Origins of the Elven Races

By Antilla Marcillius, ex-student of the University of Gwylim

Despite early on building some of the most advanced civilizations in Tamriel's history, from Cyrodiil to Yokuda, the origin of the Elven peoples remains a mystery. There are few facts that are universally agreed on, and different scholars have proposed countless theories about how the Elven races emerged. This has led to many misconceptions about the Elves (or Mer — meaning "people" in the Aldmeri tongue — as they prefer to be called). I am writing this in order to clear up some of those misconceptions, and hopefully also give you, gentle reader, an origin story built not on preconceptions and myths, but on facts. To do this, we need to go back to the Dawn, and the creation of Nirn.

When Nirn was formed out of nothingness, the et'Ada who shaped it were bound to their creation. "As a parent is attached to its child" we Imperials are often taught; but the Elves do not see it that way. They believed that Lorkhan tricked his fellow et'Ada into sacrificing themselves to create his "experiment", forcing their descendants to live as Mortals in a world of suffering. This disagreement is older than time itself, as it emerged when the Ehlnofey split into the Old Ones and Wandering Ones. The Old Ones felt that they had been tricked by Lorkhan (known to us Heartlanders as Shezarr), and wished to return to their original forms. The Wandering Ones, however, saw the creation of Nirn as something good, and spread across Tamriel to create the first humans. The Old Ones would stay in the land of Aldmeris, giving birth to the first Elves. At least, that is how the story is most commonly told. These is no way to prove how much of it is true, but it is known that the original Ehlnofey split into two or more groups, one group becoming the first Elves and the others becoming the varying cultures collectivelly known as humans. That is the subject of many of the earliest Ehlnofex writings that we know of, most of which werew found in the Adamantine Tower.

Most of the Wandering Ones settled all over Nirn, from Valenwood to Atmora. The Old Ones, on the other hand, mostly stayed in Aldmeris, becoming the Aldmer. The nature, and even existence, of Aldmeris is hotly debated. Some argue that Aldmeris was its own continent, others that it was really just Tamriel all along, a few that it was what is now known as Pyandonea, and some that it never existed at all. Some sources from the Dawn Era mention a war between the Ehlnofey, which was fought between the Old and Wandering Ones. The details of this war are not known, but it is believed to have begun when the first Aldmer began to settle in Tamriel after Aldmeris was destroyed (under unknown circumstances). The Aldmer won the war, and drove most humans from Tamriel, and enslaved those that remained. These Aldmer primarily settled in Summerset, Valenwood, Cyrodiil and Skyrim, becoming the High Elves, Wood Elves, Ayleids and Snow Elves respectivelly. This all happened in the Dawn Era, when time had not yet been created by Akatosh (or Auri-El, as the Elves know him; although the occasional priest may insist that they are really very different beings), which means that it is hard to apply any kind of chrolology to these events. In any case, this war is said to have led to Lorkhan, leader of the Wandering Ones, being captured by the Old Ones (still being led by et'Ada such as Auri-El and Trinimac). During the ensuing Convention at Adamantia, Auri-El (or Trinimac, in some stories) ripped Lorkhan's heart out, attached it to and arrow and shot it across Tamriel. It is likely little more than a fantastical story, but Lorkhan is seen by most cultures in Tamriel as a dead god as a result. Around this time, Trinimac is said to have been slain by the Daedric Prince Boethiah, and his Elven followers were turned into the Orcs, who settled in western Tamriel. At the same time, the followers of Veloth on Summerset left the archipelago due to avoid persecution for their religion, and settled in northeastern Tamriel, where the Dwarves, who likely arrived earlier (if that word can be applied) in the Dawn Era, had already settled. The followers of Veloth would become the Chimer, and later the Dark Elves we know today.

After the war of the Ehlnofey, the Elves were dominant on Tamriel, from Summerset to Skyrim. By the end of the Dawn Era and beginning of the Merethic Era, great Elven civilizations had emerged in Summerset, Valenwood, Cyrodiil and Skyrim; while the civilizations of men in Yokuda and Atmora were still very primitive. The Elven civilizations developed separately from eachother, however, and there was little to no communication between the High Elves of Summerset and Ayleids of Cyrodiil. It wasn't until the mid-Merethic Era that the Altmer of Summerset began to explore Tamriel, Topal the Pilot becoming the first one in centuries to to travel to and from Tamriel. Separately from eachother, the Elves of Skyrim, Cyrodiil and Summerset built great civilizations during the Dawn and Merethic Eras; but they would not last.

In the late years of the Merethic Era, the Atmorans travelled south to Tamriel, and drove the ruling Falmer from Skyrim. In Cyrodiil and High Rock the Ayleids held human slaves, who would rebel against them in their masters in the mid-First Era. I am sure that you already know what followed, so with that I shall conclude. I hope that this has shed light on the early history of the Elves, and that you feel truly enlightened about the early history of the Elves.