Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Saros review
  • Arc Raiders
  • The Boys S5
  • Best turn-based RPGs
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
  • Delta Force giveaway
Don't miss these
Crimson Desert
Open World Games Hundreds of hours in, many Crimson Desert players are finding out they've not actually been completing Sanctums properly
Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls The Elder Scrolls 6: Everything we know so far
Kliff fighting a Black Bear warrior in Crimson Desert
Open World Games Crimson Desert players keep losing boss fights to a haunted book that forces you to read it
A medieval scribe focuses on her work as three cats, one being spectral, sit nearby
Simulation Games Kingdom Come Deliverance-inspired cozy game launches to great reviews: "Hans capon mentioned therefore GOTY"
Headshot of Todd Howard, executive producer and game director of Bethesda Game Studios. Image supplied to GamesRadar by BGS.
Games Ex-Bethesda senior artist says Todd Howard would tell devs "we can do anything but we can't do everything"
Todd Howard Starfield explainer
The Elder Scrolls Skyrim lead says Bethesda is "going to feel it" when Todd Howard leaves because he touches everything during development
Todd Howard Starfield reveal
RPGs Todd Howard agrees Starfield is "different" than The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, but those RPGs were divisive too
Games like Skyrim: Gerlat giving a thumbs up during the Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.
RPGs The best games like Skyrim to play in 2026
Macduff running from a monster during the upcoming PS5 game, Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert is "opposite" to most open-world games because the "magic kicks in" later, says Arkane Lyon boss
Dragon's Stone Chamber in Crimson Desert
RPGs How to solve the Dragon's Stone Chamber in Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert
Open World Games I played 6 hours of Crimson Desert, but it feels like I've barely scratched the surface of this RPG's open world
The Future of Starfield branding
The Elder Scrolls Everything Todd Howard told us about The Elder Scrolls 6, Creation Engine 3, and the future of Bethesda RPGs
The Future of Starfield hero image
RPGs The Future of Starfield: How Bethesda Game Studios is beginning to breathe new life into its most misunderstood RPG
The Lantern of the Laughless Saint NPC grimacing
RPGs "Elder Scrolls 6 is taking so long that we're just making our own," RPG devs tell Todd Howard
The Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls No rush on The Elder Scrolls 6, Todd Howard says - Bethesda has "so many millions of people playing our other games"
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. RPGs
  3. The Elder Scrolls
  4. Skyrim

It's been 13 years, but Skyrim stans aren't sure what one mysterious stone carving means: "I honestly still don’t know what this symbol even is"

News
By Anna Koselke published 13 August 2024

A dragon, a helmet, or a horker?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Skyrim
(Image credit: Bethesda)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Over a decade after its monumental launch, Skyrim still harbors secrets that even the most dedicated fans have yet to solve - including a strange symbol found carved into word walls.

After 13 years, Skyrim players continue to discover just how massive Bethesda made its fantastical RPG's world - myself included. It's no wonder either, considering all of the caves, groves, tombs, and everything in between that the game's map has to offer. One point of interest recently noted by fans online isn't exactly undiscovered though, but rather unknown. It's a symbol that many cross paths with continuously, but pay little mind to.

Present on word walls throughout Skyrim, the symbol appears to be... a dragon? No, an eye? Judging by threads on Reddit regarding the carving - it could be any of those, or all of them. "I honestly still don’t know what this symbol even is," writes a curious fan. "Is it some weird eye? Is it an image of Akatosh or some other deity?" A few players speculate that it's a dragon's face or that "it could as easily be a horker face."

Article continues below
You may like
  • A Redguard sailor has a shocked expression Redguard fans discover the 28-year-old game has a special way of protecting women from creeps
  • A black and white picture of the Dragonborn during Skyrim. Skyrim was "the holy s*** moment" at Bethesda that made other devs think twice about winning GOTY, says Pete Hines
  • Oblivion remastered wizard shrugging The Elder Scrolls fans fire back at Skyrim lead's fightin' words: Morrowind "manages to hold up better than Skyrim"
It’s been 13 yrs and I honestly still don’t know what this symbol even is. from r/skyrim

Some commenters theorize that it's not just any dragon - "It’s supposed to be Alduin," a fan explains, pointing to the statue included with the game's Collector's Edition as an example. Others state that the symbol resembles the Dragonborn's iconic horned iron helmet or Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of domination himself. Some of the more humorous guesses include a mudcrab, Gigan from Godzilla, and last but not least, "a dragon's fallopian tubes and uterus."

