Lore:Gray-Mane

House Gray-Mane

The Gray-Manes are an old and influential clan in Whiterun.

History

Ancient Past

The clan was one of the first to live in Whiterun, making it likely that the family can trace its roots back to members of the Five Hundred Companions of Ysgramor.

Second Era

Around 2E 577, the mad alchemist Arkasis of Whiterun terrorized three of Skyrim's Holds. He conducted unspeakable experiments on unwilling test subjects. Each Hold had its own legend about the alchemist, but in every tale, the experiments involved strange alchemical substances and horrific transformations. With each crime, Arkasis eluded capture, and grew more bold until he was inevitably exposed in Whiterun in 2E 577. During Arkasis's reign of terror, the howling of wolves preceded nightly disappearances. Tensions hit a peak when a member of the Battle-Born family was found naked, covered in blood, and surrounded by dead livestock on the Gray-Mane estate. Accusations of lycanthropy were thrown around and several people called for executions, sparking a feud between the Battle-Borns and the Gray-Manes. A stranger offered to investigate, and found neither clan was at fault. The jarl and the court alchemist both disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leading the newly ascended Jarl Morryn to declare Arkasis a menace of the highest order.

Fourth Era

House Gray-Mane is a large mansion in the city's Wind District. Before the Stormcloak Rebellion, the Gray-Manes were friends with their equally venerable neighbors, Clan Battle-Born. However, Clan Gray-Mane strongly supported the Stormcloaks, as well as Ulfric Stormcloak. Clan Battle-Born sided with the Empire. Each clan rallied the city's populace to their respective sides, though Whiterun officially remained neutral.

Eorlund Gray-Mane was probably the clan's most renowned member, being the master smith who worked at the iconic Skyforge above the Jorrvaskr Mead Hall (though he was not a formal Companion). Vignar Gray-Mane was supported by the Stormcloaks as a potential replacement jarl during the Stormcloak Rebellion, when the neutral Balgruuf the Greater fell out of favor with Ulfric Stormcloak. As associates of the Stormcloaks, the clan was targeted by the Imperial Legion and the Thalmor.

The known family tree for the Gray-Manes circa 4E 201 is as follows:

Vignar Gray-Mane

Eorlund Gray-Mane

Fralia Gray-Mane

Thorald Gray-Mane

Olfina Gray-Mane

Avulstein Gray-Mane

Notes

• Gray-Manes are briefly mentioned in Dunmer of Skyrim.

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Skyrim article.