Lore:Winterhold (region)

is the northernmost   in Skyrim, and has weather to match.  The   is off its northern coast,   is to the southeast and   is to the south and west.  The city of Winterhold was once located in the hold, but it was mostly destroyed during the  . The College of Winterhold is the most notable feature of the hold, which was spared even though the Great Collapse tore down most of the city around it.  What remains is a meager village, technically the hold's capital city, near the entrance to the College. 

Winterhold consists of snowy coasts and rocky islands in the Broken Cape, as well as the even snowier Mount Anthor range which marks the border between Winterhold and  , and some of the northern border to  .  Between the mountains and the sea to the east lies an  , where the elements are at their harshest, and life at its most scarce. Rock and ice shelves form the barrier between Winterhold and the sea to the north and east, dotted occasionally with shingle beaches. 

Not many plants or creatures can survive in Winterhold's harsh climate.  The only plants that can truly thrive are coniferous trees and snowberry bushes.  , ice wolves,  , snowy sabre cats and  s all populate the region. Occasionally, an   or a   may attack travelers. 

History
:For the history specific to the city, see the:  '''''
Early History
When the   broke out in   in  , High King   died and left no heirs to the throne. The natural choice as his successor would have been Jarl   of Winterhold, who was next in line.  But when the   passed, Hanse was not elected for the throne and what followed suit was the  , a conflict that lasted for a hundred years.  While the war raged on, the  ,   roamed the region and wreaked havoc against them until the Jarl of  ,   rose to take action against him. Olaf confronted the dragon in his roost on  , a peak in Winterhold's mountains. The story as it is told now is that the Jarl defeated Numinex in a battle of  , but the bard,   critized the Jarl and his version of events. Openly exclaiming that information had cost Svaknir his life and the loss of his work for future generations.  But despite the bard's claims, Olaf One-Eye went his way through the War of Succession, and cities from   to Winterhold fell to his whim.   The war ended in   when he assumed the High Kingship of Skyrim and re-united the entire province under his reign. 

When the   disbanded and High King   was assassinated in  , there was contention for the throne between the High King's daughter,   and the Jarl of  ,  . The latter claimed that the former was an illegitimate heir to the throne, so a Moot was called for a successor. While the   chose Freydis, a partial Moot in Solitude chose Svartr, and in the end, Skyrim had split into two kingdoms, the   and the  .  The east was comprised of the Old Holds, including Winterhold, and the High Kingship ruled from  . The eastern kingdom was active for three more hundred years and when it was ruled by  , it became part of the  . 

Winterhold in the Third Empire
In the early years of Skyrim's rule under the   around  , the ruined city of   was located by   archaeologists in the vicinity of Winterhold,  despite the fact that reports of the ruin's whereabouts were known by  .  During its time under the Empire, Winterhold was recognized as a county,  and famously the Baron of Winterhold,   married  , the half-sister of the then Emperor of Tamriel,  . The marriage brought Morihatha considerable wealth and power, enough to support her half-brother while he contested with the  . When Morihatha later assumed the   in  , she brought the Archmagister of Skyrim,     with her and re-established the  , a role unseen since  's reign. 

Roughly around  ,   refugees flocked to the city and brought about a renaissance of power and influence. With their help, the College of Winterhold was able to create the  , which in turn brought scholars from all over Tamriel to the county. The library became a cornerstone of academic life in the college ever since.  It is unknown how Winterhold exactly faired in the  , but the Old Holds at large were laid waste by the  , according to rumors in  .  A few years later, another exodus of Dark Elves came to the Winterhold region in response to the cataclysm of the  , but those faithful to   received visions of the destruction before it happened, and were guided west to safety. As a sign of gratitude, they built a large statue of Azura in the mountains of Winterhold, northeast of Mount Anthor. 

The Fourth Era and onward
During the   in  , Winterhold was governed by Jarl  , who allied with the   led by Jarl   of Windhelm. The Stormcloaks' garrison in Winterhold was overseen by   in the jarl's longhouse  while   played an important role in the region's alignment in the war.  Meanwhile, the   garrison in Winterhold were camped on the other side of the hold near Dawnstar and were led by Legate  . 

At that same time, the College of Winterhold conducted an excavation of Saarthal's ruins, and the mage,   worked with the college to document their findings. The Master of  ,   brought his class of initiates to conduct on-the-field research through the ruins, to teach them about the city's use of magic. One of the  , stumbled deeper into the ruins, where they were warned of a great threat by the  . They delved further into the ruins until they came across the undead  , who guarded the  , an artifact of mysterious origins and magical power. 

The Eye was brought to the college and kept in the Hall of Attainment for the time being. The initiate that discovered the eye was then led on a quest to acquire the  , an artifact that would aid them in understanding the eye.  But while they were gone, the   agent in the College,   began to tamper with the eye. His meddling led to the death of the Arch-Mage,   and a breakout of magical anomalies into Winterhold city. The college was quick to mend the situation  while the initiate left for the Labyrinthian, where the staff was located.  In a final duel, the initiate defeated Ancano with the Staff of Magnus, and the eye was transported away to the island of  , where the Psijic Order would keep it. 

 

Notable Places
thumb|right|Mount Anthor, the highest peak in Winterhold
;Alftand: A Dwarven ruin built partially atop an active glacier with an entrance to Blackreach.
;College of Winterhold: A famous school for the arcane arts in the city of Winterhold.
;Fortress of Ice: An ancient fortress that served as the home of Arch-Mage Shalidor.
; : A strategically important fort found wedged in the mountains
; : A lighthouse infested by Falmer.
;Hsaarik Head: At the extreme northern tip of Skyrim's Broken Cape, it is the place where tradition holds that Ysgramor's Five Hundred Companions made landfall.
; : A stronghold built on a small inhospitable island.
;Mount Anthor: A mountain famous as the site of the battle between Olaf One-Eye and the dragon Numinex.
;Saarthal: An ancient Nordic city that was sacked in the Night of Tears, Saarthal is where the Eye of Magnus was found in the Fourth Era.
; : A grand shrine built in honor of the Daedric Prince Azura.
;Sightless Pit: An underground Dwemer ruin containing a temple and a vault where Kagrenac's Tools were stored.
; : A medium-sized Nordic ruin north-northeast of Windhelm that was has been used as a hideout.
;Winterhold: The eponymous city of the region.
;Yngol Barrow: An ancient Nordic ruin known as the burial ground of Ysgramor's son, Yngol.
; : The burial site of Ysgramor found northwest of Winterhold facing Atmora across the Sea of Ghosts.

Gallery
 

See Also
For game-specific information, see the Skyrim article.
Books


References