Sigils of the Great Houses of Skyrim, Part I
Foreward:
- 4E, 180
Greetings reader! My name is Makes Great-Shadows, former advisor of economics for Emperor Optimus Mede, requiescat in pace, and today, I present to you a piece on a few of the great, noble Houses, or Families, of Skyrim. Specifically, their emblems, or sigils, coat of arms, symbols, or whatever you would like to call them. They are the first images we see whenever an army marches across a countryside, banners blazoning on the horizon. Of course, cities and towns have their own symbols (Whiterun's being the white horse, the Imperial City's being the White-Gold Tower, etc.), but some may be surprised to know that individual families have their own designs that adorn their personal banners. While some say that this practice of hereditary heraldry is archaic and a remnant of the Feudal days of the Great Interregnum, when all the power was held in the hands of a few corrupt family members, with rulers being chosen only on their blood and not their merit. Regardless, some of the designs are truly breathtaking, and can inform us of history not known to us already. Without further ado, let's jump in!
 
The Stormcloak family of Windhelm is truly an ancient one. Their earliest records date back to about the mid-Second Era, around the fall of the Akaviri Potentate. The family's mystical founder, Igmund, was said to be one of the greatest storm mages to have ever lived. "So great was his power," the Bard of Shor's Stone speaks in his Tales of the Dark Ages, "that his cloak crackled and glistened with blue lightning." From here, Igmund was referred to as Igmund of the Storm Cloak, and this is of course where the family's name originates. Igmund decided to settle down in Eastmarch, so his descendants followed suit, creating a comfortable power base for themselves.
The origin of their sigil, an Ebony sword with a Storm enchantment, comes not from Igmund, however, but from his descendants at least a century later, in the aftermath of the War of the Three Alliances, the only period of unity in the Interregnum until Tiber Septim's conquest. The Ebonheart Pact between Nord, Dunmer, and Argnonian lasted a few years, but racial tensions made it doomed to fail after the alliance's failure to conquer Cyrodiil. In about 2E 585-586, the Pact broke apart, starting a period of bitter war. By now the Stormcloaks found themselves sitting comfortably in Windhelm's elite halls, so they had first claim on any loot they took while fighting the Dunmer in Morrowind. In one camp right on the Eastmarch border, Mera Stormcloak, matriarch at the time, found "on the decapitated body of the Dark Elf leader, black and jagged sword made of pure ebony and glistening with the familiar tint of lightning. And Lo! Mera had found her calling, a blade with her name plastered over it!" (Tales of the Second Era, Book XVIII) The Stormcloak matriarch named it Cackler, because of the peculiar sound its enchantment gives it.
To this day, Cackler survives in the hands of the Stormcloak family, both in sigil and in person, displayed proudly in the Windhelm's Palace of the Kings. The family stands strong today, having put a countless number of Jarls on Eastmarch's throne, including the current one, the young Ulfric Stormcloak (who, along with his mother Reyna, is the last living Stormcloak after the death of his father just a few years ago). Their motto, “We are the thunder and lightning,” shows the determination of the Stormcloaks to finish what they start. When a Stormcloak has set their mind to something they will not stop until it is accomplished. Therefore, perseverance is their most valued virtue.
Finally, the red background symbolizes the blood shed by all the valiant souls that have protected Eastmarch and Skyrim in all the past centuries (or more simply, the blood of the martyrs).
 
