf the Greater remains neutral in the conflict.

The city is home to two important dynastic families, the Gray-Manes and the Battle-Borns. Once on good terms with one another, they are currently bitter enemies, as a result of their differing views on the civil war conflict, as well as the economic disparity between both clans, since the Battle-Borns are wealthy and the Gray-Manes are modest. Upon entering the city, the Dragonborn is able to choose a side, either Battle-Born or Gray-Mane, although this is not necessary to interact with the city's shops and temple.

Whiterun is home to The Companions, a faction similar to the Fighter's Guild of Cyrodiil. Their headquarters are in Jorrvaskr, a legendary mead hall that was built next to the Skyforge, an ancient forge that is said to be older than both men and Elves. The city of Whiterun itself was built around Jorrvaskr, which used to attract warriors from all across Tamriel. Due to The Companions' reputation for being over-glorified sellswords, Jorrvaskr is no longer held in such esteem as it once was.

Allegiance

Initially, Jarl Balgruuf claims that he has yet to decide who to join in the Civil War, making the city of Whiterun neutral, although he does claim to owe a favor to General Tullius, to whom he seems indebted. Balgruff also suggests he owes a favor to Ulfric Stormcloak. There are however several indicators that suggest Whiterun is leaning more towards the Empire:

• Tactical maps found throughout Skyrim list Whiterun as an Imperial controlled city.
• The Age of Aggression, a pro-Imperial song, is played in Whiterun Hold. This song is not present in Stormcloak territories.
• Balgruuf's brother, Hrongar comments "All this waiting around is rubbish, we should be taking the fight to the Stormcloaks," even before the Dragonborn joins the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks, further suggesting that Whiterun is with the Empire.
• Sometimes after attacking a Whiterun Guard they will say, "Fool! The Imperial Legion will have your blood!".
• The Guards carry Imperial Bows and Imperial Swords.

City layout

Whiterun is composed of three districts:

The Plains District

This is the first district any visitor to Whiterun enters, so named because it is the lowest of the three and therefore closest to the plains outside the city. It contains all the major merchants, the marketplace and Breezehome.

The Wind District

The Wind District is where most of Whiterun’s residential buildings (including the mead hall Jorrvaskr and the Gildergreen) are located and was named because of the strong mountain winds that gust through the area.

The Cloud District

The Cloud District is the smallest of Whiterun’s three districts. It was so named because it is located atop the bluff Whiterun was built on and is therefore closer to the clouds than any other. It is dominated by the imposing form of Dragonsreach.

Points of interest

Inns

• The Bannered Mare

Shops

• Skyforge
• Arcadia's Cauldron
• Belethor's General Goods
• The Drunken Huntsman
• Warmaiden's
• Whiterun Marketplace

Houses

• Amren's House
• Breezehome (For Sale)
• Ysolda's House
• Heimskr's House
• House of Clan Battle-Born
• House Gray-Mane
• Olava the Feeble's House
• Severio Pelagia's House
• Uthgerd's House
• Carlotta Valentia's House

Jarl's Residence

• Dragonsreach

Other

• Gildergreen
• Hall of the Dead
• Jorrvaskr
• Temple of Kynareth

Outside the City

• Battle-Born Farm
• Chillfurrow Farm
• Pelagia Farm
• Whiterun Stables
• Honningbrew Meadery

Purchasable property

Breezehome, the house in Whiterun, costs 5000 and can be bought from the steward after the Jarl grants permission, in gratitude for retrieving the Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow. The seller is either Proventus Avenicci or Brill, depending on who remains Jarl after the Skyrim Civil War. Earning approval requires the performance of certain tasks around the city. You can also buy the decorations for your home from the Steward, such as a laboratory and storage space.

Characters

The Companions

Clan Battle-Born
Alfhild Battle-Born
Bergritte Battle-Born
Idolaf Battle-Born
Jon Battle-Born
Lars Battle-Born
Olfrid Battle-Born
Clan Gray-Mane I-Eorlund Gray-Mane
Fralia Gray-Mane
Olfina Gray-Mane
Thorald Gray-Mane
Vignar Gray-Mane
Aela the Huntress
Athis
Brill
Farkas
Kodlak Whitemane
Njada Stonearm
Ria
Skjor
Torvar
Vignar Gray-Mane
Vilkas

