Skyrim talk:Easter Eggs

Editors, you are welcome to propose anything as an Easter Egg, or comment regarding the current page, but first consider that an Easter Egg cannot be generic (unspecific), such as giant animals or broad cultural parallels. All references to the gameplay and world of past Elder Scrolls games belong on the Historical References page. Many specific topics have already been discussed, such as Harry Potter's giant snakes, the Deathly Hallows symbol, and sweetrolls, so please check the archives before posting for discussions which might address your proposal or concern.

Archives
Archive 1: Nov. 11, 2011 - Nov. 28, 2011
Archive 2: Nov. 28, 2011 - Dec. 8, 2011
Archive 3: Dec. 8, 2011 - Dec. 13, 2011
Archive 4: Dec. 13, 2011 - Jan. 1, 2012
Archive 5: Jan. 2, 2012 - Jan. 24, 2012
Archive 6: Jan. 24, 2012 - Feb. 21, 2012
Archive 7: Feb. 21, 2012 - Mar. 23, 2012
Archive 8: Mar. 30, 2012 - Jun. 1, 2012
Archive 9: Jun. 2012 - Aug. 2012
Archive 10: Aug. 2012 - Sep. 15, 2012
Archive 11: Sep. 2012 - Oct. 2012
Archive 12: Oct. 2012 - Nov. 2012
Archive 13: Dec. 2012 - Jan. 2013
Archive 14: Feb. 2013 - Mar. 2013

Black metal

The book "Finn's guide to trollhunting" seems like a reference to Finntroll, which is a Black metal group.— Unsigned comment by ‎86.15.242.71 (talk) at 16:58 on 23 March 2013‎

I saw this one on skyrim wikia. Seems likely enough, considering the other swedish metal reference already ingame. I would support this.--~The wind, forsaken~ (talk) 18:14, 23 March 2013 (GMT)

Anything else to link the two? "Finn" & "troll" seems a bit coincidental. My daughter thought it was a reference to the cartoon "Adventure Time", which has a character named Finn that has fought trolls. --Xyzzy ^Talk 19:11, 23 March 2013 (GMT)

I did a little more research. Finntroll themselves say they took their name from an old Finnish legend where Swedish priests coming to Finland had an encounter with a wild-looking man who killed most of their party. The survivors came back bearing the tale of the Finn-Troll.--~The wind, forsaken~ (talk) 19:13, 23 March 2013 (GMT)

That doesn't really help cement the connection between the book and the band. What would help is finding something more to connect the two, such as finding parallels between the book's content and the band's song titles/lyrics/ etc. --Xyzzy ^Talk 19:32, 23 March 2013 (GMT)

I don't listen to finntroll and their songs are sung in Swedish, which I don't speak, but a comparison of their song names and the book don't show any similarities.--~The wind, forsaken~ (talk) 14:09, 5 April 2013 (GMT)

Falling Mamoths

In Skyrim, between Riften and the Stormcloack camp, there is a glitch place which is a big plane with a hill on one side. At said place, mamoths fall out of the sky every 4 minutes. It is just a spontaneous glitch. But be careful about where you stand because if you stand in the wrong place, a mamoth could potentially land on you and kill you :) have fun;) — Unsigned comment by ‎195.194.238.110 (talk) at 09:38 on 26 March 2013 (GMT)

Not only does that sound like a one off glitch, but that is in no way an Easter Egg. --AKB ^{Talk Cont Mail} 09:38, 26 March 2013 (GMT)

^What he said. ThuumofReason (talk) 11:54, 26 March 2013 (GMT)

Not an easter egg but there is a routine, predictable collision issue with a mammoth just east of Witchmist Grove that gets launched into the air when it attempts to walk into a small cliff. I've spotted this dozens of times, its rather routine and is amusing. Might deserve a note on either Witchmist Groves page, or the page for the Giant camp to the south of it. Lord Eydvar ^{Talk|Contribs} 06:40, 6 April 2013 (GMT)

Game of Thrones Easter egg

In Fort Dawnguard to the very right of the castle there is 2 Husky dogs and one of them is named Bran. This is a reference to Game of Thrones where one of the main characters (named Bran) can shape shift into his Direwolf (which are massive wolves, and Husky's are the dogs closely related to wolves). — Unsigned comment by 82.26.40.184 (talk) at 12:24 on 5 April 2013‎

