As you travel about Skyrim, you’re likely to encounter any number of bards and skalds. From those who wander the roads to those who work the taverns of the frigid land, and even including a few like Yngvar the Singer, the disgruntled ex-bard turned mercenary in Markarth. As it may not surprise you to learn, the lot of them all belong to a single larger organization (or used to)- the Bards’ College. The main building for the Bards’ College can be found in Solitude, and is an excellent place to go if you seek to build a reputation as a bard yourself.
The College is in the upper parts of Solitude, near the Hall of the Dead and the Blue Palace. It’s difficult to miss, particularly if you’ve spoken to any members and had them direct you to it as a place to learn the trade of word and song.
On entering the Bards’ College building for the first time (assuming you’re using the main entrance; if you’re using the lower entrance, you’ll have to make your way to the front hall first), an elf by the name of Viarmo will approach you, asking why you’re here. When you explain that you’ve come to join the College, he informs you that they get quite a few applicants- but most do not actually become Bards. Generally, applicants must complete one or more tasks for the benefit of the College before they can become Bards, and Viarmo does, as it so happens, have a task on hand that would suit the requirement.
According to Viarmo, the Jarl of Solitude, Elisif, has forbidden the yearly festival of the Burning of King Olaf, likely due to the recent death of her husband, the former Jarl of Solitude and King of Skyrim. The elf wants to have a reading of the section of the Edda relating to Olaf, trusting that to change Elisif’s mind- but that particular piece of the Edda was lost a long time ago. This particular piece was apparently written by a skald named Svaknir, and is his contribution- each Bard adding to the Edda and thus turning the poem into an increasingly-lengthy ‘living history’ of the land of Skyrim.
Thankfully, Giraud, the historian for the Bards’ College, has discovered that a copy might still remain in Dead Men’s Respite, an ancient Nord burial mound located in the general vicinity of Morthal. Telling you that the piece of the Edda is needed, Viarmo informs you that you should speak to Giraud to get any more information you may require.
