Some Nord leaders wanted to turn south to Cyrodiil, but the Jerall Mountains proved to be too big a barrier, and northern Cyrodiil too poor a prize. Within a span of fifty years, the descendants of Ysgramor ruled all of northern Tamriel, including most of present-day High Rock and the whole of Morrowind. In 1E 241, King Vrage the Gifted (Harald's son) began the aggressive expansion now known as the Skyrim Conquests, which would culminate in the First Empire of the Nords. Ī traditional Nordic ship burial created during the Skyrim Conquests The Skyrim Conquests Other traditional Nordic beliefs, known as the Old Ways, continued on, and remained prevalent among Nords even after the introduction of the Divines. Not long after, worship of animal gods was replaced by the then- Eight Divines in mainstream Nord culture. The last Dragon Cult Stronghold was found and besieged in 1E 140. The Dragon Cult survived for a time, but was marginalized and eventually died out. After a long and bloody campaign, the rule of the dragons was ended, and the remaining wyrms fled to remote areas. Some dragons turned against their own kind and taught the Nords powerful magic that allowed them to turn the tide of the war in their favor. The dragon priests in Tamriel became more tyrannical and the populace eventually rebelled some time in the Merethic Era, leading to the legendary Dragon War. Temples were built to honor and appease the dragons, many of which survive today as ancient ruins haunted by Draugr and undead dragon priests. Dragon priests, on par with kings in terms of the power they wielded, acted as intermediaries between the people and the serpentine 'god-kings', whose name could not even be uttered by the common folk. The Dragon War ĭragons were revered as part of the Nordic religion. Despite heavy resistance, Elves were also driven from Solstheim, a small island northeast of Skyrim, which would be predominantly inhabited by Nords for thousands of years to come. Ysgramor's descendant King Harald, who is credited with first uniting the province under its customary borders in 1E 113, drove the last of the Elves out of the province in 1E 143.

Their legacy is purportedly carried on by the Companions, a group of nonpartisan mercenaries who are renowned as impartial arbiters on matters of honor. The Five Hundred's great achievements and acts of heroism cemented them and their leader Ysgramor as role models in Nordic culture. Despite these early conflicts, the presence of Giants remained throughout the province in the eras that followed, although both races largely kept to themselves. During this time, the Nords also frequently waged war with the various Giant clans of Skyrim and Ysgramor purportedly slaughtered hundreds of Giants himself. According to legend, the only humans to survive were Ysgramor and his two sons, who fled back to Atmora, where they gathered the famous Five Hundred Companions and sailed back to expediently slaughter any Elves they came across, founding new cities as they went and clearing the way for new settlers. It's unclear how it started, but the Elves razed the Nordic capital city of Saarthal, killing the defenders and everyone unable to flee, in a slaughter now known as the Night of Tears. The Return Įlves and men lived in relative peace and prosperity for a great deal of time, but racial tensions grew along with the human population, and eventually violence erupted. Contrary to many stories, which apparently credit Ysgramor with being the leader of the first group of human settlers, he and his colonists were the latest in a long line of emigrants from Atmora to Skyrim, and many had already migrated to other places around Tamriel. They named the new land 'Mereth' in tribute to the Aldmeri Elves who had already settled most of the continent. During this migration, the chieftain Ysgramor rallied people from all sides who desired to live in peace and set sail south, eventually arriving at Hsaarik Head, at the extreme northern tip of Skyrim's Broken Cape. Legends say that Atmora was once very green and prosperous, until 'the freezing' turned it into an inhospitable wasteland plagued by civil war, causing its people to migrate to Tamriel in waves throughout the Merethic and First eras. Atmora is likely a human corruption of 'Altmora', a name found in old Elvish records which means 'Elder Wood'. 3.4 Funerary Customs and Ancestor WorshipĪlthough Nords intermingled with other races over the years, it is primarily to Atmora, the northernmost known place on Nirn, that they trace their lineage.

Nordic warriors skyrim