The Statue to Meridia is a towering Daedric shrine on Mount Kilkreath, due west of Solitude. It belongs to Meridia, and right now she is not happy: a necromancer has moved into her temple below. Come here to start one of the best Daedric quests in the game and walk away with a sword that makes undead enemies regret existing twice.
What you’ll find
- The statue itself, and Meridia’s voice once you approach or arrive with her beacon.
- The entrance to Kilkreath Ruins, the temple occupied by the necromancer Malkoran.
- A virtually unguarded Word Wall just north of the shrine with a word for the shout Elemental Fury.
- Meridia’s beams of light inside the temple, which she uses to open its doors.
Quests
The Break of Dawn – starts either when you find Meridia’s Beacon, which can turn up in random chests after level 12, or simply by walking up to the shrine. The beacon is a large gem worth nothing, and Meridia insists you bring it here. She then tasks you with destroying Malkoran, who is defiling her temple. The Word Wall can also be the destination of the radiant task sent in a Letter from a Friend.
Notable items
- Dawnbreaker, one of the Daedric artifacts, your reward from Meridia.
- Word Wall: a word for Elemental Fury.
Tips
To spot the Word Wall, stand at the top of the stairs by the shrine and look northeast. Inside the temple, grab every coin you see before pulling Dawnbreaker from its pedestal – you get whisked out of the ruins immediately and anything left behind is gone. The light beams are also a famous training trick: with the Atronach Stone‘s absorption active, standing in a beam refills your magicka almost instantly, so you can spam Telekinesis for Alteration or cast illusion spells on a follower to level Illusion. When Meridia lifts you up and sets you back down, step away to lower ground afterwards to avoid a nasty landing.
Good to know
The Word Wall honours someone called Fjalmod Foul-Air, who, according to the inscription, smelled as bad in life as he does in his grave. Nords had a gift for epitaphs. Once all of Meridia’s business is done, using the beacon at the statue does nothing at all.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Wolfskull Cave, Haafingar Stormcloak Camp, Solitude Military Camp, Ironback Hideout, Clearpine Pond.
Location data (hold, map position, editor ID) read from the Skyrim game files; details checked against community wiki articles and summarised in our own words.