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Nick's Key
Seen in	"Pilot" "Love Sick" "Big Feet" "Bad Teeth" "Season of the Hexenbiest" "Face Off" "Natural Born Wesen" "Endangered"
Mentioned	"Quill" "The Good Shepherd" (picture only)
Owned by	Knighted ancestors of Grimms Other Grimms Marie Kessler Nick Burkhardt Kelly Burkhardt
Purpose	Map (exterior) Unknown (key)
Location	with Nick

Nick's Key is a small green item that folds much like a multi-tool or butterfly knife to hide its purpose. It is a key to fit a ward lock, which is unlocked using a set of instructions. ("Endangered") Marie Kessler gave the key to Nick Burkhardt after she had been attacked by Hulda.  ("Pilot") Sean Renard seems very interested in obtaining it, having sent Adalind to extract it from Nick by placing Hank's life at stake. Many other people have attempted to obtain it for the Royal Families too, usually ending up being killed in confrontation with Nick.

The key is later revealed to have a map of some sort carved on the outsides of the folding arms. Nick Prints the map.  ("Love Sick")

Nick later matches the map on the key to an unknown map in an atlas.  ("Big Feet")

The page from the atlas included the point where fifty-two degrees north latitude intersects the shoreline of continental Europe. It seems to be somewhere in France.

Monroe instantly recognized the map as a river in the northwestern part of the Swabian Circle, meaning the treasure was hidden somewhere in the Black Forest.  ("Endangered")

Contents 1 Season 2 1.1 "Bad Teeth" 1.2 "Quill" 1.3 "The Good Shepherd" 1.4 "Face Off" 1.5 "Natural Born Wesen" 1.6 "Endangered" 2 Trivia 3 Images 3.1 Replica keys

Season 2 Edit

"Bad Teeth" Edit

When Marnassier comes to Portland to receive the key, Kelly Burkhardt told Nick its origins. She reveals that the key is one of seven keys that belonged to seven knights who were ancestors to the Grimms. They worked for the seven families in the twelfth century. After sacking Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade, they took the treasure back, made a map on the seven keys, and each took a key. The keys, when put together, reveal the location of a treasure. Among it is an artifact so powerful that, if held by the seven royal families, it would allow them to rule the world.

"Quill" Edit

A man called Sean Renard to warn him that the Royal family had sent a Nuckelavee to retrieve the key. ("Quill").

"The Good Shepherd" Edit

The Nuckelavee confronts Nick and is killed.

"Face Off" Edit

Renard takes the key from Nick's desk at the precinct and later returns it to him.

"Natural Born Wesen" Edit

Nick later shows the key to Hank and explains a bit about its origins and why everyone is after it. He also reveals he's wearing it around his neck, so now anyone who wants it, will have to kill him to get it.

"Endangered" Edit

Nick decides to show the key to Monroe. Monroe compares it to an old style map of Schwaben he inherited from his great-great-great-grandfather. After casually referring to the area as including the black forest, Monroe shows Nick how the notation on the key resembles that on the map. Nick explains the involvement of Grimms in the Fourth Crusade. After telling Monroe that he does not know where the other six keys are, Nick decides to talk with Captain Renard.

Although their conversation is testy, Renard verifies that the seven crusaders, all Grimms, kept something from their patrons. The Seven Houses found out about the deception and set forth to recover the keys and the hidden treasure. They tortured one Grimm until he betrayed his brothers. Over the intervening centuries, the Royals have acquired four keys; the locations of two keys are unknown to Renard; Nick's key is the last. There is no identified order for the keys.

The nature of the treasure is uncertain. Renard mentions four possibilities: the secret of alchemy; everlasting life; the prophet Mohammed's Sword; and the nails that held Jesus Christ to the Cross and possibly pieces of the Cross itself.

TriviaEdit

• The appearance of the key changed during the first season. When the key is first seen in the pilot episode, the etched image on both sides is that of, what looks to be, a creature. Later during the season, the etchings changed into a map.
• Although not explicitly stated, it looks like the key is made from bronze, which has oxidized green due to the artifact's age.

ImagesEdit

Replica keysEdit