It's fun.

It was Arthur Conan Doyle, Creator of Sherlock home, 1859-1930 nerdier than you

I like the sound of a volcanic vein heating a resivoir of water pushing it up and warming up dragonsreach.

The assist could be simple pressure. That's how water comes out of your faucet in a 2nd-floor bathroom. The pressure might be from pumps, but it could also come from a passive system with a high water tower. Substitute the tower with some nearby mountain with a small lake on top, and there you go.

A very intelligent comment. I've wondered about the skyforge but never really thought about the water, but you're right. The biome in which whiterun is doesn't support that much water. That being saiid, I'm not sure Bethesda thought that through. I'm not insulting them, I'm just saying that if they intended that to be a big mystery, they likely would have touched upon it more as a way of foreshadowing whatever truth would be revealed about it. Still, good observation.

A good point, but The Elder Scrolls universe is unique in that it follows a set of logic. Not real world logic of course, but everything has either a physical or metaphysical explanation. When something happens that shouldn't happen in real life, there's usually a reason for it.

YEAH AND THAT PART IN SPEED WITH THE BUS JUMPING THAT GAP COME ON GUYS!!! THATS SO UNREALISTIC!!! SNORT

Actually, I keep on insisting that all good fantasy worlds (be it in books, games or movies) must make sense and follow their own logic and natural laws. If there's a lot of water flowing out of an Akropolis-like hilltop like the one in Whiterun, there must be a explanation for it. The explanation might not be entirely the same as in our world, but it has to be there, and make sense. And no, "magic" does NOT cover it all.

Uh, a spring? Artesian acquifer, flowing because of hydraulic head from High Hrothgar?


Because, dur, magic. And knowledge is lost all the time. Nords aren't really known for their careful record-keeping. I could be Falmer. But the Skyforge is pretty much a slam-dunk for being blessed by Kyne. Anyhow, the Nords emerged on Tamriel before leaving, and there were always indigenous humans on the continent.

Or read anything about the water output from the spring in Bath that fills all the baths there.

If it's pressure, why did the water bore thru solid rock (which is the foundation of teh city - you can see it by circling the circumference of the town on foot), and not emerge somewhere in the lower tundra?

And for all of you who keep saying "it's a fantasy game, it doesn't have to make sense" - sure, that's true. BUT: without a proper touch of realism, any game becomes uninteresting, because it loses it's ability to captivate the player and have him/her immerse themselves in the environment. Thus, when seeing something that doesn't make sense, it draws attention & curiosity, and stimulates the impulse to investigate.

So ... You're saying you find the game uninteresting because there's a trickle of water outside of a city?

Oh, no no. I'm with you there, completely. Magic stuff can be made up as you go along, but natural stuff has to adhere to the laws of science. Water does not flow uphill naturally. If it does, there needs to be a cause. Saying "this is a fantasy game" does not excuse any gaffes on this front, not at all.

Water flow can be created through pressure. It doesn't neccesarily just work with gravity, although it helps. Any basic knowledge of plumbing should confirm this.

Yeah,the positive thing is that perhaps we have all different opinions on what could be considered fun...

Maybe the surrounding region has a soil composed mainly of lime that doesn't allow water to pass forcing it to be confined underground. The hill on which Whiterun rests is probably the only place were this substratum is interrupted (maybe due to the very same tectonic forces that built that natural dome) and so water can flow outside.

Water can overcome heights as long as one end of the "pipe" is higher than the exit. If water that melts from the glaciers goes underground on the slopes of mountains, by the time it reaches Whiterun plains trapped between two impregnable lime substrates, it will possess a certain amount of pressure

Nah, don't worry, not nearly enough people in Whiterun for that.

Canonly Whiterun would be way larger than what we get to experience as there are limitations on what can be done with current technology. So the mountain would be larger, the city greater, and so on. That is also why caves have openings in the ceiling but those openings don't exist in the playable world. I heard once that the real Skyrim is about the size of Washington state so the 50k we get to explore is over 2000 times smaller than the actual size of Skyrim.

Though this is a good find.

Whiterun is an elevated section of land in the middle of a plain. This could have been formed through volcanic action at some point which could still form some foundation for the forge. The old volcanic channels could still be in use, but now by water. The water pressure could form from water flow off the surrounding mountains pouring into fissures in the mountains. Think of all those caves we go into that have rapidly flowing streams in them. Now combine a lot of that water flowing downward into a main channel that eventually winds its way into a central area under Whiterun forcing the water up through the old volcanic openings and out into Whiterun. Could be one of the reasons they built the city there along with the forge. The constant flow of purfied natural spring water would be perfect for a self contained city.

If you want to know the principles behind this, simply Google "How a Water Tower Works".

That said it is a fantasy game. It doesn't really matter how things happen and trying to rationalize everything really takes a lot of the fun out of it. When I'm shooting flames out of my finger tips, how the water flows out of White run is not really the biggest of my concerns.

No artesian well on earth maybe. Skryim doesn't take place on earth. So you are ok with speaking dragons, being able to shoot lightning bolts from your hands but a spring that produces that much water is just totally illogical. It's a fantasy game.

Guys here is why there is so much water in whiterun. Its because a long time ago before man there was a great flood that wiped out some unknown race eons ago. When the gods knew it was time for us to rise they took all the water and drained it deep into the crust of the earth. They drained it all down one large hole in the earth where Whiterun is so its the very seat of the spot where all this endless supply of water is being stored at. And possibly the reason its not so swampy is because to help keep the water from spreading and overflowing the land the gods made the dirt underneath the land into an unknown type of hard rock.

The skyforge is the key to reopening the flood and unleashing extermination on all mankind once again as we know it.

You guys know that legend of the dragon under dragonsreach right?

It's the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oru8OtMBRpk

Alternatively http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7e0777z7AY

This has a simple mundane answer. Most of the fresh water in our world that is not ice is underground in huge aquifers. There are also "rivers" underground of water moving from one place to another. Where these "rivers" meet the surface, it is called a Spring. The source of the water can be miles and miles away.

Most people choose to build cities near Springs as they don't have to dig for the water.

King Olaf dug an escape tunnel from Dragonsreach when Paarthurnax first visited Numinex, but the tunnel ended up intersecting the flooded tomb under Lake Ilinalta.
Made up Lore friendly, scientifically possible in real world answer
Does not cover Gildergleam decendant growing in direct sunlight, or Skyforge.

I actually think it's fun to find explanations. Like a little test if the world's viable

(I like to write fantasy novels and make up my own worlds, so for me it's important that the world makes sense, at least to some extent. I have more tolerance with mistakes in game worlds than in book worlds!)

Dawn era = Dawnguard? Could we have our connection?