The Blessings of Nature Quest: How to Get Eldergleam Sap in Skyrim

Your guide to healing the Gildergreen for the Temple of Kynareth

Co-authored by Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: November 28, 2024 Fact Checked

Eldergleam sap is one of two items you can use to complete “The Blessings of Nature,” a quest in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. You’ll be sent off in search of Eldergleam sap in order to heal the Gildergreen tree in Whiterun by Danica Pure-Spring, priestess of the city’s Temple of Kynareth. Luckily, retrieving Eldergleam Sap is a simple task you can complete in no time. Read on for a complete walkthrough of The Blessings of Nature (and Eldergleam sap retrieval) in Skyrim!

How to Get Eldergleam Sap: Overview

Talk to Danica Pure-Spring to begin The Blessings of Nature. Travel to Orphan Rock, kill the hagraven, and take Nettlebane. Return to Danica, and she’ll send you to the Eldergleam sanctuary. There, use Nettlebane to cut the tree’s roots, get to its trunk, and activate the tree to collect its sap.

1

Talk to Danica Pure-Spring.

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Head to the center of Whiterun where you’ll find a large withering tree. At its base is a woman in a brown hooded robe. This is Danica. Talk to her, and she’ll tell you that in order for you to retrieve the Eldergleam Sap, you’ll need a special weapon called Nettlebane—the only weapon that can be used to extract the sap.^{[1]
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- Talking to Danica will trigger a quest called “The Blessings of Nature.” To get the quest, say, “Tell me about this temple,” followed by, “What’s so special about this tree?”
- When prompted, agree to get Nettlebane for Danica, and she’ll tell you where to go.
- If you can’t find Danica around the tree (the Gildergreen), she may be at Whiterun’s market or the Temple of Kynareth.

2

Go to Orphan Rock.

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Danica will tell you to look for Nettlebane at a place called Orphan Rock. To get there, exit Whiterun and travel straight south, passing Riverwood, toward Helgen. In Helgen, travel east down the road until you find a large stone with a few tents on it. This is Orphan Rock.^{[2]
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- You can also check your map to ensure you’re traveling toward Orphan Rock.
- If you’re worried about getting lost, try casting the Clairvoyance spell. Just make sure The Blessings of Nature is marked active before casting it!

3

Get Nettlebane.

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The witches have low hit points and are fairly easy to defeat, though they’ll use lots of fire and ice magic against you. The hagraven is usually at the very top of Orphan Rock and must be defeated too; once you kill her, loot the body and pick up Nettlebane.^{[3]
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4

Take Nettlebane back to Danica.

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Head to Whiterun, speak to Danica, and tell her you found Nettlebane. She’ll tell you that she doesn’t want to touch the weapon and ask you to go to the Eldergleam Sanctuary to retrieve the sap she needs to heal the Gildergreen tree. Additionally, a pilgrim named Maurice Jondrelle will ask if he can come with you to the sanctuary; you can say yes or no.^{[4]
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- There are no long-reaching consequences for leaving Maurice behind. However, without him, you won’t have a choice on how you want to complete this quest.
- If you bring Maurice with you, keep in mind that he can die easily, as he has no armor or weapons.

5

Go to the Eldergleam Sanctuary.

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The sanctuary is in the northeastern part of Skyrim. Head to the city of Windhelm and travel straight south from there. Cross a river and pass the Broken Limb Camp; you’ll eventually find a large hole in the ground. This is the entrance to the Eldergleam sanctuary.^{[5]
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- Once again, you can check your world map or cast Clairvoyance if you’re having trouble finding the sanctuary.

6

Reach the Eldergleam tree.

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Open your character’s inventory and equip Nettlebane. With the blade in your hands, enter the Eldergleam Sanctuary and make your way toward the largest tree, up the hill at the back of the cave. The path will be blocked by large tree roots. Simply attack these roots using Nettlebane and they’ll move out of the way, clearing the path.^{[6]
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- From here, if you bring Maurice Jondrelle with you, you’ll have a choice on how you want to proceed with the quest. See the next two steps for your options!
- While exploring the sanctuary, pick up a book called “The Mystery of Princess Talara, Part II.” It’s a skill book that’ll level up your Restoration
- There’s also a treasure chest in front of the Eldergleam tree, by the wall of the sanctuary behind some roots. You can loot it for some valuables!

7

Retrieve the Eldergleam sap.

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Stand close to the tree and follow the prompt on your screen. When you’re next to the tree, a prompt that says “Activate Eldergleam” will show up. Press the corresponding button on your controller or keyboard as prompted, and your character will gather Eldergleam sap from the tree. Once this happens, hostile spriggans will appear, and you’ll need to defeat them.^{[7]
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- Spriggans can regenerate health in battle but are vulnerable against ice magic.

8

Collect the Eldergleam sapling, alternatively.

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Talk to Maurice and allow him to pray in front of the tree. If Maurice Jondrelle came with you, he’ll ask you not to hurt the Eldergleam by taking its sap and suggest an alternate solution. If you follow the dialogue options and agree, he’ll pray by the Eldergleam and a sapling will appear. Pick it up, and you’ll be able to bring it back to Danica in place of the Eldergleam sap.^{[8]
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- If you peacefully collect the sapling instead of cutting the Eldergleam to get its sap, no spriggans will appear, and you’ll be able to leave the sanctuary without a battle.
- There are no major consequences for choosing either the Eldergleam sap or sapling. If you bring her the sapling, Danica will be surprised but accept it regardless.

9

Take the sap (or sapling) to Danica.

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Travel to Whiterun and talk to Danica Pure-Spring for the last time. Give her the Eldergleam sap or the sapling you collected. If you bring her the sap, she’ll use it to revive the Gildergreen tree in Whiterun. If you bring her the Eldergleam sapling, the old, withered Gildergreen in Whiterun will be replaced by a smaller sapling tree.^{[9]
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- Once The Blessings of Nature is complete, you'll be able to level up your Restoration skill by training with Danica.

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The Blessing of Nature is a side quest. It can be started and completed anytime during the game.

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After completing this quest, Nettlebane can be improved in a forge, but not enchanted.

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