The Aldmer

Culture

The Aldmer, or “First Folk,” were the progenitors of all Elvenkind. They were the direct descendants of the Ehlnofey, the original spirits of Nirn, and considered themselves closest in blood to the @Aedra . Their culture was defined by continuity and memory: to be Aldmer was to preserve the wisdom of the Dawn and to emulate the et’Ada in all things.

Aldmeri society was highly hierarchical, organized by lineage and descent. Families who could trace ancestry to the most revered spirits held authority, while lesser lines served as artisans, soldiers, and laborers. This focus on bloodline carried into every aspect of life — governance, marriage, and inheritance were all dictated by ancestry. To the Aldmer, hierarchy was not oppression but divine order, mirroring the structure of the cosmos itself.

Religion was central. The Aldmer venerated the @Aedra as ancestors and exemplars, honoring Auri-El as chief of their pantheon. Temples of crystal and white stone crowned their settlements, echoing the mythic forms of Aetherius. Ancestors were revered almost as gods, with family shrines as important as public temples. Worship emphasized continuity: to live as one’s ancestors had was to honor the divines and uphold the structure of creation.

Daily life emphasized refinement. Aldmer dressed in robes and jewelry of precious metals, practiced music and poetry, and cultivated gardens of rare plants brought from Aldmeris. Their art prized symmetry and celestial imagery, reflecting their obsession with eternity. Music used choirs and harps, echoing the harmony of the spheres. Their language was elegant, later evolving into Altmeri and other dialects.

Though refined, the Aldmer were also pragmatic. They fished, farmed, and traded, supporting growing populations on Summerset after abandoning Aldmeris. Craftsmen forged weapons and armor, though warfare was secondary to preservation. The Aldmer were isolationist, suspicious of outsiders, but considered themselves natural stewards of Tamriel.

History

The Aldmer traced their origins to Aldmeris, a mythical continent that may have been homeland or metaphor. When Aldmeris was lost — whether through cataclysm or mythic dissolution — the Aldmer sailed to Tamriel, settling first in Summerset. From there, they spread, establishing colonies across Valenwood, Morrowind, Skyrim, and Cyrodiil.

In the Merethic Era, Aldmer dominance was unchallenged. Their colonies became the ancestors of other Elven peoples: Bosmer in Valenwood, Chimer in Morrowind, Ayleids in Cyrodiil, and Falmer in Skyrim. Those who remained in Summerset preserved Aldmeri tradition, later becoming the Altmer. Thus the Aldmer are less a vanished people than a cultural ancestor, fragmented into descendants who adapted to local lands and beliefs.

The First Era saw their influence diminish as man and mer diverged. The Alessian Rebellion in 1E 243 ended Ayleid domination of Cyrodiil. The Chimer split permanently from Aldmeri faith by embracing Daedra. The @Falmer were destroyed by @Nords and Dwemer. The Bosmer embraced Y’ffre’s Green Pact, abandoning Aldmeri stasis. Only the Altmer claimed to have preserved Aldmeri purity, though even they adapted over time.

Though the Aldmer as a distinct people ceased to exist by the early First Era, their legacy shaped all Tamriel. Their laws, architecture, and language formed the foundation for later Elven cultures. Their worship of Auri-El and the Aedra influenced both Elves and Men. Even humans inherited from them: Cyrodiil’s early Ayleid lords ruled over Nedes, passing on traditions later adapted by Imperials.

By the Fourth Era, the Aldmer survived only as memory and myth. The Altmer claimed their mantle, insisting they preserved the true Aldmeri ways. Yet the diversity of Elvenkind proved otherwise: every race of mer was Aldmer in origin, their identities splintered by faith, geography, and fate. The Aldmer themselves were gone, but their shadow stretched across all Tamriel.

Other Information

Physiology:
The Aldmer were tall, slender, and golden-skinned, resembling their Altmer descendants. They were graceful and long-lived, with sharp, angular features and almond eyes. Their bloodlines carried great variation, later manifesting in Bosmer’s shorter frames, Dunmer’s ashen skin, and Orsimer’s brutish forms. Their physiology embodied potential — a template for all Elven divergence.

Architecture and Settlements:
Aldmeri settlements emphasized elegance and permanence. Towers of white stone, halls of crystal, and gardens shaped into celestial patterns defined their cities. Their capital on Summerset, precursor to Alinor, epitomized Aldmeri grace. Colonies across Tamriel adapted architecture to local environments: Ayleid towers in Cyrodiil, Falmeri spires in Skyrim, Velothi shrines in Morrowind. These offshoots reveal both unity and fragmentation of Aldmeri design.

Warfare:
The Aldmer preferred diplomacy and hierarchy, but they were not defenseless. Their armies used disciplined phalanxes, supported by sorcerers and archers. Warfare emphasized order and precision, reflecting their belief in structure. Naval power carried them from Aldmeris to Tamriel, and fleets patrolled Summerset’s seas. Yet their reliance on hierarchy often made them rigid, vulnerable to more adaptive foes.

Magic and Attitudes:
The Aldmer were masters of magicka, believing themselves closest to the Aedra. Their sorcery emphasized restoration, alteration, and enchantment, reflecting harmony over destruction. Rituals sought to replicate divine acts, binding mortal to immortal. They distrusted Daedra, rejecting what they saw as corruption. This stance defined the split with Veloth’s followers, who became the Chimer.

Naming Conventions:
Aldmeri names were melodic, with suffixes like “-ion,” “-aril,” or “-ionas.” Examples preserved in records include Topal the Pilot, Torinaan, and Trinimac’s followers. Their descendants inherited similar patterns: Altmer retained elegance, Bosmer simplified, and Chimer hardened syllables.

Relations with Other Races:
The Aldmer saw themselves as superior, stewards of lesser peoples. They treated humans with disdain, often enslaving or marginalizing them. They viewed divergent Elves as heretics or barbarians, condemning Daedra-worshipers, pact-bound Bosmer, or exiled Maormer. Their pride ensured both grandeur and fragmentation.

Art and Expression:
Aldmeri art emphasized symmetry, celestial imagery, and continuity. Jewelry used gold, crystal, and precious stones. Music featured choirs, harps, and horns, echoing cosmic harmony. Literature preserved myth and philosophy, often recited in ritual. Their art was less personal than communal: expression of ancestry and divinity, not individual emotion.

Afterlife and Philosophy:
The Aldmer believed the goal of life was return to Aetherius, escaping the flawed mortal plane. Auri-El’s ascension to the heavens served as model: through discipline and ancestry, one could transcend mortality. Ancestors were guides on this path. Philosophy emphasized stasis: preservation of form and tradition ensured immortality. Those who strayed from this — Chimer, Bosmer, Maormer — were seen as betraying destiny.

Legacy of the Aldmer

The Aldmer are gone as a people but eternal in legacy. Every race of Elves descends from them, their culture splintered into countless forms. The Altmer claim their mantle, but Bosmer, Dunmer, Orsimer, Ayleids, Maormer, and Falmer all carry fragments of Aldmeri heritage. Their memory embodies both greatness and hubris: the dream of stasis undone by rebellion, exile, and pride. By 4E 201, they remained only in ruins, myths, and the living blood of their children. Their legacy is origin itself: the foundation of mer, the first shapers of Tamriel, whose fall birthed all that followed.