All About Sex On Tamriel - The Elder Scrolls Lore

[@ImperialKnowledge]

Edit: After a little chat with some people on the UESP discord (including some of the writers of the below mentioned article) I feel like I should credit the reference list on this page: en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Sex I dont tend to use UESP articles (Or wiki articles) for my videos, as they contain other people's opinions and interpretations. But I do use their reference/source list to obtain primary sources (Such as lorebooks, item descriptions, etc) and then come to my own conclusions. I then read the articles after finishing my script, so I can see whether I missed any blatantly obvious conclusions. In the case of this video I took no conclusions from the article I did not make myself upon primary sources, and even concluded some things differently. BUT! Credit where credit is due, the UESP ammassed the whole collection of primary sources and that was of great convenience for me. Since all the sources were there, properly linked, etc. So I did use their source list for this video, which was excellent, so credit for that! Not to say I dislike UESP articles, they are usually excellent! But they are written and researched by someone else, so they may contain opinions or interpretations of lore that I dont agree with. So thats why I only tend to use the sources and references, instead of the article itself. KZbin spare me thy wrath, the video should be eligible for advertisement according to thyne guidelines. Please save thyne wrath for the bad boys and girls and not for me.

[@VirtuallyVexed]

STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM. YOU VIOLATED THE ARBITRARY TOS. PAY THE COURT A FINE OR FACE A CHANNEL STRIKE!

[@tobymarshall8142]

Have pity, overlord algorithm, he knows not what he youtubes.

[@cyberninjazero5659]

I think the idea of Mer having slower fertility than humans traces back to the Falmer-Atmoran/Nord conflict where the faster reproduction of humans is specifically cited as one of the causes of conflict that and the Wandering Ehlnofey (whom Men descend from)who were described as more abundant than their Older brethren

[@DungEnjoyerr]

ELDER SEX?!?!?!??!?!??!

[@LeftoverPat]

Don't worry, that is what your audience would probably agree makes a good lore video IMO, when you can make your own conclusions and not just read wiki. PPL expect a level of truth but as long as you're conclusive I almost don't think it matters where the research goes.

[@skoomakitten5829]

I've never heard of this 'sex' thing. However now that I find it's an established part of the Elder Scrolls lore, I must study it diligently.

[@GeoffryGifari]

are there things more deserved of study?

[@lightish3754]

I'm also interested! perhaps we can study it together and confer our data?

[@skoomakitten5829]

Hmm, yes. Exploring sex together might be more interesting.

[@firen0136]

​@@lightish3754Oi. Put your pants back on.

[@priestofcrab4043]

COMPUTER! Look up SEX!

[@Jaann1919]

Bro we need a tes6 or were all gonna go insane

[@MarkoT701]

I will be very excited when tes6 comes out but I feel like it’s going to be disappointing to me at least or have a terrible release like fallout 76 but we will have to wait see.

[@f.b.l.9813]

tes 6 NEEDS to have a SEGGS mini-game, like the "Hot Coffee" cut-content from GTA SA

[@dagothur5595]

I'm already banging my head and kicking and screaming because I've been to soltheim for the 10th time.

[@uraniummmm1]

We already are, we're studying freaking TES sex that's how desperate the community is for anything TES related

[@OccultEclipse]

@@f.b.l.9813It absolutely doesn’t “NEED” that at all, it’s cringe and weird. I’m sure there are plenty of mods that can give you what you’re sorely lacking in real life.

[@Antondencoole]

Finally, sex is canon

[@deciusantonius7606]

Only in fantasy world

[@urSinKhal]

Now we have to kill it

[@bluenightfury4365]

@@urSinKhal Telling me you wouldn't want to commit lusty argonian maid?

[@urSinKhal]

@@bluenightfury4365 I will better die twice than have s*x once

[@jakedill1304]

And yet for some reason after daggerfall it seemed to completely disappear from any of the official content.. which is probably for the best because it seems like every NPC ever since has the dialogue of a store manager trying to roleplay in a training demo for new staff.. and the mind of a child.. it's almost like.. the only adult in the writing room disappeared mysteriously...

[@TheTrueBigWill]

Wait… You are telling me that the lusty argonian maid had nothing to do with bread?

[@ImperialKnowledge]

I know I was surprised too

[@tippiebekfast]

​@Mazz38my facial expression matches the mr house in ur pfp

[@jorikrouwenhorst7220]

So Lifts-Her-Tail wasn't actually cleaning the master's spear?

[@rachel-lq1em]

@Mazz38money?

[@ghub39]

probably no, i think khajiit and argonians can fit human's bread into their ovens, they just cant get pregnant from them

[@Threxer]

Finally some actually interesting lore

[@patricialavery8270]

All the things you wanted to ask but were afraid to.

[@dd11111]

"Finally some good fuckin' lore!"

[@derfistendefistus]

@@tribunal3003🫨🫨🫨

[@SimulDatCor]

@@tribunal3003I’m going to warn you before you get r/wooshed but it’s a joke. Most people don’t actually think that, it’s just internet comedy.

[@loganlasiewicz3636]

🤨

[@samiamtheman7379]

"Why were they designed by the Hist to want to do it for pleasure?" I mean, when you consider the act of procreation in general is meant to be pleasurable in order to get creatures to want to procreate more, it makes sense. Either that or while the Hist want the Argonians to serve them, they aren't dicks to them like the Dunmer are.

[@yurigagarin9765]

Based Hist, would let myself be mindcontrolled by it just to enjoy the crazy lizard orgies.

[@Mortablunt]

A lot of the design of the Argonians is to blend in with the mammalian races of Tamriel. Having tits, wangs, facial expressions, and ability to screw is all to interact better with the mammals and make them more comfortable with the lizard race. It's basically A Form You Are Comfortable With on behalf of the Hist servant race.

