I've never played Morrowind and I still find them interesting. I would play it but it's hard to get into. I tend to play for a while, then I get lost trying to do a quest for the mages guild, let my Skyrim insticts get the better of me, wander into a random dungeon and get one shot by a daedra even while having tgm on.
In norse mythology one of the nine realms is called Svartalfheim, meaning 'Home of the Dark Elves'. In norse mythology there are mentions of Svartalfar (Black Elves) or Myrkalfar (Dark Elves). Since stories involving Dwarves are set in or related to the location of Svartalfheim it is thought that Dark Elves and Dwares are synonymous beings in norse mythology. This concept could be an inspiration to both the Dark Elves and the Dwemer (and the concept of dwarves being a race of elves). It also makes sense in a geographical sense and the relationship between the Dwemer, Dumner and Nords. You could also extend this concept further and argue that perhaps the Altmer and Summerset are inspired by Ljosalfar and Ljosalfheim (Light Elves and Home of the Light Elves).
Svartalfheim would mean "home/land of the black elves". There were also Dökkalfar, or Dark elves, and they had no realm of their own, but were said to live underground. While both black and dark elves in Norse mythology are conflated and confused with dwarves (no one really knows), as well as the "light and dark" elves possibly being a spin of /Christian/ dualistic interpretations (Abrahamic religions are usually obsessed with duality, light and dark, good and evil, while Indo-European religions like the Norse are... less so), I find it interesting that while dwarves are conflated with elves in Norse mythology (as well as them not actually being short Tolkien-dwarves), and the Elder Scrolls did this as well, it's also cool that the Tamrielic dark elves kind of live underground too. At least the Redoran houses are mainly underground. That were a lot of parentheses. Sorry about that messy reading.
Something you didn't touch on were real-life fictional inspirations. Very often creators will draw inspiration from other fictional sources just as they will draw from real life cultures. The Dunmer are a good example. Prior to Morrowind, a major source of inspiration was of course the drow, and some of this inspiration still lingers (Mephala is very much derivative of Lolth from D&D). But in Morrowind itself the devs have admitted to taking a lot of inspiration from Frank Herbert's Dune series of books. The Ashlanders are very inspired by the Fremen, and Paul Atreides is analogous to the Nerevarine - an outsider who becomes recognized as the messiah to the Fremen. The ebony that is mined by the Empire is also strongly reminiscent of the Spice mined by the Empire on Dune. There are many, many connections.
I knew I sensed a Dune vibe! Small wonder I've found myself dreaming of my recent adventures in the lowlands of Solstheim while listening to the soundtrack to the new film adaptation. Though I hadn't quite made the connection with the messiah characters - damn, how did I miss that?
Also the bio aesthetics + the Bene Tleilaxu was the first connection for me. Both grey, elfish and highly xenophobic. N'wah and Powindah both sound similar too.
Everyone’s talking or playing god of war and i am like running back and fourth between fudge muppet and Camels channel like always and playing Skyrim and morrowind backwards compatible now and oblivion too. Camel bought video out and was talking about a holy build and I instantly thought of a holy build by fudge muppet. I love you both and love the content you all create and thank you so much again.
This is literally me too. Literally all I play are “the divine trio”. Morrowind, Skyrim, and Oblivion (less than the other two tho). I’ve been binging on the Skyrim SE builds playlist Bc it gives me ideas for the new playthroughs I’m constantly starting (but never finish lol). Then I go binge Camel’s CCC series and TES Detective series and then I rinse and repeat. Love all these guys so much ✊
ApocolypsMeow IKR?!?! My girlfriend was like, what the fuck is wrong with you? I was yelling “oh my god” while I was in the bathroom reading that TES3 was coming to Xb1. It was the best piece of news I had gotten recently. Best part is, I had been saving my original Xbox copy of Morrowind after all of these years, hoping that one day I’d be able to play it once more on console. I’ve played modded Morrowind on pc in the interim, but vanilla is what I fell in love with
Paddy O'Prey that’s so awesome man! It really is an experience that you will never ever forget. I would stick with your gut and stick to the vanilla game first. It’s got this charm that never ages. Graphics mods like MGE that add distant land make for a really awesome playthrough as well, but I really do feel that the vanilla game without it’s distant land generation is the most fun for the first playthrough. It may be tough to get into for many new players, but since you’re already “into it” and enjoying it, keep going :-D. It makes exploration that much more rewarding when you are able to follow directions given to you by NPCs and find the location you were searching for. The only thing that might be annoying in vanilla is the faces and to a lesser extent, the bodies. I think they’re charmingly ugly, but if you’re interested, the better heads mod and the better bodies mod will give your character and everyone else a much more aesthetically pleasing look. But anyway, thank you for sharing that with me, and I hope it goes really well going forward! Pro tip: people will like you more if you’re wearing more expensive clothes :) You can also throw a robe and skirt over your clothes and armor in case you don’t want to see your armor or you just enjoy the looks of the robes. Of course you can enchant them too, but yeah. Have fun, my dude!!!!
I am of Indian origin born in the US and part of the reason I fell in love with Morrowind is that it reminded me so much of India. Thank you for making these connections.
