Hist and Ehlnofey: Children of Anu, Crippled Amaranths

The Hist. It can be safely said that no one knows exactly what the fuck they are. They are probably the oldest beings in existence, both trans-kalpic and from outside the Dream. They are all-knowing, extremely powerful, and incredibly patient. They care about their privacy and their Argonians, and woe to those that interfere with their creations or their pass.

The Ehlnofey are the proto-men and mer, the ancestors of all the races on Nirn except for the Saxhleel of Black Marsh.

But the mystery ends today (I think). For I believe that I have – through intense studying and analyzing – discovered the true origins of both the Hist and the Ehlnofey on Nirn.

They are the children of Anu the Everything. And this is their story.

OY. YAMWTSDFT. ^Oh, ^Yeah. ^You ^All ^Might ^Want ^To ^Sit ^Down ^For ^This.

The biggest pieces of evidence I’ll be using for this post comes from the Annotated Anuad, a simple book that has appeared in Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and Online that has much more significance than it actually appears to have.

So let us start at the beginning, the very beginning. For from the beginning you shall know the end.

>The first ones were brothers: Anu and Padomay. They came into the Void, and Time began.

As Anu and Padomay wandered the Void, the interplay of Light and Darkness created Nir. Both Anu and Padomay were amazed and delighted with her appearance, but she loved Anu, and Padomay retreated from them in bitterness. – Annotated Anuad

This is the time before Anu became the Godhead, where both his brother and himself were simply inhabitants of the Dream that became before the current one. We can safely assume that around this time Anu (and perhaps Padomay as well) have CHIM. “They came into the Void, and Time began’ can be interpreted as them discovering that everything is fake and becoming enlightened by this information.

As the two learned about the Amaranth they resided in, they came across another: Nir. A woman. The most beautiful woman you can imagine. A woman like them, a woman they knew. And they knew her too. Anu and Padomay went to her, to begin the next step, but she only cared for Anu (for he was selfless, and she could sense the selfishness of Padomay’s nature). Padomay then drew away from them in sadness and anger.

>Nir became pregnant, but before she gave birth, Padomay returned, professing his love for Nir. She told him that she loved only Anu, and Padomay beat her in rage. Anu returned, fought Padomay, and cast him outside Time. Nir gave birth to Creation, but died from her injuries soon after. Anu, grieving, hid himself in the sun and slept. – Annotated Anuad

Similar to how Jubal and Vivec in c0da join together to give birth to the Nu-Men, Anu and Nir also do this. But Padomay was jealous; he wanted Nir to be his wife, to be the father of the Amaranth she was carrying. When he came and told Nir these things, she told him that she loved Anu. Padomay decided that if he couldn’t have her, neither could Anu. So he beat her to the point where he knew she wouldn’t be able to survive. Anu came and then proceeded to ‘cast’ Padomay out, choosing to forget him from this coming Amaranth and trapping them in their native one. By the time he returned to Nir, she had already given birth to the Twelve Nu-Men, the Twelve Worlds of Creation. She died, and Anu descended into a miserable Dream built around suffering.

[Sadly, this is not the first time these events occurred. The tragic story of Nir, Anu, and Padomay extends all the way to the Original Godhead. The Death of the Catalyst is the only constant between Dreams, which is further explored in An Uutak C0DA.]

>Meanwhile, life sprang up on the twelve worlds of creation and flourished. After many ages, Padomay was able to return to Time. He saw Creation and hated it. He swung his sword, shattering the twelve worlds in their alignment. Anu awoke, and fought Padomay again. The long and furious battle ended with Anu the victor. He cast aside the body of his brother, who he believed was dead, and attempted to save Creation by forming the remnants of the 12 worlds into one -- Nirn, the world of Tamriel. As he was doing so, Padomay struck him through the chest with one last blow. Anu grappled with his brother and pulled them both outside of Time forever. – Annotated Anuad

