Lore:Sovngarde

Sovngarde
Type	Plane
Realm	Aetherius
Appears in	Skyrim, ESO

Sovngarde (Skyrim)

Sovngarde is the storied afterlife of the Nords, a part of Aetherius where the greatest Nord heroes go when they die to enjoy an eternity of feasting and merriment, and where the gods Shor and Tsun reside after having died to bring about the current world. It is ruled by Shor, created by him long ago through his Clever Magic, and contains the Hall of Valor, a supposedly gigantic feasting hall where the mead "flows like a waterfall". It is said that in Sovngarde even the tedium of immortality is unknown, as spectral foes wait in the surrounding shadows, to do battle with any who would test their mettle.

Those who cross the threshold of the living and enter the afterlife are greeted below the red glow of the eternal sunset, following the pathway down between the mammoth tusks and the monolithic cowled statues and into the valley of mists—the Shadowed Vale. Tsun currently guards the mythical Whalebone Bridge past the Vale, which leads to the Hall of Valor. At Shor's bidding, he has taken on the role of the master of trials, asking new arrivals to the utopia to prove their strength in combat against him before they can enter Shor's Hall. Clawthanes, the spirits of wolves who have reached Sovngarde, aid Tsun in this duty, keeping watch alongside him. It is said that, within Shor's Hall of Valor, protected by the power of the god himself, no gloom can grip the heart for long, and there are no shadows. However it is also said that, as it is a realm of the dead, Sovngarde is a place where the living shouldn't linger. Most Nords agree that Kyne leads the souls of the dead into Sovngarde, which is why she is known as the Kiss at the End.

Some people regarded Sovngarde as a myth by the Fourth Era.

Entry and Acceptance

A Silver Nimbus Wolf, a beast that helps usher into Aetherius

Excluding the rare usage of portals, the realm can supposedly only be reached by true Nords (and their loyal beasts) who die valiantly in battle, regardless of personality. Others believe those who die dishonorably, even in battle, are denied entry. This excludes those afflicted with Lycanthropy, as Hircine takes them to his Hunting Grounds, those without souls, and those whose bodies were interred deep within Blackreach, as their souls cannot reach the realm. Nords who live lives without combat do not go to Sovngarde according to some, but some exceptions to this supposed rule are known to have occurred: Jurgen Windcaller, who swore a life of pacifism, and Svaknir, who was imprisoned and executed, were known to have nevertheless ascended to Sovngarde.

A Lambent Shadowmane Courses, imbued with spirits turned away from Sovngarde

Though Nords and Atmorans may go to Sovngarde when they die, is unclear whether or not other races may ascend to the realm. A priest from the Cult of the Ancestor Moth who lived during the Interregnum claimed that mortals decide the destinations of their own souls through the choices they make in life, seemingly absent of race. Giants have occasionally been referenced in the context of going to Sovngarde. Additionally, in a prophetic dream, Fourth Era Harbinger of the Companions Kodlak Whitemane saw all Harbingers who came before him enter Sovngarde, ending at Terrfyg, who took up Lycanthropy. As Terrfyg ruled after them, this would mean that Henantier the Outsider, an elf, and Cirroc the Lofty, a Redguard, went to Sovngarde. Another Redguard, a renowned warrior in the Fourth Era, believed he could go to Sovngarde.

Certain magical beasts that walk Nirn are said to be able to help spirits that linger in the mortal world reach Aetherius. Gathering up the souls of those who died violently, or couldn't move on from heartbreak, despair or other such causes, and providing them with sanctuary until they are ready to be ushered into the afterlife. Some of these beasts are also known to provide sanctuary to those spirits turned away from Sovngarde, with their form becoming imbued with those lost souls.

Inter-Realm Contact

A Sovngarde Clawthane Wolf, who guards the Whalebone Bridge alongside Tsun

A Sovngarde spirit bear

A few Nords have received divine premonitions of Sovngarde. Kodlak Whitemane of the Companions dreamt of Sovngarde, seeing generations of Harbingers ascend to the Hall of Valor, as well as Terrfyg being pulled into the Hunting Grounds. The dream also predicted the arrival of the Last Dragonborn. Skardan Free-Winter, a soldier in the Imperial Legion, had a dream of Sovngarde where he met Ysgramor in the Hall of Valor, filling him with determination to win the upcoming Battle of the Red Ring. Those who suffer mortal wounds in combat but are not yet dead may see Sovngarde before them. Certain mortals have been known to hear the whispers of Shor since a young age, granting them knowledge of the Clever Craft.

Spirits have been known to depart Sovngarde to contact the living. The Five Hundred Companions once appeared to King Jorunn after the defeat of Sinmur. Queen Nurnhilde appeared to a force of the Ebonheart Pact, giving them vital information to entering Sovngarde. The Direfrost Clan, within their keep's mead hall, house an artifact known as the Direfrost Flame, a sacred fire that gives the Clan access to commune with their ancestors in Sovngarde. Ulfgar the Unending was able to manifest as a spirit after reaching Sovngarde, blessing a stone with his magical energies.

During times of need in the mortal world Sovngarde might send the spirits of dead heroes back to the living world to provide aid, occasions on which those spirits are said to ride the spirits of beasts whose souls likewise reside in that plane. Spirit beasts have also been known to return individually in order to act as companion mounts to courageous living champions, or to serve as the eyes and ears of the afterlife within the living world. Certain Shouts such as the Call of Valor are said to function by issuing a call for aid to Aetherial spirits of Sovngarde, who respond to the call and "journey beyond time and space" to give their aid. There exist magical runes which can call a spirit back into the living world from Aetherius, Archmage Shalidor placed such runes on his tomb to call his soul back to Nirn during times when magic in Tamriel was under threat.

