The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim allows players to explore a huge fantasy world filled with dungeons, towns, and even factions that the Dragonborn can join. One such faction is the College of Winterhold. Though it may seem straightforward compared to the likes of the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves’ Guild, the College of Winterhold’s lore has more to it than meets the eye.
Winterhold is a city the player can visit in Skyrim. It also stands as the capital of one of the nine holds of the region, but is nowhere near as prosperous as others such as Whiterun or Haafingar. In this city, players will find the renowned College of Winterhold — arguably the only magic school in Skyrim. Its long history provides an answer to the Nords’ growing distrust of magic.
Shalidor and Skyrim’s City of Winterhold
It’s said that the College of Winterhold was founded around the same time as the entire city. Legend has it that Shalidor, a powerful Nord wizard and the college’s first Arch-Mage, built the city in the First Era with nothing but a whispered spell. Unfortunately, there’s no way of proving this as the earliest mention of the city and its college was from the Second Era.
Despite the contentions around Winterhold’s founding date, there’s no doubt that Shalidor is an impressive wizard. He is also said to have created the Labyrinthian, a massive dungeon that the player will have to traverse to progress in the College of Winterhold questline. There, the mage devoted his time to researching the dragons of Skyrim and writing down his findings.
Unfortunately, many of these texts have been lost, but some are said to be scattered across the dungeons of Skyrim. The Dragonborn can choose to seek out these writings by talking to Urag gro-Shub, the librarian of the college’s Arcanaeum. Interestingly enough, the Orsimer also has high praises for the ancient wizard. When accepting the “Shalidor’s Insights” quest, Urag will tell the Dragonborn that Shalidor was an immensely powerful mage from the First Era and that his skill in magic was unmatched.
Growing Tensions
Despite Shalidor’s renowned reputation, however, the College of Winterhold isn’t exempted from the ire of the Nords. As centuries passed, their culture grew more averse to magic and those who practiced it. However, this prejudice became much more pronounced in the Third Era, following the Oblivion Crisis, which unleashed armies of Daedra all across the provinces of Tamriel, including Skyrim. The Daedric siege was caused by the Mythic Dawn, a cult that worshipped the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon. The cult used magic to open Oblivion Gates across the province of Cyrodiil, which only worsened the Nords’ perception of the craft.
Everything came to a head in the 122nd year of the Fourth Era, when a massive storm devastated Winterhold, wiping out most of the city, but leaving the college relatively unscathed. The storm eroded the ground that the city was built on, causing many of its structures to fall into the Sea of Ghosts. This is referred to as The Great Collapse. Many of the locals blame the college for this disaster, citing that it was caused by one of their experiments or a botched spell. Though many of the college’s Arch-Mages have repeatedly said that they had nothing to do with The Great Collapse, the local’s views of magic and, specifically, Dunmer magic-users, have been tainted ever since.
When the Dragonborn first enters Winterhold nearly 80 years later, the effects of The Great Collapse are still apparent — both in the city’s physical state as well as the tensions between locals and mages. There’s a stark contrast between the derelict city and the towering college. Players will find houses in shambles with their interiors exposed to the elements. Only a few structures still stand, and when talking to the non-mage residents, it’s clear that a majority aren’t fond of the college’s presence.
Even the Jarl of Winterhold, Korir, is open about his disdain towards the College of Winterhold. If the Dragonborn tells him that they’ve traveled to Winterhold to enter the college, the Jarl will complain that no one ever comes to Winterhold for any other reason anymore. The player can then ask if the Jarl has a problem with the College of Winterhold, to which he argues that it’s their fault that the sea swallowed the city. And if the Dragonborn wants to become a mage of the college, then there is blood on their hands as well.
Behind Closed Doors
The claims against the College of Winterhold concerning the Oblivion Crisis and The Great Collapse are arguable unsubstantiated and even unfair. But even then, it’s no stranger to controversial practices.
For one, students can practice necromancy, a type of magic that is generally frowned upon by the general public. Phinis Gestor, the college’s resident Conjuration expert, even says the necromancy is allowed but emphasizes that the Dragonborn should do it within the college walls so as to not agitate the locals of Winterhold. It seems that the greater population of Skyrim is unaware of this.
Should the player speak to Wuunferth the Unliving, the court-wizard of Windhelm, about necromancy, he’ll reply that he’s a member of the college and that it hasn’t allowed the practice of necromancy for years. Some players believe this to be a way of deflecting suspicion from the college because affiliated mages are likely aware of how the Nords will react should word get out.
As if necromancy wasn’t controversial enough, there is also evidence of a Daedric summoning ritual that took place in The Midden, a dungeon right beneath the college grounds. Sometime before the Dragonborn’s arrival, a group of students went missing. According to an incident report in The Arcanaeum, they were found dead in The Midden: The skin on their arms and face were peeled and bubbling — conjurer’s burns, as described in the report.
Should the player go down to The Midden, they can find where the students attempted their summoning ritual. In a large, circular room with a Daedric gauntlet in the center, the Dragonborn can attempt the summoning again and avenge the dead students, if they wish.
Lastly, there is the enigmatic existence of the Augur of Dunlain. When the Dragonborn talks to Tolfdir, the college’s Alteration expert, about this mysterious entity, he explains that the Augur of Dunlain was once a student at the college and an excellent mage. However, his devotion to his research led to some sort of accident that made him into what he is — a ghostly sphere residing deep in the college’s dungeon. While the specifics of the accident are unclear, it’s worrying that a renowned college would allow one of their most brilliant students to go so far for the pursuit of magic.
The College of Winterhold is an intriguing place with an action-packed questline fit for the Dragonborn’s sense of adventure. But a closer look at its background and current practices shows that there is much, much more beneath the surface.
TheElder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