This part is crucial, for the first four sentences take place in the Previous Amaranth while the last two take place in the Current Amaranth. The Twelve Nu-Men are Dreaming, undisturbed and blissfully. Until Padomay returned to the Amaranth, and in his rage fragmented the Nu-Men and disrupted their Dreaming. This action woke up Anu and ended his Dream, who fought Padomay in a brutal battle. At its end, he decided to save his children by trying to bring them into a new Amaranth. Padomay, however, was gravely wounded but not defeated and rose up to deal an equally grave wound to his brother. The end result was that Anu brought Padomay into his New Dream (aka the TES Dream) but exiled both him and his brother from it as well, resulting in Ald-Anu and Ald-Padomay and Dream-Anu (Anuiel/Aetherius) and Dream-Padomay (Sithis/Void). This event happened both inside and outside the Dream, and is mentioned in The Monomyth and the Loveletter:

>"Anu encompassed, and encompasses, all things. So that he might know himself he created Anuiel, his soul and the soul of all things. Anuiel, as all souls, was given to self-reflection, and for this he needed to differentiate between his forms, attributes, and intellects. Thus was born Sithis, who was the sum of all the limitations Anuiel would utilize to ponder himself. Anuiel, who was the soul of all things, therefore became many things, and this interplay was and is the Aurbis. – The Heart of the World

>All creation is subgradient. First was Void, which became split by AE. Anu and Padomay came next and with their first brush came the Aurbis. – Loveletter From The Fifth Era

Don’t forget the Twelve Worlds, the Nu-Men. We’ll be getting to that later.

In context, the above is probably the reason why you barely hear references to both Anu and Padomay in the games and rather just their counterparts. The former aren’t in the Dream; the latter are though. Regardless, Anuiel and Sithis intermix and create the Aurbis as we know it. Now, we’ll just be focusing on The Elder Scrolls Dream from this moment forward.

>The blood of Padomay became the Daedra. The blood of Anu became the stars. The mingled blood of both became the Aedra (hence their capacity for good and evil, and their greater affinity for earthly affairs than the Daedra, who have no connection to Creation). – Annotated Anuad

This part is meh, mostly because the general consensus is that the et’ada formed of their own will and there is no such thing as good or evil in TES. The passage is more symbolic than anything, and is just telling us about the differentiating natures of the original spirits back before time began. Those that were drawn to the Void (Daedra), and therefore Sithis, were more malevolent. Those that were drawn to Aetherius (Magnus & the Magne Ge), and therefore Anuiel, were more benevolent. And those that were drawn to the Gray Center (Aedra), were mixtures of both, anodyne.

But Auriel and Lorkhan were different. They were the ‘souls’ of Anuiel and Sithis, subgradients further down the aurbical-cord of the IS and IS NOT. Time and Space, aspects of the same but wholly different. Lorkhan is more of a limit, and this drives his brother insane.

>"At first the Aurbis was turbulent and confusing, as Anuiel's ruminations went on without design. Aspects of the Aurbis then asked for a schedule to follow or procedures whereby they might enjoy themselves a little longer outside of perfect knowledge. So that he might know himself this way, too, Anu created Auriel, the soul of his soul. Auriel bled through the Aurbis as a new force, called time. With time, various aspects of the Aurbis began to understand their natures and limitations. – The Heart of the World

>Sithis is the start of the house. Before him was nothing, but the foolish Altmer have names for and revere this nothing. That is because they are lazy slaves. Indeed, from the Sermons, 'stasis asks merely for itself, which is nothing.' > >Sithis sundered the nothing and mutated the parts, fashioning from them a myriad of possibilities. These ideas ebbed and flowed and faded away and this is how it should have been. > >One idea, however, became jealous and did not want to die; like the stasis, he wanted to last. This was the demon Anui-El, who made friends, and they called themselves the Aedra. They enslaved everything that Sithis had made and created realms of everlasting imperfection. Thus are the Aedra the false gods, that is, illusion. > >So Sithis begat Lorkhan and sent him to destroy the universe. Lorkhan! Unstable mutant! – Sithis

Lorkhan eventually travels outside of the Aurbis, where he sees the Wheel as an I and attains CHIM. But he realizes that the next step, Amaranth, can not be attained for him or the others as long as they are immortal. He reads the consciousness of Ald-Anu (which is still around even though he has no control of his Dream) and those of Anuiel and Sithis (little as they are) and he discovers something. Someone. Nir. Mother. An extension of all the previous Mothers of all the Amaranths, the Catalyst. His desire to recreate her becomes the first ideas for Mundus, a place where all others may self-reflect and ascend where he could not.