[@Andreithelord]

@@Mortablunt that is actually a possible explanation if you disregard the Times of Stone. During the Times of Stone, when Argonia was an empire and they built Xanmeers to Sithis and had advanced magitech, the Argonians were designed to “rule”, so to speak. They were not a servant race to anyone but the Hist. Once the Hist decided to deny them their fruits and technology and guided them to becoming servile, adaptive, cunning and subtle as the other races rose to greater power, it would make a lot of sense. We know for a fact that, given the Oblivion crisis and the formation of the An-Xileel, that Argonian biology was changed for war. As a result, it is possible that they weren’t always like that. ESO, however, shows in Murkmire that ancient Argonians didn’t really look any different, leading one to question then what the role of the pleasure in casual sex was for.

[@Mortablunt]

@@Andreithelord I am but a simple memer, clinging to my Oblivion savefile from 2008.

[@TurKlack]

@@yurigagarin9765 Are they actually mind controlled? from what I've learned the Argonians are deeply linked to the Hists, but they don't loose their free will and individuality. It's more like a symbioses.

[@coolio6855]

I love the idea that Hermaeus is just using all of the erotica in Tamriel to build his plane just because of how much of it there is. Makes me wonder how much we walked right past in Dragonborn.

[@GeoffryGifari]

so... apocrypha is the internet?

[@gohunt001-5]

​@@GeoffryGifaripretty much, but you don't have a search engine

[@austinparker5053]

Where do you think all the tentacles came from?

[@victuz]

@@GeoffryGifari More like the Deep Web actually. Since the google from TES is the imperial library.

[@nathanlane6668]

There is a building dedicated entirely to "Lusty Argonian Maid" fanfiction

[@simcha10000]

Tbh this isn’t just good for those with perverted intentions. From a role playing perspective a lot of this information about procreation is important for developing a character that will make sense within the lore of the game.

[@thatsoundslikeheresytomeyo4960]

Suuuuuuuuure

[@viderevero1338]

​@@thatsoundslikeheresytomeyo4960That's why I clicked as well. 🌟 *"Research"* 🌟

[@YouWinILose]

Agreed. As a mage I'd play as the occasional High or Dark elf, but now that I know they're prudes I'll probably choose Breton

[@jacobgoodrich6984]

bro what type of dnd are you playing lol

[@pyropulseIXXI]

This is some sad, pathetic stuff if you 'roleplay' with this information. This is why Western civilization is collapsing; modern men are just stunted children and are becoming more and more pathetic with each passing generation. As a result, women become more and more promiscuous as they have no proper masculine archetype to properly guide them into total and complete virtue

[@Sandstimes]

Unironically this sort of lore/worldbuilding is really fascinating to me because it's a topic 99% of writers are unwilling to touch, which is understandable given both how much harder it is to get to a large audience + personal boundaries or beliefs but also it's a basic facet of life and hearing how it might exist within a fantasy world of fantasy races is v interesting. Especially where it gets more alien like with the khajiit and their moon cycles, I like it when writers put this much thought into their world that they think about and answer even these sorts of questions

[@Jenna_Talia]

It's one of those things that helps to really tie worldbuilding together. Like diet, imagine a race of anthro wolves only eating meat because they're descended from obligate carnivores. Does it matter to the world? Not in the slightest. But it makes it feel all the more real and tangible. Same goes for sex and genitalia, you really don't need to add it to your projects but seeing in world sex ed that's different to yours is one of those things that acts as a cherry on top.

[@colddaze6680]

A great honour to have sex with a Hag raven?? Does that mean some Reachmen have a "granny fetish"?.. Seriously though great lore vid champ. I've listened to well over a hundred from different people now.Though there are other legitimate great lore masters on youtube. You are about the only one that ever really touches on the most obscure subjects to do with TES. The martial arts of TES was another I'd never seen anyone else post on before either. As a couple others said in this thread too, the finer details all weave together the most comprehensive and deeper world building, more or less in so many words. I find usually the most obscure details are usually the most interesting information.

[@desuite2413]

Honestly i totally agree Man happy to see somebody who gets it

[@ProfessionalScofflaw]

Well, the issue with Khajitt isnt the "act" of sexual activity with other races. The issue is births are tied to the phases of the two moons. Khajitt are allegedly only born as long as the two moons are in the sky (i know I'm grossly oversimplifying it). It's something only unique to the khajitt. There seens to be a magical aspect to procreation to the khajitt that acts as a barrier to interracial procreation. You have khajiit that are elf like, but they are still khajitt. Its the moons that decide what a khajjit lolks like, not the parents.

[@babygurleatsshickennuggits4201]

There are Khajiit that look like straight up house cats which is super funny because what if 2 house cat looking motherfuckers end up with a human looking baby

[@secretname2670]

Yes, phases of the moon affect the khajit type that is born, there is this whole group of khajit who just look like housecats in silly little clothes but they can apparently talk and use magic n shiet

[@GoodOneLULE]

@@secretname2670 would love to encounter them in ES6

[@tarheelpro87]

@@secretname2670they’re the Al’fiq. The Khajiit we play as in Oblivion and Skyrim are Cathay. There’s the Cathay-Raht which are similar but look more similar to jaguars, and are really big and strong. The Ohmes and Ohmes-Raht are the elf like ones. I don’t remember the differences, but the Ohmes-Raht is bigger I assume, since the “Raht” suffix tends to mean bigger. There’s also the Dagi and Dagi-Raht which are really small bipedal ones, that are really good at climbing trees. I forget the rest but I think some are even like Sabre cats. A book in Skyrim I read described them as battlecats.

[@grimcrimz768]

There's even where they can become a type of intelligent house cat😂

[@SageRuffin]

On the topic of Aldmeri political marriages and the sort, one of my favorite sidequests in ESO's Summerset expansion involves a Altmer man looking for his bride-to-be. After some digging, you learn that the marriage is more for status than affection and that the man's a bit of a dirtbag as such. He knows she ran off to one of the nearby Delve caves, but since you "have the look of a ruffian" he wants you to look for her (or her remains) so that he doesn't have to risk himself. !!!SPOILERS!!! Once you find the Aldmeri woman, you can discover the reasons for her running away: one is because of the marriage itself (she's not too fond of her future groom and actually had eyes for a Bosmer gentleman) and the other is because _she's a werewolf._ You need the Persuasion passive from the Mages Guild skill line for this, but you can convince her that it's possible to control her lycanthropy and she can still live a relatively peaceful life. She agrees and then asks you to escort her back to her groom-to-be and right after getting your reward from said groom, this exchange happens: *Bride:* "Dearest, tell me. Our wedding day... weren't we told the moons would be full?" *Groom:* "Why, yes. A most auspicious sign, the priest told us." *Bride:* "Oh yes. Most auspicious indeed. I very much look forward to it." Good times.

