Unbound: Escape Imperial custody and a dragon raid.
Before the Storm: Inquire about the dragon attack on Helgen.
Bleak Falls Barrow: Retrieve the Dragonstone from an ancient Nordic barrow.
Dragon Rising: Investigate a Dragon sighting near Whiterun.
The Way of the Voice: Meet the Greybeards
The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller: Retrieve a Greybeard artifact from Ustengrav.
A Blade in the Dark: Prove you are Dragonborn to Delphine by slaying the dragon Sahloknir.
Diplomatic Immunity: Infiltrate a party at the Thalmor Embassy.
A Cornered Rat: Locate Esbern
Alduin's Wall: Locate the prophecy within Sky Haven Temple.
The Throat of the World: Receive a lesson from Paarthurnax.
Elder Knowledge: Locate an Elder Scroll.
Alduin's Bane: Exploit the Time Wound to learn Dragonrend.
Season Unending: Enforce a ceasefire to secure Dragonsreach.
(optional) Paarthurnax: Deal with a potential threat.
The Fallen: Capture and interrogate one of Alduin's allies
The World-Eater's Eyrie: Battle through Skuldafn Temple to reach Alduin's portal to Sovngarde.
Sovngarde: Seek out Alduin within Sovngarde.
Dragonslayer: Put an end to the World Eater.

Tending the Flames: Unveil the truth about a deceitful King and become a member of the Bards College.
Finn's Lute: Return an invaluable lute to the Bards College
Pantea's Flute: Find a missing flute for Pantea.
Rjorn's Drum: Retrieve a drum for Giraud Gemane.

First Lessons: Join the College of Winterhold
Under Saarthal: Uncover the mysteries beneath this ancient ruin.
Hitting the Books: Find the books needed to identify the artifact found in Saarthal.
Good Intentions: Find and consult the Augur of Dunlain.
Revealing the Unseen: Use the Oculory of Mzulft to divine the location of Magnus' staff.
Containment: Deal with the aftermath of the Eye's powersurge.
The Staff of Magnus: Retrieve the Staff of Magnus to battle the Eye.
The Eye of Magnus: Reclaim the College and contain the Eye.
Aftershock: Put an end to the rupture caused by the Eye of Magnus

Optional Quests

Arniel's Endeavor: Help Arniel Gane with his research
Brelyna's Practice: Help Brelyna Maryon by allowing her to practice her spells on you.
Enchanting Pick-Up: Sergius wants you to pick-up an item from a client for enchanting.
Fetch me that Book!: Fetch a book for Urag gro-Shub
Filling Soul Gems: Bring a Filled Grand Soul Gem to Sergius Turrianus.
J'zargo's Experiment: Help J'zargo test out a fiery new spell
Onmund's Request: Help Onmund negotiate the return of a family amulet from Enthir.
Out of Balance: Purify the focus points for magical energy around the College.
Restocking Soul Gems: Help Sergius Turrianus to fill his stock with soul gems.
Rogue Wizard
Shalidor's Insights: Discover the writings of Shalidor and benefit from his wisdom.
Tolfdir the Absent-Minded: Help Tolfdir find his missing alembic.

Master Skill Quests

Alteration Ritual Spell: Find the Fang and use it to get Heartscales from a dragon for Tolfdir.
Conjuration Ritual Spell: Find a Sigil Stone by summoning a daedra and learn more about Conjuration
Destruction Ritual Spell: Learn the most powerful Destruction spells Skyrim has to offer.
Illusion Ritual Spell: Find some books about Illusion Magic to learn Master Spells
Restoration Ritual Spell: Find the Augur of Dunlain and learn more about Restoration Magic

Take Up Arms: Prove you are worthy to join the Companions.
Proving Honor: Claim a Fragment of Wuuthrad from Dustman's Cairn.
The Silver Hand: Join the ranks of The Circle and clear Gallows Rock of werewolf hunters.
Blood's Honor: Claim the head of a Glenmoril Witch for Kodlak Whitemane.
Purity of Revenge: Retrieve the Fragments of Wuuthrad and wipe out the Silver Hand
Glory of the Dead: Cure Kodlak's spirit and prove yourself as a true Companion.

