Genealogy of the races of the Elder Scrolls

[@walnzell9328]

A little thing about the Bretons. There's multiple kinds of Bretons. The Bretons of High Rock seem to have been Nedes interbred with Direnni Altmer, but there's also Reachmen who are of vague elven-human lineage, a mysterious race of man-mer Ysgramor's companions briefly witnessed in Skyrim who were likely part Nede part Falmer, and then any child born from an elf and a human is also, by definition, a Breton. Breton being an Ehlnofey word roughly translating to "half." As in half breed when used to describe the people known as Bretons. The Kothringi could be a Breton race. Their odd skin pigmentation is a very elven trait.

[@Guestus-n2j]

There are only one stock of Bretons, as Bretons and Reachmen mutually recognize each other as distinct. If Breton means "half-breed," then Reachmen do not apply because they are the result of Nede and Altmer mer-on-man breeding, yes, but also of the crossbreeding between every single race that has ever passed through the Reach, being therefore much muttier than your common Breton. By the way, even if the Kothringi were half-breeds that wouldn't make them Bretons, that's an etymological fallacy; just because Franks are called free men doesn't mean every free man of every race is a Frank.

[@walnzell9328]

@@Guestus-n2j It doesn't mean literally half-breed. As in absolutely 50-50. It means general half-breed as in having the blood of man and mer. Things are hardly ever literal in The Elder Scrolls.

[@boof6009]

@@walnzell9328 Kothringi are indigenous to Black Marsh. The geography makes no sense for your theory. Kothringi are a weird topic because they were mostly wiped out by a flu before Tiber Septim even took over Tamriel. The mass of the lore we have for them is from ESO and even then the flu had already wiped them mostly out by then.

[@TristenSarelvun]

The Bretons are the result of generations of constant intermixing across a particular region resulting in the wide spread of certain traits. Not just any elf-human person. Nobody would call a Nord/Dunmer child a Breton. No matter what the etymology of the word allegedly is.

[@LecherousLizard]

I've gotta chime in (it's an understatement, I committed quite a wall'o'text there), because TES was the first lore I got into. Mostly a lot of corrections. 1:40 It's explained rather clearly that both Bosmer and Khajiit were original one people capable of shapeshifting, but otherwise formless. In the Khajiit mythology Azura took away those who wanted to be separate and turned them into Khajiit. Those that remained were turned into Bosmer by Y'ffre an Ehlnofey that is said to have created the laws of nature on Nirn. In the Bosmer mythology they were more like the "leftovers" of Ehlnofey that'd take shape, but failed to do so and thus Y'ffre had to intervene, which would mean Bosmer siblings to Aldmer, not their descendants. 2:56 It's "K". Like kay-mer. It's basically "chimera" without the "a" at the end. That much was stated by Kirkbride and later used as such in ESO. 3:10 Dwemer origins are largely unknown, but the things we know would suggest they may have descended directly from Ehlnofey instead of Aldmer (as they managed to arrive to Resdayn long before Chimer, but otherwise have settled in all the would-be northern provinces of Tamriel), which wouldn't be surprising, because Yokudans have also directly descended from Ehlnofey, but I guess we'll get there. 3:14 Funny enough Sinistral Elves may have no actually existed as a separate race and were, instead, Ayleids who were the first ones to create an empire on Tamriel and that they knew and traded with Yokuda, while what little we know of Sinistral Elves from Yokuda is that they... had an empire on the continent, were experts at processing gems, questionable legal standing on pets and livestock and used "gypsum alabaster" in their constructions, which sounds oddly specific to what you'd learn of Ayleids in Oblivion, for example. 6:20 And there we go. The basic history of the world is that the et'Ada that descended on Nirn, but didn't become the "Earth Bones" settled on it instead and as they did, they shed their spiritual bodies, assuming physical ones that best suited the environment they found themselves in (or more specifically some Ehlnofey came to Nirn in bulk, while others were scattered, the former became Mer and the latter, wanderers, became Men). This lead to the creation of Aldmer and possibly Dwemer and Bosmer for mer and Yokudans, Nedes and Atmorans for men, with Nedes not necessarily being a monolith group as they were spread out across most of the continent and consisted of a multitude of tribes. 7:00 And this leads us here. Kothringi were men who lived in Black Marsh, a very, very different and hostile environment to the rest of the continent, so it's more than likely for them to be direct descendants of the Ehlnofey instead of being an offshoot of Nedes. Also Aylieds have enslaved "Kothri" people along with Nedes and a plethora of other tribes, so, no Kothringi are as ancient as Nedes at least. 8:25 Correction. The Hist aren't Ehlnofey. They are fellow survivors of the previous cycle (in short there were 12 planets, but they got destroyed by Padomay and Mundus/Nirn was put together from the pieces) and quite literally migrated to Nirn on a chunk of their original planet. If you were to place them anywhere, they'd be siblings of Ehlnofey, if not outright et'Ada like Aedra or Daedra. Most of that rock has actually been destroyed by Ehlnofey and what remained became Black Marsh. 9:30 Here... well, there's not much we know about Akavir, except that Tsaesci were about as different from Nedes/Atmorans as Maomer were from Altmer, which is to say, not really though in most cases the differences were obvious. At any rate, there were humans on Akavir and they were either Tsaesci from the beginning or they were assimilated (and outbred?) by Tsaesci. Also you omitted other Akaviri races: Kamal (dubbed "snow demons"), Ka Po'Tun (dubbed "tiger-dragons", who were catfolk like Khajiit though how similar is unknown and who in very rare cases could become dragons) and Tang Mo (monkeys... just monkeys apparently). 10:15 Even less is known about Sloads, but looking at what we know there's a pretty good chance that Sload are also survivors of the previous cycle, though likely from a planet different than the one the Hist came from. Point being they got to Summerset Isles before Aldmer did and they are "too foreign", just like the Hist, to everything that took shape on Nirn afterward. And no, they can't really be Daedric in origin, since the entire shtick of Daedra is that they don't "create", they "change" and Sloads, once again, seem too foreign to be merely a product of change. Some follow Daedra, but it seems to be more of a business contract rather than a religious thing. 12:15 Actually that's completely incorrect. Kothringi were directly named all the way back in the first edition of the Pocket Guide to the Empire which came with TES: Redguard (which was made before TES3: Morrowind), where it's stated they've been wiped out by the Knahaten Flu in the Second Era. The only thing ESO changed about it, is that a small group of Kothringi managed to survive the plague and lived for at least a few more decades... on a ghost ship, it's basically a rumor type of thing that only one character mentions.