Dragonsreach
Farengar Secret-Fire
Irileth
Jarl Balgruuf the Greater
Proventus Avenicci
Lydia
Followers
Jenassa
Uthgerd the Unbroken
Lydia
Merchants
Adrianne Avenicci
Arcadia
Belethor
Carlotta Valentia
Eorlund Gray-Mane
Farengar Secret-Fire
Fralia Gray-Mane
Ulfberth War-Bear
Priests
Acolyte Jenssen
Andurs
Danica Pure-Spring
Heimskr (Priest of Talos)

Others
Ahlam
Amren
Anoriath
Braith
Brenuin
Commander Caius
Dagny
Elrindir
Eimar (appears after Dampened Spirits)
Fianna
Frothar
Gerda
Hrongar
Hulda
Maurice Jondrelle
Mikael
Mila Valentia
Nazeem
Nelkir
Olava the Feeble
Saadia
Saffir
Sigurd
Sinmir
Skulvar Sable-Hilt
Tilma the Haggard
Ysolda

Gallery

Trivia

• Dragons may attack and kill the inhabitants in Whiterun.
• Whiterun is home to Skyrim's only temple of Kynareth. This is due to the Gildergreen's presence in the town square.^[3]
• There is a skeleton floating in the moat underneath the bridge leading from Dragonsreach, there is no reason or story as to why it is there. When searched, a few pieces of gold can be found.
• Despite being neutral, the guards offer Imperial Legion friendly dialogue to the player when wearing Stormcloak/Imperial armor.
• Whiterun bears a striking resemblance to Edoras, the capital of the Rohan territory in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The architecture and decorations are similar, as is the city emblem of a horse.
• With the Dawnguard add-on downloaded, vampires will randomly attack the town, at level 10.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Whiterun (Skyrim). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Confirm all bugs with other editors on the talk page before adding them below. Always try reloading an old save first, before asking for assistance. Don't discuss possible bug fixes or origins. Leave those and all other first-person-anecdotes on the talk page, not the article. Always add  360  ,  PS3  , and  PC   to clarify which system the bug appears on.

Click to see the list of bugs encountered

360   PC  It is possible to get underneath/outside of Whiterun. This can be done by jumping on top of Carlotta Valentia's house via the walkway on the western wall. From there, climb to the eastmost v-shaped support strut that looks like a double dragon head on top of the roof. Then jump on top of the wall dividing the town. Walk west, and you'll fall through it. Using Become Ethereal or restoration spells are recommended here to prevent death by fall damage. Another way of getting out of Whiterun is to head to the Skyforge, whirlwind sprint onto Jorrvaskr, jump on the roof, head to the southern end of the roof of the building, then whirlwind sprint onto a intersection between two walls, then drop down outside of the map. Underneath the city, several Do Not Delete chests can be found. Known accessible chests are located underneath Skyforge and Carlotta's stall. There are two visible chests underneath Fralia Gray Mane's and Anoraiath's stalls. Killing cows inside Whiterun may result in you receiving bounty in Winterhold. After entering the city, to the left there is a storm drain. If you walk past by the guard's house the texture will change from shallow rushing water to deep water.  360  It seems at some points the platform around the Underforge and the Skyforge will disappear and prevent entrance to the Underforge. One fix is to leave Whiterun altogether and then re-enter or simply load a previous save. When near Dragonsreach, if the play goes to the left of the building, heading towards the rocks will hide your character inside Dragonsreach walls. If you have completed the "Battle For Whiterun" quest the Dragonborn's thane status is taken away but can be re-achieved.  PC   360   PS3  Completing "Battle for Whiterun" may add a large bounty for Severio Pelagia's death from the catapults fireballs, although he cannot be saved and is not directly attacked.  360   Upon entering the city at Whiterun Sstables, after completing the quest "Promises To Keep", up to three or four Louis Letrush's can spawn there. Another easier way to get out of the city is as soon as entering whiterun, you make a right and go a little ways and make another right into the small space that is surrounded by walls, jump up on top of the barrel and facing the wall farthest away from the barrel jump and try getting into the small hole, this takes a few tries but after succeeding climb across the wall and get outside of the hole, from there follow the wall and when you see an incline with an invisible ground go up it and make a left and you should be able to go through the rocks and access eurlend gray manes chest containing all of his items.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls: Arena (First appearance)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

References

Skyrim Locations
Cities	Dawnstar • Falkreath • Markarth • Morthal • Riften • Solitude • Whiterun • Windhelm • Winterhold
Holds	Eastmarch • Falkreath Hold • Haafingar • Hjaalmarch • The Pale The Reach • The Rift • Winterhold Hold • Whiterun Hold

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