Delayed Burial: Convince a farmer to help fix a stranded jester's broken wagon wheel.
Innocence Lost: Help an orphan child achieve the ultimate demise of the owner of his old orphanage.
With Friends Like These...: Repay your debt to the Family, and show you are willing to kill on command.
Sanctuary: Pick up your first contracts as a Brotherhood member.
Mourning Never Comes: Make contact with someone wishing to hire you, then assassinate the target.
Whispers in the Dark: Spy on the Night Mother's keeper to see if he is planning sabotage against the Brotherhood.
The Silence Has Been Broken: Meet Amaund Motierre inside Volunruud and see who he wants assassinated.
Bound Until Death: Assassinate Vittoria Vici at her own wedding.
Breaching Security: Kill and frame the son of a high ranking Imperial guard.
The Cure for Madness: Confront the traitor among the Dark Brotherhood.
Recipe for Disaster: Assume the identity of the famous Gourmet in an effort to assassinate the Emperor.
To Kill an Empire: Attempt to assassinate the Emperor disguised as the Gourmet.
Death Incarnate: Assist Brotherhood members in the fight against the Penitus Oculatus assault.
Hail Sithis!: Finish what you started and assassinate the real Emperor.

Contract Quests

Kill Narfi: Kill a hapless beggar in Ivarstead.
Kill Beitild: Kill Beitild.
Kill Ennodius Papius: Kill Ennodius Papius.
Kill Hern: Kill Hern, a reclusive vampire.
Kill Lurbuk: Silence a terrible bard, permanently
Kill Deekus
Kill Ma'randru-jo
Kill Anoriath
Kill Agnis
Kill Maluril: Kill Maluril in Mzinchaleft
Kill Helvard
Kill Safia: Kill a pirate captain on her own ship

Other Quests

Destroy the Dark Brotherhood!: Finish the Dark Brotherhood and rid Skyrim of their kind.
Where You Hang Your Enemy's Head...: Restore the Dark Brotherhood's sanctuary.
[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Torturing the prisoners in the torture chamber will give you 4 treasure drops around Skyrim. They contain between 1000 and 2000 gold each.

Joining the Legion: Pledge allegiance to the Empire and take up arms against the Stormcloaks.
The Jagged Crown: Find the Jagged Crown for the empire
Message to Whiterun: Deliver the message that will decide Whiterun's allegiance.
Battle for Whiterun: Protect Whiterun from the Stormcloak invasion.
Reunification of Skyrim: Re-unite Skyrim under the leadership of the Imperial Empire.
A False Front: Divert the Stormcloaks by forging Imperial troop movement documents.
The Battle for Fort Dunstad: Storm Fort Dunstad and drive out its Stormcloak occupiers to claim The Pale for the Empire.
Compelling Tribute: Convince the Steward of Riften to provide intelligence needed for Legion operations in the Rift.
The Battle for Fort Greenwall: Storm Fort Greenwall and drive out its Stormcloak occupiers to claim The Rift for the Empire.
Rescue from Fort Kastav: Rescue the imprisoned Legionnaires and retake the fort for the Empire.
The Battle for Fort Amol: Storm Fort Amol and drive out its Stormcloak occupiers to claim Whiterun Hold for the Empire.
Battle for Windhelm: Fight with the Imperial Legion to put down the Stormcloak Rebellion, capture Windhelm, and bring Ulfric to justice.

