Lore:Helgen

Helgen
Type	Settlement
Continent	Tamriel
Province	Skyrim
Hold	Falkreath
Appears in	Skyrim

Helgen, 4E 201

Helgen, referred to as the "Gateway to the North" due to the many travelers who visited while coming from Cyrodiil to the south, was a fortified hamlet located east-northeast of the city of Falkreath, south of Riverwood, and north of Pale Pass.

The rather small "backwater hovel" was guarded by a wooden wall and the slopes of the mountains it was nestled in, and surrounded a large fort known as Helgen Keep. The Keep held a barracks for Imperial troops, a torture room, and led into a series of caves that traveled north into the wilderness.

History

The Mede Empire maintained a strong military presence throughout Falkreath Hold, particularly in Helgen, as far back as 4E 180.

On the 17th of Last Seed, 4E 201, an Imperial convoy carrying Ulfric Stormcloak, several of his soldiers, a horse thief, and the Last Dragonborn arrived at Helgen for an execution, only to be interrupted by the surprise return of, and attack on the village by, Alduin. Ulfric, Tullius, and Elenwen all managed to escape alive, but every citizen of Helgen died during the attack, leaving only a young boy named Haming as the sole survivor of the village. Helgen was left in a state of ruin, which bandits later took residence of. Though Vilod perished in the attack, his mead made using the native juniper berry and red mountain flowers lived on in Helgen and beyond, truly embodying the spirit of Skyrim.

Gallery

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  Helgen, before its ruination

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  A map of Skyrim, showing Helgen's location

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  Helgen Squad Leader (Legends)

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  Alduin destroying Helgen (Legends)

Notes

• A location known as North Keep appeared in Arena west of the location of Helgen (on a different road), sharing a similar name to the town's aliases of the "Gateway to the North" and "Helgen Keep". The town of Oakwood in Arena was also found closer to Helgen's location, on the same road between Fort Neugrad and Riverwood. It is unclear that either of them are intended to be the same town as Helgen. According to the unofficial text, Skyrim In the New Era, Helgen has gone by several names, and has been inhabited by refugees from Oakwood and Neugrad after those settlements were destroyed.

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Skyrim article.

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.