Exploring The Mystery of the "Headless Horseman" - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ต.ค. 2024
- Skyrim's "Headless Horseman" is a fascinating beast; a spectral man who rides around Tamriel at night, always arriving at the same destination. What is the story behind this ghost archetype's appearance in Skyrim, though I cannot promise clear cut answers, we're certainly about to look at it under a microscope.
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You should really do a deep dive into the Rorikstead mystery as a whole, because there is a LOT of absolutely sus stuff going on in that village that merits investigating with details that just don’t add up and possibly one of the most sinister backstories for a place in all of Tamriel, if you believe the theories are true.
I am aware of it and I’ll work my way up to it in good time
@@Fizhy : D
Oh come on, I _just_ inherited a farm nearby from a family of ghosts after my house near Pinewatch was overrun by giants and reiklings.
they have a deal with the Daedra It's a well known one! i don't think he will unearth anything new but the dwemer going missing or the mage in morthal Falion?
Yes! Definitely an awesome video idea!
I like to think that the headless horseman was a nord from Whiterun or nearby, but died far from home. And maybe his head was all that could be brought to his ancestral burial ground, which is why the ghost is non hostile as its a barely sentient spirit trying to reconnect with a disembodied part of himself.
They put him into an ossuary.
I live on the welsh border and I can say that pronunciation was almost spot-on. The "dd" is softer, more like a "th", but you pretty much nailed it.
Honestly the headless horse man is one of if not my favorite random encounters there's just something so special about it.
unlike our world, it really seems like people of skyrim are really used to seeing ghost... like there is a ghost hanging out in Old Hroldan Inn and everyone is chill about it...
Yeah, most of the stuff seen as supernatural here is pretty much natural there.
Their gods actively interact with the world and the people, the different afterlives are confirmed, the undead wander the crypts, ghosts keep showing up. Oh, and obviously magic exists, including necromancy.
Well the woman who owns the place was noticeably frightened
Hell yeah, just sat down with food and now I have the perfect thing to watch!
Enjoy the video and the scran
You wanted more, and I wanted to make more. Enjoy!
Not complaining or anything but what inspired this sudden Skyrim kick? Whatever the reason still great content
@@Manic_player got bored one night, installed Skyrim and started modding then decided I'd like to try my hand at producing meaningful content for a game I've lost so many hours to.
Nice we have a Headless Horsemen Myth in my Town very Cool Myth.
Have you done a Video on The History of Pickmen from Fallout 4 ? could you even do a one is there anything to go on i would love to see that.
Respect and keep up the epic work.
Now I want you to come up with stuff that just doesn’t exist in other games. Like: just make shit up for a week.
Thank you kindly. Appreciate you mate
I remember watching your video many years ago about The Headless Horseman in AC
I remember making it
I remember that as well
@@ghostwarrior3878 I remember you guys remembering Fizhy remembering it.
i feel it’s pretty noteworthy that Ragnar is a name commonly associated with Viking culture. a culture that the nords of Skyrim clearly take most inspiration from. that being said the headless horseman is specifically riding to a nordic burial site, rather than any other old burial site. something to chew on i suppose.
Saw him once - I felt privileged!
That's in three playthroughs, totalling about 800 hours. So not that often. However, I rarely played when it was night time in the game world - I like to enjoy the scenery!
Random chances are funny. I once encountered him twice in the same play through after I didn’t catch him the first time
@@normalhuman9878
Yesterday, I saw Deacon in Fallout London! I laughed out loud!
But that was more of an Easter Egg than a random encounter. Just wanted to tell someone. My friends (and me) are old age pensioners, they don't know or care about any of that stuff.
He was just casually leaning against a wall near the London Eye.
Skyrim a smart choice for these style of videos of how much stuff there are in Bethesda games like the dragon grave yards and other things in Skyrim and fallout
I may have seen the Staffordshire Moorlands headless horseman. I mean, I'm not stupid, I'm aware it's far far far more likely it was my mind playing tricks on me. However if ghosts do somehow turn out to be real, I might have seen one.
He goes to a place named "Hamvir's Rest". One of the things the Headless Horseman's quotes is, "Who dares disturb my rest?"
It's pretty obviously Hamvir.
The real question is, who was Hamvir?
In the thousands of hours I've put into Skyrim, I've only encountered this guy, maybe 4 times
That's wild... I've played through the main story twice and all the side content once and encountered him like 6 times but that was also on Xbox. I haven't downloaded it on pc yet
So is it any good? I never played it.
