REGARDING YSMIR'S RACE / SPECIES

Ysmir is a NORD, which is a race of man in The Elder Scrolls. However, he is not human by Earth’s standards. BY OUR STANDARDS - when speaking in terms of fiction, human means having no magical abilities. So if he is not human by our standards, WHAT IS HE?

Putting all Dovahkiin/SOSSEDOV shenanigans aside -- Ysmir’s species, if we’re going back to the beginning, could be considered a “Wandering Ehlnofey” - the PRECURSOR to the race of man. His race remains a Nord - descendant of the Atmoran people. They are called NORDS because they moved south to Tamriel from the northern continent of Atmora.

In the Elder Scrolls, everybody lives on a planet called Nirn. The idea of Nirn’s creation is solely left to LORKHAN, who we also hear referred to by names such as Shor, Shezarr, and even Sep. Lorkhan is (in)famous for convincing (or arguably tricking) other members of the Divines into helping him create MUNDUS (the mortal plane of existence). The eleven spirits that HELPED Lorkhan create Nirn were called the Aedra, and the ones that DECLINED him were called the Daedra - and just as a sidenote, because the Daedra neglected to take part in the creation, they retained their FULL POWER, which is why they’re mostly seen as dangerous.

All the races of Nirn are descendants of the Aedra. The process by which this happened is rather COMPLICATED to explain, but it can be summarized like this: Auri-El, also known as AKATOSH created the kingdom of the “Old Ehlnofey”. The Ehlnofey are descendants of Aedra, but ancestors of the man and mer races. Nirn was a MASSIVE LANDMASS, but split up into several continents because of a war between Lorkhan and Auri-El.

Some of the Ehlnofey remained on what they called ALDMERIS and became the Aldmer - the elves. The remaining Ehlnofey became the “Wandering Ehlnofey” and they split up and settled on the various continents.

• AKAVIRI → Tsaesci
• ATMORA → Atmorans
• TAMRIEL → Nedes
• YOKUDA → Yokudans

Eventually, the Aldmer moved from Aldmeris and began to spread out among various regions of Tamriel and their races either adapted or mixed, depending on their surroundings.

• SUMMERSET ISLES → Altmer (High Elves)
• SKYRIM → Snow Elves (later mutated to/known as the Falmer)
• VALENWOOD → Bosmer (Wood Elves)
• MORROWIND → Chimer (ancestors of Dark Elves), Dwemer (Dwarves)
• CYRODIIL → Ayleids
• HIGH ROCK → Altmer + the native Nedes mixed to become the Bretons. The Bretons are a human race with hints of Altmer DNA in their system, making them better at magic than other races of man.

Eventually, YSGRAMOR and his two sons came down south from a war-torn Atmora in the North. They were seeking a new, peaceful place to call home, and thought the mainland of Tamriel would suit them better. INITIALLY, they maintained a peaceful but uneasy relationship with the native Snow Elves. More Atmorans FOLLOWED in Ysgramor’s suit and they built the city Saarthal (near present-day Winterhold).

The Snow Elves eventually felt THREATENED by the onslaught of these Nords and conducted a MASS SLAUGHTER of the invasive Atmorans from the northern continent. Ysgramor and his sons were the ONLY ONES to escape back to Atmora, and they told everyone they could about what happened in Saarthal (later referred to as the “Night of Tears”). Ysgramor returned with a VENGEANCE - the five hundred Companions and his revered battleaxe - Wuuthrad.

Ysgramor was SEPARATED from his sons (who both died), but the Five Hundred eventually reached Tamriel. From there, they RETOOK Saarthal and then split up to claim the rest of Skyrim. The Snow Elves and Ysgramor’s “Five Hundred” waged war against each other, and the Snow Elves were effectively DRIVEN OUT of Skyrim. They sought shelter with the Dwemer, but were enslaved by the Dwemer and EVENTUALLY became the twisted Falmer creatures we see in Skyrim. The Atmorans claimed this new land as their own and Ysgramor built the PALACE OF KINGS, which would preside as the focal point of power in present-day Windhelm, and Ulfric Stormcloak’s headquarters.