Lore:Thirsk

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Thirsk
Type	Mead Hall
Continent	Tamriel
Province	Morrowind
Region	Solstheim
Appears in	Bloodmoon, Dragonborn

The Mead Hall of Thirsk circa 3E 427

"A long time ago, a man named Hrothmund left the Skaal to form his own tradition. Warriors in the wild, living like the Nords of old. They would hunt, they would fight, and the mightiest among them would rise up as leader." —Kuvar

Thirsk circa 4E 201

Hrothmund's Axe, the weapon of the founder of the Mead Hall

Thirsk is a Mead Hall created by Hrothmund the Red and some fellow Skaal early in the third century of the Third Era (though some residents claim the founding dates back into the late Second Era). It is located south of Skaal Village in the Felsaad Coast region, on the banks of Lake Fjalding.

By tradition, any who would seek to be chieftain of Thirsk must first perform a great task as a warrior and present a battle trophy to the Mead Hall. The record of Thirsk's chieftains covers roughly 102 years, beginning when Hrothmund the Red beheaded a challenger to the present time, when Bujold the Intrepid killed the beast of Ilfark. The record can be seen as a reflection of the hard life Solstheim offers: many chieftains managed to hold the position for merely a handful of years, and common causes of death included getting eaten by wolves, infected by Rabies, and getting slain by the next chieftain.

Much of Thirsk's past revolves around a vicious creature known as the Udyrfrykte. The Udyrfrykte had attacked and killed many residents when Thirsk was first founded, but had been sealed in its lair by a sorcerer named Eldrid Ice-Light, who used a wall of ice to trap it inside. A hundred years later, however, in 3E 427, this ice shield melted, and the Udyrfrykte escaped and killed many more people in Thirsk, including the Nerevarine's predecessor Skjoldr Wolf-Runner.

A few years later, another chieftain, Agnar the Unwavering would be killed by the Udyrfrykte Matron.

Circa 4E 201, under the leadership of Bujold the Intrepid, the occupants of the Thirsk Mead Hall had succumbed to a preference for feasting and mead over martial pursuits, resulting in the decline of their physical prowess and making them ill-prepared to face a serious threat. This was exploited by a clan of Rieklings, who invaded Thirsk and forcibly displaced the residents from their headquarters. Bujold, acknowledging her failure to maintain the martial prowess of her people, led her comrades in a retreat from their abode in the aftermath of the Rieklings' assault. The future of the Mead Hall and its former leader, Bujold, remains uncertain. It is unclear whether the previous inhabitants successfully reclaimed the hall, and whether Bujold was reinstated without the approval of Hrothmund's spirit, was driven away or met a tragic end. Additionally, it is unknown whether the Rieklings maintained control of the Mead Hall, resulting in the demise of the former residents or not.

Known Chieftains

The following is taken from the records of the Mead Hall:

