Highlights
Skyrim fans recently discovered that the Septims in the game are engraved with powerful words from the kingdom that minted them, showcasing the attention to detail in the game.
The Septim coin's front side bears the inscription "the empire is law" and "the law is sacred," portraying Tiber Septim's profile in the center, underlining this character's significance in The Elder Scrolls lore. On the back of the coin, there is an engraving that praises "Akatosh and all the divines," emphasizing the significance of Akatosh to the Empire of Tamriel, which is also reflected in the game's logo.
A recent observation by a fan of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has uncovered a fascinating detail about Septims, which appears to have gone unnoticed by many players. This discovery has sparked discussion online, demonstrating how Skyrim's meticulous attention to detail continues to captivate the fan base even after a decade since its initial release. As we approach the 12-year anniversary of Skyrim's highly acclaimed launch on November 11, it is evident that despite the absence of a sequel from Bethesda, the game's popularity endures. In fact, at the beginning of October, it recorded a staggering 26,000 concurrent players on Steam alone.
The current player base of the game includes a Reddit user named Timely-Ad7086, who recently discovered that the Septims in Skyrim have powerful words engraved on them from the kingdom that made them. On one side of the coin, it says "the empire is law" and "the law is sacred," along with a depiction of Tiber Septim's head, an important character in The Elder Scrolls lore.
On the other side of the Septim, there is an expression of praise to "Akatosh and all the divines." This is accompanied by an engraving of the Dragon God of Time, who is considered the leader of the Nine Divines in the game's lore. This side of the Septim emphasizes Akatosh's significance to the Empire of Tamriel, which is also seen in the fact that Bethesda used a slightly different version of the same symbol for Skyrim's logo.
Recently, thousands of fans voted to bring attention to an observation on the Skyrim subreddit. Surprisingly, this design detail had gone unnoticed by many players over the past 12 years. However, dedicated fans of the franchise would recognize that this version of the Septim actually predates the most recent mainline game, Morrowind. It was in Morrowind, released in 2002, that the lore surrounding Tamriel's currency, including its colloquial name "drakes," was introduced. This name was inspired by the signature Akatosh ornament.
Four years later, the design was reused in Oblivion, and even came with a 1:1 replica of the Septim in the Collector's Edition of the game. Eventually, the design made its way to Skyrim in 2011. Although The Elder Scrolls 6 has only recently entered active production after the release of Starfield, it is highly likely that Septims will be featured as the primary currency in whatever part of Tamriel the next game explores. However, fans shouldn't expect the game to be released for at least another five years, as confirmed by Xbox Head Phil Spencer in June.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available on PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