[@KopperNeoman]

Now, if you want to twist the knife, the plot twist could be that the groom manages to cut the bride down after she transforms - all the political benefits for him without the hassle.

[@miguelcondadoolivar5149]

@@KopperNeoman Heh, I'd say he earned his benefits if he manages to survive a werewolf assault.

[@MrLightningbob]

I love that quest

[@slvaltva1392]

there's no bosmer that could ever be considered a gentleman

[@neoqwerty]

@@slvaltva1392 The Adoring Fan is PEAK gentleman, excuse you, he even avoids stealing my kills and respawns when I punch him off the Jeralls.

[@ryanhau1073]

"Group Sex is common with Khajiit" Basically Fur Piles

[@MatiNuva1724]

Bro-

[@ProfessionalScofflaw]

Perish lol

[@StudleyDuderight]

...shag carpet Edit: I'm sorry, but I'm totally going to steal your thunder by also posting my joke as main thread comment. I'll give you credit for the inspiration though.

[@chrisdupuis2523]

Disgusting.

[@scarletbard6511]

Skyrim sex modders: "Write that down!"

[@raycavazos8927]

Your visual representation was how Emperor Palpatine gets unlimited power, not how people have sex

[@Okami1313]

On the topic of elven fertility: in the Real Biography of Barenziah it was described that female elves, all forms of them, can have at most four children, but sometimes it can be as low as one, but at most four. So it seems that elven women may have a predetermined amount of gametes to offer for procreation

[@maxsync183]

Given how long they live I wonder if that's meant to ensure they don't overpopulate and destroy themslevss.

[@SpikedKirby]

I think she had more than 4 children, in daggerfall she already had 3 plus a secret child that became a nightingale, and the bio states how promiscuous she was before that

[@Okami1313]

@@SpikedKirby The wiki only has three listed, plus the one she allegedly had with Tiber Septim makes four

[@bluexephosfan970]

That's also how humans work, AFAB people have a set amount of eggs from birth that were grown in the womb (as opposed to sperm, which is produced by the testicles constantly after puberty)

[@neoqwerty]

Given that they also say that having sex with one of the man races can "quicken" an elf and cause procreation to take better, I think it's less that they can "only" have 4 kids (a limited number of gametes), but rather that embryos don't implant well in elven women. I'd wager it's a hormone thing, since there's also a lot of lore that says elven men are feminine to the point some of the more dimorphic races get confused because they can't rely on clothing tells. To me it sounds like merrish women don't have a big spike in hormones to ready their bodies until they're "quickened" as a reaction to pheromones from mannish or mixed races, unlike what humans undergo IRL. This also factors in why in the only region where a merrish species was free to mix with a mannish species, the Altmeri and Nedic folk created an entire race of manmer, the Bretons. (Makes me curious if that old rumored theory about Symmachus' bloodline is true and there's basically a Dunmer "subspecies" that's the Dunmer-ish counterpart to Bretons, elves with dominant Nord traits like Bretons are humans with dominant Altmer traits.)

[@nukedpyro]

The fact hermaus mora uses all the porn that rains down to his realm as STRUCTURE MATERIAL SENT ME TO THE GROUND 😂 its like building a house outta playboys

[@victuz]

Yeah TES lore has wild stuff like this here and there, one of the reason's why it's so compelling.

[@Flesh_Wizard]

Next time I see Hermaeus Mora, I'm showing him Rule 34. His realm will last for eternity

[@GreatOldOneCthulhu]

I just gotta say that oral sex being banned in Morrowind under Tribunal law makes little sense, given certain... not quite consentual actions Vivec himself carried out against a few Nord generals... actions that he seemed to be quite proud of.

[@Mortablunt]

Did Vivic halt an invasion with a unilaterally consensual blowjobathon?

[@harleyleedavidson8751]

I really should stop drinking skooma

[@antoniestrydom6367]

If you look at Islam, the laws in the Quran and what Muhammad himself did then it makes perfect sense. Wouldn't be surprised if more than a small amount of inspiration was taken from there.

[@TepidTurtleWater]

​@@antoniestrydom6367 what laws in the Quran? And what did Muhammad do?

[@darknessml6145]

Counter: "It is based when i do it." -Lord Vivec

[@Bigslam1993]

Jesus christ, there really isn't any untapped elder scrolls lore anymore is there? We need ES6. If only so we can have MORE sex lore

[@Ghost_Hybrid]

I guess until then you have Baldur's Gate 3

[@victuz]

@@Ghost_Hybrid After seeing the dragonborn race in that game I wonder how Argonians will look like in TES 6.

[@krench421]

The old tales tell of an ancient place somewhere on Nirn were all sexual customs originated. This place was known as "LoversLab". What a peculiar name, a strange place indeed

[@sandihyperaktiv7460]

I heard there was tentacles in certain parts of loverslab! How curious!

[@Slysheen]

There seems to be a section particularly interested in eggs as well. The Hist experimenting again perhaps?

[@FAMI-ep9ok]

Regarding Khajiit: Those "barbs" appear as an "atavism" in humans too. It's called Hirsuties papillaris coronae glandis. Not as actual barbs, but wart-like nubs. I imagine that the more anthropomorphic Khajiit tend towards the atavism or lack thereof, while the more animalistic ones tend to the opposite. Given the amount of representation humanoid Khajiit (men) receive in lore about mixed couplings (the true Barenziah, Akrashs last sheath) it seems likely they're not full "feral" down under. Edit.: Either that, or dunmer women are into that😂

[@BaldPolishBiotechnol]

Knowing Dunmer women from the lore, I would not discount the possibility... Imagine Dagoth-Ur getting turned down by a Dunmer women because he had no barbs... Wait! Maybe this is the reason he hates Khajit so much!