[@boof6009]

See now that hist lore is where everything gets all wonky. Not in the sense that you're wrong, but in the sense that the writers had to have been on copious amounts of drugs to think this stuff out.

[@LecherousLizard]

@@boof6009 I, for one, would love to get in touch with Kirkbride's dealer, yes.

[@misterbrady100]

Cool breakdown. I think besides the mysteries from the dawn era, I'd like to know what the heck the Argonians really are.

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks!

[@sarjurastormblade953]

I agree with you about the beastmen not really being a valid category to group the peoples with more animal-like appearances by but I do think it would have been worth mentioning more of them such as the Igma, Lilmothiit, Minotaurs, and Lamias. Another potentially interesting thing would have been to add other peoples generally seen as more monstrous such as the goblins, rieklings, ogres, and giants and how they potentially relate to each other and either the humans or elves. I think you could also add the Reachmen as an offshoot of the Bretons since they are culturally, religiously, and territorially distinct and have intermixed to varying degrees with redguards, orsimer, and even nords.

[@bramb9907]

Isn't there also lore about the empire interbreeding with minotaurs?

[@AethraRPG]

Interesting!

[@AethraRPG]

@@bramb9907 Alessia had some strange ideas...

[@bramb9907]

@@AethraRPG hey, if you’re lusting after argonian maids, don’t judge.

[@walnzell9328]

I think if this family tree were from the top down rather than left to right it would be much more accessible.

[@AethraRPG]

I thought so too initially but totally second-guessed myself😆

[@interdimensionalcommunicat9750]

I think the Dwemer diverged from the other elves before the Aldmer as we know it were even a thing. No concrete description of their origins has ever been given, and Baladas (one of the top Dwemer experts in Morrowind) claimed they were around to see the death of the Ehlnofey during the Dawn Era. Another complicated thing is that in Nord folklore Giants are the ancestors of Nords, and there's that one cut Oblivion quest of that guy who believed he was related to Ogres that had a family tree that depicted both humans and Ogres descending from Giants. The PGE1 also refers to the Ehlnofey as giants, so there is the theory that Giants are essentially the "missing link" between the human races and the Ehlnofey.

