The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim packs a lot of game into its fairly slim install space. It might be a couple of years old now, but players old and new are still finding new content, and, crucially, trying to decipher the game’s mysteries like medieval Humphrey Bogarts. You see, while the game may not deal with espionage, that doesn’t mean players are satisfied by the explanations or lack thereof that the game gives them for certain issues. In certain communities, like Reddit’s /r/fantheories, players are making virtual connections, putting photos on a pinboard, and drawing them together with red Tamriel yarn. The TES universe’s deeper mysteries are enveloped in arcane words and phrases, like CHIM, Nirn, and, of course, the titular elder scrolls. Was the Dwemer disappearance an inside job? Is the Dragonborn a literal god? And has a certain untrustworthy Khajiit actually achieved enlightenment, like some fraudulent Buddha, proving the road to Nirvana is in fact paved with, well, lies?

In this list, I’m going to dive headlong into these mysteries and more, giving you a glimpse into the theories that eagle-eyed players have come up with based on their hours in the games. From apocalyptic rituals to shared universes to hidden nationwide calcium deficiencies, you’ll find it all here. Are you a truthseeker? Then read on, and together, we’ll find the (real and questionable) secrets hidden in Skyrim. Let’s see what this world truly has to offer, when you dig beneath the surface, and open your eyes, maaaan.

15 Skyrim Is An Elder Scroll

Now isn’t this meta? If you didn't know, the titular Elder Scrolls are prophetic pieces of parchment that contain the events of each game in the Elder Scrolls series. They effectively cover every possible eventuality that has been and ever will be. One poster on /r/fantheories, korrt106, came up with the idea that the games themselves are actually the Elder Scrolls. The games give you tons of opportunities, not only in how you build your character, but how they act, from the grand to the mundane. Every person will do things differently, but crucially, using the same world, and with the same opportunities, like a gaming multiverse! To expand on it a little, you could see subsequent replays, different characters, etc, as essentially a re-reading of the scroll. We're all apparently learned scholars. Who knew?

14 The Dragonborn Is Destined To Be The Dragon Priest Konahrik

Enter the Bromjunaar Sanctuary wearing a wooden mask, and you’ll be sent back in time to when the sanctuary was intact. Collect the masks of the Dragon Priests, by, uh, killing them, and place them on the shrine, and the final mask will unlock, Konahrik. Weirdly, there is no representative of Konahrik. Reddit user Whybotherr theorizes that it seems likely the priests instead chose Konahrik themselves, and they all had to be present before doing so. Their masks effectively functioned like King Arthur’s arboreal prison, allowing them to return when a worthy successor presented themselves. The wooden mask is to be left for those who are worthy, allowing them to access the shrine, and become Konahrik. With the Dragonborn already apparently being destined to be the big boss of pretty much every organization in-game, this theory would not seem too surprising.

13 The Dragonborn Wasn’t Born Normally

In previous Elder Scrolls games, the hero has traditionally picked a birthsign to give them various boosts throughout their adventure. However, in Skyrim, this is not the case. Instead, you have to march your way to various standing stones across the world, which give you these bonuses instead, basically letting you choose your own star sign. One Reddit user, ThalmorInquisitor, has put forward then theory that this is because the Dragonborn was never actually born normally. Add to this the fact that your name isn’t on the prisoner manifest at the start of the game, and they theorize that in fact, you basically just came into being. After all, if CHIM can cause someone to just be removed from existence, what’s stopping someone from being created just as easily?

12 Jarred Bugs Are Doomsday Devices

Entomologists everywhere, beware! Your doom may lie in specimen jars! According to one theory, the trapped bugs which you can occasionally find across Skyrim’s frigid landscape hold the secret to the apocalypse. All the jars have runes on them, which, when deciphered, have been interpreted variously. Some see the five jars as being connected to five cities: Morthal, Whiterun, Winterhold, Dawnstar, and Windhelm, which form a pentagon, with a smaller pentagon inside it made up of dragon sanctuaries and other locations. It’s theorized that were the bugs placed in the cities, the inhabitants and dragons killed, and a summoning ritual carried out, the end would come. Others see it as being part of the Thalmor conspiracy, aiming to destroy eight towers keeping Skyrim safe. Others simply see the jars runes as being an in-joke, or developers’ initials. Maybe that’s what they want you to think?