>Inevitably, this leads to another gradient, but this time by forceful process: the Trap of the Lunar God. The Aedra are Named at this time, having lent their hands to what was to be the arena of the eternally impossible: Mundus, or Exactness. – Loveletter from the Fifth Era

>Finally, tired of helping Tall Papa, Sep went and gathered the rest of the old skins and balled them up, tricking spirits to help him, promising them this was how you reached the new world, by making one out of the old. These spirits loved this way of living, as it was easier. No more jumping from place to place. Many spirits joined in, believing this was good thinking. – Satakal the World-Skin

>As he entered every aspect of Anuiel, Lorkhan would plant an idea that was almost wholly based on limitation. He outlined a plan to create a soul for the Aurbis, a place where the aspects of aspects might even be allowed to self-reflect. He gained many followers; even Auriel, when told he would become the king of the new world, agreed to help Lorkhan. So they created the Mundus, where their own aspects might live, and became the et'Ada. – The Heart of the World

So Lorkhan tricked, sweet talked, and explained his plan to some of the et’ada. These would become the Aedra and the Earthbones. The ones that refused his offer would become the Daedra. And eventually, the Aedra that escaped back to Aetherius would become the Magne-Ge. Magnus was the one that became the Architect of the Mundus, but his schematics were just one of three. For Auriel and Lorkhan crafted their own schematics, and eventually Nirn was a merger of all three. Among other things. Yes, we’ve come to the part about the Ehlnofey and the Hist.

>On the world of Nirn, all was chaos. The only survivors of the twelve worlds of Creation were the Ehlnofey and the Hist. The Ehlnofey are the ancestors of Mer and Men. The Hist are the trees of Argonia. Nirn originally was all land, with interspersed seas, but no oceans. – Annotated Anuad

When most read this mind, it is simply telling us that the only species that survived the Twelve Worlds of Creation that would eventually solidify into Nirn were the Hist and the Ehlnofey. This is one of the main reasons why the Annotated Anuad is sort of disregarded compared to the other creation myths. The Hist are from outside the Current Dream, and the Ehlnofey are descended/created from/by the gods. I would like to beg to differ. When I look at this passage, I don’t see survivors of one of the worlds, I see surviving worlds. In other words, ten out of the twelve were killed. Two survived.

In my eyes the Hist and the Ehlnofey are the surviving Amaranths, Anu’s children, broken when their uncle Padomay shattered their Dreams. This left them wounded – the Ehlnofey more so than their siblings the Hist – and unable to Dream themselves anymore. So they (the Hist, I mean) decided to travel into the next best thing, into the Dream of someone they cared for: their Father, Anu. The Ehlnofey, left somewhat simple-minded to the point where they can’t even remember they were Nu-Men, are brought into the Dream reluctantly by the Hist due to the fact they can’t fend for themselves. They enter into Anu’s Dream with fragments of the worlds they created, and observed the events of Creation.

Now, I can imagine what you are all thinking right now (‘IFW has finally gone batshit insane’ coming to mind…get it? Echmer joke aw forget it…). I know, it’s strange. But let’s look at something real quick for a second:

>PIC 1: FULL PAGE SPLASH. THE COSMIC ISSUE­­ THE FIRST OF THE NU­MEN, A BABY MADE OF FLOWERS­­ LOOKING TO THE READER, BUT NOT BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL. IT’S IS SIMPLY SEEING SOMETHING WE’RE NOT, SOMETHING THAT’S BEHIND US. – c0da

A baby made of flowers is the first of the Nu-Men. Flowers symbolize life, beauty, birth, happiness, new things, etc. Now let’s take a look at the form we know best from the Hist. First off, it’s been suspected by many that perhaps the Hist are in fact an incorporeal entity that takes on the form of trees and whose mind is unfathomable to all others. Something I actually agree with:

