Skyrim’s cows are big, shaggy and supremely unbothered. Modelled on the real Highland breed, they graze on farms across the province and give the Nords meat and hides. The game’s own loading screen calls them one of Skyrim’s most common domestic animals, which is a little generous: in practice herds are fairly small and scattered, and you can travel for a while without seeing one.
Cows never start a fight, but they are somebody’s property. Striking one counts as a crime, with a bounty that ranges from a token 5 gold up to 100 gold, and like other placid animals a cow can even act as a witness to your misdeeds. Bystanders who see one killed will make a point of telling you how important the animal was.
Where to find them
Look for cows on the farms and homesteads that ring the holds’ towns and villages. You will also meet them out on the roads: farmers sometimes lead painted cows toward the camps of giants as a gift. The runes daubed on the animal’s hide are, according to the farmers, a sign that the offering is made willingly and in peace, a small price to keep giants away from the village. It is common to see a giant ambling home with its new cow in tow.
Notes
- Milk cannot be taken straight from a cow. With Hearthfire, jugs of milk start appearing at your homestead once you have bought a cow from your steward and built a kitchen wing.
- Raids on Hearthfire homes can kill your cow; a replacement can simply be bought again.
- Occasionally a cow will chase a farmer around until one of them ends up dead.
- Butchering a cow yields Raw Beef, the base for dishes like cooked beef and beef stew, plus a cow hide.