Same, I’ve played through the game many times and have only seen him 2 times
@@KillbotSware you asking if Skyrim is a good game?
i never knew he was a thing until i bought skyrim for my switch lite, at which point he was among the first 15ish npc's i encountered after the intro.
Hell yes! Glad you continued this series, fell in love with the first episode- perfect sleep aid
Oh aye, rest well soldier
I think it's entirely possible he was originally supposed to be Ragnar and there was originally supposed to be an associated quest to find the truth of the song. But like all sorts of other interesting and fun ideas, it was shortened in the final game to following him to a gravesite with a wink and a nod reference to the headless horseman myths and some leveled loot.
I also am convinced the Ragnar from the song was a bard born on Rorik's Stead (making him "from ole Rorikstead" regardless of where he was actually traveling from) who made this song up as a bit, and would replace "Whiterun" with whatever town he was currently in. He may have been very popular in Whiterun.
To sort of fanfiction a way to make this work: Hamvir's Rest could be his family crypt. And in a twist of fate he really was beheaded for some reason, maybe even in Whiterun. He was actually killed fighting a war, hence the horse and armor and weapon that can be used from horseback. That's why only his head is at Hamvir's Rest, it was the only part of him found after the battle. I mean, usually a Headless Horseman is carrying their head or a head replacement. This one has no head in its possession. It's possible this is the ghost of specifically the body trying to reunite with the head, of which has been properly put to rest. Which also would be why he's not hostile, he was properly put to rest at least in part.
Of course we can all be boring and say the song was written about this headless horseman ghost and explains why each night he travels to this location west of Whiterun. Then he really could be some guy named Dave.
I've been getting into Skyrim a lot lately, so these videos are fantastic! Hope to see more!
You shall!
The first time I encountered the headless horsemen I was just south of Rorikstead. The horsemen got stuck on a rock and ended up getting launched into the sky.
Average Skyrim moment
This Video really made my day, exactly what I was needing after work, love your content, and look forward to more!
I like the Ragnar the Red theory. I don’t think the Hamvir’s Rest name debunks it, the cemetery doesn’t have to be named after the Headless Horseman, especially if it predates him. Besides, Hamvir is probably the Draugr that re-animates, and he has a head. It could also be who is buried in the other sarcophagus that’s behind bars, the one that doesn’t have the skull and axe.
I excitedly await any further videos you want to make in this series
keep branching out into the Elder Scrolls series on the Gods and creation myths and you have my full attention Fizhy. already catching it right now.
Imagine if Ragnar was the ancestor of Rorik
I think this is the first Easter egg I ever stumbled upon in a game, really cool.
I'm glad you're taking on this game lore now
Keen for you to get into the elder scrolls lore, hoping for more, cheers mate
Im absolutely loving these skyrim dives. Please keep at them
i would just die of excitement if you did a giant deep dive into the dwemer, later on after the smaller stuff :)
Damn this is a good vid, can't wait to see some deeper elder scrolls mysteries on this channel, I already know they're gonna be great.
I look forward to it myself - I’m easing myself in with the more superficial ones to begin with as that way I can come to understand the lore better before I tackle some deeper topics - my understanding isn’t horrid as is but it’s certainly lacking compared to others who do this calibre of content so I have to catch up
Absolutely love these types of videos, please keep them coming!
I’m really enjoying your Skyrim videos!
Loving your new elder scrolls stuff and can't wait to see what you're on with next!
I think it is Ragnar. I think that's the reason they put that bard song in the game. Who else is it gonna be referring to? Why he's presumably buried in Hamvir's Rest is anyone's guess, maybe that was the closest cemetery.
So glad you’re making skyrim videos it’s my favorite game, love the channel!
Headless horseman is one of my favorite folklore legends.
Think it's just a cut character/quest they left in as a mystery. That being said, I always feel good when I see him during a playthrough. It's a good omen.
I'm excited as hell to see you delving into the lore of the Elder Scrolls, either surface level or the deep stuff. Such a lore rich environment, and I can't wait to see more from you! Do you have plans on delving into either Morrowind or Oblivion, as well as Skyrim?
I mean for now I'm clinging to Skyrim as my entry point - if the videos do well over time and ideas dry up for Skyrim itself I think then I'll work my way backwards to Oblivion and then perhaps Morrowind as the lore in the older titles is a lot more extensive and I'm still building up my understanding to competently handle the more deep concepts of The Elder Scrolls universe.
I hope you make a video discussing the horseless headsman next! :^)
I enjoyed this a lot. More! Give me more.
I've not played as much as most, admittedly, but I'd never even so much as heard of him before.
