The Reach Belongs To The Reach

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[sanzas-reverie]

Ok bitch😪

[daggerfall]

...

Are you telling me ESO has a canon (fade to black) sex scene now

[elderparaiah]

The Vestige to the Alliance leaders:

[full-frontal-fishstick]

The prefix before the title of Thane is related to the deeds done to earn the title and often corresponds to the general duties and authority the Thane is charged with:

Swordthane: proved themselves in battle or war; they are usually the head (or a high-ranking officer) of the hold’s armed forces. Sometimes acts as a bodyguard of the Jarl in tandem with the Housecarl and/or Shieldthane(s)

Shieldthane / Torc-Thane: Defended the Jarl's life or protected the hold against invaders in wartime; often serve in the honor-guard of the Jarl under the Housecarl

Lawthane: proved an exemplary peacekeeper and/or a steadfast commander in times of conflict; Often a secondary title of the Captain of the City Guard

Runethane: well-versed in the arcane arts and its uses in benefiting the city, the position is usually held by local Wise-Men or family of the official Court Wizard

Lorethane: preserver of the hold’s history; usually held by scribes, skalds, and adventurers who reclaim ancient relics for the hold; Almost exclusive to the Old Holds

Tradethane: a person vital to the economy of the hold, one who instigates trade or provides an invaluable service to the hold’s people. The Tradethane also serves as an advisor to the Hold’s treasury. The title is roughly equivalent to a Merchant-Lord in High Rock.

Other, less notable titles include Boat-Thane (the captain of a navy vessel), Thoom-Thane (who gain the title for their mastery of the voice), Daggerthane (a spymaster for the hold, heavily frowned upon), and Torchthane (who holds the Jarl's torch)

[full-frontal-fishstick]

Naming Conventions of Tamriel - Headcanon

West Bretic:

Syntax: Old English / Norman - [Name] Fitz*[Parent or Ancestor] d’[Homeland]

Inspirations: Portuguese or Flemish, with small French influence

Examples: Rogier FitzRufus d’Wayrest (Rogier, son of Rufus of Wayrest); Santiago FitzMarcos d’Camlorn

* descended from Old Nedic “filius”

East Bretic (West Reachi):

Syntax: Welsh Names, except ungendered - [Name] (m)ap/(m)ab [Parent Name]

Inspirations: Welsh names, Italian names

Examples: Fortunata ap Dugal (Fortunata, daughter of Dugal, assuming the name is genuine & proper); Dafydd ap Ruidri (Daveth, son of Ruidri)

East Reachi: Gaeltacht Names, Double Patronymic

Syntax: Old Irish, double patronym - [Name] Mac/Ui/Ni [Parent Name] Ó/Ua [Grandparent or Ancestor]*

Inspirations: Old Irish names, Pictish names (all, like, five of them that we know)

Examples: Céileachán mag* Eochagáin Ó Faoláin (Ceileachan, son of Eochaidh, descendant of Faolán***) Saoirse nic Shiúrtáin Ní Bhraonáin (Saoirse, daughter of Siúrtáin, daughter of Braonáin)

* please correct me if I’m wrong about how Irish names work, I don’t speak Gaelige

** c is swapped for g when followed by a vowel

*** Ó Faoláin is a very common name among Reachmen

High / Old Cyrodiilic Style:

Syntax: Pseudo-Latin - [Given Name / Praenomen] [Family Name / Nomen]*, [Nickname or Family Branch / Cognomen] OR Given Name and Patronymic/Matronymic (if a person belongs to no clan)

Inspiration: Roman Names, Italian Names

Examples: Tiberius Valerius Astrantus (Tiberius, descended from “Astrantus” of the Valerius Family); Flavio Edouardo Felice (“Lucky” Flavio of the Edouardo Family); Cadma filia Artoriae (Cadma, Daughter of Artorias) ***

Notes: A lowborn Cyrodiil may occasionally be rechristened in High Cyrodiilic by the Elder Council in commemoration of some great act of service or dedication to the Empire. It is considered a tremendous honor, usually reserved for the greatest Generals of the Legions, the Bishops of the Nine Divines, and (historically****) politicians elected to a position in the council.

* The nomen is usually omitted in casual speech in favor of the Cognomen, denoting the family branch or nickname]

** Same as Irish, latine non loquor

*** After the oligarchic reforms under Pelagius Septim II, seats on the council became hereditary positions afforded only to the wealthiest citizens of the Empire.