>The Hist supposedly emanates from all nature in Tamriel but is particularly strong in "Hist trees"—large, usually ancient, growths found at the center of every sizeable Argonian settlement. These Hist trees contain, the Argonians believe, the collective memories and knowledge of all Argonians. – On Argonians

>Many speak in whispers of the Hist, a faceless entity with whom all Argonians claim bonds. According to legend, the Hist lives at the heart of Black Marsh in a tree that routinely walks the lands, patrolling its borders. – The Argonian Mating Ritual

>Rumors abound that the Hist tree is the main form of worship among the scaled peoples of these dark swales. Others have hypothesized that the trees are apperceptive, with a deep knowledge and unfathomable secrets from the times before all the races of Man and Mer. – Myths and Legends of the Hist

>The thought-processes of the Hist are alien to those of all other sentient creatures of Nirn, so strange that it may be a mistake to regard them as "intelligent" at all. – Online Loading Screen

>The souls of Argonians are different from those of other races of Tamriel due to their deep, mystical connection to the Hist trees. Sorcerers who specialize in soul trapping have long sought some way to take advantage of this difference. – Online Loading Screen

What do trees symbolize? Wisdom, old age, strength, etc. Things the Hist certainly are. And thanks to evidence throughout all of the games (and further supported in better detail in ESO) we know that the Hist are simulating their own ‘miniature’ Dream with Black Marsh and the Argonians. They can no longer be an Amaranth themselves, but they can still mimic the process within their Father’s Dream. Sadly, their younger kin the Ehlnofey can no longer do this, incapable of such imitation. They would have to learn again the steps to reaching the Amaranth.

So the Hist and the Ehlnofey (bringing pieces from their own and their now dead siblings Dreams) are present during Creation. During the creation of the Mundus, these orphans and their fragments are merged together with the energy of dying et’ada to form Nirn. They become the earthbones. The et’ada we commonly know as the gods and goddesses of Tamriel lose some parts of themselves, and due to the untimes of the Dawn Era are able to walk on Nirn.

In this primordial state, there is no water on Nirn. Because water is actually memory, and no one has died yet, the planet remains noticeably barren with no continents. All landmasses stay as one until the Ehlnofey Wars. Speaking of which…

>A large fragment of the Ehlnofey world landed on Nirn relatively intact, and the Ehlnofey living there were the ancestors of the Mer. These Ehlnofey fortified their borders from the chaos outside, hid their pocket of calm, and attempted to live on as before. Other Ehlnofey arrived on Nirn scattered amid the confused jumble of the shattered worlds, wandering and finding each other over the years. Eventually, the wandering Ehlnofey found the hidden land of Old Ehlnofey, and were amazed and joyful to find their kin living amid the splendor of ages past. The wandering Ehlnofey expected to be welcomed into the peaceful realm, but the Old Ehlnofey looked on them as degenerates, fallen from their former glory. For whatever reason, war broke out, and raged across the whole of Nirn. The Old Ehlnofey retained their ancient power and knowledge, but the Wanderers were more numerous, and toughened by their long struggle to survive on Nirn. – Annotated Anuad

The Ehlnofey are displaced upon arrival on Nirn from the fragment of their Amaranth, which would come to be known as Tamriel. Some of them are able to find this fragment and resettle it, becoming the ancestors of the merish races, the ‘Old Ehlnofey’. The Elvish gods (although they weren’t known as that back then) Auriel, Trinimac, and others take the Old Ehlnofey under their wing and the kingdoms of Altmora and Aldmeris (also called Old Ehlnofey) are formed. These kingdoms are heavily fortified from the dangers outside of them, and develop high cultures based on glories long since passed.

