Becoming a Thane of one of Skyrim's holds gives players a few pretty useful benefits, and Thanehood is usually earned by completing favors for Jarls across Skyrim. Being a Thane gives players the ability to get rid of bounties in the associated hold, and most of the time players receive a player home, a housecarl, and of course a weapon symbolic of their new office.
Thane weapons in Skyrim are randomly generated and come with a randomly generated effect on a blade or axe that is of a level-appropriate material. It's quite a feat to earn all of them, though they tend to be put to better use as collectible decorations than in a player's arsenal as they are easily outclassed by unique and enchanted weapons.
Axe of Whiterun
- Imperial: Acquired from Jarl Balgruuf for completing "Dragon Rising"
- Stormcloak: Cannot be acquired after Jarl Balgruuf is replaced, though it can be acquired well before The Battle for Whiterun
- Being made Thane also grants the Breezehome housing and the housecarl Lydia
The Axe of Whiterun is one of two weapons a player can earn for being the Thane of Whiterun - its partner, the Blade of Whiterun, can only be earned if the player chooses the Stormcloaks in the Civil War.
The Axe of Whiterun is earned after completing the main quest "Dragon Rising" which sees the player travel to a nearby watchtower to investigate a dragon sighting. Balgruuf makes the player his Thane upon their return to Dragonsreach, and bequeaths the Axe of Whiterun to them.
Axe of Eastmarch
- Imperial: Acquired from Jarl Brunwulf Free-Winter after completing "The Battle For Windhelm"
- Stormcloak: Acquired from Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak for completing "Rescue From Fort Neugrad"
- Being made Thane also grants the Hjerim housing and the housecarl Calder
The Axe of Eastmarch is either earned from Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the eponymous Stormcloaks, or Jarl Brunwulf Free-Winter. Either way, the player must complete significant progress into the Civil War questline.
Imperials will need to complete the Civil War questline in its entirety to replace Ulfric with Free-Winter. Stormcloaks need to complete the Civil War quest "Rescue From Fort Neugrad."
Blade of Falkreath
- Imperial: Acquired from Siddgeir for completing "Rare Gifts" and "Kill The Bandit Leader"
- Stormcloak: Acquired from Jarl Dengeir of Stuhn after completing "Rescue from Fort Neugrad"
- Being made Thane also grants the Windstad Manor housing and the housecarl Valdimar
The Blade of Falkreath is either earned via a series of quests given by Siddgeir, the normal Jarl of Falkreath, or Dengeir of Stuhn, who replaces Siddgeir as Jarl if the player chooses to go with the Stormcloaks.
Imperials must complete the quest "Kill The Bandit Leader" for Siddgeir, which is initiated by letter at Level 9. Stormcloaks must either do the quest for Siddgeir before ousting her or do radiant quests for Dengeir after replacing her (doing so in "Season Unending" also works for this requirement).
Blade of Haafingar
- Stormcloak AND Imperial: Acquired from Jarl Elisif the Fair for completing "Elisif's Tribute"
- Being made Thane also gives the player Proudspire Manor and the housecarl Jordis the Sword-Maiden
The Blade of Haafingar is unique for being the only Thane weapon that can only be given by one NPC: Jarl Elisif The Fair. Because she retains Jarlhood of Solitude even in a Stormcloak victory, it doesn't matter which side you choose.
Completing the quest "Elisif's Tribute", which is only available after completing "The Man Who Cried Wolf". This quest sees players travel to nearby Wolfskull Cave, stop a ritual, then return to the Blue Palace. "Elisif's Tribute" on the other hand sees players travel to a Shrine of Talos to deliver the late High King Torygg's War Horn.
Blade of Hjaalmarch
- Imperial: Acquired from Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone for completing "Laid To Rest"
- Stormcloak: Acquired from Jarl Sorli the Builder after completing "The Battle For Fort Snowhawk"
- Being made Thane also grants the Windstad Manor housing and the housecarl Valdimar
The Blade of Hjaalmarch is given to Imperial players after completing the quest "Laid To Rest", which can be initiated by either finding a burned house in Morthal or by talking to one of the city's many guards.