Low / Vulgar Cyrodiilic: Slavo-Italian

Syntax: English Style, drop the cognomen – [Given Name] [Surname]

Inspiration: Old Church Slavonic names, Greek Names:

Examples: Rislav Larich, Vasilii Alexei

Nordic Name Style:

Syntax: Kind of a blend between Slavic & Old Norse - [Given Name], [Patronymic/Matronymic] [Clan], In casual speech, the Patronymic is omitted among strangers, whereas the Clan Name is omitted among neighbors, friends, and family.

Inspiration: Germanic names, Hungarian Names

Examples: Sven Borgasson Proudmane (Sven, son of Borgas of clan Proudmane); Bael Junsson Iron-Skull (Bael, son of Jun of Clan Iron-Skull)

Orcish Name Style:

Syntax: [Name] gro/gra-[ParentName OR Homeland]

Inspiration: Turkish names, Mongolian names

Examples: Kurog gro-Orsinium (Kurog of Orsinium); Yamarz gro-Azog (Yamarz, (son) of Azog)

Dunmer Name Style:

Syntax: [Great House] [Given Name] [Minor house / clan / family]

Inspirations: Hindu Vedic names, Quenya/Sindarin names

Examples: Indoril Nerevar Mora (Nerevar, from the Mora family of Great House Indoril)

Notes: A person with a great house but no minor house (i.e. Sotha Sil) is either an orphan or a noble born to the main family / branch of the Great House (there’s probably a joke or folktale somewhere in that). Only foreigners and Ashlanders have no Great House.

Khajiiti Name Style:

Syntax: [Honorific]'[Name] OR ]Name]'[Honorific]

Inspirations: Iraqi names, Romani names, Sanskrit names

Examples: Jo'Basha (Scholarly Basha); Zhani'Daro (Clever Zhani)

Notes: Ta'agra does not use surnames, your guess is as good as mine for how their census works

Altmer, Falmer, Bosmer, & Ayleid Name Style*:

Syntax: [Given Name] 'len [Mother] [Maternal Grandfather] [Maternal Grandmother] 'ata [Father] [Paternal Grandfather] [Paternal Grandmother], 'cal [Surname]

Inspirations: Quenya/Sindarin names, Welsh names, Various medicine and shoe brands

*All elves descended from the Altmer have historically used variations of this naming pattern. The Kanuryai (Left Handed Elves), Dwemer, Chimer, Maormer, and Orsimer split off from the Aldmer before this became the standard. Bosmer historically used no last names, instead having adopted the custom from their neighbors (either Ayleidoon or Altmeri)

Redguard / Yoku Name Style:

Syntax: [Surname] [Given Name]* OR [Given Name] [Derivation(s)]

Inspirations: Semitic names, Japanese names

Examples: Gaiden Shinji, Sura al-Sentinel (Cyrus of Sentinel), Frandar do Hunding Hel Ansei No Shira (The Noble Sword-Saint, Frandar of the Hunding Desert)

* Borrowed from Akaviri. Before the sinking, Yokuda and Tsaesci had an excellent trading relationship and would frequently exchange goods, services, and cultural customs between each other. Gaiden himself was Half 'Viri

[immortalbeingz]

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Most comprehensible TES lore

[westernreach]

Hate that all of this makes sense to me

[whattheship]

Nerevarine, ripping a line of cocaine moon sugar: "Hey Creeper, here's 50 bajillion Restore Fatigue potions that cost me barely anything to make because my buddy Ajira will readily sell me the ingredients for fuck all. I see no way in which selling these to a literal daedra could possibly cause issues."

[6 years later.]

Hero of Kvatch, with a dozen scamps crawling all over him in a perfect recreation of the cover art of Doom: "DON'T YOU BASTARDS EVER GET TIRED‽‽‽"

[westernreach]

So I looked him up because I’m currently playing Morrowind and need money and.

W. H. A. T.

He does also appear in ESO as a merchant and honestly I find the idea that after trying to kill you in Vvardenfell and failing horribly he just goes back to buying and selling shit in Mournhold to be very funny. Like that’s objectively funny.

[aetherialfalmer]

A favorite headcanon of mine is that the Ancient Nords communicated a lot through their appearances, especially if they were in mourning.

If an Atmoran/Ancient Nord lost their mother, they would wear hawk feathers(dyed black) in their hair or somewhere else on their person. The hawk feathers representing Kyne, the mother of mankind.

If one became a widow, they would wear a wolf cloak but darkened with dyes or ash. It would usually be the same cloak their spouse gifted them upon their initial courtship. The wolf cloak representing Mara, the goddess of love and marriage. The widow would only wear a regular wolf cloak when they are ready to seek another partner.

