Lore:Crown of Freydis

The Crown of Freydis

The Crown of Freydis, originally the Crown of Verity, was a magical artifact created to test the worthiness of potential rulers of Skyrim. It is the second royal crown of Skyrim, replacing the Jagged Crown when it was lost to time during the War of Succession. However, in time it faded from use, and it has not been seen since the Second Era.

History

When Olaf One-Eye became High King, his reign was a time of relative instability and division, and as he died without a clear heir, a new method of electing a High King became necessary. Each hold of Skyrim sent a mage to a convocation dedicated to crafting a new artifact specifically for this purpose. With the lack of a recognizable symbol of office, it was decided that the artifact be made in the shape of a crown to reunify Skyrim after Olaf's rule.

The Crown saw its first use when Asurn Ice-Breaker, a tribal chieftain, was selected by the Moot to be the next High King. Asurn was required to don the Crown before he could rule, but it refused to be placed on his head. Enraged, he threatened to kill every member of the Moot if they did not name him High King. Kjoric the White, who was part of the Moot, challenged him and struck him down, easily donning the Crown after. Since then, the validity of the Crown was not questioned until the assassination of King Logrolf in 2E 431. Jarl Svartr of Solitude challenged the legitimacy of Logrolf's daughter, Freydis, and a Moot met to determine the successor. Freydis was accepted by the Crown and named High Queen in Windhelm, though part of the Moot chose Svartr as High King. Skyrim thus split into the Western Kingdom, ruled by Svartr and his heirs, and the Eastern Kingdom, ruled by Freydis and her heirs, who renamed the Crown in her honor. Queen Mabjaarn Flame-Hair was also a known wearer of the Crown. The crown was buried with Queen Nurnhilde in the catacombs of Morvunskar after her death in 2E 572.

During the Alliance War of 2E 582, Fildgor Orcthane, son of Queen Mabjaarn, attempted to fuse with the soul of his sister, Queen Nurnhilde, and force the Crown of Freydis to recognize him as High King so that he could usurp his brother Jorunn the Skald-King. He stole the crown and his sister's corpse from Morvunskar, and brought them to Skuldafn. He then used his noble blood to enter Sovngarde, but the ritual was interrupted and the crown recovered by Jorunn's forces. Along with Veloth's Judgment and the Mnemic Egg, the Crown of Freydis was then pledged to the Ebonheart Pact at a Great Moot held atop the summit of Skuldafn.