Lore:Dead Men's Respite

Dead Men's Respite
Type	Nordic Ruin
Continent	Tamriel
Province	Skyrim
Hold	Hjaalmarch
Appears in	Skyrim, ESO

Dead Men's Respite ca. 4E 201

Dead Men's Respite ca. 2E 582

Dead Men's Respite (also spelled Dead Man's Respite) is an ancient Nordic barrow found in the southern plains of Hjaalmarch, in the province of Skyrim. Located near the banks of the River Hjaal, the ruins serve as the burial place of the former High King of Skyrim, Olaf One-Eye.

History

Dead Men's Respite contains the body of Olaf One-Eye, who died in the early First Era. Before his death, he imprisoned the bard and his most vocal critic, Svaknir in a hidden chamber at the north end of the ruins and destroyed copies of King Olaf's Verse, a piece of the Poetic Edda that calls Olaf's success into question. Svaknir died in prison with the last remaining copy of the verse in his hands. Olaf passed away in 1E 452 and he was interred into the biggest part of the barrow. The tomb had been sealed ever since and the key to the inner sanctum, the Ruby Dragon Claw was displayed in the barrow's foyer.

Years later in 4E 201, an associate of the Bards College was sent to Dead Men's Respite to locate King Olaf's Verse after the Burning of King Olaf Festival was cancelled in Solitude. The associate came across the ghost of Svaknir, who opened the gate to the ruins and guided them to his grave, where the verse was safely preserved. Deeper into the delve, the two faced the reanimated King Olaf and a horde of Draugr. Olaf was defeated and Svaknir's spirit was able to ascend to Sovngarde. The verse was brought to Solitude and the Festival had successfully commenced.

Gallery

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  The ill-tended body of Svaknir

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  Crypt of King One-Eye

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Skyrim and Elder Scrolls Online articles.