Name	Born	Race	Crowned	Died, Deposed, Abdicated, or Office Abolished	Additional Information
Hrothmund the Red	3rd Era	Nord	3E 326	3E 347	Left Skaal Village and founded Thirsk. Killed and eaten by Ondjage, the Fell Wolf.
Isgeror White-Wave	3rd Era	Nord	3E 347	3E 351	Slayed the necromancer Hildir Worm-Heart.
Einarr	3rd Era	Nord	3E 351	3E 357	Slayed the frost Giant Guolog. He was murdered by his successor Gisl Round-Gut.
Gisl Round-Gut	3rd Era	Nord	3E 357	3E 357	Killed the previous chieftain and ruled for only two months, being killed himself by Einarr's possible son.
Einarr the Younger	3rd Era	Nord	3E 357	3E 364	Possible son of Chieftain Einarr. Killed his predecessor.
Grjotgaror	3rd Era	Nord	3E 364	3E 366	Slayed the white witch Katla. He was killed by his successor.
Amelie Bontecou	3rd Era	Breton	3E 366	3E 369	Became chieftain by killing her predecessor.
Thorormr Storm-Killer	3rd Era	Nord	3E 369	3E 385	Slayed the brothers Ani and Ali. He was one of the longest serving rules in Thirsk's history, ruling for sixteen years.
Aegilief	3rd Era	Nord	3E 385	3E 393	Slayed Oddny the Unfaithful. She was the ruling Chieftain when Jagar Tharn imprisoned Uriel Septim VII and took control over the Empire, although Solstheim was largely unaffected by it, even not appearing in Tamriel maps during the Imperial Simulacrum.
Caccino Aurelia	3rd Era	Imperial	3E 393	3E 393	Slayed the Imperial Champion Claudius Anzione. He would eventually be found as a fraud and killed after three weeks of ruling by his successor.
Eldjar Bear-Skinner	3rd Era	Nord	3E 393	3E 398	Killed his predecessor after he was found as a fraud.
Falki the Fat	3rd Era	Nord	3E 398	3E 398	Slayed a pack of six rabid wolves. Ruled for only three weeks and succumbed to madness and death after contracting rabies.
Svana the Knife	3rd Era	Nord	3E 398	3E 402	Slayed Gretta Wolf-Child. She was the ruling Chieftain of Thirsk when the Eternal Champion defeated Jagar Tharn and ended the Imperial Simulacrum.
Beinir White-Beard	3rd Era	Nord	3E 402	3E 424	Slayed three Orc raiders. Ruled for twenty-two years, being one of the longest serving rulers in Thirsk's history.
Skjoldr Wolf-Runner	3rd Era	Nord	3E 424	3E 427	Slayed the wizard Griss the Yellow. He was one of the victims of The Mead Hall Massacre.
The Nerevarine	3rd Era		3E 427	possibly 3E 433	Slayed the Udefrykte. Rumored to have traveled to Akavir around 3E 433 and haven't been heard of ever since.
Agnar the Unwavering	3rd Era	Nord	possibly 3E 433	3E 433	Married Svenja Snow-Song. He was eventually killed after hunting the Uderfrykte Matron
Unknown rulers					There were, apparently, several other chieftains who came and went before the resumption of record. The Thirsk devotion to oral tradition means these names may forever be lost to history.
Girgun the Colossus	4th Era	Nord	4E 165	4E 171	Slayed Thjold the Ill-Minded. Possibly the ruling Chieftain when The Great War erupted in Cyrodiil.
Vibeke the Stone	4th Era	Nord	4E 171	4E 174	Slayed seven Imperial pirates.
Hjarknir Green-Hand	4th Era	Nord	4E 174	4E 201	Slayed an entire grove of Spriggans. Ruling chieftain during the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, although Thirsk wasn't affected by it. Ruled for twenty-seven years, the longest serving ruler of Thirsk's history, surpassing Hrothmund the Red.
Bujold the Intrepid	4th Era	Nord	4E 201		Slayed the great beast of Ilfark.

Gallery

• 

  Thirsk under Riekling control (Skyrim)

• 

  The Entrance to the Lair of the Udyrfrykte under Thirsk (Bloodmoon)

Notes

• 1.

  Player decisions in Skyrim's Dragonborn add-on determine whether the Mead Hall is retaken by its former residents, and indeed whether Bujold regains her position as chieftain (albeit without the blessing of Hrothmund's spirit) or is driven out or even killed: or whether the Rieklings stay and the former residents are wiped out.

• Despite the shared name, the mead hall shares no connection with Baron Thirsk, a Grievous Twilight in service to Molag Bal.

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Bloodmoon and Skyrim^DB articles.

Books

• Thirsk, a History by Bereditte Jastal — Chronicles the Nord mead hall of Thirsk, focusing primarily on its chieftains
• Thirsk, a History -- Revised by Bereditte Jastal — Chronicles the history of Thirsk and slaying of the Udyrfrykte circa 3E 427
• Thirsk, a Revised History — Chronicles the Nord mead hall of Thirsk circa 4E 201, focusing primarily on its chieftains