[@UnswimmingFishYT]

I don't remember where it was, but one of the lore writers actually clarified about the Khajiit barb situation. He said that the more elf-like Khajiit have none, but the more animalistic-looking ones do, and that Therris, the thief Barenziah did things with, was a Cathay-Raht, the large type that has been compared to werewolves in physique. I imagine the body type is very close, but with cat features. This means all the four-legged Khajiit would also be that way, similar to real cats. The Ohmes-Raht we typically see in games, and the Ohmes, which almost just look like Bosmer, have no such barbs. This is probably why the only well-known mention is Therris having that feature, because the Khajiit most widespread and likely to have that sort of relations with other people just don't have that. There's still the issue of all but the Ohmes being furry, which probably leads most people from other races to compare them too closely to animals for it to be comfortable considering a relationship with one, most likely being the explanation for why we never really see an interracial couple including a Khajiit. Although the popularity of books about Argonians suggests maybe a lot of people in TES really just don't care, and would be comfortable doing that with anything vaguely shaped like a human. Hard to be sure, but it seems like interracial pairings between Orcs, Khajiit, and Argonians are far less common than humans and elves. My best guess is that most humans and elves don't like tusks, fur, or scales, and that the Argonian-themed books are read more for amusement than any weird interest in getting friendly with a lizard.

[@tomthestone1470]

The barbs are only present on two speciic furstocks. One is Suthay-raht, and Cathay-raht. The latter typically being what we play as.

[@UnswimmingFishYT]

@@tomthestone1470 Where do you get that idea? The Alfiq definitely have them, and are even stated as being physically indistinguishable from a pet cat. Also, the ones shown in games as playable characters are NOT Cathay-Raht. Cathay-Raht is a huge Khajiit, typically much larger than a normal person, and compared directly to werewolves in one book because of how bestial they look. The ones we play as now tend to be Cathay, very similar in basic appearance to Cathay-Raht, but normal sized and closer to the body proportions of a human in most ways.

[@viderevero1338]

If any race would be into it, it'd be the Dunmer. Definitely the Dunmer.

[@LeviathanSpeaks1469]

Sigma Hermy: “THIS SMUT IS WORTHLESS… I’M USING IT AS A BRICK…” 🐙

[@owlrecluse2234]

I fully expected this to be a huge meme but this is well written and researched.

[@victuz]

Differently from other franchises, The Elder Scrolls lore takes itself so seriously and deep that even intercourse is scientifically documented, it's incredible.

[@viniciusaragao4989]

Damn these lore makers are getting crazy... To invent something called sex, impressive

[@theusinnormal5414]

Truly a creative invention!

[@victuz]

But for real though, what is impressive is how well documented intercourse and reproduction are in TES.

[@YourWaywardDestiny]

Re: Birth control speculations in regards to the Altmer. The story of Barenziah and Tiber Septim features an Altmer mage being the one tasked with aborting the resulting pregnancy. I imagine the implications are clear there; there's magic available to terminate at the very least. As terminating a pregnancy is not actually a pleasant experience for the pregnant person (not getting into the ethics, that's a bag of angry slaughterfish that is outside of my point) I would speculate that it's more than likely that they have magical contraceptive means as well so they can avoid all that discomfort where possible. By the current era, those means have likely spread and become a part of any training for practitioners of Dibella, Sanguine, and Maphala in some capacity, and probably is a part of a non-religious healer's training. So, uh, thank Altmer for all the (mostly) risk-free access to casual sex in Tamriel, I guess?

[@wod5203]

I imagine it's called the Shock spell. Don't taze me bro!

[@YourWaywardDestiny]

@@wod5203 Considering IRL abortions that are after a certain (exceedingly early) point, the fetus is literally suctioned out, I'm thinking it'd be more along the lines of some sort of spell with a draining effect...

[@KopperNeoman]

"Pregnant person" Unless there are asari in Elder Scrolls all of a sudden, there's a word for the subset of mammalian species able to become pregnant. Starts with a W...

[@YourWaywardDestiny]

@@KopperNeoman Friend, you are objecting to a woman being called a person, and that's not the look you think it is. Also Argonians in ES are wont to be a confusion cluster since they literally have the capacity to switch between the two genital sets, and none of us are actually in the know how many in-between states they might have and what lines they recognize. We DO know when they do mate, they have the capacity to both lay eggs and to gestate as it's demanded of them. They're not mammalian, and can experience pregnancy and are people in this fictional setting. We ALSO don't have a lot of information on biological dimorphism in ES in general, we just _presume_ it is the exact same as real life. For all we know, Vivec's duel casting set up ain't rare in the slightest, and we couldn't say if he was capable of carrying and birthing children or no. Maybe he could, maybe other people like him can, we call him "he" with or without that information not because of that capacity, but because of penis+lack of fatty breast tissue. If it's possible for him, HE would be pregnant, no way around it, that'd be a pregnant man. So yes, pregnant person to cover all my bases from a biological stand point. If you want to make that broad generalization, go right ahead, but I don't know a lot of details that makes that a stupid ass hill to be fighting over.

[@venlocity2]

​@@KopperNeomanwaffle

[@whippethacreem7299]

Now I have to walk through Apocrypha with the knowledge that the walls are made out of smut and fanfiction.

[@whippethacreem7299]

🎶99 pages of smut on the walls, 99 pages of smut, take one down, pass it around, 98 pages of smut on the wall🎶

[@lethaldream50]

now we know where Ao3 is really hosted. now we know what the A in Ao3 really stands for.

[@idipped2521]

It would be funny if Zork made a Lusty Argonian Maid video similar to bottle Todd, about it being in your head all the time and reading it every day as a meme. "The Lusty Argonian Maid is in my heart, my mind, and hiding in my walls PLEASE HELP"

[@christophermills7693]

what about a Horny Bosmer video?