[@AethraRPG]

Interesting!

[@simonemichelle]

Maormer were originally a group of Aldmer following the Aldmeri dissident King Orgnum, they were all banished from Old Aldmeris and settled on Pyandonea. They’re rivals of the Altmer and lay claim to the Summerset Isles Edit: the Maormer actually believe they’re the most pure strain of Aldmer and not the High Elves. Now, even though the Altmer are my favourite race, I’m leaning toward believing this because Maormer are by far the most isolationist in terms of not mingling with other races of Nirn. The Altmer are fairly isolationist but even so, other races exist on Summerset and Altmer travel all over Tamriel. Perhaps the most conservative Altmer families may have pure bloodlines, but your average Altmer probably has some human genes as well

[@colbyboucher6391]

My notes: - I'm convinced that the Altmer pretty much might as well be the Aldmer. As were the Chimer, they were kinda just a political designation. - NEEEEDES! THE NEDES ARE REEEEEAL! Ok, more seriously, the Nedes were a specific people on Tamriel (see The Song of Pelinal) before it's scholars turned the name into a blanket term for all of it's natives. Presumably the people the Bretons derive from looked... well, like Bretons, mostly. - There is a group in ESO up in Morrowind I'm currently forgetting the name of which seems to be a pre-Atmoran group of Nords, practically. They did start out in Tamriel and go to Atmora before coming back, near as I can tell.

[@brandonfoster7013]

in redguard which takes place during the end of the second era you can meet 2 yokudans and in oblivion you can hear about ships that still sail to yokuda so maybe by the time of skyrim the yokudans are still around but they might be gone in tamriel

[@AethraRPG]

That's a cool theory! Sounds like a good hook for a campaign.

[@jeffreymodesitt3345]

If TES6 takes place in Hammerfell, I'm sure we'll be able to explore some of the ancient Yokudan ruins dotting the landscape, maybe those will hold the answer to if the continent fully sunk into the sea or not

[@thorren1633]

this video deserves a lot more attention

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks!

[@sacrificiallamb5452]

Cool! I agree with placing the Khajiit with the mer people. I think I read somewhere that they came from the Bosmer or some other forest-dwelling elves, blessed by Azura hence their religion. Awesome vid~

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks!

[@TheOilyBean]

Awesome video! One small detail I would add is that I seem to recall that the redguards and yokudans are not actually descended from the original men of this timeline, and instead are the survivors of a different Kalpa cycle that came into nirn after their world ended :) Redguards are one of my favorite tamrielic races for this reason and it deserves to be mentioned more lol

[@AethraRPG]

So true. Sounds like a great campaign hook! Maybe something else survived too…

[@eolhinforest7736]

@@AethraRPG The Sinistra were supposed to have also been survivors from the previous Kalpa, and so not directly related to the mer of this cycle. They were ancestral enemies of the Yokudans and managed to follow them into this Kalpa. So representatives of men and mer from the previous Kalpa, together. That is also why they were in the same geographic area, before the Yokudans wiped the Sinistra out.

[@ant8ank2]

Appreciate this breakdown! Knew most of these but never had it visualized this well

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks!

[@Makem12]

You should do one on the other races of Nirn

[@Superdoofuss]

This is actually very interesting, I always heard things like giants and nords being related and what not but I’ve never seen anyone draw it all out. Keep doing stuff like this 👍

[@AethraRPG]

Will do!

[@doctorgrim3334]

considering how some types of khajiit look remarkably similar to bosmer [the ohmes]. it makes a lot of sense that they would be mer

[@AethraRPG]

I tend to think that as well.

[@eolhinforest7736]

@@AethraRPG If you read the Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi (book in Skyrim), it is the origin of the Khajiit, as they tell it to each other. The "forest people" were formless, and did not know if they were humanoid, or beast. Azura took some of them, and created the Khajiit in their many forms, and linked them to the moons. Some of the remaining "forest people" (they were likely the proto-mer Ehlnofey) were taken by Y'ffre and made always elven, and those were the Bosmer. This also explains the strange ability of the Bosmer to return to that formless state when they call upon the Wild Hunt in times of great distress, and helps explain why one state of the Khajiit looks so much like a Bosmer. So the Bosmer may have similar early proto-mer origins along with the Khajiit. You should look that book up and read it.

