Summary
- There’s new Skyrim lore to be found on the Bethesda merch store.
- We now know that a figure named Rasman the Red was the first ever Thane of Whiterun.
- We also know what the horse on Whiterun’s banner represents.
It’s not every day that someone discovers new lore about Skyrim, so we’re eternally grateful to Twitch streamer TESbenefactor for uncovering these secrets in an unlikely location, the Bethesda Merchandise Store (nice spot, GamesRadar+).
Currently on sale for $49 at the Bethesda merch store, the Elder Scrolls Whiterun Honorary Whiterun Citizen Chest is a small metal box containing previously unknown secrets. There’s a necklace, a banner, a map of Whiterun and a neatly written letter from Jarl Balgruuf.
Jarl Ballin’
The letter names you, the Dragonborn, a Thane of Whiterun and provides a bit of previously unknown lore. The medallion dates back to the time of Rasman the Red, apparently the first-ever Thane of Whiterun. I’m sure this particular warrior was worthy of the title, and nothing like that braggart Ragnar the Red who met a grisly fate at the hands of the shield-maiden Matilda. Only two of these medallions were forged, with Balgruuf possessing one and you (and everyone else who forked over $49) possessing the other.
We also learned the horse that appears on Whiterun’s banner “represents freedom, nobility, strength, and loyalty.” Additionally, Jarl Olaf One-Eye, whose spirit I quite easily dispatched in Dead Men’s Respite, minted commemorative coins to celebrate his victory over the dragon Numinex. It’s Numinex’s skull that hangs over the throne at Dragonsreach, having been placed there after his death in captivity.
TESBenefactor claims, in their Tweet, that Jarl Balgruuf has “horrible handwriting.” Yes, his signature is a bit juvenile in appearance but the handwriting on the letter is legible and quite nice. There’s a chance that Proventus transcribed the letter and Balgruuf merely signed it, but I like to think that the Jarl sat down and wrote this letter to me personally. After all, I saved Whiterun from a dragon and currently hold the largest concentration of wealth in Skyrim in a barrel in Breezehome. Also, I’m the Archmage, Harbinger, Listener and Gray Fox… I mean Guildmaster. So, that’s got to count for something too.
The new lore might be minor but it’s neat that we can still learn things about Skyrim after over a decade since release.
One of the all-time greats, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim redefined the concept of the Western RPG. With countless awards under its belt and releases on almost every platform imaginable, you’ll find yourself engrossed in a colossal open world in your role as the Dragonborn. You must face your destiny and save the land from a formidable foe.