Now that I think about Indian culture has so much potential in fantasy but is really underrepresented. I know this isn’t Hinduism, but Bhuddism originated in India and I always felt that the Greybeards reminded me of Bhuddist monks. They live in a temple high in the mountains, meditating silently. They are profoundly accepting of everything that happens.
Dude, very very nice pronunciation of the aztec's names, a well earned like to the video. English speaking people hardly try to pronunciate those names, or any aztec, mayan or olmec name for that matter, and you nailed all of them, just a small detail that is but it shows how much effort you put into making the video
Do you really have to be so blatantly racist? Why should people learn a dead language?! That's a complete and utter waste of time. Come back when those languages have some goddamn real life application that isn't historical or for pleasure and address modern day issues. Jesus I'm sorry that my first language is English and I don't see any point in learning the language of dead people!!!
@@xanderhenthorn596 nahuatl, the language of the aztecs, is still widely spoken among the native mexicans, a few million people. No way dead even if it doesn't compare to english international usage.
Really enjoy this type of content, once you feel like you finally understand Elder Scrolls Lore, you realize that it goes much deeper than you thought.
I love the dunmer more and more. I still like altmer the best, with khajiit and argonians being high on the list too, but dark elves are quickly becoming one of my favorite races.
Guys, Sotha Sil the guy who forged a clockwork city and hoped to expand across the land is seen as the destroyer in your eyes whereas Almalexia, the one who kills Sotha Sil, who is the Warrior Queen of the Dunmer during her rule, is the creator aspect. You're nuts.
I do disagree with this analysis, but on the other hand it does seem plausible for Almalexia to be a creator-type. Think of it this way, if you created something or had incredible powers to do so, would you not go frantic if your creation, your powers, or the established balance of things was disrupted?
The phrases "creator" and "destroyer" aren't necessarily meant in the literal sense (as also mentioned in the video). In hindu belief, destruction is necessary to allow the creation of something new, so the "destroyer" could also be seen as "the bringer of something new". That would mean that, in this interpretation, destruction is synonymous to progress. And since Sotha Sil is the most progressive of the three (technological advances, adopting the full dunmer look), the bill of the "destroyer" fits pretty well. Another way of approaching this would be the observation, that "destruction" basically equals "change", which leads to a similar conclusion.
Almalexia full out styles herself as, and is perceived by the people of Morrowind as being the Mother of the Dunmer people, so the Creator label definitely fits. The comparisons between the Tribunal and the Trimurti of Hinduism was almost certainly intentional given that one of the main world builders of Morrowind has a background in Comparative Religion.
The dunmer gods also have similarities with the pantheon from Alesteir Crowley's magickal philosophy of Thelema, where you have: Nuit: an all loving goddess Hadit: her male counterpart and lover Heru-ra-ha: a god that has two personalities, Hoor-par-kraat and Ha-hoor-khuit. Crowley says: "the end of The words is Abrahadabra" Vivec says: "the end of The words is Almvisi" Also, Crowley wrote a book detailing his struggle with addiction, wich is called "Diary of a Drug-fiend", when in the ES universe there is the book "Diary of A Skooma Fiend".
Hey Scott, awesome video! I love the dark elves, to me their culture was one of the most memorable in elder scrolls. I think it would be cool if you did a video of some of the lesser known races like argonian or khajit.
Lets hear about the Khajiiti people next. That or Argonian, since the beast races may be a bit harder to pin down in terms of real-life comparison than others. Not impossible mind you
I really like this idea. It's always fascinating to learn about the references and inspirations real world cultures provide for videogames and their worlds and stories. It lets you see these things with different eyes, and allows us to learn bits of other cultures, which I think is always a great thing to do. I would definitely like to see more.
I never gave too much about the Dunmer, but your video just made me seriously consider playing as one the next time I decide to start over in Skyrim :D
Please do a Skyrim lore video on what each afterlife is like, depending on who you worship. I will post this on every video uploaded after this one until it is done, or personally refused by FudgeMuppet.
"Different" as in not using the tired fantasy fare we've seen for decades. And Howard meant that consoles can't do what they want yet when he said that. Bugthesda games are always created for console players first. I would say "PC players second," but between the complete lack of effort to make FO4 more PC-friendly in terms of controls and the Creation Club, it's more like "PC players can go f*** themselves; we'll make mods for console players and charge them for it because they don't have any other source!" Never mind that they could make a fortune by producing TES VI now for PC and porting that to consoles once the latter is capable of running it. PC players apparently aren't even on their radar anymore.
Agreed! Bretons are my favorite as well and their history is most interesting. The only known relationship between man and elf to be totally successful.
This was great stuff guys. Always loved history and getting to learn more about cultural inspirations in the elder scrolls from you guys would be great.
Almsivi almost reminds me of the triple goddess figure in pagan and wiccan pantheon's. For example the Morrigan who is a maiden, Anu, mother, Badh, and crone, Nemain or sometimes referred to as Macha. I love these kinds of videos keep up the great work!
