GoblinWars Elder Scrolls Lore for Beginners: Tamriel's History Explained
Elder Scrolls Lore for Beginners: Tamriel’s History Explained
The Elder Scrolls series contains one of gaming’s deepest lore libraries, hidden in thousands of in-game books, loading screens, and NPC dialogues. Understanding the basics transforms Skyrim from a dragon-fighting simulator into a political and metaphysical narrative spanning thousands of years.
The Creation Myth
Anu (stasis) and Padomay (change) are the two primordial forces. Their interplay created the Aurbis (the totality of existence). Within the Aurbis, the Aedra (original spirits) sacrificed parts of themselves to create Mundus (the mortal plane), while the Daedra (who refused to sacrifice) retained their full power in their own realms of Oblivion.
Lorkhan (the Trickster) convinced the Aedra to create Mundus, but many consider this a trick that diminished them. The Altmer (High Elves) view mortal existence as a prison and seek to return to divine status. The Nords view Mundus as a testing ground created by Shor (their name for Lorkhan). This fundamental disagreement between elven and human theology drives most political conflict in the series.
The Eras
The Merethic Era saw the Aldmer arrive in Tamriel and diverge into distinct elven races: Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, Dwemer, Falmer, Orsimer, and Maormer. The First Era spans the rise of human empires and the disappearance of the Dwemer (an entire civilization that vanished during the Battle of Red Mountain in 1E 700 while attempting to achieve divine status through the Numidium, a reality-altering brass golem).
The Second Era includes the Akaviri invasions, the rise of the Septim dynasty, and the events of Elder Scrolls Online. The Third Era covers the Septim Empire’s golden age and decline, including the Oblivion Crisis (the events of TES IV) where Mehrunes Dagon invaded Mundus through Oblivion Gates. The Fourth Era begins after the Septim bloodline ends and includes the Great War between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion, the White-Gold Concordat (which banned Talos worship), and Skyrim’s Civil War.
The Dwemer Mystery
The Dwemer are Elder Scrolls’ greatest unsolved mystery. Their ruins contain functioning automatons, tonal architecture (buildings that manipulate reality through sound frequencies), and technology that surpasses anything else in Tamriel. Chief Tonal Architect Kagrenac created tools (Keening, Sunder, Wraithguard) designed to tap into the Heart of Lorkhan and achieve divinity. When he struck the Heart during the Battle of Red Mountain, every Dwemer on Nirn vanished simultaneously.
In Morrowind, you use these same tools to destroy the Heart and end Dagoth Ur’s power. In Skyrim, the Dwemer ruins contain Falmer (devolved Snow Elves enslaved and blinded by the Dwemer) who now inhabit the ruins as hostile creatures, a grim reminder of Dwemer cruelty.
The Daedric Princes
Sixteen Daedric Princes each control a plane of Oblivion and offer mortals power through artifacts. Sheogorath (Madness) gifts the Wabbajack in Skyrim. Hermaeus Mora (Forbidden Knowledge) offers the Oghma Infinium, a book granting skill boosts. Mehrunes Dagon (Destruction) attempted to conquer Mundus in Oblivion. Each Prince operates by their own sphere of influence, and their quests in-game always involve moral ambiguity.
Daedric artifacts are among the most powerful items in every Elder Scrolls game. Skyrim’s Masque of Clavicus Vile provides a speech bonus. The Ebony Blade absorbs health on hit. These artifacts carry lore weight: accepting them means entering a pact with a Daedric Prince.
Getting Deeper: Where to Go Next
The Elder Scrolls lore rewards progressive exploration. After understanding the basics covered here, the Imperial Library (imperial-library.info) collects every in-game text across all Elder Scrolls titles, providing primary sources for lore research. The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP) wiki maintains the most comprehensive and accurately sourced lore database. For more interpretive analysis, community discussions on r/teslore explore ambiguities and competing theories with scholarly rigor. The beauty of Elder Scrolls lore is that Bethesda deliberately includes contradictory accounts, unreliable narrators, and metaphysical ambiguity, meaning definitive answers are rare and the discussion never ends.
For Skyrim build guides, see Best Elder Scrolls Builds: Skyrim. For D&D divine comparisons, check D&D 5E Class Guide.