The Skald-Kings of Dawnstar are also quite the ancient house, dating back to the Second Era just as the Stormcloaks, although this family’s origins are far more well-known. The family name itself comes straight from Jorunn the Skald-King, High King of Skyrim during the Ebonheart Pact (which only included Eastmarch, the Rift, and parts of the Pale at the time). Jorunn, besides being a great military commander and just ruler, was “famed throughout the provinces as one of the finest lyre players to grace the mortal world, able to move even the most stone-hearted with blissful melody.” (Book XV) So he gained his famous name, which he passed on to his only child, Yrsa. Unfortunately, the breakup of the Ebonheart Pact did not bode well for Jorunn’s family, as he was killed in battle with the Dunmer in 2E 587, and was said to have “fought off one hundred Dark Shadows before being cut in the back, body falling to the ground but soul already soaring up to Sovngarde” (Book XVIII). Since Yrsa was a woman, the elders of Windhelm did not trust her to be in power, so just like that, the Flame-Hairs (the original family name) lost their throne, still with some influence, but nowhere near the extent of Jorunn’s. To honor her slain father, Yrsa made her husband take on the name of Skald-King, so the name stuck. But fate was not on Yrsa’s side, as all three of her children were also women, denying her family the chance to reclaim the throne (her husband died of disease). After the Ebonheart Wars cooled down, the Skald-Kings moved to the Pale, in hopes of finding new fortune and spreading good cheer through song and music in the chilly wastes.
The reasoning of the Nordic lyre on the sigil should now be quite obvious, but one may be surprised by the reasoning behind the double swords (and yes, they are swords, not daggers!). Having both a musical instrument and a killing instrument on the same banner is meant to represent the dual states of man: war and peace. The sigil of the Skald-Kings shows that they will be forever ready for both, which ties directly into their motto: “Always prepared to play the song of War.” To a Skald-King, wisdom and readiness are the two most important virtues. The two complement each other, as having wisdom of the world and its machinations will allow you to prepare for whatever the future holds.
Yrsa’s insistence of having her husband take on the wife’s name became a running theme in the family, as Yrsa’s daughters made all of their husbandsAfter Tiber Septim’s conquests, the Skald-Kings found themselves as part of the council of Dawnstar, back then just a small backwater port completely overshadowed by its neighbor Winterhold. But once the Great Collapse occurred (which resulted in the complete destruction of Winterhold Harbor), Dawnstar was suddenly propelled in importance, and with its rise came the rebirth of House Skald-King. Today, the house survives in the Jarl of the Pale, Hrafnir Skald-King, better known as Skald the Elder, to differentiate himself from his younger brother Skald the Younger, who was unfortunately killed during the Great War. At the time of writing, Skald is childless but with a wife, technically making him the last living Skald-King at this time.
Finally, the blue background represents both the azure chill of the Pale and the deep blue of the Sea of Ghosts, where Dawnstar is located.
 
The Black-Briar Family, having existed in name for about three hundred years, can be considered almost juvenile when compared to the Stormcloaks and Skald-Kings. But there is no denying the power and influence this family has over Skyrim, specifically the Rift and their hometown of Riften. The Black-Briar Meadery is currently the number-one producer of alcohol in the entire province, and its signature Black-Briar Mead is consistently rated as one of the finest tasting beverages to ever grace Tamriel, with the mead’s secret recipe having been kept under lock and key for decades. While researching the Black-Briars, one Riften resident even told me that the Black-Briars “own half the town and make the other half drunk.” The originator of the family as we know it was Hemming Black-Briar, born Henriksson, a famed alchemist and alcohol enthusiast who studied at the College of Winterhold and made it his life’s goal to create the best tasting alcoholic beverage known to man. So he, along with his wife, set up shop about an hour’s walk outside of Riften, in a small cottage surrounded by thick brambles, also known as briars. As Hemming’s fame grew, he became known as “Hemming of the Black Briars” to get rid of his generic surname.
The design of the sigil, a flower pot surrounded by a circle of thickets with a bee in the center, was created by Hemming’s wife, coincidentally named Yrsa. At first designed as a symbol for the Meadery itself, it soon became representative of the entire family. A design that features two bees can be found on some extensions of the Meadery, but the one featuring a single central bee was the original. The sigil is said to represent the fertility of nature, as the bee fertilizing flowers has always been a key symbol for the beauty of Kynareth. The green color of the background is also a famous signature of the majestic wild. But the spiky briar also shows off the darker side of nature, how it can be ruthless and unforgiving. Similarly to the Skald-King’s insignia, this coat of arms shows a duality.
The motto: “Gather thistles, expect prickles,” shows the family’s defensive nature (and perhaps gives them a reason to keep hoarding their mead’s secret recipe!). To a Black-Briar, strength and loyalty to family are the most important virtues. An attack on one Black-Briar is an attack on all, just as one bee is protected by his entire hive when things go sour. Strength does not have to be physical, however; mental strength involves perseverance and willpower, the courage to go on even if the odds are against you. In this way, the Black-Briars have a similar mantra to the Stormcloaks.
Hemming and Yrsa’s legacy lives on comfortably in their direct descendants, the twins Aless and Bjorn, along with Bjorn’s wife Maven, their son Hemming III, and Hemming’s daughter Ingun (Aless is a Priestess of Mara, and is therefore forbidden to have children). In terms of members, the Black-Briars are certainly the most well-off compared to the other two Houses.
 
In conclusion, I sincerely hope that you learned a bit more about the wonderful subject of heraldry! Although some may see the practice as pretentious and snobby, one cannot deny the fascinating and eye-opening histories behind the designs and the families that use them. Valete!