Great video, guys. I'd definitely like to see you make more of these, as I'm very interested in history and mythology myself. As for which race I'd like to see next, I'd go for the Bretons. But when that's said I'm up for any of the remaining races.
Snigga Odinson the redguards aren't battlemages they had back in the first era or even before these cool conjured swords but other than that they are skilled in all weapons. So full warrior
Did I enjoy this video? I enjoy anything Morrowind related. I think one of the draws of Dunmer culture is also how alien it is. When you couldn't pin down the inspiration for some things that is probably because there is no comparison in history. This makes it truly alien and interesting.
On the five houses plus the killer-kind, that also has hindu culture written allover on it. I will give you direct correlations : Telvani -> Brahmins Rishis -> (whimsical, crazy intelligent, and self engrossed, with a penchant for the abstract) Indoril -> Brahmin priests -> (orthodox, conservative, really in charge of protection of religion) Redoran -> Kshatriya class -> (warriors, administration incharge etc) Dres -> Jamindari cass -> Owns farms. Halalu -> Vaishya class --> (people involved in business) Morag tong -> religious assasins --> The thuggees of India (Kali worshipping peoples)
I think most of your analysis is spot on when dealing with the inspiration for the tribunal as well as the aesthetic comparisons to multiple cultures. However, I do believe the inspiration for the great houses and the attrition style legal assasinations that are a big part of Dunmer society is less taken from real world inspiration and more taken straight out of Dungeons and Dragons and the society of Dark Elves in THAT particular universe. For reference, the Legend of Drizzt series of books by R.A. Salvatore is a must.
It's not only the dunmer, many inspirations have been taken from the Hindu mythology in the elder scrolls series. The very idea of cycle of world destruction and creation can only be found in the ancient Hindu texts. Even the word 'Kalp' which stands for 'era' roughly is a Sanskrit word. The way how Alduin is tasked with destroying the world at the end of every kalp is taken from how Shiva, The god of destruction and a part of the Hindu trinity destroys a world when the time comes. Even the word 'Vivek' is Indian. Also many hints have been taken regarding the creation of universe from Hindu Mythology.
First time I played Dragonborn, as soon as I got off the boat I helped the Dunmer of Raven Rock by clearing their mine, then they repaid me with something I had never experienced in Skyrim: they were all incredibly grateful for the collective favor. Holy fuck. Nerevar guide me, I'm never going to Whiterun again.
I know this is an older video, but I think there’s also some Mesopotamian influence with the Ziggurats of Vivec City. And of course there’s the historical Ziggurat of Ur, a very recognizable name for Morrowind fans.
The nords as they were depicted in morrowind blood moon were soooo badass. They gave a very Germanic/ Celtic tribes feeling. But what we got in Skyrim was some watered down imperial culture.
Ive got 1000+ hours in skyrim since it came out. Ive done everything so many times and played with so many mods, i think im truely done until the next elder scrolls. Thank you fudgemuppet for making these lore vids so i can still get my ES fix while i wait what seems like a lifetime for bethesda to get there shit together and do the next game.
I’m big into this type of stuff with connecting real world shit to RPGs. But I gotta say, I liked the video for the shit at 7:50 alone, that’s actually amazing.
A large number of the races are pretty strightforward at a glance, but the ones I think the most would be the Cats, the Lizards, the Redguard and Orcs.
You could have also said that the whole light elf - dark elf duality comes from the norse mythology and has been staple of modern fantasy. Of course Bethseda reinvented the whole concept quite nicely.
Thanks for all the terrific content! My favorite Mer race to play are the Bosmer, the Wood Elves. I would like to know more about them so a Bosmer lore video would be appreciated. I usually play as a Nord, Breton or Bosmer. However, I always find myself allying with Dunmer and Khajiit NPC's such as one of my favorite follower mods 'Inigo' and the Khajiit caravan's as well as the Dunmer of Solstheim including those found in both Raven Rock and Tel Mithryn. As for Dunmer followers I enjoy travelling with Brelyna Maryon and the incredible and often over looked Aranea Ienith. Aranea can look a bit ominous with her hood up but I find her to be the most attractive of all Dunmer once obtaining her services as a follower and giving her some light armor and a face revealing circlet. Of course, her beauty in my game may be due in part to a cosmetics mod as she has fair skin (fair for a Dunmer anyway) and fire red hair to match her fire red eyes. During my most recent play through I even went so far as to marry Jenassa, the Dunmer mercenary we meet at the Drunken Huntsman. Although it was a difficult decision as I also considered marrying Brelyna and Aranea as well. Of course, those marriages are all mod options as well.
Not to mention that the name "Vivek" is can be found in the Sanskrit language meaning "Wisdom/Knowledge", the language of the Vedic culture that saw the origin of the belief on the deity "Vishnu".
You got the roles of Almalexia and Sotha Sil backwards. Almalexia is the destroyer, and bringer of the next cycle. She is the one who slew Sotha Sil. She likely instigated the slaying of Nerevar, and she attempted to kill the Nerevarine. She brings about changes. Sotha Sil represents creation and beginning anew. You can see this quite literally with his clockwork city and various creations that he made to inhabit it.