Unlikely. It's already mentioned that "Bran and Sceolang, are present in Fort Dawnguard. In Celtic mythology, the hunter-warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) had two previously human hounds sharing these same names." --Jimeee (talk) 13:21, 5 April 2013 (GMT)

Agreed. The Fionn mac Cumhaill connection is much more specific than Game of Thrones. --Xyzzy ^Talk 14:56, 5 April 2013 (GMT)

This has already been discussed and rejected at least once. Please read the archives before posting. ThuumofReason (talk) 15:31, 5 April 2013 (GMT)

In the IP's defense, there are 13 archives. You can't reasonably expect anyone to read through them all. • JA^T 06:13, 6 April 2013 (GMT)

This discussion has been had before, Jak, and I maintain that we have that notice at the top of the page for a reason. ThuumofReason (talk) 11:17, 6 April 2013 (GMT)

(←) I've brought this up on the Administrator Noticeboard. --Xyzzy ^Talk 15:45, 6 April 2013 (GMT)

Han Solo Easter Egg - moving out of archives

Honeystrand Cave has a Han Solo encased in carbonite easter egg toward the rear of the cavern near the surface hole bringing in the sunlight. It is a skull slightly tilted to the left, mouth open, with the upper portion of the chest exposed as well ass both hands palms open and facing outward. Pretty clear once I happend upon it and then looked online and found others had noticed it too.

28FEB13 Bluesmachine.— Unsigned comment by 98.168.168.218 (talk) at 07:03 on 28 February 2013

Can you upload a screenshot of this? An image would be helpful in determining whether this potential egg was intentional on the part of the developers. This message was written by Rosalia ^{Tell her what you think...}_{...of her work here.} 07:06, 28 February 2013 (GMT)

If it's just a skull, that's nothing to connect to Star Wars. A screenshot might not necessarily help your case, but it definitely wouldn't hurt it. ThuumofReason (talk) 14:27, 28 February 2013 (GMT)

Googling "honeystrand cave han solo" wields one image and while the pose is similar, it seems unlikely to be an easter egg. There are dozens of skeletons in the game, the fact that one of them happen to sort of look like Solo in carbonite is anecdotic at best. Given the (poor) arrangement of the bones, it could even be a mistake. Elakyn (talk) 18:00, 28 February 2013 (GMT)

After comparing this image from Skyrim to this image I found online, I have to disagree and say that I support this as an egg. The angle of the head and hands, and the position of the hands in relation to the torso both look to me to be deliberate attempts to recreate the Star Wars scene. It's not perfect, but it looks intentional to me, and I can't think of any reason for it except as an easter egg. --Xyzzy ^Talk 19:58, 28 February 2013 (GMT)

Granted, the poses are similar, but that's the only similarity. Maybe if the particular skeleton was named "Hans" or something, it would be more clear that it was intentional, but as it stands now, it seems like a textbook coincidence. It could just be that a corpse was lying in the cave for so long that over the years it was gradually buried in a dirt pile. Or it could have been buried under a huge pile of dirt which was being shifted to reveal the decomposing remains underneath. Both of those seem like reasonable explanations for this occurence to me, so I really don't see the connection. ThuumofReason (talk) 20:08, 28 February 2013 (GMT)

I agree it's way too vague to list as an easter egg. Might the developer who made that bone arrangement have been thinking of Star Wars? Sure I guess, but even those skeletons half-buried in Stalhrim in Dragonborn reminded me more of Star Wars, and that was definitely a coincidence. Weroj (talk) 21:11, 28 February 2013 (GMT)

That raises another interesting point: if it's not a unique occurrence, then it makes it that much harder to say that there's a reference in there. ThuumofReason (talk) 21:25, 28 February 2013 (GMT)

(←) I believe it is too much of a coincidence for this to be considered an egg. Honestly, there is not enough evidence to show that it was intentional on the part of the developers, which is a requirement for declaring it an Easter Egg. At this time, I oppose this being put on the page. This message was written by Rosalia ^{Tell her what you think...}_{...of her work here.} 02:08, 1 March 2013 (GMT)

I disagree. The placement of the hands, palms-up, is very unusual, and the exposure of the torso and the pelvis but not the legs is no accident. The head is even tilted off to the side. I think this is an intentional Easter egg. • JA^T 02:23, 1 March 2013 (GMT)