Been playing this game sense it came out and never encountered this ghost
I found him once in 2012 and never saw him again, my family thought I lied about seeing him for years until 2019 when my dad encountered him
These videos are absolutely amazing!!!
what timing because I was playing skyrim last night and saw the headless horseman for myself the first time !!
I first encountered it while helping a certain dog reunite with its master. Was certainly a fright.
These videos are absolute peak content!
I didn't know this was a thing. I'm glad I learned about it here, because I'd hate to come across it in the game and freak myself out, lol.
Wow, apparently I'm one of the poor souls who didn't know there was a Headless Horseman in Skyrim until today! Never seen him, never heard of him :O Now I'll keep an eye out for any signs of a ghostly apparition on my nightly travels!
Really enjoying all your lore/theory videos!
I totally thought it was a mod when I first encountered him.
My ridiculously modded Skyrim is so dangerous at night that I haven't seen this guy in an age. Maybe ill camp along that road for a while and see if i can find him.
Love that you doing Skyrim
I used to think he might be Ragnar the Red, then I followed him to Hamvir's Rest and had no clue.
You pronounce Chaurus perfectly, a lotta youtubers don't do that.
I had to narrow it down to 2 possible ways to say it and kinda coin-tossed on which pronunciation to go for.
I had him spawn outside of Markarth on the roads eastward at 3 AM, and funny enough, i couldnt follow him, he was quick.
I'm here all day every day for more Skyrim Fizhy 🔥🔥🔥(edit, any elder scrolls for that matter even Bethesda whatever it is I'd love to see it)
Absolute legend!
@@Fizhy oh no Fizhy you sir are the legend keep doing you brother much love ❤️ (can't wait for the next one)
Maybe Ragnar was visiting a friend, one he swore to never forget even in death
Skyrim glitches Are the Funniest Glitches in Gaming History 😂
Wdym? It's an easter egg :/
@@vladdietheladdie7345 Just Saying Skyrim has Funny Glitches
@@ARTHUR-MORGAN5 that it does 🗿
Literally never saw this guy until 15 minutes after seeing this video lmao
I believe it could be Ragnar, but most likely it’s just an Easter egg without a clear answer
I had entertained a thought that Rorik was a sort of family name, and he was only mostly full of himself. I forgot the other details, though.
I remember I saw the Headless Horseman but forgot where it was. Never saw it at all on PS3 or PS5 but only once on PS4. I was very creeped out
Didn't expect Elder Scrolls content. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Yessir
If Ragnar really was from Rorikstead, then maybe the local dealings with the daedra have something to do with him lingering after his haircut by Matilda
I like to think Hamvir is the leveled Draugr at the tomb, and the headless horseman is someone he killed. The horseman travels to the Tomb to avenge himself, or rather, get those that follow him to try.
I have 5 to 6 thousand hours in skyrim across PC, xbox360 and ps3, yet ive seen the horseman event only once.
I played Skyrim on Xbox back in the day... haven't played it in a long time though. After Saturday I'm off for 2 weeks from work so I may fuck around and download it and some mods on my pc and have a nice little walk down memory lane lol
100% worth it, just remember that no matter how unrecognisable the game, it's still Skyrim.
@@Fizhy ill definitely have to keep that in mind
If you follow him, he will lead you to Hamvir's Rest i think it's Ragnar the Red. Ideas for your next skyrim video, the made in morthal Falion or the bugs in the jars with runes on them?
“ a good chance” my ass I’ve played Skyrim for thousands of hours and I’ve seen him twice
thats weird. i just just started a new playthrough of skyrim and u release a skyrim video? i came to you channel because of rdr 2 lol
I have released 2 Skyrim videos. Hope you enjoy them
I mean, it does make sense it's Ragnar the Red.
Also why he's buried in a random burial ground? Is it really random though?
One can clearly see new graves on the site, so it might just be a popular burial place, simply named after Hamvir, perhaps Hamvir wanted a graveyard for the area and people named it after him?
And Ragnar the Red was entombed there because... well he was kinda disliked but greedy people do often accrue some money. So probably enough to earn him a burial.
Entire place isn't exactly luxurious though, and seeing how his supposed skull and axe is just tossed on the ground, it might not even be that much of a burial at all. Just put there as a cautionary tale? Which was forgotten.
With the mentions of rorikstead i think a video based on rorikstead would be nice as it's believed rorikstead is cursed.
Awesome video, keep it up.
KEEP MAKING MORE
One correction: the first verse says "ole Rorikstead". Ole doesn't refer to age in most songs and is only used to add a syllable to make the lyrics fit the rhythm, so the song most likely isn't referring to an Old Rorikstead. The popularity I would say is explained by the inn goers enjoying a song about that annoying guy at every inn from a few years ago dying for being too annoying.
