#eslore

[eslore]

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I’m starting a Patreon!

Lately I’ve realized that my blog is becoming more work and less hobby. Particularly, I’ve gotten a huge demand for lore-friendly name responses. I have 150+ asks relating to names! I want to answer these asks and continue blogging about names, lore, and language, however my career has really gotten in the way of free time; I’ve found myself using my free time for other hobbies, because blogging is less relaxing than it used to be.

If I can acquire even a small income for this blog ($1+ subscriptions are welcome!), I'll be motivated to spend every Friday at least on creating more content and answering all current and future requests. Thanks so much for even considering, and I hope this endeavor will be the beginning of a new life for my lore blog!

- Mira

[tesloreillustrated]

Language is innate to the Dov, the Dragons. To them, to be powerful is to be right; a verbal argument is a battle.

The language of the Dragons, commonly called Dovahzul by fans, has an alphabet the consists of 34 letters (excluding C), of which 20 are consonants and 14 can be considered vowels. Each letter has a rune with an angular, claw-like appearance, implying that the runes were designed so that they could be written by a Dragon’s claw.

To Dragons, their language is inherently magical. To mortals, years, perhaps decades of training is required to harness some of the magic of the Dragon Language in the form of the Thu’um, or the Voice. A Dragonborn has the advantage of being able to learn Words of Power instantly; however, they still need to find and learn them first, unlike the Dragons, who know them intrinsically.

Note: while the letter C has a glyph, officially, it is not used in the Dragon Language, and only appears in transliterations from The Elder Scrolls: Legends.

On the graphics, the letters surrounded by slashes are phonemic transcriptions in IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), which provide a more accurate representation of the pronunciation of a letter.

For help with IPA, see the IPA Pulmonic Consonants Chart with Audio and IPA Vowels Chart with Audio on Wikipedia.

These graphics use the SR-Dragon script font by Johnnyhammerstix and Vaag256 on UESP, which is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5

[tesloreillustrated]

Calcelmo’s Stone is a Dwemer artifact found in Calcelmo’s Tower in Markarth. It features both Dwemer and Falmer writing which describes the fate of the Falmer who sought the protection and refuge of the Dwemer from the invading Nords during the First Era.

While the translation does not appear in TES V: Skyrim, it was posted on Reddit on the /r/TESLore subreddit, sent from Kurt Kuhlmann: co-lead designer of TES V: Skyrim.

Further Reading: The Falmer: A Study

[tesloreillustrated]

To the Dunmer, the Good Daedra are Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala. However, despite being called the Good Daedra, they are not all benevolent; they are called so because of their deeds for the Dunmer and the Chimer before them and the Velothi before them, which helped shape and define their society, culture, and morals.

During the time of the Tribunal, the Good Daedra were also known as the Anticipations of ALMSIVI, and were considered lesser than the Tribunal. However, after the disappearance of the Tribunal, the Dunmer returned to worshiping the Good Daedra, and they are also called the Reclamations by the New Temple.

Further Reading: The Anticipations

[tesloreillustrated]

Although the exact definition of what a Kalpa is in The Elder Scrolls is unclear and fraught with conjecture, the most common theory seems to be that a Kalpa is a period of time between two significant metaphysical events related to time that repeats itself and forms a cycle.

A Kalpa perhaps begins at Convention, a convening of the Aedra to decide the fate of Lorkhan during the Dawn Era, and perhaps ends when Alduin eats the world. The rest of the timeline occurs between the beginning and end of a Kalpa.

There is some suggestion in Sermon 28 of the 36 Lessons of Vivec that the Dreugh, an aquatic species, ruled the world in a previous Kalpa and that Molag Bal lead them or was worshiped by them, and was known as the Ruddy Man.

[demonicality]

i hope the next elder scrolls game does something to address/contradict/retcon the mess that is “Notes on Racial Phylogeny” like there’s such a large group of tes fans that insist that bi or multi racial characters cant exist in the elder scrolls universe it’s exhausting

[eslore]

The Towers and the Thalmor Pt 2

This post is part of a two-post series answering a couple of questions regarding the Towers and the plans of the Thalmor concerning the Towers. The first section, discussing the nature of the Towers, can be found here.

With the nature of the Towers established we must move on to the question of the Thalmor's plans for those Towers. There exists a (”fan”) theory that the Thalmor intend to destroy the eight Towers in some plot to destroy man. From my research, it appears the primary source of this theory is some out-of-game Altmeri Commentary on Talos from MK [1] which states the Altmeri goal is to completely obliterate man from time and free Auri-El.

