Oengul War-Anvil is the Nord smith who works the forge at the Blacksmith Quarters in Windhelm. He has one burning ambition: to prove he is a better smith than Eorlund Gray-Mane of Whiterun, the man everyone calls the best in Skyrim. He’s also teaching the trade to his apprentice, Hermir Strong-Heart.
Where to find them
He is almost always at his forge at the Blacksmith Quarters, hammering away.
Quests
Queen Freydis’s Sword: the Jarl wants a replica of the legendary blade of High Queen Freydis, who ruled Windhelm in the Second Era. Oengul would much rather have the real thing, but no one dares retrieve it from its resting place. Bring it back from the dungeon he names and he’ll teach you some smithing techniques, raising your Smithing skill by one. At 100 Smithing that reward does nothing, though handing over the sword also leaves the steel and iron ingots by his workbench free for the taking.
Services
He buys and sells weapons, armor and smithing supplies.
Personality & relationships
Oengul is a passionate Stormcloak supporter. He insists that forging for Ulfric is a labor of honor, not a way to profit from the war, and boasts he’d hammer a thousand shields for the cause. He respects Eorlund but chalks his reputation up to the Skyforge rather than skill.
With Hermir he is gruff but fond: he won’t let her touch Ulfric’s royal armor yet, blames her when he misplaces his own hammer, and tells her to leave orichalcum to the Orcs. If the Empire takes Windhelm, he admits he nearly left – it was Hermir’s determination to keep learning from “the best smith in Skyrim” that changed his mind.
Good to know
After an Imperial victory he may greet a Legion Dragonborn with open scorn, and in some cases refuses to trade. Finishing his sword quest sorts that out.
Also in Windhelm
Race, level, class and factions read from the Skyrim game files; story details checked against community wiki articles and written in our own words.
