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"

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."

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.

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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.