The Temple of the Divines in Solitude is the chief temple of Skyrim. It holds shrines to all of the Eight Divines plus one awkwardly empty pedestal where the shrine of Talos used to stand. It’s the place to pray, pick up a blessing, and quietly browse one of the best book collections in the city.
What you’ll find
- Rorlund, the Nord high priest.
- Silana Petreia, an Imperial priestess.
- Freir, a Nord priestess who’ll explain why Talos is missing.
- Shrines to Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr and Zenithar.
- The way down to Potema’s Catacombs, a sublocation of the temple.
Quests
The Wolf Queen Awakened ends here: you bring Potema Septim’s remains to the priest of Arkay. The final showdown takes you through the catacombs and on to Potema’s Refuge.
Notable items
- An Amulet of Talos in a wardrobe upstairs – a bit cheeky given the ban.
- A case of Firebrand Wine at the foot of a bed downstairs. It respawns, but it counts as theft.
- A pile of books, many on a ledge halfway up the northwestern staircase: The Alduin/Akatosh Dichotomy, Galerion the Mystic, Myths of Sheogorath, The Firmament, several volumes of The Real Barenziah and Brief History of the Empire, and all eight books of The Song of Pelinal.
- Aedra and Daedra, Alduin is Real and Immortal Blood on the upper floor.
Tips
To find the wine: enter on the ground floor, turn left past the benches, head downstairs, turn left again and open the door – it’s at the end of the bed. Just don’t get caught. Be careful with the staff too: if you kill Freir, Rorlund will send hired thugs after you. If you’re a lore hound, grab a chair and read your way through the shelves; the selection is great for book collectors.
Good to know
Talos worship was banned under the White-Gold Concordat, which is why the ninth alcove sits empty. Should the Stormcloaks win the Battle for Solitude, the shrine of Talos is put back in its place. The nearby Blue Palace has its own share of Wolf Queen history.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim game files, summarised in our own words.