The "houses" thing of the Dunmer are a reflection of the shinobi tribes in Japan (ninja tribes). They used to handle different affairs and sort of specialize in different activities for the lord of the land's employement.
I absolutely love this, Ive been curious to real world inspirations for the Elder Scrolls games for half my life. Ive did a little research on it myself but I ended up losing focus and just getting into other cultures outright. Made it easier to spot stuff in future ES games but I dont know it all, far from it. lol
The Great houses remind me of powerful families during the feudal era (think of your own nation's House of Windsor) which can be found everywhere in the world throughout history. Sometimes these families held control over particular resources, or had significant connections to say, the Pope
"Almalexia is the creator" You what. She killed Sotha Sil, cast ash storms upon her people because a few got a bit upset over recent events, then tried to kill the nerevarine. How in the world did you come to that conclusion when Sotha Sil literally created his own little world out of machines he created?
"The lesser races call us Dark Elves" - Master Neloth
@Semaj Harris let me guess someone stole your sweetroll
@@TheFeltmeister Speak quickly outlander or go âway!
@@angkhoanguyen6114 Speak, stranger.
@@Zephirah A warm welcome to you.
That's why I'm on my way to Windhelm to join up with the Stormcloaks - Ulfric has the right of it!
Maybe it's just the nostalgia from Morrowind, but no fantasy race from any game has ever been as interesting to me as the Dunmer. Great video! ^^
Tamrielle it's how different their story is compared to other fantasy races. MK did them good.
I've never played Morrowind and I still find them interesting. I would play it but it's hard to get into. I tend to play for a while, then I get lost trying to do a quest for the mages guild, let my Skyrim insticts get the better of me, wander into a random dungeon and get one shot by a daedra even while having tgm on.
Definitely nostalgia, since we all know that Khajiit actually are the coolest ones.
Nice to see a fellow Dunmer here ^_^
Nice Username
roses are red
red mountain is red
dunmer eyes are red
help
Dude...Eye drops ARE a thing, y'know?
I guess there main god is Snoop Dogg
Nah...Most stoners are wayyyy too laid back to be compared to dunmer.
dropdead234 oh yeah and stoners would use magic to summon a bunch of food
The Red Year is red.
Most of Vvardenfell's dead.
In norse mythology one of the nine realms is called Svartalfheim, meaning 'Home of the Dark Elves'. In norse mythology there are mentions of Svartalfar (Black Elves) or Myrkalfar (Dark Elves). Since stories involving Dwarves are set in or related to the location of Svartalfheim it is thought that Dark Elves and Dwares are synonymous beings in norse mythology.
This concept could be an inspiration to both the Dark Elves and the Dwemer (and the concept of dwarves being a race of elves). It also makes sense in a geographical sense and the relationship between the Dwemer, Dumner and Nords. You could also extend this concept further and argue that perhaps the Altmer and Summerset are inspired by Ljosalfar and Ljosalfheim (Light Elves and Home of the Light Elves).
Svartalfheim would mean "home/land of the black elves".
There were also Dökkalfar, or Dark elves, and they had no realm of their own, but were said to live underground.
While both black and dark elves in Norse mythology are conflated and confused with dwarves (no one really knows), as well as the "light and dark" elves possibly being a spin of /Christian/ dualistic interpretations (Abrahamic religions are usually obsessed with duality, light and dark, good and evil, while Indo-European religions like the Norse are... less so), I find it interesting that while dwarves are conflated with elves in Norse mythology (as well as them not actually being short Tolkien-dwarves), and the Elder Scrolls did this as well, it's also cool that the Tamrielic dark elves kind of live underground too. At least the Redoran houses are mainly underground.
That were a lot of parentheses. Sorry about that messy reading.
So heim means home?
Todd Howard: Okay, so Micheal, what culture did you base these ‘Dark Elves’ off of?
Michael Kirkbride: *Snorts four lines of cocaine* “Yes!”
Excellent.
Exceptional
Extravagant.
Explosive!
*Skooma
Something you didn't touch on were real-life fictional inspirations. Very often creators will draw inspiration from other fictional sources just as they will draw from real life cultures. The Dunmer are a good example. Prior to Morrowind, a major source of inspiration was of course the drow, and some of this inspiration still lingers (Mephala is very much derivative of Lolth from D&D). But in Morrowind itself the devs have admitted to taking a lot of inspiration from Frank Herbert's Dune series of books. The Ashlanders are very inspired by the Fremen, and Paul Atreides is analogous to the Nerevarine - an outsider who becomes recognized as the messiah to the Fremen. The ebony that is mined by the Empire is also strongly reminiscent of the Spice mined by the Empire on Dune. There are many, many connections.
Indeed! I played Morrowind before reading Dune and as I was reading the first volume, my thoughts directly went back to this wonderful game.
I knew I sensed a Dune vibe! Small wonder I've found myself dreaming of my recent adventures in the lowlands of Solstheim while listening to the soundtrack to the new film adaptation. Though I hadn't quite made the connection with the messiah characters - damn, how did I miss that?
