Lore:Aldmer
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The Aldmer (meaning "First Folk" or "Elder Folk"), also known as Alcharyai,[1] were the original proto-mer of the Merethic Era, who first settled the Summerset Isles before gradually spreading across much of mainland Tamriel.[2] According to legend, the Aldmer originated from a mythical lost continent known as Aldmeris;[2][3] however, some sources, including allegedly the Elder Scrolls themselves, suggest this place is allegorical.[UOL 1]
Their skin was said to possess a lustrous bronze hue,[4] and modern Altmer (High Elves) are widely regarded as the closest living representation of the original Aldmer, both in physical appearance and in cultural tradition.[5] Altmer society highly reveres Aldmeri ancestry, often striving to emulate their customs and ideals. Some sources even suggest that they engage in selective breeding to preserve Aldmer-like features.[6] Certain High Elf songs are still composed in Old Aldmeris, the ancient language of their forebears.[7] The Aldmer are commonly regarded as the first technologically advanced civilization to emerge on Nirn,[2] though some argue that this distinction belongs to the Hist. Beastfolk ancestors such as the Argonians and Khajiit also inhabited Tamriel during this era, but their societies are generally described by historians as aboriginal and preliterate. Whatever the case, these populations were quickly displaced by the seemingly more sophisticated Aldmer.[2]
Few individual Aldmer are remembered by name, but a handful of notable figures endure in both legend and recorded history. Among them are High Lord Torinaan, the first to settle the Summerset Isles; Topal the Pilot, who charted much of Tamriel; and Orgnum, a former Aldmer who became the undying sorcerer-king of the Maormer. The infamous necromancer Mannimarco, known as the King of Worms, once claimed he was not an Altmer, but an Aldmer.[8]
The Aldmer are said to have possessed a refined and chivalric high culture,[9] and are known to have developed their own system of musical notation—so intricate and esoteric that it remains difficult to interpret even in modern times.[10] As the Aldmer spread across Tamriel, they gradually diverged, culturally and physiologically, into the various elven races known today. Some sources attribute the splintering of the Aldmer to their realization that different Towers with their own Stones could tell different "stories", to alter reality and shape their own domains. Thus the elves are said to have "self-refracted, each to their own creation", with every splinter group following their own Tower, the Chimer following Towers, the Chimer following Red-Heart, the Altmer Crystal-Like-Law, et alia.[11] Those who remained in the Summerset Isles became the Altmer.[2][12] The earliest migrants to the mainland settled in Valenwood, giving rise to the Bosmer.[13] Morrowind was colonized by both the Dwemer and, later, the Chimer, precursors of the Dunmer.[2] A group claimed by some sources to have split off in Summerset and by others in Aldmeris itself, became the Maormer.[14][15] High Rock was also home to the Bretons, a race of mixed heritage born from interbreeding between native Nedes and Aldmeri settlers, such as the Clan Direnni.[16][17] A number of myths also claim that the Orcs originated from followers of the elven ancestor spirit Trinimac, who were transformed alongside their deity due to the intervention of Boethiah, while trying to halt the Velothi dissident movement.[18][19][20][21][22]
The term Aldmeri is sometimes used more broadly to refer to all elves,[23] and it is also used in reference to members of the modern Aldmeri Dominion.[24]
Gallery[edit]
Mannimarco, the King of Worms
God-King of the Maormer, Orgnum
Saint Veloth
Mummified head of Saint Jhoanne
See Also[edit]
- Aldmer Names
- For a list of notable Aldmer, see here.
References[edit]
- ^ People of Morrowind — Various
- ^ a b c d e f Before the Ages of Man — Aicantar of Shimerene
- ^ Mysterious Akavir
- ^ Mummified Aldmer Head item description in ESO
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Blessed Isle: Alinor and the Summersets — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Aldmeri Dominion — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
- ^ High Elf Songbook contraband item in ESO
- ^ Worm Saga — Mannimarco
- ^ Provinces of Tamriel
- ^ Aldmeri Sheet Music contraband item in ESO
- ^ Aurbic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree — Beredalmo the Signifier
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Blessed Isle: Alinor and the Summersets — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Wilds Remain: Valenwood — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ The Chosen People of Aldmeris — Sealord Malleroth Of Pyandonea
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: Other Lands — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Sons and Daughter of the Direnni West: High Rock — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: All the Eras of Man, A Comprehensive History of our History — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ The True Nature of Orcs
- ^ The Fall of Trinimac — The Faithless One
- ^ Varieties of Faith: The Orcs — Brother Mikhael Karkuxor of the Imperial College
- ^ The Changed Ones
- ^ Orc racial description in Castles
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Prologue — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
- ^ Events of Skyrim
Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.
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