Skyrim:Helgird

Helgird (RefID: 0001B11E)
Home City	Windhelm
Location	Hall of the Dead
Race	Elder	Gender	Female
Level	4	Class	Priest
RefID	0001B11E	BaseID	00014124
Other Information
Health	75	Magicka	50
Stamina	70
Primary Skills	Restoration, Speech, Alchemy, Conjuration, Smithing
Morality	No Crime	Aggression	Unaggressive
Essential	Yes
Voice Type	FemaleOldGrumpy
Faction(s)	CrimeFactionEastmarch; TownWindhelmFaction; WindhelmHallOfTheDeadFaction

Helgird in the Hall of the Dead

Helgird is an elderly priestess working in Windhelm's Hall of the Dead. During the quest Blood on the Ice, her extensive knowledge on dead bodies will prove helpful when you investigate a series of killings in town.

She leads a simple life tending to the dead and spends all of her mornings, from 7am to 3pm, wandering around in the graveyard outside the hall entrance, mumbling blessings to the tombstones. At all other times she will be inside the hall. She was supposed to sleep between 2am and 7am but doesn't, due to a bug. There are two exceptions to this routine: when Susanna the Wicked turns up in the graveyard as part of Blood on the Ice, she will be one of the three witnesses gathered around the corpse. During your investigation she will also act as a coroner and provide a bit of useful information.

She wears hooded monk robes with a pair of boots. She carries an iron dagger and a selection of lower-class items and gold.

Related Quests

• Blood on the Ice: Windhelm is plagued by a shadowy killer.

Dialogue

When approached it becomes obvious she has spent too much time surrounded by the dead. Inside the Hall she will state:

"This is the Hall of the Dead. Someday you'll end up here."

"My job's simple enough. The dead don't really complain much."

"Luckily Windhelm is cold, so the dead don't rot as quickly. Sometimes the burial has to wait for the ground to thaw, though."

When she visits the graves outside, she will prove much more faithful, while she pays her respects to the dead:

"Mighty Arkay, I pray that you will shepherd these souls as they pass into the realm of death."

"Mighty Arkay, God of Mortals, hear now the prayers of your humble servant. Bless these departed souls and welcome them into the realms beyond."

"Lord of Seasons, I pray to you now that you might watch over the dead with mercy and kindness."

"Hear my prayer, son of Akatosh, and grant peace to these departed souls."

Quest-Related Events

Blood on the Ice

Helgird and Susanna the Wicked

When the mutilated body of Susanna the Wicked turns up in the graveyard as part of the related quest, she will be one of the three witnesses gathered around the corpse. Questioning them will be your first objective and Helgird will greet you with a disturbed:

"This is a shame."

Did you see what happened here?

"Eehhh... no. Sorry. But I did notice that her coinpurse was still intact, so whoever did this wasn't after gold. I'm going to keep preparing the body, if you'll excuse me."

After Jorleif accepts that you investigate the murders in the depths of the Hall, Helgird will be busy examining the mutilated body, repeating:

"Large diagonal cut from left shoulder..."

Have you noticed anything strange about the body?

"Well, she's dead. But I guess that's not unusual, at least not for somebody in here. I mean, someone who's not me, that is. Sorry, was only joking with you."

So, the body?

"Oh, yes, right, of course!"

It's all right. But have you found anything?

"Not really."

Regardless of your choice, she will continue:

"The only unusual thing is the shape of the cuts. They look like they were made with... well, the ancient Nords used these kinds of curved blades when they embalmed their dead. I don't know who in Windhelm would even have something like that. Other than me, of course."

Let me know if you find anything else.

"I wouldn't hold out too much hope."

Did you have anything to do with this?

"I'm too busy tending to the dead to spend my time making more of them. And I wouldn't very well tell you about the cuts if I had made them, now would I?"

Either option will lead to her exiting conversation with:

"Now, I really got to get back to the body. Lot of work to prepare her for the grave."

Bugs

• After the quest Blood on the Ice her "Large diagonal cut from left shoulder..." dialogue will always take precedence.
  • The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, version 1.2.1, fixes this bug.
• Helgird never sleeps, despite there being a bed for her in the Hall of the Dead.
  • The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, version 1.1, fixes this bug.