When mourning a father, the child would wear a fox cloak for the god Shor. Also symbolizing taking the mantle their father left for them.

To mourn a child was something else entirely. It wasn't uncommon especially if the child was old enough to die in battle. If the child died in battle, fragments of their weapons would be fashioned into pendants for the parents while the rest were burned with the body.

[wispstalk]

some more bath lore.

In Valenwood, swimming hole locations are jealously guarded. The ones nearest settlements are always packed, and they're a nice way to catch up with your neighbors while you attend to the needs of the day, but anyone would be pleased to stumble upon a little unoccupied pool in the woods. If you find one, you only share it with a few friends who you trust not to blab. It'll be overrun in a few years anyway, because someone always blabs.

Wet fur is kind of a pain. Though some coastal Khajiit don't mind a soak, sand bathing is more popular. Bathers are buried to their necks, and the warmth and pressure of the sand is much-touted for relaxation and pain relief. Afterward, a good thorough combing removes grit and oils and loose fur.

After a day of work, Breton laborers give themselves a dry scrub and then take an invigorating cold shower. Clever engineering of aqueducts makes pressurized water possible, and stonemasons pride themselves on making fantastical water spouts.

In the Summerset Isles, a private bath is an opportunity for spiritual cleansing and sensory indulgences. Most homes have a tub with a simple heating enchantment, and special attention is paid to cordoning off and beautifying the space. Floral oils and sea salts are common additions to the water.

The bathhouses of Morrowind are shining examples of public architecture, and filled with brain-meltingly hot geothermal springwater. Bringing foreign visitors in to see how long they can withstand it is a treasured tradition. A chilled sweet drink flavored with merrow is always offered afterward, to show that the laughter was all in good fun.

Orcish practices vary across the diaspora, but many have noticed that a long hot soak followed by a cold plunge is good for the health. Young children are taught to control their breathing to endure the chilly water, but in time the practice becomes quite addicting.

In the Reach, the stalks of horsetail plants are boiled to make a hair rinse for cleansing and shine. The roots of ragged robin plants, found growing along the banks of the Karth, are boiled to create a saponin-rich wash that gently cleanses the skin.

[wispstalk]

Good point! This post was actually piggybacking off an ask where I cooked up headcanons for those groups, and I didn't expect this one to spread so I didn't repeat them here buuuut to sum the general practices:

Cyrods and Argonians both have communal public baths. Redguards of the Alik'r (along with some Vvardenfell Dunmer) spread oil on the skin and scrape it off with a specially-made tool. Nords have saunas + cold plunge for occasions where a deep clean is desired, and rely on washbasin bird baths otherwise.

[varlaisvea]

winterhold in the second era

i saw an old post about winterhold’s climate and food resources in the fourth era, and i wanted to say i’ve been writing a lot of 2nd Era (ESO) Winterhold, which is ~1500 years before the Great Collapse. so, i’ve been thinking a lot about how different the city would be in those times, and how much the Great Collapse changed the climate and geography of the area. here’s some ~headcanons about 2nd Era Winterhold

if you look at the land around Winterhold in the 4th Era, it appears that the Collapse also took out a whole bunch of the coastline east of (what’s left of) the city—much of which was probably the city itself. You can also tell that the college sat on a hill or rise—it’s significantly higher than everything else around it. The climate as it is in the 4th Era would not have been able to support a large College and bustling city. So, imo, Winterhold in the 2nd Era was protected from the worst winds off the Sea of Ghosts, situated on the sheltered side of a ridge or rolling hills. The College was on the western side, at the highest point in the city, on a hill.

obviously, though, it was still quite cold—the farmland that existed was in the eastern part of Winterhold hold, and was mostly used for hardy winter crops and short-season summer crops—pretty much just enough to feed a large city when heavily supplemented by fishing and whaling. the climate was mild enough that most residents could support some chickens or goats, a vegetable garden in the summer, and maybe grow some gourds and stuff in the fall.

The fact that the city produced just about enough food for everyone meant that most residents, including students at the college, would participate in harvests and processing catches from fisherfolk and whalers. No one wanted for food, but everyone felt they had a stake in its production—hard to take food for granted once you’ve experienced a long, dark winter in Winterhold.

The College was there first—its location was painstakingly selected based on multiple natural, mystical, and political factors. The city gradually grew around the College over the course of a few centuries.

