Korvanjund is an ancient Nordic tomb northeast of Whiterun and the final resting place of High King Borgas. Its name in the dragon tongue reportedly means “Holdings of Jarl Gjalund”. These days it belongs to draugr, and during the Civil War your faction sends a squad here to recover the Jagged Crown before anyone else gets their hands on it.
What you’ll find
- Three bandits outside the entrance to Korvanjund Temple.
- Imperial soldiers or Stormcloaks inside alongside the draugr, depending on which side you joined, with Legate Rikke or Galmar Stone-Fist leading your team.
- Three sections: the Temple, the Halls and the Crypt, where Borgas sits as a draugr wearing the crown.
- A claw door opened with the Ebony Dragon Claw – the answer is on the claw itself.
- A lever on the left after crossing the bridge on the second floor, which opens the way on.
- A swinging-axe corridor leading to a chest, and a hidden chest in the Halls behind a passage that opens when you lift a dagger off a pedestal (the chest is guarded by a floor spike trap).
- A Word Wall for Slow Time in the same chamber as the crown.
Quests
The Jagged Crown is your first real assignment after joining the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks. Your officer in Windhelm or Solitude sends you here to grab the legendary crown before the other side does. Much of the tomb is sealed off by a rock wall unless the quest is active.
Notable items
- The Jagged Crown and the Ebony Dragon Claw.
- Light Armor skill book Jornibret’s Last Dance, clutched by a skeleton next to a large chest up the stairs in the northern part of the Temple.
- Spell tome Conjure Flame Atronach in the crypt, plus a Honed Ancient Nord Sword of Cold.
- Two heavy bowls of gems on an unreachable ledge beside Borgas’s throne.
Tips
Shake those gem bowls loose with Unrelenting Force – the gems tumble down where you can reach them. Early on, a short path on the left ends in a barred door that you can lift from your side, which skips a big chunk of the interior. If you stumbled into Korvanjund before the quest started, be aware that the rubble wall can sometimes stay put afterwards, so it’s safest to visit for the first time with the quest active. Followers and swinging axes don’t mix well; let the axes stop before sending anyone through.
Nearby
Closest places covered on TamrielSaga: Shrouded Grove, Tumble Arch Pass, Weynon Stones, Blizzard Rest, Silverdrift Lair.
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.
