Mother of each of Jarl Balgruuf's Children Revealed

[@michaeltelson9798]

Actually, Irileth and Balgruuf fought together many times in the Great War. When Balgruuf’s father died and he was named Jarl she thought that it was only natural that they maintain their bond so she became his housecarl. It’s in their dialogues.

[@bettdecke2839]

If Delphine would be the exwife of the jarl, every person in whiterun would know it, including thalmorspys.

[@james739123]

Irileth was probably the one to identify the Ebony Blade was the source of the problems, why, she's a former member of the Morag Tong.

[@stormcloak1822]

Wow is she really is that confirmed in the game?

[@james739123]

@@stormcloak1822 not in the game itself, but in those old booklets that that had extra information like information on enemies, concept art, mission walkthroughs, you know what I'm saying?

[@Voxdalian]

Nelkir is coded in the game as being Balgruuf's brother, not his son. Most theories suggest Balgruuf adopted his mother's child or even had a child with his own mother because they didn't know each other, if that reflects Oedipus' story, it seems likely that Mephala would have something to do with that. When discovering this, his wife (and mother of the first two children) ran away and Balgruuf then killed his mother with the sword out of disgust at what he had done and regret at losing his wife. Delphine being the mother seems like a stretch, but it's a possibility.

[@Direwolf9818]

Yea, because that would mean not a soul picked up the ebony blade for at least 200 years.

[@Voxdalian]

@@Direwolf9818 For Daedric artefacts, that's not unusual, but it's not necessarily, Balgruuf could have gotten it from the Imperial City, but it seems more likely he would have gotten it during the war. Maybe another soldier killed an ally with it during the Aldmeri occupation of the White-Gold Tower, was sentenced to death, and his stuff was given to friends of the victim. Or maybe Balgruuf himself prevented the killing, in that case the intended victim might have been Irileth, which is why she swore loyalty to him. Anything is possible, but it doesn't impact the theory.

[@Forced2DoThis1]

THANK YOU for bringing up all those valid & IMPORTANT overlooked wrinkles in all of that deduction.

[@brynyolfxd3010]

He was coded as brother because he was last added and the engine only allows up to 2 children to be assigned to any individual .. and programers coyldnt be bothered to go back in and alter that code amd test it over n over to make sure nothing broke being pressed for time for fame release

[@DenethorDurrandir]

@@brynyolfxd3010 why not code him as a brother to one of the other children then? Not saying the theory is correct, this just doesn't make that much sense.

[@wod5203]

Here's a bit more fuel to this story, it's just something I've noticed while spending time in Dragonsreach. You'll hear a conversation between Ireleth and Balgruuf, about her concern for him slipping out for a time at the Bannered Mare. In between the time that you go to Kynesgrove with Delphine to fight Solaknir where does Delphine actually go after that fight? The Bannered Mare! She tells you to go to Riverwood and to wait for her there if she isn't there when you get there. I usually end up going back to Whiterun to store stuff and sell things, and I'll see Delphine in the Bannered Mare until I actually go to Riverwood and enter the inn. Then the next quest phase starts where you go to Solitude, and do the Thalmor Embassy thing.. This always has bothered me, because Delphine says Riverwood, not Whiterun.. so why is she always hanging out in the Bannered Mare? If you get too close to her in the Bannered Mare, she'll say "Not here, ... I told you to meet me in Riverwood!" I'm always irritated by this because yeah, you told me to meet you in Riverwood and here you are wasting my time in Whiterun!

[@abisnail4888]

Makes me think he’s seeing Hulda, the woman that runs the tavern. She’s the woman that gives you the quest for the ebony blade by telling you about the Jarl’s children. How would she know about his kids if she wasn’t involved…

[@thebarkinghand6463]

@@abisnail4888 Perhaps Delphine is Balgruuf's mistress and the mother of Nelkir. Hulda knows about the affair because they meet at the Bannered Mare. Balgruuf's wife, who was the mother of Frothar and Dagny, is the skeleton beneath the bridge. She was murdered by Balgruuf with the Ebony Blade. He probably got the blade as a love gift from Delphine. Does she have anything anywhere that could be a gift from Balgruuf? I would think that if Delphine were the Jarl's wife, people would know. But a Daedric Prince tricking the Jarl into murdering his own wife with a gift from his lover in the heat of an argument over the affair and Delphine's pregnancy makes more sense to me.