One reason the College was built there: a natural warm spring at the top of that hill. In the 4th Era, one wonders why you’d ever build a massive, drafty stone structure at the edge of a bitterly cold sea, but it made a lot of sense when the college was built. The natural thermodynamics of the place warmed the stone walls and floors, and kept the College habitable—if still drafty— in the wintertime, and pleasantly cool in the summer months.

that’s also how they got enough water to the top of a hill to supply a whole college—there were actually bubbling springs accessible at several places on the campus, similar to the magicka wells that are still there in the 4th Era. the water springs, of course, were destroyed in the Great Collapse.

thanks to the warm spring and the strong magicka flow, the central courtyard of the college did not freeze in the winter, and could support an impressive alchemy garden, with plants from all over Tamriel.

in the 2nd Era, Winterhold College is just starting to come to prominence, having a reputation for being a place of openness and experimentation, in contrast to the Mages Guild or Shad Astula.

Nords tend to be wary of mages and magic, but over the years, the College has built itself as a part of the community—they have to, if they want a share of the harvest! About half of the student body is Nords, so the College shuts down at harvest time to allow those students to help bring in the crops. The non-native students also help with fishing and farming harvests, or other tasks like repairing equipment. All of the students are known to the residents once they’ve attended the school long enough.

By now, a good chunk of the city’s economy is centered around the College. For example, Winterhold supports several inns and bunkhouses, and has shops that import specialty food and supplies so that foreign mages can have a piece of home. For a city in the north ass of nowhere, residents are surprisingly worldly, regularly coming into contact with people from all over Tamriel (and even beyond) who come to the city for business at the College.

A small free clinic was built on the campus, so that the College’s world-class healers could be easily available to the people of Winterhold. The College also hosts seminars and classes on basic mystic topics for the residents of Winterhold. The College being so open to the community is not popular with everyone—some of the more old-school students and faculty wish for a time when mages got to stay in their mysterious wizard towers.

One of the big themes in my wip is a mage should never be sundered from the wages of their power. In the 2nd Era, the mages of Winterhold are in close contact with the wages of their power; in a magic college smack-dab in the middle of a bustling city, mages personally know the people who would be harmed if they use magic irresponsibly, or if an experiment goes wrong. In my story, mages who are sundered from the wages of their power are responsible for the Great Collapse.

[aetherialfalmer]

When an Atmoran or Nord mourned a sibling, they'd wear a bear pelt, often from a black bear, to show their loss.

The bear was the totem animal of Tsun, the nordic god of trials and adversity. We see him in Sovngarde guarding the Whalebone bridge. He died defending Shor from other gods, this was remembered as one of their "Dead Gods" like Shor. The sibling connection is his the fact that he and his brother Stuhn, the god of ransom fraternity and justice, were shield-thanes to Shor. To mourn his brother's death he adorned parts of the bear into his armor. Making the animal a symbol of mourning a sibling and or a sign of true strength.

Wearing a blackened bear cloak symbolized the mourning of a sibling and the strength to carry what was left behind. The surviving sibling would also be one of the few allowed to light the pyre for the deceased. Their world began with each other and one would end with it.

[orfeoarte]

i wanted to give the concept @thescrolls-haveforetold developed in this post my own spin. This took a bit of research hehe

[farshores]

Quick! What's some of your random TES headcanons!

Communal parenting is a common occurrence within Bosmeri, Saxhleel(Argonian), Redguard, Reachfolk & Khajiit culture. The Nords somewhat follow this practice as well, but as Imperial influence continued to grow, it seems to have died down a tad.

It's not just the Crowns that are displeased with the idea of merging the Imperial Pantheon with the Redguard's. There's actually a number of Forebears who refuse to follow this merge as well. (Tei's adoptive family is such a one)

Khajiit & Argonian lifespans are actually much longer than humans, though not as long as Mer. A healthy enough member of either race can live up to 200-250 years, maybe even longer!

Redguard cowboys? Redguard cowboys. (Though they are open to teaching anyone looking for work their tips & tricks; multiple ranch hands are better than one, after all)

Preferably, ranch or farm owners would try to settle in the more fertile areas of Hammerfell along the coast - but it isn't an uncommon sight to see a small group of farmers herd their livestock (goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, the like) on horse or camelback through the vast desert and/or rocky terrains. In fact, many have adapted to the harsher climate, even creating types of livestock that thrive in such areas.

While Khajiit & Argonian's not raised by others of their race might not fully learn the specific body language cues, if they are occasionally around fellow khajiits/argonians while growing up (i.e. Tei interacted with Argonians who were coming in to Satakalaam's ports, or when they traveled to Sentinel with their father), they will pick up on some. In comparison to those who didn't really interact with their own at all when growing up, who in turn are considered more "disconnected."