Joining the Stormcloaks: Prove yourself worthy of joining the Stormcloaks.
The Jagged Crown: Find this crown for Ulfric Stormcloak
Message to Whiterun: Deliver an axe to a Jarl
Battle for Whiterun: Take Whiterun in the name of the Stormcloaks
Liberation of Skyrim: Drive the imperials from Skyrim!
Rescue from Fort Neugrad: Rescue Stormcloak soldiers from the Imperials and capture the fort.
Compelling Tribute: Blackmail a Talos worshiper into helping the Stormcloaks
The Battle for Fort Sungard: Take this fort in the name of the Stormcloaks
A False Front: Find, then deliver some forged documents to the imperials
The Battle for Fort Snowhawk: Take this fort for the Stormcloaks
The Battle for Fort Hraggstad: Take this fort for the Stormcloaks
Battle for Solitude: The final push to free Skyrim of the Imperials

A Chance Arrangement: Help teach a merchant to mind his own business.
Taking Care of Business: Help Brynjolf collect some debts for the Thieves Guild
Loud and Clear: Send a message to a former Thieves Guild client.
Dampened Spirits: Put Maven Black-Briar's competition out of business.
Scoundrel's Folly: Squeeze a reluctant informer for information.
Speaking With Silence: Track down the Dunmer behind the Guild's misfortunes.
Hard Answers: Help translate Gallus' journal.
The Pursuit: Break into Mercer Frey's house and search for clues.
Trinity Restored: Become one of the Nightingales, Nocturnal's guardians.
Blindsighted: Stop Mercer Frey.
Darkness Returns: Make it through the Pilgrim's Path and return the Skeleton Key to its rightful place.

Delvin's Quests

The Bedlam Job: Steal a set amount of golds worth of items.
The Fishing Job: Steal an item right from a target's pocket
The Numbers Job: Alter business ledgers at various businesses.

Vex's Quests

The Burglary Job: Retrieve a special item for a client
The Shill Job: Plant evidence against a target.
The Sweep Job: Rob a house of several specific valuables
The Heist Job: Steal a particular item from a shop

Other Quests

No Stone Unturned: Restore the Crown of Barenziah
Under New Management: Become the Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild

The total damage the player can take before dying
Represented by a red bar at the bottom center of the screen
Regenerates 0.70% of your maximum Health each second both inside and outside combat.

The magical energy used to cast spells
Represented by a blue bar at the bottom left of the screen
Regenerates 3.00% of your maximum Magicka each second outside of combat and 0.99% inside combat.

The player's physical energy, used for sprinting and making power attacks (among other things)
Represented by a green bar at the bottom right of the screen
Regenerates 5.00% of your maximum Stamina each second outside of combat and 1.75% inside combat.

Alteration
Conjuration
Destruction
Enchanting
Illusion
Restoration

Archery
Block
Heavy Armor
One-Handed
Smithing
Two-Handed

Alchemy
Light Armor
Lockpicking
Pickpocket
Sneak
Speech

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

During the quest The Mind of Madness the player encounters Sheogorath having a tea party in the middle of a forest. This is a reference to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

During the quest Innocence Lost when you enter the orphanage, you will hear Grelod the Kind shout at the children "What do you say?" To which they respond "We love you Grelod, thank you for your kindness!". This is very similar to the movie "Annie", in which the orphans were always asked "WHAT DO YOU SAY?" and the response was always "We love you Miss Hannigan".

In a small lake between Whiterun and Silent Moons Camp, there's a skeleton arm sticking above the water holding a sword, possibly a reference to The Lady of the Lake in Arthurian lore. This is the middle lake of the three lakes in a row.
Just outside of Rebel's Cairn, northwest of Rorikstead, you will find a sword in a stone, referencing Arthurian lore and the sword Excalibur.
After starting the Ill Met By Moonlight quest you will hunt down a white stag which is found in many Arthurian stories symbolizing adventure and the hunt

Kolb & the Dragon is a book written in the style of Choose Your Own Adventure

In the Dark Brotherhood Quest line, you will encounter an assassin named Cicero. This is likely a reference towards the Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero, who was a close friend of Cassius, one of the assassins of Caesar, and openly endorsed the assassination after it had passed.