Also the bio aesthetics + the Bene Tleilaxu was the first connection for me. Both grey, elfish and highly xenophobic. N'wah and Powindah both sound similar too.
I finally found a Elder Scrolls Lore chanel that mentioned Vivec (literally) giving Molag Bal head.
Everyone’s talking or playing god of war and i am like running back and fourth between fudge muppet and Camels channel like always and playing Skyrim and morrowind backwards compatible now and oblivion too. Camel bought video out and was talking about a holy build and I instantly thought of a holy build by fudge muppet. I love you both and love the content you all create and thank you so much again.
Adam Thompson omg I was bouncing off the walls at work when I saw Morrowind is coming to Xbox one. Pretty sure everyone thinks I'm insane now.
This is literally me too. Literally all I play are “the divine trio”. Morrowind, Skyrim, and Oblivion (less than the other two tho). I’ve been binging on the Skyrim SE builds playlist Bc it gives me ideas for the new playthroughs I’m constantly starting (but never finish lol). Then I go binge Camel’s CCC series and TES Detective series and then I rinse and repeat. Love all these guys so much ✊
ApocolypsMeow IKR?!?! My girlfriend was like, what the fuck is wrong with you? I was yelling “oh my god” while I was in the bathroom reading that TES3 was coming to Xb1. It was the best piece of news I had gotten recently. Best part is, I had been saving my original Xbox copy of Morrowind after all of these years, hoping that one day I’d be able to play it once more on console. I’ve played modded Morrowind on pc in the interim, but vanilla is what I fell in love with
Paddy O'Prey that’s so awesome man! It really is an experience that you will never ever forget. I would stick with your gut and stick to the vanilla game first. It’s got this charm that never ages. Graphics mods like MGE that add distant land make for a really awesome playthrough as well, but I really do feel that the vanilla game without it’s distant land generation is the most fun for the first playthrough. It may be tough to get into for many new players, but since you’re already “into it” and enjoying it, keep going :-D. It makes exploration that much more rewarding when you are able to follow directions given to you by NPCs and find the location you were searching for. The only thing that might be annoying in vanilla is the faces and to a lesser extent, the bodies. I think they’re charmingly ugly, but if you’re interested, the better heads mod and the better bodies mod will give your character and everyone else a much more aesthetically pleasing look. But anyway, thank you for sharing that with me, and I hope it goes really well going forward!
Pro tip: people will like you more if you’re wearing more expensive clothes :)
You can also throw a robe and skirt over your clothes and armor in case you don’t want to see your armor or you just enjoy the looks of the robes. Of course you can enchant them too, but yeah. Have fun, my dude!!!!
CAN YOU GET MORROWIBD FOR PS4???
I am of Indian origin born in the US and part of the reason I fell in love with Morrowind is that it reminded me so much of India. Thank you for making these connections.
Dude, you should try and start a trend where people call people they don't like "N'wahs"
Well maybe the pollution
Now that I think about Indian culture has so much potential in fantasy but is really underrepresented.
I know this isn’t Hinduism, but Bhuddism originated in India and I always felt that the Greybeards reminded me of Bhuddist monks. They live in a temple high in the mountains, meditating silently. They are profoundly accepting of everything that happens.
@@arandomzoomer4837 doesnt Buddhism advocate for peace?
@@arandomzoomer4837 greybeards arent peaceful though as they strongly recommend using the Thu'um as a weapon
The Dunmer culture is like a silkroad fever dream.
It's like you're back in 10th century on the silkroad while high on opioids
Dude, very very nice pronunciation of the aztec's names, a well earned like to the video. English speaking people hardly try to pronunciate those names, or any aztec, mayan or olmec name for that matter, and you nailed all of them, just a small detail that is but it shows how much effort you put into making the video
"Hardly tries" no, it's because it's a completely different language and only a small group of people can actually pronounce it.
Kinda make sense because their ancestors' Prophet Veloth is the inspiration of the Aztec folk hero. I forgot his name but I'll look at it later.
Do you really have to be so blatantly racist? Why should people learn a dead language?! That's a complete and utter waste of time. Come back when those languages have some goddamn real life application that isn't historical or for pleasure and address modern day issues. Jesus I'm sorry that my first language is English and I don't see any point in learning the language of dead people!!!
@@xanderhenthorn596 nahuatl, the language of the aztecs, is still widely spoken among the native mexicans, a few million people. No way dead even if it doesn't compare to english international usage.
@@xanderhenthorn596 and not sure what racism has to do with this.
I always thought of the Dunmer as the fantasy version of Fremen.
I felt like that about the Ashlanders.
Really enjoy this type of content, once you feel like you finally understand Elder Scrolls Lore, you realize that it goes much deeper than you thought.
I love the dunmer more and more. I still like altmer the best, with khajiit and argonians being high on the list too, but dark elves are quickly becoming one of my favorite races.
I love them all. It’s so hard to pick a favorite.
Solsthiem might be one of my favorite locations in ES V.