[@LecherousLizard]

The founding myth of Bosmer and Khajiit is that they were the same people who were later split and turned into who they are now. Before that they were shapeshifting/formless Ehlnofey that failed to assume a physical form once they reached Nirn, like their brethren who became Mer and Men, and needed a proverbial hand. In particular Khajiit worship Azura for changing them, while Bosmer worship Y'ffre an Ehlnofey that's attributed with creating the laws of nature.

[@boof6009]

even without that, their culture also seems to worship a lot of mer deities in their own verisons at least. Like azurah being their parton of magic.

[@garful]

You're missing some races like Giants, some Sload relatives, and other beast men but this is a Wonderful video :]

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks!

[@AureliusAmbross]

Great video!

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks!

[@walnzell9328]

Most of Yokuda sank into the sea, but parts of it still exist. Trade with Yokuda is common as of the late 3rd Era. I'm not sure if the inhabitants consider themselves Yokudans or are also diverged into Redguards.

[@LecherousLizard]

Trade with Yokuda _is still a thing._ We don't know of the extent of it, just that some ships sail there from Anvil.

[@walnzell9328]

@@LecherousLizard Ah. Okay. I overestimated.

[@Scowleasy]

Pretty solid video overall. I think it would’ve been good to include aedra, and mention the staying/wandering ehlnofey split descending into elves and men respectively.

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks!

[@ackaaa22]

KZbin recommendations did me good with this one, good video!

[@AethraRPG]

Thank you!

[@kingofnorthumbria]

Needs were from Atmora actually! 5:54 I'll go look for my source g, love the video non the less brother I can't find the source but my understanding of it was that the nedes came to tameriel when Atmora was lush and fetril as prisoners and 3rd/4th sons of noble houses looking for new land and adventure.

[@ratboytyr]

well put together brother

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks!

[@PlatinumAltaria]

The men and mer are definitely the only valid categories, based on their perspective of Lorkhan. That does beg the question of what on earth the Argonians are doing just hanging out.

[@AethraRPG]

Being the best😎

[@eolhinforest7736]

Serving the Hist.

[@quadrata8382]

A small part of me believes that the pure Falmer are still around albeit in a smaller capacity, scattered and hidden in mountain ranges nobody else can reach. Like elven yetis.

[@AethraRPG]

Sounds like a good idea for a character!

[@KaiserDangles]

There is definitley precedent for this in TESV. Who's to say that Gelebor and Vyrthur from the Dawnguard DLC were actually the last? If they were able to hold out then maybe others could too.

[@daeamiralis]

We need more akavir in general

[@AethraRPG]

Very true

[@eolhinforest7736]

@@AethraRPG Yes, there are many races in Akavir not mentioned here, though that may be because of the scant information on some of them. Also the bird-people (can't recall their name) that were around with the Ayleids.

[@incompetentnerd4051]

I agree with the only other comment (so far hopefully). Glad that I found this little vid!

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@Jallorn]

I thought the Sinistra were left over from a previous Kapla cycle? That is, there was something inverted about them, which is where the name Sisistra (IIRC aka Left Handed Elves) comes from, no?

[@AethraRPG]

That's correct! I had assumed that history plays out very similarly each kalpa, and so assumed that the Sinistra were descended of the Aldmer from the last go-around. That's not necessarily true however, just speculation

[@migarsormrapophis2755]

TY!

[@AethraRPG]

👍

[@chubbydragon323]

very interesting and informative thanks

[@AethraRPG]

Glad to help

[@platypipope328]

what about the Lilmothiit?

[@LecherousLizard]

There's almost nothing on them. They were fox-like, lived in nomadic communities in Black Marsh, speculated to be related to Khajiit and most likely went extinct along the Kothringi or even earlier. That's really it. Until ESO we didn't even get any visual reference as to how they could even look like.

[@jetex1911]

Man. They really set ESO decades after they died out. 😔

[@PalladinPoker]

With the art of the Kothringi I always assumed the were a dunmer-man hybrid, likely with the bretons.

[@AethraRPG]

Ooh, that’s interesting!

[@NavyNukerz1337]

BUT MUH SEA ELVES

[@AethraRPG]

Instructions unclear

[@eolhinforest7736]

Maormer are on there.