If you go back up the road from Riverwood to where you came out of after the prologue, there is a cave called "Embershard Mine". This refers to the popular Dungeons and Dragons podcast that Mike Krahulik, Jerry Holkins, Scott Kurtz, and Wil Wheaton played in to showcase the new fourth edition of the game. In it, Scott Kurtz's character, Binwin Bronzebottom, refers to how his dwarven father stopped drinking because the Embershard family of dwarves stole their mine. A note found on a skeleton refers to the same, but with a Nordic, not

The lore about Shouts has some elements of similarity to the way magic works in Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea novels and stories. Both of them depend on the language of dragons, where speaking the name of something in that language gives you control over it. The general concept of the dragons' long absence and return is also reminiscent of the plot of "The Farthest Shore," the third book in Le Guin's famous Earthsea quadrilogy. Further, the fourth book in the quadrilogy, "Tehanu," includes a character named Therru, a young woman who is said to be "a double being, half human, half dragon."

During The Black Star Quest, the Innkeeper in Winterhold will complain to Nelacar about conducting experiments at the Inn -- "Your last [experiment] turned inside-out and it exploded" -- a quote taken from the movie Galaxy Quest.

The quest A Night To Remember may be an homage to the movie The Hangover. In the quest, you travel around Skyrim looking for your drinking buddy Sam and cleaning up all the problems you created while you were drunk.

The possible follower Belrand occasionally mentions a game he played as a child, "Seek the Wumpus", a name likely derived from the classic computer game Hunt the Wumpus

When Athis is asked why he joined the companions, his response is "fortune and glory, friend. Fortune and glory." This is a reference to a very similar line from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

In the Dark Brotherhood, there is a vampire named Babette. In Anne Rice's novel "Interview with the Vampire," Babette is the protagonist's first love interest. The body of a young girl, however, is a reference to Claudia, the protagonist's "daughter" who was over 70 years old in the body of a 7 year old.

During the night, the PC may encounter a Headless Horseman, referencing Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". There seems to be no set spawn point for him, and can spawn anywhere between 10PM and 5AM. He appears as a headless ghost armed with a War Axe, and has a spectral horse. The PC cannot interact with him, though he may be followed. Hostile NPC's and creatures will attack him as he passes, but he ignores them. Wherever he appears, he will always make his way to Hamvir's Rest, and will disappear as soon as the player enters Hamvir's Rest and engages the hostile undead in the area. If morning comes before Hamvir's rest is reached, the Headless Horseman always speaks of an "abrupt end" to the "game", likely referring to your chasing him all over Skyrim.

At one point, the Companion Farkas says to the player "It's a secret to everybody", a phrase popularized by the The Legend of Zelda video games

In the quest Salt for Arcadia, the player delivers Frost Salt to the alchemist Arcadia, who says she intends to use it to create a love elixir. This is likely a nod to the 1992 movie Love Potion No. 9, where the love potion at issue turned out to be concentrated salt.

At the top of Throat of the World you can find a Notched Pickaxe which provides a bonus to Smithing. The name (Notch is the nickname of the creator of Minecraft), the tool (the pickaxe is a commonly used tool in Minecraft), and the bonus (a major part of Minecraft is to create your own equipment) are references to Minecraft.

On occasion, during melee combat with an NPC you may hear them state, "'Tis but a scratch!" This may be in reference to the film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail when Arthur wounds the Black Knight.
During the execution of Roggvir, someone in the crowd yells "Get on with it!" This is another possible reference to a recurring joke in Monty Python productions.

Beneath the Goldenglow Estate, in the sewers, the player will come across the skeletons of 5 deer and a human, in front of a cart. This is possibly a reference to The Nightmare Before Christmas, in which Jack Skellington rides a sleigh pulled by skeletal reindeer.