[ehlnofay]

It’s common for Nord children, especially in Skyrim, to own or wear things emblazoned with wolves – a brooch carved with a wolf’s face, for example. Almost every child growing up in Skyrim is given a wooden wolf toy. Though at this point it is just tradition, it stems from the ancient Nordic pantheon, and the wolves, symbols of Mara, were given to the children by parents and other close friends and relatives as tokens of love and dedication.

[ehlnofay]

I have been thinking about Nordic childhood traditions lately. As far as they go, I only found that young men in the Old Holds hunt ice wraiths in the dead of winter as a claim to full status as citizens, and that Nordic names are chosen based on omens and given in a special ceremony when a child is young. I'm interested in your thoughts on the childhood traditions of the Nords. Would they differ from hold to hold? How different would they be in a more cosmopolitan hold like the Reach compared to one of the Old Holds where the Old Ways still thrive, such as Dawnstar? Would traditions be different between young boys and young girls? What if a child were to grow up sheltered? What would they be missing out on during their childhood?

hmm, interesting question… I think most ritualised traditions pertaining to childhood are about growth and moving from one state to another, so your question is making me think mostly about coming-of-age traditions. the ice wraith thing is obviously an example of this, but not one that would be super accessible in most of skyrim, and though I can imagine it still being practised in some communities I imagine others might consider it archaic (the source for that one dates to the second era iirc, so definitely not a contemporary observation!) I wonder what other kinds of practices might stand in its place… skyrim is harsh country and socio-culturally speaking I think nords value both knowing the land and how to manage it and protecting the hearth and home. durability and community are prized and rites of passage into adulthood would need to exemplify these ideals. I’ll keep pondering this… might be fun to try to figure out what these traditions might be

(I do imagine that there are visual changes before and after earning adulthood – there are probably garments that only children wear and vice versa. and I don’t think people begin to braid and decorate their beards until they’ve recognised as an adult. they can have one beforehand, it just has to be boring. so beard care is often a point of pride)

and I DEFINITELY believe that there’s enormous variation between the traditions of different holds. not least because the environments that shape them are so different (the swamps of morthal prompt different ways of interacting with the world around you than the snow-clad pale or the mountains of the reach)… imperialisation is also a massive factor. skyrim as we see it in-game is so heavily influenced by the empire that despite the whole civil war occurring over Nord Lands and Nord Traditions and Nord Beliefs, there is exactly one character shown who gives a rat's ass about any of the old gods, or how they've been overwritten by cyrod interpretations. now I do think the game is just wrong about that and there are definitely more people who feel that way, but even so - one has to assume it's affected how traditional milestones and rites of passage are perceived and celebrated. religious traditions in particular would have had a hard time sticking around as skyrim became more used to the imperial pantheon. cities, being generally more cosmopolitan, more crowded, more imperialised, and kind of seen as separate from the land, are probably where these traditions have become rarest and altered the most (there isn't always the right cultural backdrop for them - there often just isn't space). they’re still there, just different.

(whether there’s any difference between the traditions of boys and girls – I honestly don’t know what to think! tes is in such a weird place gender-wise because it feels like the writers tried to create a world without sexism, or at least in which it was negligible, but then did exactly zero reflection on what the ramifications of that would be on anything ever. I can’t really tell if the social roles there might be different, or how, because the game never says that the roles are different but it also never really challenges player expectations either. so I respectfully bow out of answering that one because it confuses me)

[anotherclassicpretence]

Increasingly insane TES lore checkpoints to ask yourself "Should I stop here"

where did you stop (or wish you had)

Different pantheons (eg Imperial/Aldmeri)

THE VOID (Who is Sithis really. Anu/Padomay interpretations)

The Lorkhan debate (was Akatosh the bad guy?)

Dragon breaks (Bonus points for Numidium shenanigans. Last sane option)

CHIM.

The Dwemer Disappearance (Bonus points for bringing the Anuad into it)

Tower theory

The Dreamer

"Guys should we. Consider MK's unofficial writings."

C0DA (special case of above but needs its own option)

You forgot about (tell me please)

Voting ended onAug 17, 2024

[janusfnc14]

Michael Kirkbride’s ‘Nord Totemic Religion’ helps Skyrim’s Religious situation make Actual Sense. (Or rather more. Other explanations are the Nords ‘forgetting’ their own religion due to Imperialism)

The Nords' Totemic Religion — The Imperial Library

A design document outlining how the Nords worship the Nine Divines

Relatively Normal and Very Interesting Lore. Gives Nords Depth that they kind of need.

And a lot of his other stuff about metaphysics has interesting and wild stuff. But by GOD does he love his Jargon and mind-befuddling prose.