Guys, Sotha Sil the guy who forged a clockwork city and hoped to expand across the land is seen as the destroyer in your eyes whereas Almalexia, the one who kills Sotha Sil, who is the Warrior Queen of the Dunmer during her rule, is the creator aspect. You're nuts.
To be fair, she went absolutely crazy after having lost her divine powers.
I do disagree with this analysis, but on the other hand it does seem plausible for Almalexia to be a creator-type. Think of it this way, if you created something or had incredible powers to do so, would you not go frantic if your creation, your powers, or the established balance of things was disrupted?
The phrases "creator" and "destroyer" aren't necessarily meant in the literal sense (as also mentioned in the video). In hindu belief, destruction is necessary to allow the creation of something new, so the "destroyer" could also be seen as "the bringer of something new". That would mean that, in this interpretation, destruction is synonymous to progress. And since Sotha Sil is the most progressive of the three (technological advances, adopting the full dunmer look), the bill of the "destroyer" fits pretty well. Another way of approaching this would be the observation, that "destruction" basically equals "change", which leads to a similar conclusion.
Almalexia full out styles herself as, and is perceived by the people of Morrowind as being the Mother of the Dunmer people, so the Creator label definitely fits. The comparisons between the Tribunal and the Trimurti of Hinduism was almost certainly intentional given that one of the main world builders of Morrowind has a background in Comparative Religion.
The dunmer gods also have similarities with the pantheon from Alesteir Crowley's magickal philosophy of Thelema, where you have:
Nuit: an all loving goddess
Hadit: her male counterpart and lover
Heru-ra-ha: a god that has two personalities, Hoor-par-kraat and Ha-hoor-khuit.
Crowley says: "the end of The words is Abrahadabra"
Vivec says: "the end of The words is Almvisi"
Also, Crowley wrote a book detailing his struggle with addiction, wich is called "Diary of a Drug-fiend", when in the ES universe there is the book "Diary of A Skooma Fiend".
Very cewl
hello fellow learned one. Yes, it is common knowledge to many that elder scrolls is inspired by real world occultism
Hey Scott, awesome video! I love the dark elves, to me their culture was one of the most memorable in elder scrolls. I think it would be cool if you did a video of some of the lesser known races like argonian or khajit.
Lets hear about the Khajiiti people next. That or Argonian, since the beast races may be a bit harder to pin down in terms of real-life comparison than others. Not impossible mind you
I think khajiit are like the Chinese. Martial artists who worship an emperor
More of this? Please
I really like this idea. It's always fascinating to learn about the references and inspirations real world cultures provide for videogames and their worlds and stories. It lets you see these things with different eyes, and allows us to learn bits of other cultures, which I think is always a great thing to do. I would definitely like to see more.
I never gave too much about the Dunmer, but your video just made me seriously consider playing as one the next time I decide to start over in Skyrim :D
Please do a Skyrim lore video on what each afterlife is like, depending on who you worship. I will post this on every video uploaded after this one until it is done, or personally refused by FudgeMuppet.
The Vivec quest in ESO is so cool, especially the flaming asteroid hanging right over his palace!
Why didn’t they just hollow the asteroid out so I wouldn’t crash so hard in vardenfell.
Aiden Harjo because Vivek is pretty much like “LOVE ME OR ELSE”
Well who couldn't love vehk 😍
p. Samedi well it’s pretty easy when the alternative is death😂
Morrowind: the last time Bethesda dared to be different.
and next game may be different according to todd since they need more hardware
"Different" as in not using the tired fantasy fare we've seen for decades. And Howard meant that consoles can't do what they want yet when he said that. Bugthesda games are always created for console players first. I would say "PC players second," but between the complete lack of effort to make FO4 more PC-friendly in terms of controls and the Creation Club, it's more like "PC players can go f*** themselves; we'll make mods for console players and charge them for it because they don't have any other source!"
Never mind that they could make a fortune by producing TES VI now for PC and porting that to consoles once the latter is capable of running it. PC players apparently aren't even on their radar anymore.
Ernest Lemmingway sigh at this point no one needs you to give an essay no one really cares
It's called "free speech." You get what you pay for.
Ernest Lemmingway ok keyboard warrior
Great video guys! Can you do Bretons next
Norman Hampton
*Triggered*
Agreed! Bretons are my favorite as well and their history is most interesting. The only known relationship between man and elf to be totally successful.
Like Nords, the name Breton describes an IRL historical people.
Love hearing about all this stuff. Just a neat change of pace from the normal game gripe and shocking news vids etc.
Great video! Thank you! A great departure from your usual stuff in a good way!
Great video, your work is always top class! I'd love to see more of these real world comparisons though, that was brilliant
This was great stuff guys. Always loved history and getting to learn more about cultural inspirations in the elder scrolls from you guys would be great.
Almsivi almost reminds me of the triple goddess figure in pagan and wiccan pantheon's. For example the Morrigan who is a maiden, Anu, mother, Badh, and crone, Nemain or sometimes referred to as Macha. I love these kinds of videos keep up the great work!
This is probably my favorite thing to do with the elder scrolls, please please please continue this series I'd love to have discussions about this
Great video, guys. I'd definitely like to see you make more of these, as I'm very interested in history and mythology myself. As for which race I'd like to see next, I'd go for the Bretons. But when that's said I'm up for any of the remaining races.