High Hrothgar, the sanctuary on top of the Throat of the World, may have gained its name from Hrogar, a legendary Danish king.
During the quest Tending the Flames, the player is required to find a poem, a part of the "Poetic Edda", which is a reference to the book of Norse mythology by the same name.
The dragon priest Volsung is most likely a reference to the feared Nordic king Vlsung
It might also be a reference to the "Vlsunga saga" in ancient Nordic mythology. the saga is about a dragon named Fafne guarding a chest of gold. The Vlsunga saga had a reference in Oblivion as well.
In the quest "Promises to Keep" you are able to get a birth certificate mentioning Sleipnir, the grandfather of Frost. Sleipnir is the eight-legged horse of Odin in Norse mythology.
Sovngarde is clearly a reference to the Norse "Asgrd" and the great building/hall at the "end" would be "Valhalla" or "Valaskjalf", so called "Hall of Valor" (in-game) would be Shor's hall , a reference to that "Valaskjalf" would be Odin's residence in Nordic Mythology.
One of the dragon priests, Volsung, is named after a hero in Norse Mythology. Also, Sigurd, the assistant at Belethor's General Goods in Whiterun, shares the name with another hero of Norse mythology. Sigurd is also the grandson of Volsung, by way of his father Sigmund.
Sigmund broke his sword Gram in combat, and years later, it was mended for Sigurd, who slew the dragon Fafnir with it. This presumably inspired the beginning of Glory of the Dead, in which Wuuthrad is mended for the player.
Tsur is an obvious wordplay on Sutr, an Elder Giant from Norse Mythology.

In Endon's house in Markarth, there is a shelf where Garlic, Glow Dust, Sliced Goat Cheese, and a Slaughterfish egg are arranged to resemble Pac-Man eating several pac-dots.

When you first enter Riverwood an old women shouts "a dragon! A dragon! I swear I saw a dragon!" This is a reference to the song in the children's film Pete's dragon.

In the quest Dampened Spirits, you encounter a not-quite-sane mage named Hamelyn, whose journal describes how he has created an army of skeevers. This may be a reference to the famous story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

In the quest "The House of Horrors" when you become locked in the abandoned house in Markarth and the poltergeist activity starts there are a load of chairs stacked in a precarious manner on a table. This is probably a reference to the famous scene in the 1982 movie "Poltergeist" where the entities haunting the family's house do exactly the same thing.

In the quest 'The Mind of Madness' Pelagius' Confidence and Paranoia are manifest as actual beings fighting each other. This is similar to an early episode of the british Sci-Fi Comedy, Red Dwarf, when during the episode 'Confidence and Paranoia' Dave Lister contracts a mutated disease and his Confidence and Paranoia are made into human form as an effect of his illness, during which time they strive to undermine and eventually kill one another

You can talk to Enthir at the College of Winterhold and say "I understand you're an elf who knows how to get things". This is a reference to the 1994 film adaption of Stephen King's "The Shawshank Redemption".

An NPC called Temba Wide-Arm makes an appearance, in reference to a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode called "Darmok", where an alien who only speaks in allegories repeatedly says, "Temba, his arms wide". She is a Nord residing at the Ivarstead sawmill.
In the book Great Harbingers, Cirroc the Lofty is listed as the first Harbinger of the Companions to be an outsider. The name alludes to Cirroc Lofton, the actor that played Jake Sisko in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
When speaking to Urag gro-Shub (the librarian at the College of Winterhold), he will eventually say "But at the same time, all of it is true. Even the falsehoods. Especially the falsehoods." This is likely an homage to this exchange between Garak and Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

If you venture in to Bleakcoast Cave, you will find inside some interesting things. The first is a Snow Troll; once you have found and killed the Snow Troll, nearby will be a skeleton hanging upside down from the ceiling with a sword on the ground. This is a reference to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, in which Luke Skywalker finds himself trapped by a Wampa in a cave and uses the force to reach for his lightsaber. A similar reference appeared in the Morrowind expansion Bloodmoon.
During quests Follower will sometimes say "I've got a bad feeling about this." A line also used by actors in nearly every Lucas Film.

Directly south of Markarth, near Pure water run, there is a stone bridge near a waterfall. If it is your first time there, you will see three goats; upon looking under bridge, you will find a dead troll. This is a reference to the children's story "Three Billy Goats Gruff" (a similar reference was also found in Oblivion).

Peryite, the god of plague and pestilence, has a shrine dedicated to him on a cliff in the wilderness of the Reach. In an alcove at the base of the cliff to the southeast, two corpses can be found with poisons and a dagger lying between them, a reference to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (and to the famous line in Act 3, scene 1, 9092).