As I was exploring the world of skyrim I came upon strange monoliths that looked similar to Stonehenge. It had no map marker and unfortunately I play on xbox so I can't post a screenshot but I have to ask. What are they?

P.S. I put this in the lore forum because I thought Id get a better answer than in the skyrim general discussion.

I have no idea where this is. Could you, by any chance, give a location, such as where is the closest landmark to it?

I think I know what he's referring to, I'll go grab a screenshot if I can find it again.

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/540673343530919177/E42B6CE639B7DA4889C9B5F43BBA7997CEF98DB8/

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/540673343531030137/05D77137D767DC11F3F2E7B43F32D02273CCC75C/

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/540673343531027261/6BB7BE46BF5CFBD7C6B6D8D5C7ABFA170B3D546D/

Yeah these are it. Anyone know what they are or have any theories?

They are a ritual stone, a dragon burial tomb and a small Nordic burial tomb, respectively.

The stone arches are probably for "this is old and Nordic/Celtic (real world Nordic, not the people of Skyrim)" flavoring. Of course, I probably got my areas of real world influence wrong, but I am a dumb, ignorant American after all who knows nothing about other countries and geography in general.

You're doing fine, believe me, although I don't think Nordic people had henges. I think they're exclusive to the Celtic Druids. Henges in the real world are supposed to be a major hub for a magical power network known as "lay lines", that criss-cross not only the British Isles but they believe the whole world too!

As for the dragon burial tombs. A lot of them have already spawned dragons when you find them, but some are yet to spawn and only do so when you approach them.

The ritual stones simply act as outdoor versions of altars, if memory serves.

The culture that raised standing stones was Neolithic--i.e. way pre-Celtic. You can find their megaliths and henges in Ireland, Scotland, Orkney, and Bretagne in addition to England and Wales. Ley lines are a modern idea, first posited by an antiquarian named Watkins in the 1920s. The vast majority of professional archaeologists think it's a rubbish idea.

Also, I feel the need to add that "henge" refers to a type of earthwork and not to the standing stones.

The standing stones in Skyrim seem to be there because they look cool and they evoke the feeling of immense age rather than for any strict functional purpose.

They were the remains of the Ehlnofex's footrests. The sunken in cairns you find such as Ustengrav were their toilets.

QFT

enter the Bretons and the Reachmen (Forsworn). I think Bretons are more Celtic. They are more magic based as well.

They're archways to mark roads to important locations. Post-and-lintel construction is hardly specific to hedges or the Celts.