[@YoKhai1221]

I’m pretty sure the barbed aspect of Khajiit is relegated to the more Feline furstocks. With the more Elf like Ohmes having none, and Senche having them (Cathay likely have some)

[@jubei7259]

'The Breton village where everyone was permanently aroused was handled jokingly'... Yeah, only coz ESO is an MMO & therefore not particularly mod friendly lol. Something tells me it would have been handled very differently otherwise lmao.

[@IxodesPersulcatus]

This is so well-researched, one almost expects you to one day disappear to some little grotto off the coast of Hammerfell.

[@ImperialKnowledge]

I love that (hopefully intentional) reference to nymphs

[@hailbopthecomet]

As someone who studies the history of IRL human sexuality, it's really interesting to see how people adapt sexuality and tradition into fiction, especially when adapting to non-human cultures. Thank you for this cool info!

[@anevilstripper6095]

I found it very interesting too! I'm interested in studying sexology but I don't really know where to look, the universities don't teach it in my country.

[@anon1963]

​@@anevilstripper6095bro is studying on a certain website 💀

[@NitendoADDIVT]

@@anevilstripper6095i’m Johnny Sins

[@patricialavery8270]

Dude in group talking about how Mer don't have many offspring,me wading through endless Bosmer and Dunmer Bandits and Reavers and dodging Thalmor patrols every time I go anywhere.😆🤣😆

[@heramaaroricon4738]

About that last part regarding Argonians... I would say they also have a sex drive to allow for social and personal relief of tension and stress, just like we humans IRL do. It is not always about making kids, folks. Sometimes it is just about having a fun time. Intelligent Life as we know it can't flourish without a sex drive or something equally to balance the psychology of the species.

[@somedude7701]

Too bad that not everyone get the sex nowadays if they want it

[@rykehuss3435]

Intelligent machine life could easily flourish without any kind of sex drive.

[@victuz]

@@rykehuss3435 This man Mass Effects and Overwatches.

[@heramaaroricon4738]

@@rykehuss3435 We are talking about Organics, not Synths and (Nano) Machines, son...

[@Jiub_SN]

They're fucking magical my guy, they don't need one

[@napoleoncomplex2712]

Maybe it's just the Thalmor, but the more I hear about the Altmer the more I feel like the Summerset Isles would be a horrible place to live.

[@PoseurGoth]

Summerset has a very high expat rate. Generally, anyone who disapproves of the strict Altmer culture was always expected to simply leave for other parts of Tamriel. This means that only the hardline traditionalists stayed, thus making the society more and more conservative over time. That was suddenly changing at the end of the Third Era, which may have played a role in the rise of the Thalmor, as a kind of reactionary backlash.

[@alchemysaga3745]

​@@PoseurGothLooking at the USA and Japan... that checks out.

[@SageRuffin]

@@PoseurGoth The beginning of the Aldmeri Dominion storyline in ESO is basically about fighting against a group of Altmer supremacists who disagree with then-queen Ayrenn's attempts to reopen Summerset's borders. They even have what are basically concentration camps designed to "reform" and "educate" Bosmer and Khajiit to being subservient to Altmer. Those who push back are sent to "The Cave" and it's shown multiple times that people will do _anything_ to avoid that.

[@jordanenogue-ouellette6852]

The dunmer: don't talk about sex in public because it's shameful The dunmer also: have their entire political system based on the teachings of Mephala, goddess of secret murder, lies and SEX

[@danf3201]

Yes, but it's secret sex, open and acceptable sex is Dibella.

[@UnswimmingFishYT]

There's one thing you didn't mention that I know of, but I'm guessing that's to keep the video relatively appropriate. There are exactly two in-game places I know of that mention necrophilia, one being Arondil's rather disturbing journals, and the other being a woman in Cyrodiil suddenly asking if you know what the fine is for it. Fortunately, while it's confirmed to be a thing done by some rather sick individuals, that tendency is frowned upon as much in TES as it is IRL, and at the very least Cyrodiil charges some kind of fine against anyone willing to do that, while Arondil got the torch-bearing mob and was driven out of Dawnstar for it, then they burned his house down. There's also something Camelworks looked into with an evil wizard called Naris who shows signs of possibly clarifying the terrible Sanguine stuff. Interestingly, Sanguine's blood-oriented name, while not acknowledge other places, is relevant in Elsweyr, and they consider him an encourager of giving in to animalistic impulses, possibly meaning that he tempts them to do funny cat stuff, but potentially meaning that Sanguine in Khajiit culture is similar in some horrible ways to Molag Bal.

[@PoseurGoth]

Yeah, Sanguine in Elsweyer is also considered a patron of vampires, so the comparisons to Molag Bal are really apt.

[@joshwist556]

What you mean. There’s a Daedra in Morrowind who explicitly say they’ll Grape your corpse and being gentle about it.

[@grandmasteryoda6717]

Does sex with a vampire count as necrophilia

[@UnswimmingFishYT]

@@grandmasteryoda6717 I'm not totally sure. They function mostly like living people and can even reproduce, as happened with the orc in the Imperial City's arena, who was the son of a vampire. They also have no decay or anything like that, and there's no mention I know of about them being cold. Personally, I'd count TES vampires as not necrophilia, because I think of it as just being actual corpses, reanimated like Arondil does or not. I can see them being technically undead raising the question, but they don't resemble or function like corpses. The same sort of question could also be applied to someone with a werewolf. Is it bestiality, and is that person a furry? In this case, calling them not a furry would be hard to justify, but I don't think it really qualifies as bestiality in that case, if the werewolf is in normal form. If some weirdo does that while they're wolfed out, it would be hard to say it isn't, but some people might say it depends on how aware the werewolf is, and if their mind is in full control like the Companions. If both people are werewolves, it also just doesn't really matter since it's no different than two regular people being together.

[@SageRuffin]

@@grandmasteryoda6717 Vampirism in Elder Scrolls lore is more of a cellular mutation than anything, so probably not.

[@saulalessio2251]

fun fact argonians can change genders every season at will..you find that out in a ESO quest, where you find a statue for a argonian. He made it for his female lover, who then switched gender the next season.

