Summary
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimhas cemented its place in the gaming hall of fame, as even a decade after its initial release, players still regard it as a legend. In the seemingly endless wait for the sixthElder Scrollstitle, many have been drawn to details fromSkyrimthat they may have missed. After all, the game is known for its seemingly unending treasure trove of quests and mysteries to uncover.
Insects inSkyrimare easy to discard as meaningless fluff compared to the domineering presence of its other creatures. Dragons, trolls, mammoths, and giants stomp and screech over every horizon, but they distract from the game’s real little heroes. Bees aren’t just one ofSkyrim’s cutest creatures, they have real-world significance, especially for ancient Nordic cultures.
Bees Are Integral to Skyrim’s Nords
It’s no secret that the Nords of Skyrim enjoy a drink as much as they love a good scrimmage. The houses and holds all over the province have decorated every surface with ample bottles and flagons of the stuff, and it’s wound its way into the people’s very culture. Every other bandit in the game audibly muses on the magic of mead, just as so many city guards wish for a single pint. The fabled feasts ofSovngarde in a Nord’s afterlifeare also rife with mead aplenty, so it’s more than just a beverage, but a way of life for these warriors.
The connection toSkyrim’s bees is that mead is made with honey. There are meaderies scattered across the land, many of which feature in exciting storylines, but all are depended on by surrounding settlements. Apiaries are man-made homes for bees, and humans have been farming these fuzzy little buzzers for their precious secretions for nearly 10,000 years. The game has gone to great lengths to show players how important they are toNords inThe Elder Scrollsas an homage to many real Scandinavian cultures.
Skyrim’s Bees Are No Joke
Severalplayers have observedSkyrim’s beesdoing some strange things over the years. For example, these insects appear to have the strength to both move and lift wooden buckets. This is likely just one of countless hilarious bugs inSkyrim, no pun intended, but it’s equally likely that Tamriel’s buff bees are immensely powerful beings.
Developers also had wild times trying to sort out the collision capacity of bee assets in the game, and these little insects were known for their unstoppable force, launching large objects like horse carts into the upper atmosphere with only a touch. After all, bees and their honey are a core ingredient of stamina potions inSkyrim’s alchemy profession, so one could argue that it’s only natural that they are, pound-for-pound, stronger than dragons.
The Mystery of Skyrim’s Bee in a Jar
One ofSkyrim’s enduring bee-related mysteries is the purpose of a perplexing item: the bee in a jar. It’s one of five insects found in jars throughout the game, and there seems to be no connection to any quests or achievements. Strange runic symbols have been scratched onto the underside of the jars' lids, but no meaning has ever been ascertained. Yet, with therelease of theSkyrim Anniversary Edition, three more jars were added to the game, spurring the mystery further.
The YouTuber known as Camelworks did some serious digging around this mystery several years ago, and they concluded that these live insects were just part of thecontent that got cut beforeSkyrim’s initial release. It’s a shame that players may never know who put these bugs in their jars or why they’ve been scattered far and wide.
That being said,Skyrim’s bee in a jarcould still have the purpose of being the player’s very own pet bee, staying in their house or nestled safely in their backpack. Either way, next time a player desperately chugs thirty bottles of mead to restore their stamina in a pinch, they can thank their friends, the bees.