[@sparkeyjames]

what of our little blue friends from the Dragonborn DLC

[@baronDioxid]

Weren't the Kothringi wiped out by an artificial plague made by the Sload? It's been some time since TES lore was my totally non-autistic special interest.

[@AethraRPG]

Seems like the Knahaten Flu may have been responsible, though no one's quite sure. Dang Sloads

[@LecherousLizard]

You're thinking of the Thrassian Plague, which Sload unleashed 920 years before the end of the First Era. The Knahaten Flu wiped out Kothringi, but unlike in the previous case the exact source is unknown, though speculated to be either Argonian shamans or the Hist itself. Considering the Hist kinda knows the future and the plague has made Tiber Septim give up on his conquest of Black Marsh, Hist being Hist is the most obvious explanation.

[@garycurrier1037]

I like the idea of the hist and the argonians being of dedric origins rather then ehlnofay. After all they do have a similar riencarnation systems to one another.

[@walnzell9328]

The Nedes of what would become Cyrodiil were split between the Nibenese and Colovian sub-cultures. The Atmorans did not invade Cyrodiil. Not like they did with Skyrim. While Nords and Cyrodiilic peoples did interbreed, it was relatively minimal. Even during the 3rd Era the originally Nord Septim dynasty very quickly converted to being culturally and even genetically Cyrodiilic. The Imperial human race is basically the people of Cyrodiil a bit past the formation of the First Empire. Had it not been for Pelinal Whitestrake and later the Alessian Order, the Imperial race would've been a lot more like the Bretons of High Rock. The Nedic Colovians and Nibenese would've interbred with the kinder Ayleids who worshipped the Aedra and opposed the Daedra worshipping Ayleids who wanted to keep the Nedes enslaved. But a lot of the Aedra worshipping Ayleids were accidentally cut down by Pelinal Whitestrake and those that remained were destroyed by the Alessian Order. Along with any Imperial-Ayleid Bretons that had been born.

[@MagnetSphere-kc3gm]

never heard of half of these

[@TheDistractingGamer]

Quality content, i NEED genealogical records of my fantasy series or else it's bad fantasy!

[@d-pod_L]

I have to disagree with Khajiit and Bosmer place here In my mind, they have a branch of their own, splitting off from Ehlnofey They were the spirits that couldn't decide on a form, or skin-ideology Part of them made the pact with Y'ffre, and part were given forms/furstocks by Azura This similarity in fluent physiology and the geographical proximity are the reasons Also, Ohme and Ohme-raht being somewhat hard to distinguish from Bosmer or sometimes Men is another clue Now, Dwemer(not sure) and Sinistral Mer(even less sure) could be another separate catogory/ies, seeing how their views and philosophies are so different from everyone else: "While many stages of death exist, in the final after there is nothing. Knowing this makes our people strong." for the Lefthanders and "negalithic refusatronic world-navel-gazinism" for Dwarves So yeah, I don't think Khajiit, Bosmer and Dwemer were part of Aldmeris, and so are in their own branches, even if they look like elves on the surface

[@SmallAlexMoney]

Great video but I think you could’ve mentioned the Padomaic vs Anuuic dichotomy. In other words, the cosmological context that the races find themselves in. Proto-Men being servants of the missing god Lorkhan, diluted ehlnofay souls made into mortal form because of their embracing of Nirn instead of Auriel and the other ehlnofay who became the ancestors of the Aldmer and rejected the mortal nature of Nirn. Genealogical analysis of ES races is incomplete without a Cosmological analysis of ES races

[@AethraRPG]

Thanks, yeah I considered adding that but thought it would be too much.

[@SmallAlexMoney]

@ if you made a second part I’d definitely love to see it.

[@alfieingrouille1528]

Nice

[@KlausWonderstrap]

Goated

[@ashtonwc1654]

Tang mo?

[@tacoforces4234]

well there's literally no evidence of dwemer, falmer and kanuryai being of aldmer descend, there's no mentions of time or causes of the supposed departure of those races from either Summerset or Aldmeris(which is totally not a fluke), unlike those of "aldmerics"(it's interesting with bosmer and wood orcs and Aldmeris not being a fluke again). The only lore entry about some of them being connected is a book on dwemer law which claims, evidencelessly of course, that dwemer laws were based on aldmer law

[@onurcavusoglu1689]

yey elder scrolls racism chart