The Grey Quarter: Re-Examined

Many people seem to walk into Windhelm and observe the confrontation between Rolff, Suvaris, and Angrenor and immediately write off the entire population of Windhelm as racist. The truth is, it’s not that simple. There is no requirement in the Stormcloaks to hate Dunmer, Bosmer, or Argonians. No Nord is born with the disposition to blindingly hate non-human races. Race has played a significant, but minor role in the racial tensions of Windhelm in 4E 201.

Firstly, one common misconception is that Ulfric somehow legally enforced the Dunmer to seek refuge in the Gray Quarter- this isn’t true. The Gray Quarter wasn’t legally mandated by anyone. The Snow Quarter was the poorest section of Windhelm before the Dunmer refugees started arriving in the numbers. As more Dunmer moved in, the Nord residents moved out, due to the deteriorating conditions- and eventually the Snow Quarter became the Gray Quarter ghetto we see in Skyrim.

The large influx of Dunmer to a concentrated area is no mystery- sociology and history prove so. Note that the most important part in the definition of the word ‘Ghetto’ is a grouping of a culturally distinct minority group, not a section of a city that is significantly poorer. In the 1900’s America received large influxes of immigrants. These immigrants settled in neighborhoods composed of people with common culture. Chinese immigrants settled in “Chinatown,” Germans moved to “Germantown,” Italians lived in “Little Italy.” People with a common background in an alien country will indefinitely seek each other out. This is exactly what happened in Windhelm. It’s not like the Dunmer walked into the city and were dragged into the Gray Quarter- the Snow Quarter was all that Windhelm had to offer. There was likely no open-housing anywhere else; and these apartments in the Gray Quarter were probably given to the Dunmer for a significantly lower price.

And, since Dunmer and Nords are so visibly different from each other, race starts to play a part. Both Nords and Dunmer are motivated by an ‘ingroup outgroup’ perspective, not a legitimate racial bias. Because of the Dunmer’s grey skin, it’s relatively easy to pick them out of a group of Nords. When you have a group of Dunmer and a group of Nords who both try their best to stay separate and keep minimal interaction, you have a breeding ground for racial tension- not driven by racism, but driven by miscommunication and xenophobia. The Dunmer didn’t feel welcomed, and felt afraid to integrate themselves, and therefore created their own society inside a society. And this begets the Nord’s frustration with the Dunmer. Because it was such a trivial task to look at a Dunmer and say “not one of us,” and vice versa, racial tension was and is inevitable.

This is where the issues start to arise. Given that the Snow Quarter was the ‘slum’ of Windhelm, this was where the Argonians lived, and probably even where the families of Windhelm’s poorest lived- Rolff, and Angrenor. So, we have a ghetto full of a trifecta of races who have traditionally been enemies; the Dunmer, the Nords, and the Argonians. Which brings us to the cause of the Argonian Assemblage:

The Dunmer refugees almost indefinitely took out their anger on the Argonians. After all, most of the refugees were forced to leave their homeland because the An-Xileel took advantage of the Red Year. There are undoubtedly Dunmer in the Snow Quarter who have lost family or friends to the invasion. And not to mention, the Argonians are pissed off with the Dunmer for generations of slavery. And with the Argonians being the visible minority, they had it the worst. Even non-racists like Brunwulf Free-Winter agree that the Argonian Assemblage is in their best interest. Not that it’s fair, but at this point, Windhelm is likely doing it best to prevent race-riots.

So now we are left with just Nords and Dunmer occupying the Snow Quarter. Eventually, more Dunmer move in, more Nords move out. And now we have the coining of the “Grey Quarter.”

The Dunmer are likely experiencing something akin to culture shock, paired with a deep, uneasy homesickness. In an effort to raise morality for their people living in the Grey Quarter, they make efforts to start Dunmer-themed businesses, and make a “Morrowind inside Windhelm.” Which, no matter how just their intentions were, was ultimately a mistake that caused the Nords to dislike the Dunmer even more.

Now that the Dunmer have their own economy, they are almost completely polarized from the Nords; economically, socially, culturally- but not politically. However, now that there is a Dunmer Tavern, and Dunmer trading posts, the Nord business owners receive less customers, and therefore less income. Creating two small economies that rarely interact with each other in such a small, confined place is a very dangerous thing to do. Nord Business owners are seeing a fraction of their customers because what Dunmer would go to Candlehearth Hall, where they face harassment from the Nords, when they can go to the New Gnisis Cornerclub. What Dunmer wants to trade at the Windhelm Market, when they can go to Sadri’s Used Wares? And this division causes a stagnation for both economies; less customers means less profit, which means less stock, which means less profit, and so on.