[@kallykat5993]

This was basically my thought too after watching the video. It seems more likely that the mothers are swapped as it would really justify the secrecy pointed out in the video if Delphine wasn't the Jarl's wife but his mistress.@@thebarkinghand6463

[@amasterofone]

@@thebarkinghand6463 Right, because if Balgruuf was married to Delphine for any length of time, wouldn't everyone be aware of it. How could they not know? Especially while he was Jarl.

[@facelessnameless]

Yea I just don’t think he’d leave that skeleton lying around though. Especially if it was someone so close to him. Not saying the theory is wrong but I just think that’s a red herring

[@nervsouly]

I always felt like Delphine was just wearing the hood to obscure her from the player. I specifically remember in my first playthrough long ago I didn't even notice something going on with her, she was just an inn keeper and by the time I reached Whiterun I had already forgotten her again. So it actually was a surprise to me when she of all people turned out to be the one having taken the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. What supports this theory is the fact that Delphine will not be present at Dragonsreach if you already knew what to do and went straight to Bleak Falls Barrow before speaking with Farengar.

[@Practitioner_of_Diogenes]

My problem with the whole Delphine thing is largely the fact that Balgruuf actually still worships Talos and up till the decision in the Civil War doesn't pick a side. Also, according to Mephala telling Nelkir things, Balgruuf also really, really, really hates the Thalmor, almost on par with Ulfric himself. So, while they are rivals, they don't exactly hate each other, par say.

[@thegamingjunkieoflegends1546]

How is your channel so small? This was genuinely good content; far above what one would expect for such an out of the way channel. I really hope you get more recognition! The Elder Scrolls community is always in need of more quality content creators 🙏

[@TheBlackRose3]

Thank you so much! This mystery was really fun to dive into and I'm glad you enjoyed my findings 😄.

[@Scoritn]

​@@TheBlackRose3amazing video.

[@MCPunk55]

The kid always takes on the Race of the Mother. Neither sibling is a Breton, nor blonde, which would ONLY be possible if the Mother also had dark hair. Delphene and Balgruuf are both blonde.

[@blindbeholder9713]

The kid "Usually" takes on the race of the mother. There are many documented cases of other things happening. Hair color isn't so simple either, and it often changes over the course of one's life. There isn't really a way to distinguish between children of different races in Skyrim, even the Redguard children have the exact same face model as the others. It could easily be a mistake. I also don't recall much hair color variance among the Skyrim children. Are there any Blondes? Can you make one in the editor?

[@zacharypendragon49]

@@blindbeholder9713yes there are blonde children. Hrefna, Sissel, and Dorthe. Though i believe those are the only three.

[@michaeltelson9798]

I have a suggestion for a review. That is the fertility of Rorikstead. My conjecture on it is not the Daedra as promoted by a popular KZbinr, but an Aedra one. First, above Rorikstead on the adjacent ridge is the only shrine to Akatosh which holds a dragon scale from Parthanax. It does repopulate over time. Sissel is known for her dream about a friendly gray dragon. She also goes for magic training by Jouane Manette. The combination of the dream, shrine and magic training to me suggests that Sissel is being trained to be a priestess of Akatosh who are very scarce. This brings about the low female count in the hamlet, why? We know some have died in child birth, but why the others. It could be that Bethesda has just not populated the hamlet accurately or they too left in service to Akatosh. The soil’s fertility being a gift back from the Aedra, Akatosh.

[@aswd90]

This is a good theory, though personaly, i don't think any of Balgruuf's children have the same mother, since we know from in-game dialogue that Balgruuf often goes down to the Bannered Mare to get drunk and Irileth often has to go and drag him back to the palace, so it would not be a far-fetched idea that at least one of his children is the result of a drunken one night stand. Which touches into another theory, one about Lydia, one that says that she is either a child of Balgruuf, or that she is his niece.

[@someonesilence3731]

There is only one discrepancy in your theory. According to the Thalmor dossier, Delphine is in her mid 50s. Dagny and Frothar are about 10 years old, because all childeren in Skyrim are lol. This would put Delphine around the age of 45 when she gave birth, which makes this somewhat unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely.

[@Caspar_17]

Im sure she could give birth at 45

[@someonesilence3731]

@@Caspar_17 I wouldn't be sure, but its quite possible.

[@your_local_ginger9931]

If it's worth anything, my mother gave birth to me at 41

[@kck-kck879]

Plenty of women give birth well into their 40's, sometimes even in their 50's. It isn't very common, and the chance of having complications is much higher, but it's definitely possible. And just because her dossier claims that she might be in her mid-50's, it doesn't mean that she actually is. She could be somewhere in her late 40's.

[@Practitioner_of_Diogenes]

There's only one "child" I can think of that's not 10, and she's in Markarth, and is the daughter of the inn keepers. Supposedly she's like 16 or something.