I think it's also worth noting that the creators have already shown themselves to be Star Wars fans. The only thing bugging me about this is that the skeleton is placed horizontally in the ground, rather than vertically in a wall of something. This poor guy just looks like he could have been buried.--Admos (talk) 19:23, 23 March 2013 (GMT)

If the devs had placed this skeleton vertically in a wall, I agree that it would probably result in more support for this. Keep in mind, however, that the carbonite-encased Han Solo was shown laying flat in some movie scenes. The devs also could have placed the skeleton in a darkened area with a torch over its head, or encased it in an upright tomb lid, both of which would further strengthen the connection. As it stands, I still feel that it's too specifically constructed to be anything but a reference. Hopefully, enough people will agree to include it in the article, as I seem to be a little emotionally invested in this one. --Xyzzy ^Talk 19:43, 23 March 2013 (GMT)

So far, and not including the proposer, we've got 2 yes votes, 4 no votes, and one who seems to be on the fence, but leaning towards a no. Realistically, I don't think we're going to reach consensus towards including this any time soon. ThuumofReason (talk) 12:33, 24 March 2013 (GMT)

(←) I'm supporting the inclusion of this Easter Egg. The exact placement is far too unusual to be coincidence, especially considering each part of the skeleton (the left and right hand, torso, pelvis, and skull) aren't just random bits of a skeleton but separate entities specifically laid out in that fashion. Were it just some skeleton thrown on the ground or something I'd say this wasn't a reference, but as it is someone put some considerable effort into laying it out in that very specific pose (also noting that Beth Softworks are well known Star Wars lovers). Some developer clearly intended for it to be a little sneaky Star Wars reference, so it should be included. --AKB ^{Talk Cont Mail} 12:45, 24 March 2013 (GMT)

Even the head is tilted the same way, I support it. Silence is Golden^{Break the Silence} 12:52, 24 March 2013 (GMT)

(←) I'm bringing this one back from an archival death, because by my count, it is currently at 5-3 for inclusion, with one vote against being discounted due to accusations of sockpuppetry. Would 5-3 be considered consensus? --Xyzzy ^Talk 16:10, 8 April 2013 (GMT)

Whoa whoa whoa, when were accusations of sockpuppetry brought up? If you're talking about Rosalia, I don't see any evidence to indicate that any of her other accounts voted on this proposal. She only voiced one vote as far as I can tell, so I don't think it's fair to discount it. Including the proposer, I'm counting 5 supports (OP, Xyzzy, Silencer, AKB, Jak) and 4 opposes (Me, Weroj, Rosalia, and Elakyn), and Admos seems undecided. A 5-4 split doesn't seem like a consensus to me, and even 5-3 doesn't seem like a very wide margin to label "consensus". ThuumofReason (talk) 16:31, 8 April 2013 (GMT)

The heads are cocked ever so slightly. The hands are frozen in the same positions. The skeleton is missing legs, and Han Solo's legs disappear mid-thigh. There are some minor correlations between the area where the skeleton is found and prominent aspects of the Han Solo character (though nothing definitive). I imagine that, had I noticed the skeleton in-game, it would make me think of Han Solo. But I'm a pretty huge Star Wars fan, so I'm pretty biased. Take from that what you will. Minor Edits^{Threats•Evidence} 17:40, 19 May 2013 (GMT)

The Drunken Huntsman

I propose that the Drunken Huntsman is a reference to Dick Cheney shooting his friend while hunting. Cheney admitted to drinking prior to the incident and the event was widely reported and publicized during Skyrim's development. It was also widely satirized and made fun of, from SNL to Stargate: SG-1. Also, there is no other clear reference to the name, and the ingame story involves two brothers hunting, and one of them shoots the other with an arrow. Given how popular it was to satirize this, and that it occurred during Skyrim's early development, and that Cheney had been drinking, I believe that the name of the shop is a reference to this incident. Jeancey (talk) 22:34, 26 April 2013 (GMT)

Assuming this is a good faith edit, the stories bear little resemblance. Cheney and Henry Whittington were not even friends, simply acquaintances, they were not drinking immediately prior to or during the event, and it took place around 6pm, not at night. He did not intentionally shoot at Whittington, he aimed at a bird taking flight, and while it's the least of the connections, he nearly killed the man, causing him to have a heart attack after a pellet nearly hit his heart, as opposed to the more comical "arrow in the rump" that Elrindir suffered. Silence is Golden^{Break the Silence} 22:48, 26 April 2013 (GMT)