Stormcloak players who have replaced Idgrod Ravencrone with Sorli the Builder need only complete "The Battle For Fort Snowhawk" which is a part of the faction's Civil War questline.
Blade of the Reach
- Imperial: Acquired from Jarl Igmund for completing "Find Hrolfdir's Shield"
- Stormcloak: Acquired from Jarl Thongvor Silver-Blood after completing "The Battle for Fort Sungard"
- Being made Thane also grants the Honeyside housing and the housecarl Iona
The Blade of the Reach is either given by Jarl Igmund, who allies with the Imperials, or Thongvor Silver-Blood, who replaces Igmund during the Civil War questline.
Imperials must complete "Find Hrolfdir's Shield" for Igmund, the location of which is randomized and can be manipulated with re-loading. If Silver-Blood is the Jarl, Stormcloaks must complete "The Battle for Fort Sungard" as part of their Civil War questline.
Blade of the Rift
- Imperial: Acquired from Jarl Maven Black-Briar for completing "Supply and Demand"
- Stormcloak: Acquired from Jarl Laila Law-Giver for completing "Supply and Demand"
- Being made Thane also grants the Honeyside housing and the housecarl Iona
The Blade of the Rift can be earned in Riften by completing the same quest for either Laila Law-Giver, who allies with the Stormcloaks, or for Maven Black-Briar, who allies with the Imperials.
The quest "Supply And Demand" is given by both Jarls, so Civil War choices don't matter here, though it is the third in a short questline. The quest "Helping Hand" is the first, which can be started by talking to Wujeeta in Riften (usually found around the lakeside areas of the city). Then, complete "The Raid" on the Riften Warehouse, which leads to the finale and thanehood.
Blade of the Pale
- Imperial: Acquired from Jarl Brina Merilis after completing "The Battle for Fort Dunstad"
- Stormcloak: Acquired from Jarl Skald for completing "Kill The Giant"
- Being made Thane also grants the Heljarchen Hall housing and the housecarl Gregor
The Blade of the Pale is given by the Stormcloak-favoring Jarl Skald or by the Imperial-favoring Jarl Brina Merilis. Players must complete "Kill The Giant", which comes after the completion of the Daedric quest "Waking Nightmare" in Dawnstar, though Imperials must do something a bit different.
Is Skald is replaced as the Jarl of the Pale, then "The Battle For Fort Dunstad" must be completed instead. Then, the blade can be earned from Jarl Brina Merilis after completing some favors.
Blade of Whiterun
- Imperial: Cannot be acquired if Jarl Balgruuf is not replaced, making this a Stormcloak-only weapon
- Stormcloak: Acquired from Jarl Vignar Gray-Mane after completing "The Battle for Whiterun"
- Being made Thane also grants the Breezehome housing and the housecarl Lydia (though the main quest "Dragon Rising" also grants these Thanehood benefits)
The Blade of Whiterun is the counterpart to the Axe of Whiterun, which can be earned easily through normal main quest progression. The Blade of Whiterun is unique to Stormcloaks, as Imperials don't get the chance to replace Jarl Balgruuf with Vignar Gray-Mane.
The quest "The Battle for Whiterun" is one in the Stormcloak Civil War questline, after which Jarl Gray-Mane will give the player a random radiant quest to complete.
Blade of Winterhold
- Imperial: Acquired from Jarl Kraldar after completing "Rescue from Fort Kastav"
- Stormcloak: Acquired from Jarl Korir for completing "Find The Helm Of Winterhold"
- Being made Thane also grants the Proudspire Manor housing and the housecarl Jordis the Sword-Maiden
The Blade of Winterhold is one of the least-used Thane weapons because of the relatively scarce benefits of being the Thane of the tiny, nearly-destroyed settlement of Winterhold.
Imperial players must complete "Rescue From Fort Kastav" and then speak with Jarl Kraldar to complete a radiant quest for favor. Stormcloaks, on the other hand, don't need to replace Korir and can complete "Find The Helm Of Winterhold" instead, which takes players to a random location to find a relic of the once-prosperous northern city.
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