there is a man in whiterun which says the everyone is obsessed with death.

the thing is i cant find anybody who has said anything about death unless its related to a quest.

ive never ran into this, maybe you could check the wiki

I think he meant it as a comment on the Civil War, or at least that is how I understood it.

Agreed. Many people in the province are somehow involved in the war, which is obviously full of death.


The OP is referring to Jon Battle-Born, a resident of Whiterun. You can usually find him in the market area outside of Belethor's shop, or in the Bannered Mare inn.

Its kind of obscure though, on my first playthrough i though that whiterun was full of crazy death seeking necromancers or witch doctors of sorts

Everyone is obsessed with death. Kodlak is obsessed with trying to live until he can find a cure. Most nords brag about dying and going to Sovngarde. The Thieves Guild quests speaks heavily on death and the afterlife of a Nightingale.

Jon battle-born is a odd man.

...the player is always looking for entertaining ways to kill off Nazeem and Heimskr...

Notice how compared to Morrowind and Oblivion, the Nords are grim and angry as opposed to being more cheerful?

That's because Nord culture is strongest in Skyrim, and they are known for having very grim religious beliefs. Take a Nord out of Skyrim and put him/her in a place like Anvil, with warm sunny weather, and their disposition improves markedly, at least a Nord in Oblivion said something loosely along those lines.

Based on my conversations with NPC's the rough order of obsession seems to be:

1- Stuff they've lost... more specifically, getting the Dragonborn to go look for them.
2- Current events... Ulfric's at it again... did you hear about Helgen... etc.
3- Mead
4- Ale
5- Mead vs. Ale
6- The weather... At least every Khajiit you meet.
7- Fighting
8- Mead/Ale vis-a-vis Fighting
9- Boasting
10- and finally Death... specifically, would the Dragonborn kill so-and-so

Not single-minded then, but admittedly hardly the Algonquin round-table.

Have you ever played Bloodmoon? The PGE1 also suggests that the Nords are too laidback to care about things like the Dominion. Or nationalism.

Nords have both the cheery side to them, and the grim and violent side. They seemed a lot more cheery in Bruma and Thirsk, where they actually worship their original religion. Unlike Skyrim.

(It's also because that since we went to Skyrim, Nords act less like in-universe stereotypes).

Remember that it's been hundreds of years since the last PGE. The Great War was a while ago. The Empire was defeated, many Nords returned home without victory, and then their religion was outlawed. Thalmor agents operate with impunity within their own territory. I'd be surprised if the economy wasn't already in decline as a result of other aspects of the postwar settlement not commented on, and the war can only be making things worse. Nords have a lot to be upset about right now.

Jon doesn't say that to you when passing by if you're a Nord. He gives that cheery "well met, kinsman!" greeting instead. Every other race? yeah, you get the obsessed with death speech.

Yes. Hence them being obsessed with death.