Skyrim:Whiterun

This article is about the city. For the hold, see Whiterun Hold.

Whiterun

Whiterun, in Whiterun Hold
(view on map) (lore page)

WhiterunOrigin

Government

Inns

Shops and Services

Guilds and Temples

Houses

Whiterun

Whiterun is a major city in the center of Skyrim, and the capital of Whiterun Hold. Its central location makes it the province's major commercial hub, as well as a crucial strategic point in the Civil War between the Imperial Legion loyalists and Stormcloak rebels, as control of Whiterun Hold grants access to all surrounding lands. Whiterun is initially nominally aligned with the Empire, but Jarl Balgruuf the Greater seems to care more about the people of Whiterun than either side of the conflict, rendering the hold effectively neutral.

Whiterun comprises three districts arranged in tiers and connected by stairways. The Plains District is the lowest and contains the city's marketplace and shops, inns, a few homes, and the city gates. The Wind District is the main residential area; it features the Temple of Kynareth, Jorrvaskr, the ancient mead hall and headquarters of the Companions, and the Skyforge, worked by the greatest blacksmith in Skyrim, Eorlund Gray-Mane. The Cloud District is dominated by the government seat Dragonsreach and its dungeon, and is the highest point in Whiterun. Local businesses and services include the smithy and weapons shop Warmaiden's, the tavern and hunting supply store The Drunken Huntsman, Belethor's General Goods, the alchemy shop Arcadia's Cauldron, and The Bannered Mare inn. The jarl's court wizard Farengar Secret-Fire has spells and enchanting supplies for sale and can teach you the basics of enchanting.

For more information on Whiterun, see the lore article.

Whiterun People[edit]

Amren's House
Amren Braith Saffir
Arcadia's Cauldron
Arcadia
The Bannered Mare
Hulda Mikael Saadia Sinmir
Battle-Born Farm
Gwendolyn
Beggars
Brenuin Lucia^HF
Belethor's General Goods
Belethor Sigurd
Breezehome
Lydia *
Carlotta Valentia's House
Carlotta Valentia † Mila Valentia
Chillfurrow Farm
Wilmuth
Dragonsreach
Jarl Balgruuf the Greater Dagny Farengar Secret-Fire Fianna Frothar Gerda Hjornskar Head-Smasher Hrongar Irileth Legate Quentin Cipius * Nelkir Proventus Avenicci

The Drunken Huntsman
Ahlam Anoriath † Elrindir Jenassa Nazeem ****
Guard Barracks
Commander Caius Whiterun Guards
Guard Barracks
Whiterun Guards
Hall of the Dead
Andurs
Heimskr's House
Heimskr
Honningbrew Meadery
Eimar Mallus Maccius Sabjorn
House Gray-Mane
Avulstein Gray-Mane Eorlund Gray-Mane Fralia Gray-Mane † Olfina Gray-Mane
House of Clan Battle-Born
Alfhild Battle-Born Bergritte Battle-Born Idolaf Battle-Born Jon Battle-Born Lars Battle-Born Olfrid Battle-Born

Jorrvaskr
Aela the Huntress Athis Brill Farkas Kodlak Whitemane Njada Stonearm Ria Skjor Tilma the Haggard Torvar Vignar Gray-Mane Vilkas
Olava the Feeble's House
Olava the Feeble
Pelagia Farm
Gloth Nimriel
Severio Pelagia's House
Severio Pelagia
Temple of Kynareth
Acolyte Jenssen Danica Pure-Spring Maurice Jondrelle Rulnik Wind-Strider^CC
Uthgerd's House
Uthgerd the Unbroken
Warmaiden's
Adrianne Avenicci Ulfberth War-Bear
Whiterun Stables
Bjorlam Jervar Lillith Maiden-Loom Skulvar Sable-Hilt
Ysolda's House
Ysolda ††

* Only appears after Dragon Rising.
** Only appears after the Stormcloaks quest Battle for Whiterun.
*** Only appears after the Imperial Legion quest Message to Whiterun.
**** Owns Chillfurrow Farm but sleeps here.
† This person only sells goods at the market.

†† Backup innkeeper for Hulda; also backup merchant for Belethor.

The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, version 1.2, fixes this bug.

Related Quests[edit]

Quests Starting Here[edit]

Main Quest[edit]

Before the Storm: Inform the Jarl of Whiterun about the dragon attack on Helgen.
Bleak Falls Barrow: Retrieve the Dragonstone.
Dragon Rising: Investigate a dragon sighting near Whiterun.
The Way of the Voice: Meet the Greybeards.