The biggest problem with identifying the headless horseman with Ragnar the Red is that it hints an an older Rorikstead. Which the song even explicitly implies by calling it OLD Rorikstead.
So we have to wonder where exactly old Rorikstead was, and if it has any relation with modern day Rorikstead.
The name Rorikstead implies that it's a farmstead named after someone Rorik, so it might be a completely unrelated farm.
But I like the idea of it being the ghost of Hamvir. Because not all mysteries are for us to decipher. Not every name has to be connected to a story told to us.
It is possible Hamvir's Rest was simply where Ragnar and Matilda had their fight, and when he died there nobody bothered to move or bury his body. If you wanna stretch a bit, Matilda could have taken his sword as a trophy leaving him with only the axe available. Or it's Matilda's axe and she didn't bother taking it with her (or the duel was a draw where both died but the story doesn't mention that because nobody liked him).
do dawn star next please!
Over the years ive played thru 5 times.. on my 6th now. Lvl 64.... i had no clue about this... never seen him.
i definitely think this easter egg is just that, a easter egg with no real reason behind it, but i like to accept the more fun version that it is indeed ragnar the red
I too logically view easter eggs as superficial references but love when a decent theory is proposed. The Ragnar the Red theory is, in my opinion, unlikely to have been intentional but it's not a bad theory.
Carrying a "blade" isn't really a contradiction though. Axes have blades!
Is Ragnar perhaps the guy on the bannared mare sign? iirc there's also a guy in the loading screen wearing the same armor.
We love you Fizhy
What if it’s Ragnar the red? Riding toward Whiterun from ole Rorikstead, possibly still searching for his head…
I could have sworn he took me to a different ruin in... Morthal hold
Woah
Whiterun is a curious hold isn't it? I've always wondered if balgruufs wife's death is connected to the rorikstead conspiracy well assuming she's even dead
Rorikstead appears in arena which is set roughly 240 years before skyrim so its either a retcon or the towns leader is just flat out lying. Some books in game mention it from 1000's of years a go so the latter is most likely true.
likely they die, got buried in the fields, then resurrect to work on those fields and die again, its a cycle. one villager will have an option in which he says theres no mystery to their crops, but theres a vampire lair north of the village, and vampires always appear at signs of necromancy. moreover, i cant kill any of the villagers. they are set essential for nothing, which i cant understand.
Honestly scared me the first time I saw it.
I had to stop playing and look it up because it was just so bizarre and it didn’t have a quest, so I was like “oh my god….everything I think might be wrong and ghosts might be real and my Arcade Model Xbox 360 is haunted….why did mom have to get the cheap one??!”
But thankfully it was 2012 and so I looked it up (well, I texted a friend about it and he had seen it and looked it up. I didn’t have a personal laptop and did not have a smartphone yet….and realized it was a little fun Easter egg….)
I always assumed it was Ragnar the red from the song the bards sing. Though I did know about the headless horseman in literature so I think it’s a mixture of both a easter egg about sleepy hallow and ragnar the red
You and me bro, you and me... 😢
More 🔥 content!🤘 keep it up man!
You did pretty good with Llandymawddwy, don't worry about it
Glad to hear it! I always attempt to do pronunciation justice but I can't always promise I'll quite get it right
How did we get so lucky to get two elder scrolls videos so close together thank you fizhy lol
There's no doubt he's Hamvir. Now we just must investigate who was Hamvir.
I'm enjoying these videos lol I've never even played the game. It looks surprisingly good too for a 2016 game 🤔
2011 game technically, albeit with a 2016 remaster. Also I've modded the visuals a little bit too.
I believe it could be the typical case of Chinese Whispers. Ragnar could be Hamvir. However with retellings over time and different Bards changing things to spice it up. Mixed with the names on maps changing. For simplicity' sake. Roriksteading was changed to old Rorikstead.
Homie is a vampire I think, he's lying to you
LFG I can listen to you talk for a concerning amount of hours
Understandable
Beautiful! So glad to see more
And there's so much more to come!
I had the super buggy rare encounter where he was chasing his horse it was weird and different
It is possible that there was something there before The new village formed but it was so long ago that nobody actually remembers the name of it. So they just called it the Old village keeping the name the same since everybody already knows what it is and where it is in current day
Whoever he is, I think the horseman wants help reuniting his head w/ the rest of his body so he can rest. But we can't open up the bars, so I guess he's going to be asking a lot of people for a long time.
The headless horseman has appeared for me by Helgen and Morthal