[@Call_Me_The_Storyteller]

Imagine declaring yourself to the love of your life only for her to literally morf to the opposite sex as soon as she gets the chance...🫠

[@aaaaaaaafjjdjs]

​@@Call_Me_The_Storytellernow you got a pretty girl AND a pretty boy

[@mr.cauliflower3536]

Correction: Race of the mother is most of the race of the child, while the race of the father gives some small features, which can accumulate over generations, leading to half races.

[@cracmar03]

Hmm I don't think that's correct. Generally speaking child has higher chance to inherit mother's race vs father's, as hers will be more dominant. However there will be cases when child will inherit father's race vs mothers. Like Mankar Camorran whose mother Kaalys was a bosmer and he inherits race of Camorran Usurper who was an altmer. But yes I can see that small feature carryover can happen for the suppressed race in the mix scenario. Probably best example is magic in bretons here as they were selectively breed to exclude altmer phenotype from them.

[@leonardomarquesbellini]

Racial Phylogeny is not the end all be all authority on this topic, is contradicted by other pieces of evidence and in the end that isn't even what the tect actually says.

[@dankeller4103]

25:05 That isn't really accurate to say. It's possible by all means but "Fall of Vitharn" mentions only that Sheogorath allowed this marriage to happen and that Sheen-in-Glade ultimately "received blessing of Lord Sheogorath" but that refers to her going mad due to her husband incestious infidelity. Nowhere it's suggested let alone stated that Sheogorath have to cause their child to be born. " This, of course, amused the Madgod to no end, and so he allowed the marriage of Csaran to Sheen-in-Glade, daughter of an Argonian midwife who believed that the mortal sphere would afford her daughter nothing but hatred and oppression. Sheen-in-Glade was as excellent a Countess to Csaran as any in the Isles could ask for, wanting nothing but to bring pride and honor to her adopted house and Court. For years her mind was untouched, even living as she did in the heart of Dementia. Alas, none may reside too long in the Isles without the blessing of Lord Sheogorath, and so Sheen-in-Glade was finally pushed to the brink by the infidelity of her Husband, the Count."

[@elha7982]

As far as I understand it a lot of the major racial differences are based on "curses" rather than DNA

[@maxsync183]

Although those curses probably changed their dna, azura must have done something to the chimer genome to result in dark skin and red eyes.

[@robonerd125]

@@maxsync183 assuming that dna and genes are a thing in the world of TeS. Remember, the sun is a giant hole left in the sky when some god bailed on reality and some dude retroactively defoliated an entire region by thinking really hard, nothing is off the table.

[@neoqwerty]

@@robonerd125 Yeah. Also: Divayth Fyr made four clones of himself as part of his corprus research, I would be willing to say that if there was DNA involved in anything like a conventional way, there should be physical consequence to having magic cancer clone babies. Also also, there's talks about "committing ancestricide", which tells me that there's magic involved in whatever in TES passes for genetics. Also the Bosmer are confirmed to be able to revert back to an earlier "unstable" et'Ada form where they shift between man and mer and beast and plant for their Wild Hunts, whiiiiiich tells me that whatever serves as DNA? It's nothing like the protein encoding genes IRL.

[@dekay1428]

I can picture Sheigorath just breaking the "natural cycle" because he just wanted to see what happens. Sheogorath-I made one of those lizard thingies mate with another one just to see what would happen!

[@LalaRojas-jd5rc]

What about the Divines having sex with mortals? It reminds me about the lore of Minotaurs.

[@kronykaal3824]

Great video! A thought on the argonians. If the hist could bestow mammal like organs and such to argonians, the hist may also be able to change the argonians to be able to breed with the other races, if fore some reason, it would benefit the hist.

[@victuz]

Good question, most people overlook the Argonians in everything except the Oblivion Crisis.

[@BennyGoId]

YOU'RE A LEGEND FOR RECORDING AND UPLOADING THIS!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, MY MAN!!

[@manlyman2624]

I’d like to know the money the creators of the elder scrolls decided to have a bunch of lore on sexual customs as opposed to filling in some of the massive timeline gaps present in said lore

[@Laticia1990]

I feel like the time gaps, are supposed to be like every medieval scholar trying to piece together ancient history.

[@maxsync183]

Makes sense, I don't know much about the first world war but I can tell you about people who are attracted to vehicles.

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

That's because sex is important.

[@manlyman2624]

@gimmieyourrights8292 yeah but when I’m reading Lord of the Rings I want to be reading about how Aragorn and co. is killing orcs and stuff not about how he’s banging elves

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

@@manlyman2624 I don't think you got the joke.

[@f.b.l.9813]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 I love the fact that Hermaus Mora's library realm is completely flooded with (p)0rn books

[@colddaze6680]

Another excellent deep dive on another obscure TES subject I've not seen anyone else touch on in Elder Scrolls lore. So well done on that one champ. I find the most obscure , rarer bits of lore are usually the most interesting. And as others have mentioned in comments, it all goes towards great world building and lore making overall. It might be an honour for some Reachmen to ly with a Hagraven, but its hard to imagine anything more horrifying myself lol.

[@povilzem]

I fondly recall the Thieves Guild quest to steal Boethiah's Pillow Book in Ald'ruhn. Good times.

[@zayne8331]

I saw this on my recommended and I was thinking ‘what the heck, why would I want to know about this?’ Then I watched it and it was actually really interesting and not crude in any way. Great video!

[@christophermills7693]

the book series The Lusty Argonian MAid and the Horny Bosmer are all the rave these days

[@Ty-bg7kz]

So what you’re saying is that my 1000 Skyrim sex mods aren’t lore breaking

[@victuz]

I don't know about mods, but Kama Sutra is canon in TES.

[@AkaiAzul]

​@@victuzBut does their book have different poses than ours? 🤔

[@stevensines7026]

Thank you for your efforts. Very entertaining, educational, and humorous.

[@TheFlyWahine]

Just realized that the elder scrolls world looks like a compresed version of our world.

[@cracmar03]

well every good worldbuilding WILL obey by common law of logic. Even most outlandish idea in world of fiction, like say giant bugs transport in Morrowind has to obey by very simple logic laws. The fact that TES world building is so logical that it can at times remind you of irl world, is mark of very good worldbuilding job Bethesda did. They are masters at worldbuilding.