[@Caspar_17]

At 7:35 you mention how the body is Nelkirs mother under the bridge. I have to disagree, Maven was meant to be meeting a man that wronged her and sent people to pick him up, there is a note in whiterun explaining this, I forgot his name but the body is hinted to be his.

[@TheBlackRose3]

You're referring to Christophe Bartlet, this was also cut from the video. I considered that he was the skeleton, but it just doesn't make as much sense because in "Letter from Maven" she says that she's sending someone to escort him back to Riften. So, from this merc's point of view, why not just kill him on the road? Even if the job was done in the city, there are far more practical places to hide the body than all the way up in the Cloud District. However, there is something else that raises an issue with my theory. If you ask Gabriella for advice on killing the Gourmet she will say that she often finds water to be a useful hiding place for bodies. So, every corpse found in water could be her victim, including the one under the bridge to Dragonsreach. I'm sticking with my Balgruuf's mistress theory, but perhaps Gabriella did the deed. 🤔

[@ChrisWoollett]

@@TheBlackRose3 "every corpse found in water could be her victim" Reyda in Ivarstead is an another possible victim of Gabriella's who can found in water.

[@kck-kck879]

Water is actually a really bad hiding places for bodies. Sure, you wouldn't see it for a few days, but, by then, you would definitely smell it. *Things you don't think about at first ☝*

[@danielmaloney6461]

Irileth has this line where she chastises Balgruf for going to the bar at night. I think this some howpoints to Nelkir's mom being alive while his other children's mother being the dead body.

[@basedcommentor]

Delphine leaves Dragonsreach out of fead of being a danger to her family >Meanwhile Heimskr right at the doors of the Cloud District

[@Kijikun]

I always assumed Irilith was his mother. And the other kids mother died in child birth. 'Dark child' was always what I assumed was one of the clues. Since Bethesda doesn't always do the race of the mother = race of the child. Or that he was supposed to look more Breton but well Bethesda child models were rather poor.

[@unslaadkrosis3489]

If Irilith was their mother they’d be dark elves. That’s how it works in the elder scrolls. You inherit the race of your mother with some characteristics of your fathers race

[@Kijikun]

@@unslaadkrosis3489 not always. Bethesda has gone back and forth on this over the years.

[@7reasons617]

Being the race of the mother is not a given. That’s a hypothesis not a rule.

[@basedcommentor]

Bretons wouldn't exist if they'd all just be elves rather than half human half elves tho

[@ashleeaustin358]

I think delphine was the mistress and during the argument the sword was used to kill the wife. Delphine stayed there as a fugitive and her and balgruf had a one night stand. Delphine, after the delivery had the fight with bulgrufs wife. She hid the body under the bridge gathered her shit and fled leaving the child were she thought he would be safe from the thalmor. She left the sword in dragons reach under the protection of the wizard. The wizard told the yarl of the sword but not who was killed with it. Nords are superstitious, so, he would have tried to destroy it. Failing he locked it away. This explains why Delphine stays cloaked in dragons reach and doesn't talk to bulgruf the supposed old friend, only the court wizard. It's all a plot by the deadra and that's why the child hears the sword whispering to him. In short, Delphine brings the sword with her to dragons reach, is influenced and has a one night stand with the yarl after some drinks. She becomes pregnant, has the child. Is confronted on the bridge by the wife, a fight commences and bulgrufs wife is killed with the sword. Delphine hides the body and confides in the court wizard. They figure out that the blade is the problem. Delphine fleas in the night leaving the sword and child. After, she stays in touch with the wizard on the thalmor present in the city to ensure the safety of her child. She stays cloaked in her visits to keep bulgruf in the dark. That to me makes more sense. If bulgruf knew his wife was dead he would have buried her. He probably thought she left him after the affair. Also, Delphine likes her damn notes, she probably planted a fake note to make bulgruf think this. So he raises all the children as equals out of guilt for the affair.

[@honestkyn718]

I know it’s been a while but... wouldn't marrying a public figure be really noteworthy? The hier to whiterun? I feel that it's not Delphine. Doesn't seem in character for her. Not sure who it is though

[@a.j.carter2294]

Something to consider regarding the Ebony Blade and Daedric artifacts in particular: they don’t sit still for long. 200 years is a long time for Mephala not to act, and it’s highly unlikely that the Ebony Blade simply sat in the armory of Cloud Ruler for two centuries. I personally find it more likely that the Blade somehow made it back into the hands of Mephala’s worshipers after a few decades of inactivity; I also believe that the worship of this Daedra was introduced to Balgruuf through Irileth, as she serves as a cultural connection to the practice and their personal bond would be justification enough. Perhaps Irileth was at one point a high ranking Morag Tong member and brandished the Ebony Blade as her weapon. After she and Balgruuf retired to their post-War lives they retire the Blade as well. Perhaps it does in fact relate to whatever the hell went on with the childrens’ mothers

[@blindbeholder9713]

Back in Arena the Artifacts would actually leave your inventory after enough use. Later games avert this for gameplay reasons but in lore I think it's meant to be happening to every protagonist.