I love the idea of this series! Hope we can see more videos like this. Keep up the great work!
The dunmer are the best battle mage,and they enslaved many individuals and are great with destruction magic like if you love battlemage.
Snigga Odinson the redguards aren't battlemages they had back in the first era or even before these cool conjured swords but other than that they are skilled in all weapons. So full warrior
Snigga Odinson are you a Troll are dumb?
Snigga Odinson oh yeah and in addition redguards have in Morrowind in all weapons a bonus. That is what I referring to
Dunmers are warriors.
Snigga Odinson: have you played any TES game besides skyrim? I'm guessing not otherwise you would know Redguards hate magic and think it's evil.
I loved this video!!! You should make a whole playlist of this. I would love to see more.
Great vid. Very interesting and informative. Make more! The Nords next!
Awesome idea! Would love to see more.:) The Dunmer are indeed a lovely melting-pot of cultures and creativity.
Did I enjoy this video? I enjoy anything Morrowind related. I think one of the draws of Dunmer culture is also how alien it is. When you couldn't pin down the inspiration for some things that is probably because there is no comparison in history. This makes it truly alien and interesting.
On the five houses plus the killer-kind, that also has hindu culture written allover on it. I will give you direct correlations :
Telvani -> Brahmins Rishis -> (whimsical, crazy intelligent, and self engrossed, with a penchant for the abstract)
Indoril -> Brahmin priests -> (orthodox, conservative, really in charge of protection of religion)
Redoran -> Kshatriya class -> (warriors, administration incharge etc)
Dres -> Jamindari cass -> Owns farms.
Halalu -> Vaishya class --> (people involved in business)
Morag tong -> religious assasins --> The thuggees of India (Kali worshipping peoples)
Great video! I would love to see one on the Bretons my favorite race.
One of the best videos that you ever made! Can you do more videos for all races? Preferably my favorite, the Bretons? Thanks for all you do!
really really would like to see more like this, best video in sometime IMO.
Well done! I'd love to see more on the Sload and other races we don't encounter in Tamriel.
Please do more of those vids
I love this video! You need to make more and longer
I really respect the effort you guys put into each video!
I think most of your analysis is spot on when dealing with the inspiration for the tribunal as well as the aesthetic comparisons to multiple cultures. However, I do believe the inspiration for the great houses and the attrition style legal assasinations that are a big part of Dunmer society is less taken from real world inspiration and more taken straight out of Dungeons and Dragons and the society of Dark Elves in THAT particular universe.
For reference, the Legend of Drizzt series of books by R.A. Salvatore is a must.
I'm very interested in hearing your insight on the Khajiit and Argonians!!
Do Breton next!
It's not only the dunmer, many inspirations have been taken from the Hindu mythology in the elder scrolls series. The very idea of cycle of world destruction and creation can only be found in the ancient Hindu texts. Even the word 'Kalp' which stands for 'era' roughly is a Sanskrit word. The way how Alduin is tasked with destroying the world at the end of every kalp is taken from how Shiva, The god of destruction and a part of the Hindu trinity destroys a world when the time comes. Even the word 'Vivek' is Indian. Also many hints have been taken regarding the creation of universe from Hindu Mythology.
waiting for another like this... so good.
Another amazing concept and entertaining video! I hope you guys keep all of the content coming. Any chance of a Breton video on the horizon?
First time I played Dragonborn, as soon as I got off the boat I helped the Dunmer of Raven Rock by clearing their mine, then they repaid me with something I had never experienced in Skyrim: they were all incredibly grateful for the collective favor. Holy fuck. Nerevar guide me, I'm never going to Whiterun again.
Love this type of video, would enjoy to see the other races and maybe even other things in TES
Great addition to your already amazing videos. Can you please do the Breton race at some point? Thanks for everything!
Please do more of these!
Great video, love the idea behind it. Also, when are you going to start doing videos on dragon age inquisition
I adore this video. I’m always coming back to it 🖤
15:04 he, nuts? Really, Morowind looks like an acid trip!
I know this is an older video, but I think there’s also some Mesopotamian influence with the Ziggurats of Vivec City. And of course there’s the historical Ziggurat of Ur, a very recognizable name for Morrowind fans.
I get a lot of Bronze Age Near East vibes with the Dunmer.
A lore video from Fudge Muppet about the Dunmer? YESSSSSSSSSSS!
The nords as they were depicted in morrowind blood moon were soooo badass. They gave a very Germanic/ Celtic tribes feeling. But what we got in Skyrim was some watered down imperial culture.
John Bach fuck idk but “watered down imperial culture” made me laugh so much.
Well the nords of Solstheim would be way less influenced by the Empire
Skyrim really watered down all the races really.Just doesn't seem as rich and in-depth as, say, Morrowind.
Ive got 1000+ hours in skyrim since it came out. Ive done everything so many times and played with so many mods, i think im truely done until the next elder scrolls. Thank you fudgemuppet for making these lore vids so i can still get my ES fix while i wait what seems like a lifetime for bethesda to get there shit together and do the next game.