[@fuzzwobble]

A part of the reason the Bretons are so much looser about sex comes from them only existing due to the Altmer abusing their ancestors as sex slaves. One of the more humorous reversals in the Elder Scrolls lore comes about from this. As a sort of biological defense mechanism developed over time from the forced breeding and constant exposure to oppressive magic, the Bretons developed as an independent race from the half-breeds to be extraordinarily resistant to spells. The Bretons are considered some of the most dangerous threats to the Altmer now, as they can not only shrug off their magic, but are gifted in using it themselves. They'll quite literally quickdraw another mage to have both hit by fireballs, just to then complain about their nice drip being singed while the Mer twitches as a scorched carcass across from them. Considering they're this way because the Mer used them as unwilling sex slaves for many generations? The Mer can get rekd on this one. Screw 'em. Deserved.

[@cracmar03]

I wouldn't say this whole ordeal was as violent as you describe it. Considered that Hegemony lasted for long time, and it's end was peaceful no less. Also one would have to take doubt on 'unwilling'. Direnni were elves after all, do we really have to believe that all Nedic people were forced to breed ? More likely it was mutual into one another, because to Nedes back then Altmers of Direnni clan were exotic. And can look irl how far sexuality can go when you mix exotica to it. Direnni were also well organised, much more sophiticated then Nede could be and wielded power of magic which Nede of old couldn't. All in all I think Nedes were more then willing to mix with Altmers there. As for tyrannical mandates, the forced breeding was mostly 'forced unbreeding' of the Nede-Altmer offspring that happened to end up being an Altmer. These were forced to never ever procreate with full fledged Altmers and thus forcing the elven phenotype mostly to dissapear from early Breton population. Bretons could breed with whoever they wanted, as I doubt practice of sleeping with Direnni evaporated. We need to account also that Direnni were pretty much unorthodox ones for Summerset in general view. So I really don't think any other altmer outside of thsi clan was even thinking fondly of whole idea of mixing in first place. Hegemony as it was, was rather normal. Direnni screw themselves up with completely other thing, but as far as I know it was nowhere nearly as you describe it to be. And tbh, bretons fought willingly at side of Direnni's and in defense of elves against Alessian Empire. Until Empire came up with it's merphobia, you had many and I do mean MAAAAANY noble breton homes proudly take any opportunity they had to show off their elven heritage. I don't believe for a second that Direnni were against Bretons wielding magic, Direnni altmers were always about breaking status quo. They are pursuers of knowledge at heart, as is described by their book "Once".

[@Delta547]

10:47 So THIS is why Isolda wanted that damn mammoth's tusk...

[@val1n]

Thank you for this video. Just two days ago, when I was creating a new ESO character, I started to wonder why female Argonian do have breasts. And you just gave me an answer to this question. It seems the eight (or nine, depending on the time we are talking) divines noticed my question about this. :'D

[@perkitaseaman3290]

This is very interesting but I love the magic spells the best thing ever happened in video games

[@tylercoleman9218]

These topics are incredibly important for creating a rich universe with interesting lore. One of the things that makes me love TES series. I’m surprised there aren’t other forms of media such as movies and TV yet. Maybe it’s a legal/copyright thing?

[@Raycheetah]

Perhaps the Hist, in creating Argonians with sexual anatomy copied from Men and Mer, also incorporated the instinctual behaviors associated with that anatomy, along with hormonal and other related anatomical characteristics. Now, what I was surprised not to see covered was the assertion that Argonian sexual characteristics are not fixed with each individual over their lifetime. Is that or is it not canon in the Elder Scrolls? =0[.]o=

[@Mortablunt]

Much of the design of the Argonians is all about making the mammals comfortable with them and helping them blend in and get along with the mammals. The Hist do their best to enable their servants to go about unbothered and achieve their aims.

[@stalarionjagarn188]

Still cannon as it is in TESO aka the most recent game.

[@theonlybilge]

​@@stalarionjagarn188 It's in ESO, so it isn't canon.

[@stalarionjagarn188]

@@theonlybilge What source said that ESO isn't canon ?

[@theonlybilge]

@@stalarionjagarn188 Me, because ESO adds dumb shit to lore.

[@quicksilvertongue3248]

All this sex would be a lot more appealing if it involved a universe where hot and cold running water is present in most homes, or where soap is commonplace.

[@PhthaloGreenskin]

The Cantons in Vivec have running water.

[@blueshellincident]

With a title like that, the content of this video could range from "Notes on Racial Phylogeny" to "Lusty Argonian Maid", and I'm feeling like flipping that coin today.

[@AngraMainiiu]

Finally... The sex lore update!

[@tiefseblief]

The use of pauses in this video is incredibly effective.

[@tarazzzs]

The true question about intimate relations of Tamriel: do they use magic spells to enrich the experience?

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

Actually Dunmer lifespan is shorter than that of the Altmer. The long-lived individuals are few and far in-between, and almost always used magic to attain their long lifespan.

[@ReformedSauron]

-"So the Bretons are Altmer?" -"I thought they were Nedes." -"No, no, no, the Altmer banged the Nedes, turned 'em into Bretons"

[@christophermills7693]

handcuffs, whips and chains is all one has to mention for s toys and the safe phrase Emperor Titus Meade blows megachunks

[@creativename7230]

I feel like zork wanted to talk abt this before, but was afraid that it would get removed, until he saw that nair video

[@bloodycrypt7612]

I’d like to see a lore video on the amulet of kings and the red dragon crown. I’m very into the artifacts of TES

[@Circurose]

I knew these 20gb Loverslab mods are canon all along.

[@justyce_yt]

As a writer who loves to take inspiration from TES, this video is awesome!

[@fandomonium3789]

I'd love a video (or two separate ones) on the Houses of the Divines (ie, the Circle of the Hour, the House of Dibella, the School of Julianos, etc.) and the Knightly Orders of the Divines (The Order of the Lily, the Maran Knights, the Vigilants of Stendaar.) It's a neat topic, and one that not too many youtubers have covered.