[@carna-9501]

As far as goldbrand is concerned we know what happened to it. The Elder Scrolls strategy card game has the player character as the one who possesses goldbrand, and takes the place of Emperor Titus Mede II, who was unable to take his place at the head of the legion during the final battles of the Great War due to some injury. We don't know what happened after that, the Legacy of the Dragonborn mod has goldbrand as an item in Titus Mede's quarters aboard the Katariah, however thats a mod and not canon. As the Great War happened a few years before the events of Skyrim, its safe to say the PC from The Elder Scrolls strategy card game still has Goldbrand and is still worthy in the eyes of Boethiah.

[@amasterofone]

This video is fantastic, but one gripe, that buzz sound at around 17:42 was insanely loud. I wasn't even wearing headphones and it scared the shit out of me. Please don't do that again.

[@Lazeraze]

Hey! I love the video! Your audio is a little quiet, but this is an awesome video and I think your analysis I sound, and I like that it doesn't rely on OOC, or what "the developers intended" and simply relies on diegetic clues. I'm definitely subscribing. Something to consider, is that when we first meet Delphine and she is speaking to Farengar, we see the entirety of the interaction, yet, when we meet her in Riverwood later, the map she is using of dragon burial mounds is a charcoal rubbing of the dragonstone, implying she meets with Farengar later to take an etching or is delivered said etching, suggesting there is a secret channel between them, that the jarl doesn't know about. This furthers your theory on Mephala as such a channel would likely be formed from her deceit.

[@TheBlackRose3]

Much appreciated! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@guitarmama06]

Ok, this is rather fascinating 🤔. Of course, this year [2022] is the first time I've ever played Skyrim. But, I vaguely remember seeing a dark figure leaving Farengar's room, when I was heading that way with the Jarl or maybe when Irilith came to speak to Farengar. Makes me want to replay the beginning part of the game up until you have to go slay your first dragon... My oldest boy found the skeleton in the water, he just *had* to tell me, I thought it was weird that there was one under the bridge of Dragonsreach.

[@TheBlackRose3]

Thanks for the compliment and congrats on your first Skyrim journey! There are actually a few theories about the skeleton and the one I presented in this video is the one I believe to be true.

[@sergeantstubby3701]

Another possible explanation for the children being Nords is because the Bretons are already a mixed race of humans and elves. It could be possible that Delphine had nord ancestors which skewed the race of her children

[@saxogrammatikus4195]

The rule is more about crossbreeds between Mer and Men. A half Redguard-Nord child would be like in our world a Mulatto.

[@cfox4548]

I think maybe with your theory, it could be the opposite too. Delphine came to her old friend's home with the Ebony Blade and the Ebony Blade influenced her to be the mistress, not the wife. Eventually the Ebony Blade convinced her to kill his wife. Balgruuf found out and due to his love, decides to banish her, not kill her. This is why she hides when she goes to Dragon's Reach, she's been banished for the murder and the blade that killed his wife was locked away when it couldn't be melted down. I'm currently playing a game where my Dragonborn's birth was a result of Mephala's webs and this fits so nicely with that playthrough.

[@jqveenstra2160]

That was really clever.

[@Charles-In-Charge]

The skeleton under Dragonsreach can’t be someone who died years ago. It only appears after you get to a certain point in the thieves guild quest line. If you never join the thieves guild, the skeleton never appears.

[@joypink5599]

That’s not true, though. I literally started a new game tonight and because I knew of the skeleton I yoinked the gold in it on my way into Dragonsreach

[@chesterstevens8870]

I'm sorry, but it's too big of a stumbling block to just overlook that Balgruuf doesn't have an identified spouse or lover mentioned anywhere in the lore or game files, not even as a cut refID. It's also no coincidence that the Ebony Blade is held in Dragonsreach: the signature weapon of Mephala, whom is considered one of the "good Daedra" in dunmeri culture. I'm of the opinion that Irileth used the Ebony Blade to kill one or both of Bal's wives or mistresses, and then stashed the weapon away under lock and key with the help of Farengar. One of the dead wives is possibly the skeleton found in the water surrounding Dragonsreach, and the other could likely be either one of the restless skeletons Andurs will send you to fight in the city crypt, or perhaps in the arm holding a sword you can find in that small stream outside of town. I don't have time or wordcount enough to fully lay this theory out, but I feel it's at least as solid a hypo as that laid out here.