It is a good faith edit. I didn't think of it until the historical reference debate, but now that I did, it made sense to me. Originally, cheney claimed they were friends, and after saying that he hadn't been drinking at all, he admitted that he may have had some things to drink and in the interviews he said that it may have influenced him. Hunters have recreated the incident and proved that there was no way he could have hit the victim with so much bird shot from where he claimed he was if he was aiming at a bird. He would have had to have been much, much closer, and aiming directly at him to have hit him with so much of the bird shot. Many of the parodies have portrayed cheney directly aiming at the victim. This would thus be a reference to what "really" happened. Jeancey (talk) 23:01, 26 April 2013 (GMT)

I'm leaning towards "no" on this one. Although I do see some of the parallels, I don't think it's strong enough to be an Easter Egg, for the reasons The Silencer stated above. In real life, the victims weren't even friends, weren't drinking, the incident didn't happen at night, and the wounds were nearly lethal instead of comical. Also, the incident took place in 2006, which would've been at the very beginning of Skyrim development. I think this is a humorous anecdote about the naming of the inn rather than a reference. • JA^T 23:14, 26 April 2013 (GMT)

(edit conflict) No, it would be a reference to what satire and people not involved believe happened. Cheney admitted to one beer four to five hours before the shooting. Whittington called it an accident, and has not used this "evidence" to sue Cheney. The police did not charge Cheney with any crime. There were two other people with Cheney at the time who have not sought to provide evidence to the contrary of the incident. The stories only align when you zoom out to the very broad aspect of a hunting accident, which is neither unique to Cheney, nor that incident being the most famous of the type. There are numerous jokes in existence of drunk hunters shooting each other by accident, and this is what this is, the placement of an age-old joke in a game, not a reference to one event in particular. Silence is Golden^{Break the Silence} 23:18, 26 April 2013 (GMT)

Thero's also an ingame explanation for this. Most easter eggs don't have context.--~The wind, forsaken~ (talk) 00:42, 27 April 2013 (GMT)

Agreed, this is not even close to an egg. ThuumofReason (talk) 13:25, 27 April 2013 (GMT)

forgotten realms/baldurs gate?

The book Oghma Infinium is a possible reference to forgotten realms' Oghma the god of knowledge — Unsigned comment by Oghma (talk • contribs) at 14:58 on 6 May 2013

Seems likely enough. Oghma has been around since 1st edition of D&D we already have two D&D eggs. The Oghma Infinitum, however, has been around since Arena, so the Easter Egg wouldn't really go here. Perhaps a note on the lore page?--~The wind, forsaken~ (talk) 17:29, 6 May 2013 (GMT)

Or based off of this guy, which was the basis for FR's Oghma. Vely^►t►e 21:57, 6 May 2013 (GMT)

The Oghma Infinium has been in previous TES games, as Anil said, so I don't think we can include it here. ThuumofReason (talk) 21:35, 9 May 2013 (GMT)

Courage the Cowardly Dog

So today when going to talk to Delphine in RIverwood for the horn quest, and Faendal (if im not mistaken) looked at the childrens dog and said like Eustice in the cartoon: "You stupid dog!" — Unsigned comment by 109.104.194.32 (talk) at 19:01 on 18 May 2013‎

This dialogue is common to many NPCs, who may either say "Stupid dog" or "Good dog" when a dog is nearby. --Xyzzy ^Talk 19:04, 18 May 2013 (GMT)

It's scripted to be a common thing, which isn't usually how easter eggs work, but the line is simply "Stupid dog." Silence is Golden^{Break the Silence} 19:07, 18 May 2013 (GMT)

This has already been discussed and rejected. ThuumofReason (talk) 19:19, 18 May 2013 (GMT)

So...close

In Swindler's Den, right after entering the northward passage in the dining hall, you will find a table directly to your right with a bottle of ale on top. Right behind the table is a haystack, with a skeleton laying inside. The head is turned toward the bottle of ale, and the arm is sticking out the side of the haystack. It seems like it is reaching for the ale bottle, but the skeleton just barely couldn't get it before it died. — Unsigned comment by SkyrimBugpois0n (talk • contribs) at 16:48 on 19 May 2013‎

This has been discussed before, though not much. I personally don't think it's really of interest. Vely^►t►e 17:07, 19 May 2013 (GMT)

I agree. It's not referring to anything in particular, so it doesn't meet the criteria for inclusion. ThuumofReason (talk) 18:22, 20 May 2013 (GMT)