[@TheDeadmanstrolling]

"Sex? You know Bethesda invented that for the lore of Elder Scrolls, right?"

[@jourcontre-jour1286]

I need the magical birth control

[@turdfurgeson8769]

I really enjoy your content my friend. Thank you for your work.

[@ClockworkGearhead]

We eatin' GOOD lore enthusiasts!

[@vamphorror66]

Do you think there's enough content/lore for a video about pregnancies in Tamriel? Or did you made a video about it already? If not I think it would be quite an interesting topic to talk about!

[@ImperialKnowledge]

That will be a hard one but ill have a look

[@tofu1394]

Hermaeus Mora using erotica books as structure for his realm is fucking gold. The Lord of Forbidden knowledge is tired of the mortal's horni

[@chemputer]

It's scary when an elder scrolls KZbinr can give a more comprehensive sex education course than any public school in Texas, and I'm pretty sure Tennessee, too.

[@jonjonboi3701]

What? Sex education in America in general isn’t that good.

[@jonjonboi3701]

Texas and Tennessee have better sex education than California and New York for example

[@jonjonboi3701]

Yeah right. The state of California or any liberal state is teaching things like men can get pregnant and that gender doesn’t exist.

[@WoobertAIO]

@@jonjonboi3701 yes. That's the joke.

[@firstnamelastname2197]

except "comprehensive" is usually a euphemism for teaching anal

[@mr.expunged6040]

I went into this video worried I would get “excited”,and I left it genuinely educated, well done! Even made me laugh a few times.

[@punslord]

This is bro's most viewed video in the past 8 months and it's four days old. y'all are fiends

[@Huy-G-Le]

Got to say, the concept of having fun that doesn't leaves to unforeseen consequence in a Universe with disease canceling magic is certainly quite good.

[@JaxWylds]

The super power of humans in all fanatsy games: We can f* anything!

[@dairydregone7146]

Hmmm.... I feel like downloading more mods lol

[@f.b.l.9813]

Bigger Argonian Boobs mod

[@AngraMainiiu]

Very lore accurate...

[@Cyrus_T_Laserpunch]

See? My extensive collection of LoversLab mods are in the game for the sake of immersion and lore-friendliness.

[@HeavenOnHigh]

1:40 thank good you didnt use the same plug of the extension cord.

[@tylerpatti9038]

I think the whole "they take after their mother thing" is mostly just for interspecies hybrids not for like literal races. Like some races are just different races, and cultures of humans, in the same way, that we use those terms in the real world and some differences between races are like fantasy race, which is more like species.

[@stalarionjagarn188]

Redguard are humans from another Kalpa so there are different from the other humans.

[@whatever3912-h7e]

That was actually confirmed in ESO and by the lore team responsible for that game - human races work like IRL. There are even biracial characters (sure, in character creator created as one of the races but the appearance can be mixed).

[@neoqwerty]

@@whatever3912-h7e What determines a race in TES is the racial ability. Does ESO explicity say what abilities someone of mixed race inherits? Do they get both? Neither? A new ability?

[@Ginfeldi]

you know you've found a deep lore when you've reached the "ok but how do they fuck?" levels of detail

[@luckystar9279]

Was about to put my phone down and start a new Morrowind playthrough. But I'll watch this first I guess

[@silentshadow9983]

10:24 bro imagine being hermaes mora here like “oh finally a new book from the mortal rea- and it’s just another adult novel. Damn mortals really need to rein it in, oh well into the structural support pile you go.”

[@elsonvictarion7101]

I chuckled when you mentioned the morale officer hahaha. That shit has been a thing for human society into antiquity.

[@Call_Me_The_Storyteller]

Ah, yes, quite literally the oldest job in all of known history...

[@edwhatshisname3562]

Hearing that part about the Bosmer taking partners on the side gives a bit more context to Nivnor cheating on her husband in Riften, it sounds like it's just a part of her culture as a wood elf. (For those who don't know, this fact can apparently be learned by breaking into her and Boli's house and reading some of the letters inside.)

[@sciana21]

I honestly think that we need more serious content about sex. Not even talking about TES, just in general. It's a natural part of life and most people do it, so we should just treat it the same as we do with eating, or if you wanna focus on the dangers it does carry, like children and STDs, treat it the same way as for example alcohol, or heck, even drugs. These both seem to be way less taboo than human-to-human physical closeness. We do it for procreation, we do it for pleasure, but what sets us apart from animals is that it is also cultural. It builds closeness between people, sex life impacts love life. Although some people are more... free with it, which brings less impact to it's emotional, interhuman side. And obviously just sex ed, why have condoms if people can't even put them on? Why not teach about STDs? And boundaries, and respect in it, etc. Why do our children learn about sex from porn instead of school?

[@Jelkitosix666]

with that pfp i doubt you have had lol

[@sibzanimetheoriesandexplai9310]

Bruh

[@campbellhansen7533]

3:46 we do have at least one book example of a human woman sleeping with a khajiit man, and by Talos, the details!

[@RampantFury925]

Modders be like "WRITE THAT DOWN, WRITE THAT DOWN!"

[@shirowolf255]

This is the first dutch elder scrolls channel ive found and honestly i aint disappointed 😭👌

[@perkitaseaman3290]

I'm a female Breton and I love the khaijit males in the game I am half elf

[@onanestudios8604]

And I am a male breton who likes female khajiit (any females tho)

[@perkitaseaman3290]

@@onanestudios8604 😍🤩😘💋💋❤️‍🔥😉☺️

[@masterofbloopers]

I appreciate when fictional worlds with fictional races go the extra mile and provide us with as much information about them as possible, even for the more taboo subjects. We don't _need_ to know these minutiae, but it's cool that we do. It makes the world, and its inhabitants feel more believable.

[@ajstevens1652]

I ONLY KEPT ONE HAND ON MY PHONE FOR THIS

[@furycarnategaming]

Excellent video, have you ever thought of doing a video on the Khajiit Mane and their lineage?

[@ImperialKnowledge]

Already did that!

[@davidnedved3781]

So Apocrypha is quite literally being held together by porn. Good to know, subscribed.