[@Jackieyeet1]

That’s a really good theory. I’ve always had the theory that Carlotta could be Nelkir’s mom, considering her home has furniture fit for a palace, (aka dragonsreach) and specifically Mila, Carlotta’s daughter, keeping some of her belongings outside of dragonsreach, during the fishing quests, when you get Mila two goldfish (an anniversary edition quest). It just made sense when I thought about it. Maybe Mila wanted to keep her treasured belongings closer to home, home being dragonsreach. My whole theory and point to this is Carlotta being Nelkir’s mom, and Nelkir and Mila are siblings. Though, I have no theory for who Mila’s father is.

[@michaeltelson9798]

Fraternal twins, the male child kept as the “spare” and the mother to raise the girl child. Spare as in “Heir and a spare”, where nobles wanted two sons to keep the family line secure.

[@kck-kck879]

​@@michaeltelson9798The ol' "Uriel Septim VII Contingency Plan".

[@lincolngravemann682]

Delphine could have also bleached her hair to help hide her identity or the kids dark hair could be from a recessive gene but Delphine bleaching her hair to help hide her identity makes alot of since and would explain the kids having dark hair

[@josephrivera3649]

I disagree with this theory delphine is a Breton so her children would be Brettons according to elderscrolls lore when 2 different races have kids the child will always inherent the race of the mother but inherent features from the father

[@bi-product]

“You don’t question why Galmar is so loyal to Ulfric.” Oh, they’re sleeping together. No question.

[@aurochtamer]

But the Daedric Lords do have the ability to teleport their artifacts to them. Clavicus Vile only can't retrieve the Rueful Axe because he's too weak without Barbas. In the Black Star, the guy who steals Azura's Star has to use special measures to cut the Star off from Azura so she can't just take it back. Also I'm surprised you didn't mention the cut quest for Mephala. I'm not sure of specifics, but it invloved Balgruuf and his children. They cut it because it ended with the Jarl's kids killing him.

[@KAPTAINmORGANnWo4eva]

Don't know if you'd discovered this since making this video, but Goldbrand was apparently owned by either the Emperor (Titus Mede II) or by the protagonist of the Elder Scrolls Hearthstone ripoff at the time of The Great War. This would corroborate it being either directly possessed by the successors to the Septims and/or Blades or at the very least in Cyrodiil at the time of the war.

[@ctggirl]

In the game files, Nelkir it's set as the brother is the Balgruuf.

[@TheBlackRose3]

Yes, that is true. I addressed this in the script, but it didn't make the final cut due to time constraints. 🙁 So, not everything in the game files is canon. Bethesda has reasons for not putting a lot of the stuff in those files in the vanilla game. In this particular instance it could be a mistake. I sort of suspect that Nelkir was originally meant to be Hrongar's name, which could explain Nelkir being mistakenly labeled as Balgruuf's brother. Actually most of "The Whispering Door" was cut and the cut parts are in the game files. Bethesda may have cut that content because it wasn't consistent with the rest of the mystery. So, I take the game files very lightly when making my videos bc the content in there is not necessarily canon. Thank you for bringing this up though! I was disappointed that I couldn't fit it into the video. 😄

[@TheParagonIsDead]

My guess is mephala is the mother

[@WillowChord]

This feels pretty loose and far fetched . Lots of things have to be assumed, and things have to happen very conveniently for this to track. Without more hard proof I could never follow this Delphine theory.

[@FatrickAteman]

It seems like Farengar actually covered for Delphine, he jumps up immediately to grab Ireleth's attention while Delphine slips out. Doesn't explain anything about her when asked, and his apolitical nature and fascination with everything dangerous would mean he'd probably enjoy Delphine's knowledge and find her leaving for security reasons to be silly.

[@CalebSeal-x8c]

As long as we're listing reasons why the Ebony Blade could have become a two-handed weapon, you can't argue that there ISN'T a distinct possibility, with Sotha Sil dead and the Coldharbour Compact presumably rendered inert or at the very least replaced by something with different rules - given allusions of the Daedric Princes to drastically altering Tamriel (Vile saying he could just kill everyone in Skyrim to end the civil war) or outright manifestations (Sanguine appearing in the form of Sam Guevenne) - that Sheogorath could have decided to shrink the entire living population of Nirn, for funsies.

