Featured Image Credit: Bethesda
Topics: Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls, Bethesda
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim players are only just discovering what very well may be the rarest NPC in the game, although lore-obsessed Elder Scrolls folks may already be well familiar with his tale before meeting him.
I think it’s fair to say that even the most seasoned The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim players likely still haven’t seen everything the game has to offer.
That’s less to do with the size of the map and more to do with Bethesda’s focus on cramming as many tiny details and encounters into every corner of Skyrim, which is likely why thousands of players have never run into the spooky ghost that frequents the land’s roads.
As spotted by one player over on the r/skyrim subreddit, there’s a spectral, horse-riding, head-lacking NPC that can be found wandering up and down Skyrim’s cobbled paths, which the community has dubbed the Headless Horseman.
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As it turns out, several people only managed to run into the poor soul after playing through the game multiple times, whereas others have still never managed to trigger his appearance.
“Took me about five or six playthroughs before I ever saw him. On my current one I haven't seen him yet,” commented user Skelter_89.
“Yeah I have several hundred hours on PS3 and like 500 on Steam and this post is how I learned this is a thing…” replied user OdiiKii1313.
Now I can’t find an exact origin point for the Headless Horseman’s journey, but it’s believed that he spawns somewhere around Dragon Bridge around 10pm.
His final destination is well documented, however, and that’s Hamvir's Rest. Fitting that the headless ghost would finish his journey in a graveyard, potentially implying that he is one of the people buried there.
Although you can’t find a name on any of the gravestones in Hamvir’s Rest, several commenters in the thread think they know exactly who the Headless Horseman is, and you’re likely very familiar with the name.
Several bards across Skyrim will regale players with the tale of Ragnar the Red. Even if you don't make a habit of asking bards to play you a tune, you've probably heard carriage riders singing about Ragnar the Red.
As the song explains, the hero Ragnar was a bit of a braggart. One day, he rode his horse from Rorikstead to Whiterun, and managed to upset the shield-maiden Matilda in the process.
Matilda, upset with his attitude, cut off Ragnar’s head. The funny thing is, the Headless Horseman’s journey from Dragon Bridge to Hamvir’s Rest has him pass through Rorikstead and Whiterun on the way.
Even if it’s just a theory, it’s a fairly compelling one. Makes you wonder what Ragnar must have said to upset Matilda in the first place, considering he was considered a hero by the people of Skyrim.