I liked this a lot, keep doing lore videos like this, could you do the Argonians next? They are the most interesting race for me
Please do more of these, do Altmer next, they are hard to pin down! A little bit of Japanese but also could be ancient Greeks etc.
I’m big into this type of stuff with connecting real world shit to RPGs. But I gotta say, I liked the video for the shit at 7:50 alone, that’s actually amazing.
I loved this video. I wish you'd made more for the other races
A large number of the races are pretty strightforward at a glance, but the ones I think the most would be the Cats, the Lizards, the Redguard and Orcs.
This was awesome please make more videos like this.
You could have also said that the whole light elf - dark elf duality comes from the norse mythology and has been staple of modern fantasy. Of course Bethseda reinvented the whole concept quite nicely.
This was really cool. Its the kind of series id follow religiously
Thanks for all the terrific content! My favorite Mer race to play are the Bosmer, the Wood Elves. I would like to know more about them so a Bosmer lore video would be appreciated. I usually play as a Nord, Breton or Bosmer. However, I always find myself allying with Dunmer and Khajiit NPC's such as one of my favorite follower mods 'Inigo' and the Khajiit caravan's as well as the Dunmer of Solstheim including those found in both Raven Rock and Tel Mithryn. As for Dunmer followers I enjoy travelling with Brelyna Maryon and the incredible and often over looked Aranea Ienith. Aranea can look a bit ominous with her hood up but I find her to be the most attractive of all Dunmer once obtaining her services as a follower and giving her some light armor and a face revealing circlet. Of course, her beauty in my game may be due in part to a cosmetics mod as she has fair skin (fair for a Dunmer anyway) and fire red hair to match her fire red eyes. During my most recent play through I even went so far as to marry Jenassa, the Dunmer mercenary we meet at the Drunken Huntsman. Although it was a difficult decision as I also considered marrying Brelyna and Aranea as well. Of course, those marriages are all mod options as well.
Thank you, I’m a dunmer and I appreciate that you made a video of our culture
same
SloppyJoe TheCat Ur a human who plays a dunmer on a video game let’s not attach this to identity now
Caligulaboi 666 I respect your opinion :) but it is my identity and it’s what I stand for :)
Could you imagine tamriel in modern day lol social media would be way different
Which great house do you belong to?
Not to mention that the name "Vivek" is can be found in the Sanskrit language meaning "Wisdom/Knowledge", the language of the Vedic culture that saw the origin of the belief on the deity "Vishnu".
Altmer next please!
Ash Khans? Very Central Asian
Ocean Gaming They live in rural yurts as well! Idk if he says that in the video or not because I haven’t finished it.
You got the roles of Almalexia and Sotha Sil backwards. Almalexia is the destroyer, and bringer of the next cycle. She is the one who slew Sotha Sil. She likely instigated the slaying of Nerevar, and she attempted to kill the Nerevarine. She brings about changes.
Sotha Sil represents creation and beginning anew. You can see this quite literally with his clockwork city and various creations that he made to inhabit it.
I really like and enjoy your video, you're really precise with your speech
And I love Dunmers and Morrowind so much, thank you for this video !
Holy shit pretty please make more of this kind of video
this was fuckin cool man, love the video and hope you dudes are gonna do more like this one
Awesome video. If you do another one, what about the Argonians?
ESO is a great way to meet the tribunal, and really getting to know sotha
The "houses" thing of the Dunmer are a reflection of the shinobi tribes in Japan (ninja tribes). They used to handle different affairs and sort of specialize in different activities for the lord of the land's employement.
I absolutely love this, Ive been curious to real world inspirations for the Elder Scrolls games for half my life. Ive did a little research on it myself but I ended up losing focus and just getting into other cultures outright. Made it easier to spot stuff in future ES games but I dont know it all, far from it. lol
A really good and interesting video. Love it!
Please do more of these
Loved this video. I'd really like to see one on the Bretons :)
The Great houses remind me of powerful families during the feudal era (think of your own nation's House of Windsor) which can be found everywhere in the world throughout history. Sometimes these families held control over particular resources, or had significant connections to say, the Pope
I already know ALL about TES lore but I watch this because it’s a FudgeMuppet video.
Argonian or Khajiit, both fascinate me given how strange they are.
Also, Argonians similarities to Aztec fascinate me
Great video man
I remember playing oblivion for the first time... I was 8, I’m now 22. I layed my eyes upon the dark elf and thought......he’s beautiful! good times!
Keep up the good work guys.
Love this video, do more please.
At first Dunmer reminded me of the Aghori, that hindu sect that lives among the dead - literally - and cover their body in ash from burned corpses.
As an Hindu I've never heard of it, long outdated maybe
My favorite race by far! They have the most interesting lore and abilities to me
"Almalexia is the creator" You what. She killed Sotha Sil, cast ash storms upon her people because a few got a bit upset over recent events, then tried to kill the nerevarine. How in the world did you come to that conclusion when Sotha Sil literally created his own little world out of machines he created?
Great job guys.