>"Auriel pleaded with Anu to take them back, but he had already filled their places with something else. But his soul was gentler and granted Auriel his Bow and Shield, so that he might save the Aldmer from the hordes of Men. – The Heart of the World

>"Some Aedra were disappointed and bitter in their loss, and angry with Shezarr, and with all creation, for they felt Shezarr had lied and tricked them. These Aedra, the Gods of the Aldmer, led by Auri-El, were disgusted by their enfeebled selves, and by what they had created. 'Everything is spoiled, for now, and for all time, and the most we can do is teach the Elven Races to suffer nobly, with dignity, and chastise ourselves for our folly, and avenge ourselves upon Shezarr and his allies.' Thus are the Gods of the Elves dark and brooding, and thus are the Elves ever dissatisfied with mortality, and always proud and stoic despite the harshness of this cruel and indifferent world. – Shezzar’s Song

Other Ehlnofey walk Nirn lost but together, roaming from place to place without a true home. They become known as the Wandering Ehlnofey, and become strong to the dangers of the world by facing adversity. Unlike the Old Ehlnofey, they have embraced Nirn and all of her challenges. Eventually, they will become the ancestors to all the races of men (albeit the Bretons). Lorkhan and the other Mannish gods like Kyne and Stendarr become the rulers of the Wanderers and soon their numbers become massive.

>Mundus was the House of Sithis…Darkness caved in. Lorkhan made armies out of the weakest souls and named them Men, and they brought Sithis into every quarter. – The Heart of the World

>"Other Aedra looked upon creation, and were well pleased. These Aedra, the Gods of Men and Beast Folk, led by Akatosh, praised and cherished their wards, the Mortal Races. 'We have suffered, and are diminished, for all time, but the mortal world we have made is glorious, filling our hearts and spirits with hope. Let us teach the Mortal Races to live well, to cherish beauty and honor, and to love one another as we love them.' Thus are the Gods of Men tender and patient, and thus are Men and Beast Folk great in heart for joy or suffering, and ambitious for greater wisdom and a better world. – Shezzar’s Song

Eventually the Wanderers come across Old Ehlnofey, and are glad to be reunited with their brethren. However, each faction sees that both have changed very much and although biased against one another there is no conflict. The war between them however begins due to the prejudices between the gods and the Ehlnofey Wars begin bloodily across the entirety of Nirn. As we all know, Auriel leads the Old Ehlnofey and Lorkhan leads the Wandering Ehlnofey; although the former are more magically talented and tactical, the latter are more stronger and hardened and soon the world itself is changed by these battles. As more Ehlnofey die, the water level of Nirn begins to rise rapidly.

Altmora is captured by the Wanderers, who take it as a new homeland and rename it Atmora. The forces of Auriel are forced to flee to Aldmeris, their last stronghold against the armies of Lorkhan. However, it is fractured by the Space God into smaller holdings on Nirn.

>"Auriel could not save Altmora, the Elder Wood, and it was lost to Men. They were chased south and east to Old Ehlnofey, and Lorkhan was close behind. He shattered that land into many. – The Heart of the World

The Ehlnofey have a final conflict on Aldmeris, and the forces of Auriel win by Trinimac ripping out Lorkhan’s heart, removing him from his divine spark. His body begins to rot and becomes the moons Masser and Secunda. The Wanderers and the Old Ehlnofey become rivals and enemies ever since this event, remaining largely splintered from one another till this day.

>Finally Trinimac, Auriel's greatest knight, knocked Lorkhan down in front of his army and reached in with more than hands to take his Heart. He was undone. The Men dragged Lorkhan's body away and swore blood vengeance on the heirs of Auriel for all time. ¬– The Heart of the World

Auriel calls a meeting involving all the Aedra to decide the fate of the Mundus by slamming his vessel into Tamriel, creating the first Tower Adamantine as well as starting to stabilize time. As punishment for his crimes, Lorkhan is to be killed. However, Auriel and Trinimac soon discover that the Heart of Lorkhan can not be destroyed and therefore toss it into the sea, where it forms the second Tower Red Mountain and eventually the island of Vvardenfell. Magnus and other like minded spirits escape from the Mundus and travel back to Aetherius before time fully solidifies, leaving the stars and the sun behind in the uneasy process. Magicka is therefore infinite, and the third Tower Snow-Throat is created as they leave.