11 The Dragonborn May Be An Avatar Of Talos

Like in other Elder Scrolls games, the protagonist is something of a blank slate, able to be as nefarious or as lawful as you please. However, the Dragonborn may be hiding something more. User Hereticalthoughts on the Elder Scrolls Wikia put forth the theory that the Dragonborn is an avatar of Talos. According to them, there’s a lot of shared ground between the two. Both began their stories in Skyrim, both were, indeed, dragonborn, both went to High Hrothgar and both lived during times of supreme national disturbance. Talos in human form was known as Tiber Septim, and was the first to unite the Empire, which plays into another theory on this list. Talos has been shown to take avatars before, such as Wulf in Morrowind. Could we have been playing a god this whole time?

10 The Hero Of Kvatch Is Sheogorath

What a way for a protagonist to go. At the end of Oblivion’s Shivering Isles expansion, the Hero of Kvatch is named as the new Sheogorath, which some believe they remain in Skyrim. While this involves making a male character the canon choice, it is entirely possible that the god could have transformed themselves. In Skyrim, Sheogorath makes reference to the player’s experiences, including the Oblivion crisis, the Gray Fox (“have you heard of the gray fox?”), and even a Dark Brotherhood quest. This can be counterbalanced by the presumed omnipotence afforded to a Daedra, with it being left open-ended as to whether he actually took part in said events. If this is the case, then we can assume all the expansions are canon, and the person who played a crucial role in taking down the Daedra eventually became one of them himself.

9 The Silver Hand Were Once Part Of The Companions

The Silver Hand, a rag-tag group of werewolf hunters who target the werewolf-friendly Companions may once have actually been part of them, according to a fan theory. When The Circle was formed in the second era, it is thought that the Silver Hand could have refused to become werewolves, instead of splitting off and starting their own faction, intent on destroying what they see as the taint of a great society. This theory is expanded on by GoliathPrime, who theorizes that this is also why the Silver Hand are stealing pieces of the legendary battleaxe Wuuthrad – they don’t believe the Companions are worthy of owning it in their present form. Of course, if you’ve completed the Companions questline, you’ll know things don’t exactly go too well for them. The Circle lives to howl at the moon once again.

8 Rorikstead Is Chock-Full Of Daedra Worshippers

Rorikstead is, at first glance, pretty boring. It’s a typical small village, a place you’d expect people to flee from to pursue their dreams in the bright torchlights of the cities. However, it may be harboring a more sinister secret. You’ll practically trip over soul gems in this town, as well as books on the Daedra. Residents are told to keep quiet about learning magic, so others don’t learn the town’s secrets. They went from failed harvests to thinking about selling their soil, it’s so good. There’s also the matter that Rorik, who you find in town, is still alive and kicking, despite being mentioned in a book from the first era. He could potentially be a different, coincidentally named Rorik, but like all good conspiracy theorists, we don’t like boring explanations! Another user reports a black robe in Rorik’s possessions. Never a good sign.

7 The Dwemer Were Transported To Oblivion

The Dwemer’s disappearance is one of the great mysteries of The Elder Scrolls. A race of dwarves or “deep-elves” who were superlative engineers and technologists, suddenly disappeared in the first era. Some believe they fused with the god Numidium, or spiritually embodied their machinery. However, another theory has in-game evidence, and that is the age-old story of a grand civilization getting too powerful and wise for a god’s liking. The book Azura and the Box recounts the tale of a Dwemer called Nchylbar, who wished to test Azura’s supposed omniscience. According to the legend, she said she implied she would demonstrate her existence in a spectacular fashion. Some therefore theorized that the Dwemer were then disappeared from Nirn, all for flying too close to their technological sun.

6 The Culture Of Skyrim Promotes Necromancy

The /r/teslore is a great place to investigate the deep mysteries and frankly almost undecipherable lore that surrounds the Elder Scrolls series. In one thread, a user posed the thorny question of “why are there so many necromancers in Skyrim?” The answers proved exceptionally interesting and pretty thought-provoking. ShadowDestroyerTime pointed out that, thanks to Skyrim’s extremely cold climate, bodies would likely be better preserved than in other provinces like Cyrodiil. Nords also don’t believe in cremating bodies, or, er, cannibalism. Add to this the fact that unlike in other realms, necromancy is not seen as forbidden (a clarion call to “they called me mad!” types,) and a bloody civil war, and the spread of necromancers is suddenly explained. There’s plenty of well-preserved, fresh bodies around for so-inclined wizards to work with. What is it with frozen locations and the walking dead?

