Balgruuf the Greater is the the Jarl of Whiterun and one of the major supporting characters in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. He is perhaps the second Jarl the Dragonborn meets in game, after Ulfric Stormcloak, as well as one of their first allies. Originally neutral during the Skyrim Civil War, he later sides with the Imperial Legion after learning Ulfric Stormcloak's true intentions.