Personally, I'm inclined to agree with fans suggesting that the carving is either Alduin or a dragon's face in general - especially since the symbol is found on the Dragonstone and word walls. Who knows, though - I'd like to think that at least one Bethesda developer of a similar mind as some of the players discussing it looked at the image and thought of a mudcrab or a kaiju from Godzilla.

Skyrim is "very, very immersive sim" and Baldur's Gate 3 is "at least immersive sim-adjacent," declares imsim expert behind Dishonored and Prey

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Xbox Series X PS5 Nintendo Switch Platforms Xbox PlayStation Nintendo
Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Social Links Navigation
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

Read more
A Redguard sailor has a shocked expression
The Elder Scrolls Redguard fans discover the 28-year-old game has a special way of protecting women from creeps
 
 
A black and white picture of the Dragonborn during Skyrim.
The Elder Scrolls Skyrim was "the holy s*** moment" at Bethesda that made other devs think twice about winning GOTY, says Pete Hines
 
 
Oblivion remastered wizard shrugging
The Elder Scrolls The Elder Scrolls fans fire back at Skyrim lead's fightin' words: Morrowind "manages to hold up better than Skyrim"
 
 
Todd Howard
The Elder Scrolls Todd Howard says Elder Scrolls 6 launch is "a while" off, so fans look for experts to analyze his face when he says that
 
 
Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls Todd Howard likes "to start over" on every Elder Scrolls game, and 15 years after Skyrim the slate sure is clean
 
 
Oblivion Remastered
The Elder Scrolls This Oblivion Remastered fan has now spent 300 days following an Imperial Palace Guard "until I can loot his armor"
 
 
Latest in The Elder Scrolls
A Redguard sailor has a shocked expression
The Elder Scrolls Redguard fans discover the 28-year-old game has a special way of protecting women from creeps
 
 
A black dragon roaring with a manor house behind it and lighting in the sky during Skyrim.
The Elder Scrolls Skyrim mod has you slay dragons "by debating them on the geopolitics of Tamriel"
 
 
A ghostly woman in The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls Elder Scrolls co-creator believed bugs were a necessary evil for Bethesda's massive RPGs
 
 
Todd Howard Starfield reveal
RPGs Todd Howard agrees Starfield is "different" than The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, but those RPGs were divisive too
 
 
A dragon blasts a man with a shield in Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls New Skyrim mod turns Bethesda's RPG into the "ultimate" MMO I've always wanted by transforming NPCs into real players
 
 
Todd Howard Starfield explainer
The Elder Scrolls Skyrim lead says Bethesda is "going to feel it" when Todd Howard leaves because he touches everything during development
 
 
Latest in News
Fallout
Fallout Fallout co-creator hopes to "make one more game" before his second retirement from RPG development
 
 
Motorslice heroine making peace sign
Action Games Indie dev discovers nuclear fusion of Steam marketing, flies up wishlists thanks to anime girl
 
 
Diablo 4 character screams in front of gray sky
Diablo Diablo 4 needs "aspirational content," says director, but don't discredit casual gameplay
 
 
Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Mike in Stranger Things: Tales From '85
Animated Shows Stranger Things: Tales From '85 showrunner says the upcoming series won't just be a "Monster of the Week" adventure
 
 
Marathon runners
FPS Games Bungie makes Marathon's Cryo Archive less brutal, blocking spawn rush strats and giving free kits
 
 
Crimson Desert
RPGs The Witcher 3 director says Crimson Desert isn't "story heavy," but it still gets "RPG things" right
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Motorslice heroine making peace sign
    1
    Indie dev discovers nuclear fusion of Steam marketing, flies up wishlists thanks to anime girl
  2. 2
    Stranger Things: Tales From '85 showrunner says the upcoming series won't just be a "Monster of the Week" adventure
  3. 3
    Diablo 4 needs "aspirational content," says director, but don't discredit casual gameplay
  4. 4
    The Witcher 3 director says Crimson Desert isn't "story heavy," but it still gets "RPG things" right
  5. 5
    Bungie makes Marathon's Cryo Archive less brutal, blocking spawn rush strats and giving free kits

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...