On Dwemer Origins

This text is the preamble to a historical lecture given at the Venerable Academy of Sunhold, on the Summerset Isle, in the late Third Era.

There are two great schisms of Merethic-era Aldmeri culture: the Velothi Exile and the establishment of the Dwemer cities. While the former is marked by a dramatic confrontation and migration and latter emerges more gradually. Dating the emergence of Dwemer culture on Resdayn is difficult. We can date the first Dwemer cities in the Velothi mountains to after the Aldmeri settlement but centuries before the Velothi Exile. This placement in the timeline is still incredibly vague and uninformative when it comes to the question of Dwemer origins. And for the student of Elven history, that is the interesting question; why did a society of atheistic technologist Mer develop in pre-historic Resdayn?

In a sense, all the other various Mer cultures were less of a departure from their Aldmer ancestors. While succumbing to decadent daedra worship, the Ayleids preserved the art of dawn-era magics. The Velothi Chimer were focused on ancestor veneration and spiritual perfection. The Bosmer worship the Earth Bones, the benevolent spirits of creation. Although the Altmer are rightly seen as the most direct successors of the old Aldmeri civilization, all the races of Mer derive their societies from our mythic past. All except one.

Nearly everything about the Dwemer seems to be a rejection of Aldmeri beliefs and culture. The worship no gods or ancestors. Instead of developing the magics of creation, our natural inheritance, they practiced perverse sciences that confound scholars to this very day. Instead of building soaring towers, they delved deep into the body of Nirn. Instead of rejecting the influence of Lorkhan the profaner they utilized his heart in a scheme to repeat his original sin. Surely, this transformation did not occur over night, or even in a single generation. But the question remains: why? The Dwemer have not left us a account or myth of the origins of their civilization. The few archeological surveys of Vvardenfell have revealed few clues as to their origin. In fact, we may know more about what the Dwemer hoped for their future than what they thought about their past. They were a forward looking people. I am afraid that I do not have even a plausible theory to offer you. Still, I hope you will keep this question in mind during your studies.