[@windhelmguard5295]

here is my take: Nelkirs mother was the one who wielded the ebony blade, seducing balgruuf before attempting to murder him at mephalas behest, at which point irileth stepped in, saved balgruuf and slew her in combat, irileth then recognised the ebony blade and advised the jarl to get rid of it.

[@wickedcrayon6022]

Interesting theory but I’m not quite convinced. Mainly because of genetics. Balgruuf and Delphine are both blonds. The odds of them having two children with dark brown/black hair are really low. In keeping with your theory, it would be much more likely that Delphine (perhaps under the influence of Mephala) cheated on Jarl Ballin’ with another man. Obviously Balgruuf wouldn’t want people to know the kids weren’t his because of what it would do to reputation. He’d be a laughing stock. Maybe the one kid who doesn’t have the same mother is the only child actually fathered by the Jarl. Just a thought.

[@thesmokeyhoe]

Same here, the hair color of all three children seems inconsistent with any of then having two blonde parents

[@natedrake7163]

They died their hair after the murder to express how edgy they became

[@danck941]

I read somewhere that Lydia who the Jarl gives as Housecarl once we become Thane of Whiterun is Bulgrufs niece. Which would mean if we marry Lydia then we married into his family.

[@atanamorell2]

great analysis - loved it 🎉 i subbed 💕

[@davidfletcher6703]

And Mephala is the patron of the Morag Tong, and Irileth is a former member of the Morag Tong

[@yvonneyuman8727]

I think the fact that the ebony blade is a katana like all blades swords is important to both Oblivion (see Martin Septims dialogue on it) and Skyrim. Interesting…

[@rylanallen1629]

this is the content i NEED

[@jeremymullens7167]

I watched an at least an hour long video on Nazeem. A part of the cut content was Balgruuf is gay and was having an affair with Nazeem. Then he looked at the creator code stuff and Balgruuf’s kids weren’t his. Nelkir was his brother and his other children just had no relationship information. The KZbin speculated that they might be his niece and nephew.

[@TheJennerman]

I was like WOW gr8 video that surly earned my sub keep up the good work and Thank you

[@silentj624]

The volume is really low when it comes to your voice. Other than that great job!

[@silentj624]

7:41 you jerk! I was listening to this while dozing off! Lmao

[@zacharypendragon49]

If balgruff knew delphine wouldn’t he have said something during the war counsel to though, even an off comment. But they don’t.

[@djordan4648]

This is actually a pretty good bit of deduction.I have to say. Of course, it's also possible that there is no connection between them. Or that cut content might change the circumstances of all of these inferences. I think your case forKatrina being Kyne is more compelling.

[@louisss95]

This explain in part why delphine is so crazy and why she is in Skyrim too, and why balgruf haté the talmor a Lot but don't rebelds with ulfric against them

[@TruekingoftheLeinstermen]

id wager all are irileths kids and just pulled the 1 in 1000 chance of taking on their fathers traits not their mothers even though kids usually take on the mothers race id assume that the seed is just strong and that lore wise they look half elven just no one realised or they did and didnt dare say anything edit balgruff is helping hide delphine because he is an imperial loyalist hes an honorable warrior but hes also planning for the quickly coming war the blades are his friends and he is the smartest and greatest of the jarls hes probably trusted by the empire or emperor to some extent he probably knows people very high up in the empire so knows very important plans so he helps hide delphine because he was friends with her or just because hes a friend of the blades

[@chadnorris8257]

I was never certain if we were supposed to believe Mephala was telling the truth about Nelkir or not.

[@lizamoonblooded4196]

The only problem I have with Delphine being the mother is that her kids look nothing like her. Both Balgruuf and Delphine have blonde hair. All three children have brown or black hair. And I know that children can be born with hair color that doesn't match their parents, but in a story with the question of who the mother is, that is unlikely. There are lightly colored hair for children in Skyrim, so if this really was as planned out as you say it was, the developers would have made their hair far lighter than black. My guess is that the mother is dead, died after giving birth to one of the children. Though I've always thought that Irileth is a lover for Balgruuf, not just his Housecarl.

[@chronosferatu345]

17:40 to 17:44 Headphone users beware. Comparatively loud noise at this timestamp. I generally consider not warning those using headphones or other listeners of unexpected loud noises or potential hearing damage a dick move. WTF. The volume needs to be turned way up just to hear the narrator. Seriously, the noise adds nothing to the video. First time on this channel and was interested in the subject until 17:41 when you nearly blew my ears out.