This goal makes sense, considering the Altmer’s historic and religious attitudes towards man. Historically when there has not been war between men and mer, there have been serious racial tensions. Religiously some meric races view men as the descendants of Lorkhan: a deity who tricked and bound the Dragon God Auri-El and the other Aedra with the creation of Nirn. It is possible they believe mankind is so connected with Lorkhan that they could destroy Nirn by destroying man. As well Marukhati Selectives allegedly orchestrated the Middle Dawn to re-make Auri-El into Akatosh without any meric qualities, so it is established that men have directly interfered with Auri-El [2].

It would not be surprising if some Altmer - especially the Thalmor - believed that destroying man would "rescue" Auri-El. Many Altmer see themselves as the descendants of the Aedra, so the Thalmor could believe that, by destroying men and thus Nirn, the Altmer would regain their lost power and ascend to their original divinity as Aedra.

Many people believe their means for that goal is the destruction of the Towers. I have little to support that theory, except for the simple fact that Towers keep getting deactivated. I think it comes from the belief that the eight Towers bind Nirn. However the Nu-Mantia Intercept suggest only the first two Towers fulfill this function [3]. In fact, the Middle Dawn Dragon Break and Nu-Hatta’s warnings suggest that, if the Thalmor have any designs on the Towers, it would be to utilize the power of active Towers to undo man. 

Again, though, it is important to understand that this is all theology and belief, even within the Elder Scrolls universe. It is not only possible but entirely likely that plenty of people on Nirn do not subscribe to this philosophy, just as many people on our planet don't subscribe to various religious or philosophical beliefs. The theology of the Towers, according to Nu-Hatta, is an ancient Aldmeric one, so it would not be surprising if some men did not believe it. 

In response to one of the asks, this difference of beliefs can explain why, in Skyrim, the Blades ask the Last Dragonborn to kill Paarthurnax even though he would guard Snow-Throat Tower against the Thalmor. As Blades their historical duty is to eliminate the dragons. An obscure meric theory would not convince them to abandon their calling, even if they knew the Thalmor had plans for the Towers.

Even beyond conflicting beliefs and interests, a lot of information regarding the chronology of the Stones and Towers seems contradictory. For example, if the Amulet of Kings is said to be Akatosh's heart given as a gift to Alessia from Akatosh after the rebellion, the Chim-El Adabal cannot be the original Stone of the White-Gold Tower. As well there are serious chronological issues surrounding the creation and use of the Staff of Towers. Ultimately the theory is flawed; there is much left to be explained.

Like I originally said, with all things Elder Scrolls lore - especially those things coming from the subversive Michael Kirkbride (Grrr) - it is important to understand that the writers don't want people to be forced into viewing the game a specific way. They don’t even want players to have a solid foundation on what qualifies as canon. They want players to have opinions, discussions, and personal connections to their own ideas. That does not mean there are no ideas most everyone in the Elder Scrolls universe agrees upon, and it isn't to suggest that nothing is “true” within that universe, but it does mean that, for topics such as the Towers, discussions cannot be in terms of "factually right" or "factually wrong" like for many other lore subjects.

-Reezda

Sources:

[1] Altmeri Commentary on Talos  [2] Vindications for the Dragon Break  [3] Nu-Mantia Intercept

[eslore]

The Towers and the Thalmor Pt 1

Mira and I have received a couple of questions regarding the role of the Towers of Tamriel and the plans the Thalmor have for them. Because of the intensity of this slice of Elder Scrolls lore, I am dividing this topic into two parts. This first part will be introducing the Towers themselves. However before getting into a description of the Towers, I feel it is important to discuss the idea’s origins.

The theology of the Towers was originally brought up by Michael "MK" Kirkbride out-of-game. MK is a creative consultant for Bethesda. He has not been a full-time employee of Bethesda since 2000, but they do contract him to help with the dialogue, texts, and general ideas within the Elder Scrolls games [1]. Like many of the writers of the Elder Scrolls series, MK has contributed many commentaries and works to internet forums, creating several sources of out-of-game texts. This, combined with his own campaign to make the term "canon" irrelevant in favor of a more personal and nuanced experience of Elder Scrolls lore, has made discussing his ideas a headache for anyone looking for straightforward answers.

