Auriel's Bow

The key weapon in Lord Harkon's plan to blot out the sun forever.

Auriel's Bow is an ancient weapon central to the plot of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard. It is a powerful artifact required by Lord Harkon, leader of the Volkihar Clan, to fulfill a prophecy that would permanently blot out the sun. To locate this bow, the player must retrieve two additional Elder Scrolls alongside Serana's scroll. One scroll is found in the Dwemer ruin of Blackreach, while the other was taken by Valerica, Serana's estranged mother. The journey to find these items leads the player into a realm of Oblivion known as the Soul Cairn. Once all scrolls are gathered and read, they reveal that Auriel's Bow is hidden within Darkfall Cave.

Lore & Background

Auriel's Bow serves as the focal point of an ancient prophecy predicted by an Elder Scroll. The Volkihar Clan, led by Lord Harkon, seeks this bow to enact a ritual that will use the power of the three Elder Scrolls to permanently remove the sun from the sky. The location of the bow is revealed only after deciphering the texts found in Blackreach and the Soul Cairn. Inside Darkfall Cave, the player encounters Gelebor, one of the last remaining Snow Elves and a Knight-Paladin of the Chantry of Auri-El. He guides the player through a series of tasks to retrieve the bow from his corrupted brother, Arch-Curate Vyrthur. Vyrthur himself created the prophecy in retaliation for being afflicted with vampirism by Auri-El, intending to use the bow to disrupt the god's influence and block out the sun.

Reader's Guide

To obtain Auriel's Bow, players must first progress through the main questline of the Dawnguard expansion. After meeting Serana and returning to Castle Volkihar or Fort Dawnguard, the player learns they need two more Elder Scrolls: one from Blackreach and one from Valerica in the Soul Cairn. The journey to the Soul Cairn requires either being blooded as a vampire by Serana or becoming partially soul-trapped. Once the scrolls are gathered, the location of Darkfall Cave is revealed. Inside, players must navigate the cave to find Gelebor and defeat Arch-Curate Vyrthur in the Chantry's Inner Sanctum. Upon defeating Vyrthur, the bow can be retrieved. The bow is then used in the final confrontation against Lord Harkon at Castle Volkihar to end his threat.