Olaf One-Eye, a spirit with influence over the living world

There are cases where spiritual influence from Sovngarde can affect the mortal world without planar travel taking place. One such case involved the Sovngarde-bound spirit of Olaf One-Eye reaching out to the living via altering their dreams and subsequently using said dreams as a medium to alter time in a form of ultimately fatal curse. The living target of the curse would initially experience strange dreams relating to the spirit's past, eventually realizing that they were being made to travel to different eras of history in their sleep when the people in the dream noticed the intruding presence and reacted to it, resulting in them being immediately moved to a different time upon being seen, and thus revealing the intent behind the magic. The experience would repeat nightly until burns started appearing on the dreamer's body, culminating in them magically burning to ash.

Kodlak Whitemane claimed that one day he and the spirits of Sovngarde might attack Hircine's Hunting Grounds to reclaim the souls of the Companions trapped there.

History

Merethic Era

The standing stones at Brodir Grove on Solstheim (Morrowind)

During the Merethic Era, a group of Ysgramor's Five Hundred, after successfully taking Skyrim from the elves, began to search for the entrance to Sovngarde. This group consisted of Ulfgar, Hunroor, Erlendr, Nikulas, and Grimkell. The group was close to finding an answer on the island of Solstheim, but before they could, Grimkell betrayed them, casting a spell that turned the group to stone in attempt to create a portal to Sovngarde. Ulfgar, however, resisted the spell, becoming a living stone and killing Grimkell for what he had done. He would spend the next several millennia wandering Tamriel, searching for the entrance to the elusive realm.

First Era

In or before the First Era, the necromancer Azaran the Cruel attempted to bind the dead souls of Sovngarde to the living world, but failed. He was later buried somewhere in Skyrim.

Second Era

In 2E 582, Fildgor Orc-Thane located a hidden passage to Skuldafn, a Nordic stronghold far in the Velothi Mountains with a portal to Sovngarde. He used his royal blood to enter the realm and attempted to fuse his soul with that of his dead sister, Nurnhilde, in order to usurp the throne using the Crown of Verity. Forces loyal to King Jorunn pursued him to the stronghold. A Pact soldier, later given the title King's Arrow for their deeds, then entered Sovngarde with the blessing of Nirnhilde's spirit and defeated Fildgor. It is unknown whether he was killed by the soldier, by Jorunn, or was spared.

Third Era

By 3E 427, Ulfgar the Unending had made his home on Solstheim, not far from Brodir Grove, where his companions were turned to stone. An adventurer, who found out that Sovngarde was reached by an honorable death in battle, slew the ancient Atmoran in battle. Ulfgar then joined his companions in Sovngarde.

Fourth Era

The portal to Sovngarde within Skuldafn (Skyrim)

In 4E 201, Alduin, a godly tyrant from the Dragon War, returned to Tamriel, having been sent into the future during the Merethic Era. Alduin made his base of operations in Skuldafn. Using Skuldafn's portal to Sovngarde, Alduin began to ensnare the realm in mist and feast upon the souls of the dead, building his power in the process, a privilege he withheld from his subordinates. Later that year, the Dragonborn breached Skuldafn and entered Sovngarde. After passing Tsun's trial, they continued into the Hall of Valor and rallied the spirits of Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, Felldir the Old and Hakon One-Eye, whom had previously bested Alduin atop the Throat of the World. Together, they were able to defeat Alduin, cleansing Sovngarde of his soul snare.

In the same year, Harbinger Kodlak Whitemane of the Companions was killed by the Silver Hand. Due to his Lycanthropy, he was taken to Hircine's Hunting Grounds upon his death, despite his desires for Sovngarde. The remaining members of the Circle then convened, reassembling the legendary axe Wuuthrad and breaching Ysgramor's Tomb, where a magical relic known as the Flame of the Harbinger resided. After burning the head of a Glenmoril hagraven and defeating Kodlak's wolf spirit in battle, a new Harbinger was selected for the Companions and Kodlak's soul was freed.

Kodlak hoped that someday, he and other honored warriors could invade the Hunting Grounds and rescue the souls of the Companions who did not have the chance to free themselves from Hircine's grasp before death. He called this imagined battle "The Harrowing of the Hunting Grounds", but it is unknown if it ever occurred.

Gallery

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  ESO

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  Legends

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  Sovngarde statue

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  The Hall of Valor (Skyrim)

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  Shadowed Vale concept art

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  Whalebone Bridge concept art

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  Hall of Valor concept art

Notes

• In Norwegian and Danish, søvn means sleep and gård means land/yard/garden, making Sovngarde mean Land of the Sleeping (the Dead) or the Sleep Garden. The concept of Sovngarde takes inspiration from the Norse Valhalla.
• Forest of Dreams is a place mentioned on one of the Word Walls. It is a described as a place of eternal rest for Kyne's servants. It is known that worshippers of Kyne ascend to Sovngarde upon death. However, the exact location of the Forest of Dreams is unclear, as is its connection to Sovngarde, which is also described as dreamlike, and associated with dreams.
• The spirits of Dragonborn can be found within the Hall of Valor.
• The spirits in the Hall of Valor claim they "feast and sing, til the the final doom"..

See Also

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

Books

• The Road to Sovngarde — An overview of the Nordic afterlife
• Sovngarde, a Reexamination by Bereditte Jastal — Speculation regarding Sovngarde, the Nordic Hall of Valor
• A Dream of Sovngarde by Skardan Free-Winter — A Nord soldier's account of his dream before the Battle of the Red Ring