The Origin of a False Theory

As we all know the old theory, still supported by the IGS, about the origin of the many races of men is severely flawed. While nowadays we are aware of the ancestry of mankind, going back to the Ehlnofey, the old theory of Nedic heritage had been prevalent for a very long time. Without explaining why the old theory is wrong, which has been discussed aptly, I will shed some light on how this theory most likely came to be, and why the IGS decided to stick with it.

Firstly, we will look at the group overlooked in the old theory, namely the Redguards. While closer to the other mankinds than to the Elves, it is understandable for the untrained to judge them as a different group all together. While the amateur or inexperienced scholar might judge this strictly on the skin colour (redish-brown, as opposed to the pale skin of Imperials, Bretons, and Nords), the differences run deeper, mostly in culture. The biggest difference is religious in nature. While the Nords and Imperials see Lorkhan (or Shor and Shezzar, depending on tradition) as a hero of mankind (the Breton hatred is attributed to the Elves, who ruled over them for a long time), the Redguards see Sep as a mostly negative force, who tricked some spirits to live on his Skin-Ball, becoming mortal and further away from the Far Shores.

Another important reason why Redguards are left out, is because of their relatively late and violent introduction with Tamriel. While the last Atmorans arrived in the first century of the First Era, only knowing their ancient continent from folktales, and the Imperials and Bretons know next to nothing from an age before the arrival of Atmorans, the Redguards arrived in the eighth century of the First Era, coming from a continent with a long tradition of history keeping, most notably via memory stones. It is understandable for the Nedes and Atmorans to see each other as kin when there cultures did not cross paths until way after the Nordic arrival, but the Redguard arrival was a lot less peaceful. After landing on Hammerfell, hostilities with the local Orcs arose immediately, drawing the attention of the Nedes close by. As discussed earlier, this, tied with their strange appearance and believes, caused the local Nedes and Nords to (ignorantly, might I add) judge the Redguards as of a different ancestry.

However, the single most important reason is simple propaganda by the Empire, in which the Imperial Geographic Society more than willingly played a role. With this theory not being more than folklore up until the establishment of the IGS under Tiber Septim’s rule, the first emperor of the third Empire saw his chance to solidify his Imperial, Breton and Nordic support. The Redguards had been relatively distant towards Tiber’s advance, and outright hostile as soon as he tried to gain control of Hammerfell (on the other hand, the Nords dropped their weapons as soon as they heard Septim’s Thu’um, and the Bretons chose the lesser evil). With the Bretons, Nords and Imperials (also the three groups with which Tiber Septim had the strongest connection, due to his childhood and rise to power) as his strongest allies, a theory that unites those three under one ancestor (while taking the Elves out of the picture) was deemed necessary. The Redguards were just a complication in this.

It is clear now that the old theory of ancestry is a product of primitive and face-value research, done by the untrained or ignorant, judging the Redguards as different. Along with the easy to make mistake by early anthropologists and biologists, this theory was given further strength by the Third Empire, as a means of propaganda, and in the end further cemented by the Imperial Geographical Society, known for its dubious articles, with their superior weight in the Tamrielic intellectual community.