[@nefariousman2398]

I wasn’t paying full attention to the video and when that sound went off I flinched so hard and laughed my ass off. It’s such a dumb noise.

[@audrey_dawn]

Holy smokes this was so good

[@robjsmiles]

I love listening to random obscure bethesda game trivia lol

[@DarinRWagner]

I prefer to think Hulda is the bastard's mother.

[@KolonelCeanders]

There’s some pretty carful scenes with this evidence which makes me think that Bethesda might have had plans on the dragonborn finding out that Delphine was once the wife of Balgruff but then just decided that they couldn’t make a fun quest and gave up

[@-werksmith2078]

I think the mother is the skeleton under the bridge implying "skeletons in the closet". Delphine was a fling during the great war and later flees to Whiterun. Delphine brings along the sword and gifts it to Balgruuf and hangs it in his quarters. The wife gets jealous when The sword influenced the wife and told her about the fling and Irileth had to kill her or accidentally kills her when she tries to harm Balgruuf. It was probably was a semi-secret that the wife was going insane so it made the incident explainable thus it is not mentioned by anyone out of respect for Balgruuf and the kids. Dephine is sent to run the Sleeping Giant Inn and Alvor keeps an eye on her. (Alvor never goes to the Inn with his wife). I think Nelkir is a bastard child as a result of a drunken depression and sympathy one night stand with a Dragon's Reach maid.

[@perkitaseaman3290]

A dragon Riverwood and Delphine was in the giant sleep in doing nothing at the time so

[@gabeacosta594]

Makes more sense that Delphine is Nelkir's mother.

[@thorsforge2905]

Not a bad surmising however I think you got it backwards. I would think that the murdered skeleton is the mother and Delphine is the mistress. The Jarls wife would be a well known figure in the hold so he being in Riverwood she would be known. If she is the mistress then she would be less known.

[@brynyolfxd3010]

Ireleth sleeps in the kids room ... try replaying the game and pay attention

[@kiddeenotv903]

Itll make sense he used the blade on his children's mother one time realized what he did put the blade up i dont have and idea what couldve happened to the body

[@tackion5371]

Ebony warrior who? Finally a real mystery

[@ryanhau1073]

Do we even know if Balgruuf is the Father, the the Creation Kit revealed a few interesting tid bits

[@crazzyjjj1]

Maybe you have it backward, where Delphine was the mistress.

[@NoahVercetti]

I know you won't see this this but this therory is easily disproven . In the elder scrolls universe children take the race of there mother with some traits of there father . In the thalmor dossier of her it says she a breton. But the kids are nords Edit . Ok i just got to the last bit of the video and now i feel stupid. Your therory is probably correct

[@NoahVercetti]

It is a good theory though .

[@cordieberke7195]

Quick question: Why do you say not all the game files are canon? I've haven't seen or heard any dev suggest otherwise, but is there a source where they do?

[@TheBlackRose3]

Thanks for watching! So, the game files contain more than just the final cut of the game. They include cut content, ideas that never came all the way to fruition, etc. So, they are a useful tool for us to get some insight about the mysteries, but they can't be taken as seriously as what we experience when we play the game. Bc not everything in them actually made it into the game and there are reasons for that. Some of those reasons include the devs simply not liking an idea, struggling to get something to function right, something being inconsistent with something else in the canon, etc. That last one is key for this video bc most of "The Whispering Door" was cut, and if the theory I presented is true then that's likely bc the cut content was not consistent with the Delphine backstory. Or maybe they came up with the Delphine idea late in development and decided they liked it better than the content that ended up being cut 🤷‍♂. So, in summary for your question, the game files do have value to us in solving Bethesda's mysteries, but they shouldn't be taken as seriously as our plain old experience of playing the games. 😄Thanks again for watching!

[@cordieberke7195]

Gotcha, that makes sense. Like how you can't take ESO as serious bc it isn't canon. Thanks!

[@jeremymullens7167]

But the stated reason given by the developers was the quest was cut because the children kill the jarl. They thought it too dark. The only problem with the content is it contradicted your theory. The Delphine connection is a stretch. There could be other reasons other than a romantic relationship. Hooking up with a jarl is not keeping a low profile. Seems to go against her character. I’d just need a little more support for the theory and the creator content doesn’t help. The only sure thing is there’s something fishy with the Jarl’s children. And it’s not just the whispering door.