Personally, I greatly enjoy the ability to speculate and theorize about the complex ideas and metaphysics inside the Elder Scrolls universe, but it is important to understand that, just like with any other in-game reference, the ideas expressed by MK are not binding. It can be a lot of fun to invest yourself in various theories based upon the metaphysical philosophies of the different races of Nirn, but it is important to place those theories in the proper context. Even if one considers MK’s out-of-game ideas as valid grounds for discussion, they hold - at best - the same weight within the Elder Scrolls universe as theology or philosophy do in ours. As well, MK's author-characters often straddle the line between pious/intellectual and zealous/fanatic/absolutely-insane; his prose can be impenetrable (a prime example [2]).

The Towers were first brought up in the out-of-game text The Nu-Mantia Intercepts [3] but have since been corroborated in-game through texts such as Subtropical Cyrodiil [4], The Dragonborn Prophecy [5], and Auribic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree [6]. Now without getting too involved with theories on Padomaic and Auribic forces, the first Towers are what make Nirn unique in Aurbis. While both Oblivion and Nirn contain creatia (matter) which has "leaked" from Aetherius, that creatia does not hold its own form in Oblivion. Entities such as the Daedra give shape to creatia and make their plane(t)s. Nirn, on the other hand, requires no Daedra or Aedra to retain its form.

The first tower on Nirn is the Adamantine Tower (also Ada-Mantia, the Direnni Tower, Ur-Tower, or Tower Zero). According to Nu-Hatta (the author of the Nu-Mantia intercepts), Ada-Mantia is the remnants of the vessel which Akatosh used to enter Nirn. While Ada-Mantia is a literal tower, the Towers themselves do not have to be actual, literal towers. For example, the Numidium is a Tower even though it appears as a giant golem. Red Mountain and the Throat of the World are Towers despite being mountains.

Each Tower has an accompanying "Stone." These Stones serve as a source of power to shape creatia, and the Towers focus that power onto Nirn. When a Tower is working with a Stone in this manner, it is considered “active.” When the connection between a Tower and its Stone is severed, the Tower is “deactivated.”

Now according to Nu-Hatta the purpose of Ada-Mantia was to establish among the Aedra their role in Nirn: to declare the laws of nature, it seems. After Ada-Mantia there was also the death of Lorkhan, which resulted in the creation of Red Mountain as the second Tower with its Stone being the Heart of Lorkhan. Nu-Hatta believes that the Tower of Red Mountain solidified the state of Nirn, granting it the ability to exist without the need for the Aedra's presence, rather than dispersing into Oblivion without an entity to will its shape. This act of establishing and solidifying Nirn is referred to as the Convention. After it, the Aedra left Nirn.

With the Aedra gone, the mer, as the first intelligent race to become established, began emulating the Aedra and creating their own six Towers. These are the known towers and their theorized stones [7]:

White-Gold Tower [Ayleids] : The Amulet of Kings (or the Chim-El Adabal)

Chrystal Tower (or the Tower of Chrystal-Like Law) [Altmer] : Unknown (but MK refers to it as "a person")

Orichalc Tower [Sinistrals from Yokuda] : Uknown (but MK refers to it as "a sword")

Numidium (or Walk-Brass) [Dwemer] : Both the Heart of Lorkhan (originally) and the Mantella [8]

Green-Sap [Bosmer] : The "Perchance Acorn" [6] (but MK refers to it as "a fruit")

Snow-Throat (or The Throat of the World) [Falmer]: Unknown (but MK refers to it as "a cave")

Now it is absolutely crucial to bear in mind that, while the purpose of the original two Towers was to bind Nirn together, and while the mer were trying to emulate the Aedric towers, it is not stated that the six meric Towers existed to hold Nirn together. Nu-Hatta does not seem to believe that the meric Towers were designed for this purpose. He cites the fact that the Numidium was created to destroy as a prime example. He even suggests that the White-Gold Tower was meant to fulfill some nefarious and counter-creative purpose. The Towers simply appear as incredibly powerful constructs. In fact, the Staff of Towers - allegedly created by the Ayleids to harness the power of the Towers [6] - was used by the Marukhati Selectives (the human version of the Thalmor, basically) [9] to undo the laws of time and start the chaotic event known as the Middle Dawn Dragon Break [10]. It appears that the power of the Towers can be used to actually un-do creation.

-Reezda

Sources:

[1] Reddit post about MK's role with Bethesda [2] The Five Hundred Mighty Companions or Thereabouts of Ysgramor the Returned [3] Nu-Mantia Intercepts [4] Subtropical Cyrodiil [5] Dragonborn Prophecy [6] Auribic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree [7] Towers Elder Scrolls Wiki [8] The Mantella  [9] Interview with Abnur Tharn  [10] Where Were You When the Dragon Broke?