>"But when Trinimac and Auriel tried to destroy the Heart of Lorkhan it laughed at them. It said, "This Heart is the heart of the world, for one was made to satisfy the other." So Auriel fastened the thing to an arrow and let it fly long into the sea, where no aspect of the new world may ever find it." – The Heart of the World

The oceans have now separated/broken off the landmasses from one another, as well as sealing the Ehlnofey from another. This results in all of them changing, creating the diverse races we know today.

Atmora breaks off from Old Ehlnofey to the North, and begins to freeze. It becomes home to the Atmorans (Nords), and is being separated by the Sea of Ghosts.

Akavir breaks off to the East, separated by the Padomaic Ocean. It becomes home to the Tsaesci, Kamal, Ka Po’Tun, Tang Mo, and the Dovah.

Yokuda breaks off to the West, separated by the Eltheric Ocean. It becomes home to the Yokudans (Redguards) and the Sinismer (Left-Handed Elves).

Aldmeris breaks off to the South and becomes the Summerset Isles (technically a part of Old Ehlnofey), Thras, and Pyandonea. These lands are also separated by the Eltheric Ocean. Despite shattered, it is still considered united during these times. Only the Summersets are settled, by the Aldmer.

Old Ehlnofey remains where it is, and becomes Tamriel. It is home to the Nedes (Cyrodiils, Kothringi, Keptu, etc.), Khajiit, and the Argonians and is cut off from the other lands.

Smaller islands (Roscrea, Esrionet, Cathnoquey, Yneslea, etc.) remain isolated and unsettled during these times.

>This war reshaped the face of Nirn, sinking much of the land beneath new oceans, and leaving the lands as we know them (Tamriel, Akavir, Atmora, and Yokuda). The Old Ehlnofey realm, although ruined, became Tamriel. The remnants of the Wanderers were left divided on the other 3 continents. – Annotated Anuad

Eventually, the Aldmer of Aldmeris have a religious schism and fracture into many peoples. The Bosmer (Wood Elves), Chimer (Changed Elves), Falmer (Snow Elves), Dwemer (Deep Elves), Ayleids (Heartland Elves), and Cepholomer (Dreugh) all travel to Tamriel. The Maormer (Sea Elves) travel to Pyandonea. The ?mer (Sload) travel to Thras. The remaining Aldmer become the Altmer (High Elves) of Summerset. Aldmeris is destroyed, but it still remains as a spiritual concept of unification and perfection among the merish peoples. The Khajiit are also of Aldmeri stock, but were removed long ago.

>Over many years, the Ehlnofey of Tamriel became the Mer (Elves): >The Dwemer (the Deep Ones, sometimes called Dwarves) >The Chimer (the Changed Ones, who later became the Dunmer) >The Dunmer (the Dark or Cursed Ones, the Dark Elves) >The Bosmer (the Green or Forest Ones, the Wood Elves) >The Altmer (The Elder or High Ones, the High Elves). > >On the other continents, the Wandering Ehlnofey became the Men: the Nords of Atmora, the Redguards of Yokuda, and the Tsaesci of Akavir. – Annotated Anuad

Meanwhile, the Hist survive the Ehlnofey Wars and the Dawn Era on their Amaranth fragment joined to Tamriel. However, the rising waters sinks most of their land beneath the Padomaic Ocean. Black Marsh is all that remains, and the Hist begins their Sim-Dream and creates the Argonians.

>The Hist were bystanders in the Ehlnofey war, but most of their realm was destroyed as the war passed over it. A small corner of it survived to become Black Marsh in Tamriel, but most of their realm was sunk beneath the sea. – Annotated Anuad

Creation, the Dawn Era, and the Merethic Era finally ends. Men eventually returns to Tamriel after their long absence through different means, and Tamriel stays that way for millennia until the next Amaranth begins.

>Eventually, Men returned to Tamriel. The Nords were the first, colonizing the northern coast of Tamriel before recorded history, led by the legendary Ysgramor. The thirteenth of his line, King Harald, was the first to appear in written history. And so the Mythic Era ended. – Annotated Anuad