Shalidor Arch - Mage Shalidor was a famous Nord Archmage and powerful wizard who lived during the First Era . He created the Labyrinthian in Skyrim , the mage sanctuary of Eyevea , and his personal compound of the Fortress of Ice . Shalidor was said to have a vast knowledge of the workings of Magicka that few have ever known . Feuds with the Dwemer . Shalidor once fought the Dwemer of the Rourken Clan . The Rourken Clan was one of the Dwemer Clans that refused to make peace with the Chimer in the forming of the First Council . Instead , they exiled themselves from Morrowind , and moved to the west , to Hammerfell . During the long march to Hammerfell , the Rourken Clan clashed with Archmage Shalidor in the Battle of Rourken - Shalidor . The powerful Dwemeri artifact , Spell Breaker , a shield that could reflect any oncoming spells , saw action in the battle . Legacy . Shalidor was the most prominent advocate in a movement to keep magic out of the hands of the common people and instead enact higher standards amongst mages . These beliefs are often credited with bringing forth the creation of magic academies such as the Mages Guild . The Labyrinthian was known as the Archmage ' s testing ground and it still exists into the Fourth Era . According to Urag gro - Shub , while Shalidor was in Labyrinthian , he heavily studied magic and the arcane arts , researching , writing and experimenting more than anyone could imagine possible . He is believed to have constructed the Labyrinthian by himself and use it to hold an artifact called Glamoril , the secret of life ; which was said to be stolen from Akatosh himself . Some claimed that Shalidor had destroyed the infamous Crimson Book of Skulls , but it was later discovered that the book still existed . Shalidor himself lived in a citadel called the Fortress of Ice which was located nearby Winterhold . Shalidor is also said to have built the city of Winterhold with a whispered spell , though whether this is true is unknown . It is possible that some of his achievements have been hyperbolized . Research . The Archmage Shalidor was well known for his spell Shalidor ' s Mirror , which was a ward capable of reflecting offensive spells back at the caster . It is speculated that Shalidor created the spell after his battle with the Rourken Clan , tried his best to emulate the effect of the Dwemer shield , Spell Breaker . Shalidor was also known to put a large amount of effort into researching the dragons that once roamed Skyrim . Most of the research and writings that Shalidor wrote while in Labyrinthian were lost to the ages , but some of what he wrote is still out there , and would be extremely valuable to any and all arcane universities . Many of these arcane colleges such as the College of Winterhold attempt to seek out more of Shalidor ' s writings to expand the The Arcaneum , improve the arcane skills of the members there and to help the college expand and improve as a whole . It should be noted Shalidor loved his research more than his wife , Ulfsild , as shown in one of Sheogorath ' s oblivion realms , his wife repeatedly questions him about his time and research and eventually leaves him due to " no communication " . In the end , Shalidor literally walks up to the area where his wife was standing and calls her name , proving that he didn ' t even pay attention to what she had said due to his concentration on his research .