But wait, there’s more: Windhelm is mobilizing for war. All young Nords are being inducted into the Stormcloak ranks, which means that there are a ton of jobs currently being unfilled. Given that Windhelm is transitioning into a war economy, it is very important that agricultural and industrial jobs are not just created, but filled. During war time, an economy needs to industrialize to keep up with the rising needs of its citizens, and each citizen must do their part. That’s why during World War II, women in America made significant progress towards equality; they were the only ones left to fill the jobs. I’m sure we’ve all heard of Rosie the Riveters by now. The Dunmer could have taken advantage just as American Women in the 1950’s did; anything to help the war effort. If you aren’t able to fight: grow crops for the troops, smith weapons, craft armor, anything to meet the rising needs of the Windhelm population and the Stormcloak army. The Dunmer refuse to go up in arms, believing that it is “not their fight,” and furthermore, would rather start their own businesses and try to become economically independent rather than seize a great opportunity that would likely change the Nord’s view of them.

So next, let’s disprove some common claims:

• The Dunmer are being taxed more than the Nords!

Untrue. Only one person’s dialogue suggests this, and she says it as more of a rumor than a fact. Not to mention, no Dunmer ever acknowledges this point.

• The Guards refuse to patrol the Grey Quarter!

Only partially true. Remember that bat-shit crazy guy, Calixto? Remember how he killed 3 Nord women, and the Windhelm Guards couldn’t do anything about it?

>>“My men are spread thin as it is.”

>>“We’re too busy with the war. Nobody has the time to spend on this. Not pleasant, but it's the truth.”

That’s right, the Guard is too busy to get off their asses and follow a blatantly obvious blood trail into an abandoned house. You heard it here first.

• But Ulfric and Galmar have racist dialogue!

False. The only ’racist’ quote either of them have is when Galmar says “Damn elves.” Now, this might seem bad, but when put into context, he is obviously referring to the Thalmor, and not literally damning the entire Merish race

• But the Stormcloaks are clearly racist!

Again, false. Look at Riften; there are several Dunmer refugees and citizens, all in good standing. They have properly assimilated into Riften society, and therefore have no possible way to be singled out, targeted, or ostracized by the general populous. This is a Windhelm-specific issue. Hell, even Belyn Hlaalu and Niranye are elves in (relatively) good-standing with the Nords. Belyn is a farmer, furthering my point about the war-effort, and what’s more: he lives outside the wall. If the Dunmer population was more spread-out, the racial tensions wouldn’t be so evident, and Belyn is proof to this.

And Niranye. Who would be the perfect target for any racist. Being an Altmer, wouldn’t she be the first to be suspected of being a Thalmor spy? How come she hasn’t ended up hanging from a tree or stoned to death by the ‘racist majority’ of Windhelm everyone claims exists? Because she integrated into Nord society. Seized an opportunity in their economy. Proved herself to those who were wary of her.

I’m going to steal a quote from /u/Breath-of-Krab, who makes a solid point:

>What would happen if the Dunmer of the Gray Quarter were to realize they were now the N'wah, the Outlanders? What would they ask of the Nords, were they fleeing their homeland into Morrowind? Prove yourself worthy to be called a friend to our people and in turn be taken care of by the society like one of our own.

>Make no mistake, this is not anywhere near entirely the Dunmer's own fault. All it would take to earn a bit of the elves of the Gray Quarter's trust is trying to meet them half way. The Nords need to practice what they preach and realize the Dunmer ARE their traditions, their religion, just as much as the Nords are theirs, and should be respected as they would want to be. They might then realize they have something in common after all.

My intention in writing this was not to justify the Nords' treatment of the Dunmer, or to absolve the Nords of blame, but rather to expose the truths of the situation, and put forward what I feel is the best explanation in what has happened. The truth is, all of what has happened was inevitable from the moment the first Dunmer moved into the city; it's not that they are bad people, Windhelm was simply a poor choice with leadership that was unable and unwilling to help integrate them into society by making them feel welcome and giving them obligations. Instead, they were left on their own to do what they wanted, and one thing lead to another.

Ulfric and the Nords are definitely still at fault, yes. But not because they are racists- because it was a shitty situation to inherit at the worst possible time.