[@ericdane7769]

Nobody mentions Laila Law-giver's husband either, the father(s) of her children. Seems in Skyrim equality between the sexes is absolute, first husbands get ignored the same like first wives. Is it Ulfric? 😉 I do like the theory of Delphine bringing the blade over from Cyrodiil, she might be one of the mothers. nb. 7 out of 9 Jarls are bachelors (pre-civil war; 4 have kids). That can't be good for the future of Skyrim...

[@gabeacosta594]

I mean all else aside with the Thalmor and the civil war, why would the Jarls wife ( assuming Nelkir is a bastard ) Leave. I feel like Delphine being the affair makes sense and she used the ebony blade to kill Jarl Balgruf's wife, a spy for the Thalmor ( I know no lore to support that ).

[@helo9316]

It makes sense for delphine to leave if she was the first wife, because she felt cheated and had arguments with balgruuf but also because she did not want to bring thalmor attention to dragonsreach

[@hanzerik594]

Doesn't goldbrand show up in the tes digital trading card game

[@n.a.nameless5435]

Delphine and Balgruuf are both fair-haired. Both Frothar and Dagny have dark hair, as does Nelkir for that matter. I know that applying real-world genetics standards to a video game doesn't mean anything, but in RL, wouldn't work that way.

[@celtofcanaanesurix2245]

somehow I feel the whole race of the mother thing doesn't apply between races of the same species like humans, and humans or elves and elves.

[@JamesRichardsPlays]

You asked about suggestions for your videos, I have one; This is my first video I am seeing by you. I have my headset at a comfortable volume for my games and youtube watching. Your voice is quite low, even for a speaking video. I would raise the gain on the a couple db.

[@internetduck1520]

can't be delphine because the kids aren't breton

[@Thmyris]

ok mr holmes

[@Thmyris]

who's satoshi

[@saxogrammatikus4195]

The Physiology is more about crossbreed between Mer and Men and not Men and Men.

[@CalebChildofHumanityCalder]

Delphine being Balgruuf's former spouse and mother of his two older kids doesn't entirely work... at least not genetically given she and Balgruuf both have fair hair but "their" kids have dark brown hair...

[@helo9316]

I hope you realise that what you said assumes genetics even works in the elder scrolls the same as in our world. And even in our world it is possible for two individuals with different hair colors to have children that have hair that matches neither parent's.

[@sonnyscheele]

26:42 you have indeed 😎

[@Direblade11]

For your video topics: it seems best to either stick with TES/Bethesda, but I'd be okay with anything medieval fantasy

[@ashlynbulsara4238]

I love this video this is awesome video. hey.

[@-gemberkoekje-5547]

Frothars and Dagnis mother has brown hair

[@Rorschachqp]

Mephala…ASMR

[@mathiassvendsen9788]

I... I thought Proventus was the mother 😢

[@Cronoo]

Thought this was goofy wackadoodle nonsense Until you got to the evidence. The hood thing and the character placement during those scenes are difficult to explain otherwise I still do like the theory about nazeem being balgruuf's secret lover, which wouldn't necessarily be disproven if this were true.

[@jeremymullens7167]

I thought obviously the hood is there for the player. It’s not used after because it’s after the reveal. You see less details with the hood on. You might be more likely to remember if you see her hair. This is more likely than his convoluted theory based mostly on conjecture.

[@perkitaseaman3290]

Never give it another thought I just over look it they never go out to play with the other kids in white run and I don't care about the kids in dragon reach either

[@tom4097]

Wow..

[@dukecesareborgiaofvalencia]

Wouldn't the children be Bretons then?

[@perkitaseaman3290]

It's a nice thought but anything is possible possible maybe 🤔 I don't think so

[@MCPunk55]

Hmmm... Balgruuf was a little girl I France.

[@perkitaseaman3290]

Delphine's husband is gay 🆗

[@perkitaseaman3290]

So Delphine is bisexual 🆗

[@pandorasbox4238]

Nope, nope, and nope. That is no way possible. Delphine is an Imperial and FLED to Skyrim after the Blades were outlawed and hunted down by the Thalmor. She wasn't in the army, she was a BLADE. She only talks to Farengar and never to Balgruuf. If she'd been married to Balgruff, the kids would acknowledge her, as would Balgruuf.

[@sporkfaceman]

Try actually watching the whole video and pay attention.

[@pandorasbox4238]

@@sporkfaceman I did. I've also played the game a thousand times. Perhaps you should watch it, then do the quests, then look at the cut content It's a ridiculous theory.

[@pandorasbox4238]

@@sporkfaceman WTF is wrong with you people? I did. Get over yourselves.

[@kipsouffle]

Algorithm comment

[@ryanwatt6706]

740 bbbboooiiiiiii

[@daddyjoe600]

your momma, ahaha