Companions[edit]

See Companions.

Daedric[edit]

The Whispering Door: Investigate Nelkir's story of a Whispering Lady behind a locked door.

Side Quests[edit]

In My Time Of Need: Find a Redguard woman who is on the run from Hammerfell.
Missing In Action: Rescue a missing Stormcloak supporter from the Thalmor.
The Blessings of Nature: Restore the Gildergreen for Danica Pure-Spring.

Creation Club[edit]

Battle of the Champions^CC: A battle between two Civil War champions is about to begin.
Beyond the Grave^CC: Follow the trail of a set of valuable Daedric Plate armor.
In the Shadows^CC: Save the Jarl of Whiterun from an assassination plot.
Smith 'N Slash^CC: Defeat an Orc blacksmith and her bandits to obtain an enchanted set of armor.
When the Cat's Away^CC: Find a stash of silver armor.

Miscellaneous Quests[edit]

Quest Giver	Giver Location	Quest	Objective(s)	Requirement
Adrianne Avenicci	Warmaiden's	Greatsword for a Great Man: Adrianne asks you to deliver a sword to Proventus Avenicci, her father.	Deliver the sword to Proventus Avenicci
Amren	Amren's House	Dungeon Delving: Do a favor by retrieving an item from a bandit hideout. (radiant)	Find Amren's Family Sword inside <Alias=Dungeon> Return Amren's Family Sword to Amren
Andurs	Hall of the Dead	Andurs' Arkay Amulet: Retrieve Andurs' Amulet of Arkay from the catacombs.	Recover Andurs' Amulet of Arkay Return the amulet to Andurs
Brenuin	The Bannered Mare	Argonian Ale Extraction: Brenuin longs for the taste of Argonian Ale. Can you steal some for him?	Steal the Argonian Ale Give the Argonian Ale to Brenuin
Carlotta Valentia	Carlotta Valentia's House	A Few Words with You: Do a favor by talking to someone about a problem. (radiant)	Talk to Mikael about Carlotta Tell Carlotta that Mikael is taken care of
Farengar Secret-Fire	Dragonsreach	Salt for Arcadia: Farengar asks you to deliver some frost salts to Arcadia.	Give the Frost Salts to Arcadia
Lars Battle-Born	Whiterun	Bullying Braith: Convince Braith to stop bullying Lars.	Convince Braith to stop bullying Lars
Vignar Gray-Mane	Jorrvaskr	Thane of Whiterun: Gain the title of Thane of Whiterun. (radiant)	Purchase a house in Whiterun Return to Vignar	Battle for Whiterun
Ysolda	Ysolda's House	Rare Gifts: Do a favor by finding a rare item. (radiant)	Bring one Mammoth Tusk to Ysolda

Chop Wood: Get paid to chop firewood. (radiant)
Fight! Fight!: Prove your strength by wagering on a fist fight with another. (radiant)
Gather Wheat: Get paid to gather crops. (radiant)
Quest all Beggars Have: Take pity on a beggar. (radiant)

Notes[edit]

Breezehome is a house available for purchase after completion of the quest Bleak Falls Barrow. It may be purchased from Proventus Avenicci for 5,000 gold, as a reward for retrieving the Dragonstone for Jarl Balgruuf's court mage, Farengar Secret-Fire. If it is not purchased at this point, and Whiterun is conquered by the Stormcloaks, it may be purchased from Brill as a reward for helping the Stormcloaks conquer Whiterun.
Unused data in the game files indicates at least six buildings were removed from Whiterun: Maiden-Loom Manor, Pathway Guard Tower, Shrine of Talos, Ulfberth's House, Whiterun Jail, and Wintersand Manor.
Approximately 220 alchemy ingredients are freely available in Whiterun, with a respawn time of 30 days. These include 71 purple mountain flower, 41 blue mountain flower, 30 lavender, 23 tundra cotton, and 22 red mountain flower found throughout the city, as well as 14 nightshade in the graveyard outside the Hall of the Dead and 7 nordic barnacle and 1 bone meal in the pool outside Dragonsreach.
Whiterun also appears in Arena.

Bugs[edit]

If you sprint as soon as you fast travel to Whiterun, the game may freeze.
If the Stormcloaks take Whiterun, two guards will spawn on the left side of the main gate instead of one on either side.
- The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, version 2.0.0, fixes this bug.
You can leave the city without using the main gate by jumping on a barrel and over a wall near the gate.