Skyrim:Puzzle Totems

There are nine symbols used in the puzzles that can be found primarily in Nordic Ruins, but also in other places, including some unmarked locations. They are used by Dragon Claw Switches, and three symbols are also used by the Stone Totems found in Nordic Ruins.

Totem Symbols

Puzzle Doors

Bear Totem	Dragon Totem	Eagle Totem†
Fox Totem	Moth Totem	Owl Totem
Snake Totem	Whale Totem	Wolf Totem

^†The "Eagle" symbol may also be referred to as "Hawk".

Puzzle Pillars

Eagle Stone†	Snake Stone	Whale Stone

^†The "Eagle" symbol may also be referred to as "Hawk".

Dragon Claws

• All of the Dragon Claws have three symbols on the palm that relate to a specific Nordic Ruin. The sequence reads from top to bottom.

The Ivory Claw

Claw	Sequence	Nordic Ruin
Coral Dragon Claw	Snake—Wolf—Moth	Yngol Barrow
Diamond Claw	Fox—Moth—Dragon	Skuldafn
Ebony Claw	Fox—Moth—Dragon	Korvanjund
Emerald Dragon Claw	Bear—Whale—Snake	Reachwater Rock
Glass Claw	Fox—Owl—Snake	Forelhost
Golden Claw	Bear—Moth—Owl	Bleak Falls Barrow
Iron Claw	Dragon—Hawk—Wolf	Valthume
Ivory Dragon Claw	Hawk—Hawk—Dragon	Folgunthur
Ruby Dragon Claw	Wolf—Hawk—Wolf	Dead Men's Respite
Sapphire Dragon Claw	Moth—Owl—Wolf	Shroud Hearth Barrow

Notes

• The book The Dragon War lists nine animal totems, but lists the Eagle as a Hawk.
• The books Of Fjori and Holgeir and Notes on Yngol Barrow have clues to the deciphering of Stone Totem puzzles in certain locations.

Bugs

• A common bug is that the rings on the dragon claw doors may not rotate, or the door may not open after the correct combination is set. Possible fixes are:
  • Save and then immediately load that save.
  • Load either the auto-save from the entrance, or a save from before you entered.
  • Exit the location, save, and load that save.
  • "Reset" the door by selecting the right combination and try the claw, then turn each ring once and try the claw again. Do this until the correct combination re-appears and try again.
  • Clear the hard drive cache.