A Bosmer's Guide to Bosmer Stereotypes

Greetings, friends. I'm Thornir Nature-Born, and I have made my living as a teacher of the arcane arts, specializing in nature magic. I've been all over Tamriel, from the mountains of High Rock to the swamps of Black Marsh, teaching aspiring mages how to better control their magicka and turn it into a fully fledged spell. In all that time, I've ran into the same myths and stereotypes that seem to persist even well into the 4th Era. So, in this guide, I'll be tackling the most common stereotypes attributed to Bosmer and uncovering the truth behind them.

•Stereotype #1: All Bosmer are archers. This is by far the most common stereotype, and is honestly fairly insulting. I can't even count the amount of times I've told someone I was a mage, only for them to say, "But aren't Bosmer just archers?" No, no we are not. While it's true that the bow is a traditional hunting weapon, and most young Bosmer are at least taught how to use it effectively, there's nothing forcing us to be an archer. I know as many Bosmer warriors as I do Nord and Orc warriors, and as many Bosmer mages as I do Altmer or Dunmer. So please, stop assuming that we're great at archery just because we're Bosmer

•Stereotype #2: Bosmer are primitive treehuggers. This one is also very common, but also not very true. When people think of Valenwood, a good bit of them think of primitive tribes living amidst the forests and jungles, with no set civilization. This couldn't be farther from the truth. The Bosmer actually created Tamriel's first empire, the Camoran Dynasty. And yes, while some of our cities do have homes grown from the grahtoaks, -- like Silvenar, Falinesti, and Elden Root -- we also have more traditional cities with wooden and stone buildings. The cities of Velyn Harbor, Haven, and Marbruk have Altmeri architecture; the city of Southpoint has Imperial architecture; and the city of Arenthia has Khajiiti architecture.

•Stereotype #3: Bosmer are cannibals. This stereotype goes back to the roots of the Green Pact, which stated that we must eat the bodies of the enemies we kill within 3 days. While it's true that we used to do this, it hasn't been in practice since the 2nd Era. While there may still be some very traditional Bosmer who still secretly practice this part of the Green Pact, the vast majority of civilized Bosmer do not eat people.

•Stereotype #4: Bosmer don't eat vegetation. Again, this goes back to the beginnings of the Green Pact. Bosmer are forbidden from harming or eating the vegetation of Valenwood, and for a few hundred years, they only ate meat provided by the wildlife of the forests. However, the Green Pact only forbids harming vegetation in Valenwood, not anywhere else. Valenwood commonly and routinely imports fruits, veggies, and alcohol from Cyrodiil and the Summerset Isles, as they don't break the Green Pact. And as much as the Bosmer people still love a good cut of meat, we also love a fresh salad from the farms of the Isles or a succulent wine from the vineyards of Cyrodiil.

•Stereotype #5: Bosmer don't use wood. This is almost identical to stereotype #3 in that it was really only true during the first few hundred years of the Green Pact. But now, just like with imported vegetation, the Bosmer people import wood from all over Tamriel. Though you'll still see traditional bone and leather furniture in the inner parts of Valenwood, the outer cities still make use of standard wooden furniture. And on top of that, we have been using wood from the Cyrodiil border for bows since the Green Pact was formed.

Thank you for reading, and I hope this cleared up any misconception you had about the Bosmer people. I love my home province and want to make sure people know that we aren't the cannibalistic tribes they might think we are.

•Revision: It seems I had left out a stereotype in my 1st revision, so I went back and added it in. Once again, thank you for reading.