5 Skyrim Is More Post-Apocalyptic Than Fallout

If you’ve played Oblivion as well as Skyrim, you may have been left wondering why Skyrim seems so technologically backward compared to Cyrodiil. Sure, being the center of the empire may afford Cyrodiil some luxuries, but you’d have thought some of the tech would have trickled down to Skyrim by now. However, it’s worth taking a step back to examine quite how many catastrophes have befallen Skyrim recently. As well as the Oblivion Crisis, with daedra spilling out into the cities with all accompanying moral turpitude, a floating island called Umbriel came to the Empire, reanimating the dead along the way, and there was also the Great War between the Thalmor and The Empire, which killed a huge number of people. Frankly, it’s a wonder that the dark ages Skyrim finds itself in aren’t pitch black.

4 M’aiq The Liar Has Achieved Enlightenment

Speaking of CHIM, just what is it? So, in Elder Scrolls lore, CHIM is essentially enlightenment. It’s the realization that the games take place in the mind of a greater god. Most people take this knowledge badly, and essentially blink entirely out of existence, with the exception of Talos and Vivec. And, possibly, M’aiq the Liar. Everyone’s favorite Khajiit is well-known for giving information to the player on a wide-range of features cut from the games, such as Oblivion’s lack of children and Skyrim’s missing calipers. While he’s an easter egg, some have taken this as displaying his own enlightenment, his knowledge that he’s in essentially a deity’s dream, which gives him meta-knowledge of the Elder Scrolls universe. If he was able to escape the destructive quality of this knowledge, it puts him on a par with gods. Who would have thought that TES’ Buddha would be a dishonest furball?

3 Skyrim And Fallout 4 Exist In The Same Universe

Despite both being Bethesda games, so obviously sharing a lot of design decisions, it’s unlikely you’d confuse the nuclear-crazed, power-armoured, shotgun-toting world of Fallout with the fantasy of TES. Some, however, have theorized that they may take place in the same universe. The evidence? Well, in Fallout 4, if you go to the Brotherhood’s airship, Prydwen, and look in their lab, you can find a suspiciously familiar plant growing. Appearing very similar to nirnroot, the plant will apparently heal you. According to in-game research logs (which label the plant as NRT,) it’s said that the plant grows near water, just as in TES. If any stronger evidence is ever produced to support this being anything more than an easter egg, I move to label this universe the most unlucky in history. From demon invasions to nuclear war, does it ever catch a break?

2 Skyrim Has A Calcium Deficiency

Milk-drinker is an insult with similar meaning to the real-world insult of milquetoast. A frail, wimpy person, basically a wuss, the opposite of what the Nords aspire to be. With the insult being thrown-about in Skyrim, it may have had unintended consequences. Ever wonder why the skeletons in the game are so, well, fragile? Player AVeryNiceGuy1 put forward the theory that, as skeletons are reanimated from the dead of Skyrim, the skeletons come from the bodies of those who were told throughout their life that the last thing they should do is get off their horse and drink their milk. This left them with chalky, fragile, crumbly bones: perfect for bonemeal, but not much else, and certainly no good for undead warriors. The insult has led to a calcium deficiency which affects the skill of the footsoldiers of the undead when they come back for round 2.

1 The Dragonborn Planned It All To Become Emperor

Okay, this one is very much a conspiracy theory, but I do love it. An unknown author on /r/Skyrim believes the Dragonborn is pulling the strings to become emperor. It’s very, very complicated and can’t be summarized easily, but you can read it here. A whole host of events from the game are said to be the result of manipulation by the protagonist. You bring barrelfuls of enchanted items into your possession to increase your power, become the leader of all the factions for their support and the respect it brings, and lever whatever side you picked in the civil war to your advantage. You kill Paarthurnax because with him trying to conduct his own power struggle he’s too much of a risk. The bards bring the medieval media on your side, and the Dark Brotherhood? Well, we all know what they bring. Essentially, you build up your own deep state within the Empire, just waiting to strike. All through your character’s own ingenuity.