The Eye of Magnus is an ancient artifact of unknown origin. It possesses a great amount of magical power and can be manipulated with the Staff of Magnus, which once belonged to the God of Magic himself.
It was discovered by the ancient Nords when they were building the city of Saarthal. The Nords attempted to keep it buried, but the elves learned of its existence and coveted it for themselves. During the Night of Tears the elves assaulted Saarthal to secure this powerful artifact for themselves. Ysgramor rallied together his people to keep the elves from seizing it, and the Nords were successful in preventing the elves from obtaining the artifact. The Eye was buried deep below the earth and sealed away.
In 4E 201, during an expedition in Saarthal, the Eye of Magnus was uncovered by members of the College of Winterhold. The artifact was transported to the college for examination. Ancano, a Thalmor agent, attempted to draw power from the Eye, but was prevented and killed by members of the college. Monks from the Psijic Order, who had been observing the situation, arrived to take the artifact, claiming that it was too unstable to keep in Mundus. Ancano's meddling with the eye had long-term effects, causing Ruptures to appear across Skyrim, through which dangerous Magic Anomalies emerged. The college tried its best to close these Ruptures using the Staff of Magnus.
Gallery
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The Eye of Magnus discovered under Saarthal
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The Eye of Magnus in the College of Winterhold
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The power of the Eye being unleashed
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A Magic Anomaly emerging from a Rupture
See Also
- For game-specific information, see the Skyrim article.