Aldmeris

Culture

Aldmeris was the legendary homeland of the Aldmer, the “First Folk,” progenitors of all Elves. Whether it was a real continent or a mythic state of being is uncertain, but Elven traditions describe it as a land of harmony, order, and proximity to the divine. To the Aldmer, Aldmeris was not simply a place but an ideal: the embodiment of their unity with the Aedra.

Aldmeri society in Aldmeris was deeply hierarchical and ancestral. Lineage determined status, with those closest in blood to the et’Ada holding authority. Families preserved ancestry through rituals, shrines, and genealogies, ensuring continuity across generations. Social mobility was nearly nonexistent; to be born into a high line was to inherit divine proximity, while lesser lines lived in service. This emphasis on ancestry established the foundation for later Altmeri obsession with bloodlines.

Religion dominated daily life. The Aedra were worshiped as literal ancestors, with Auri-El chief among them. Shrines and temples filled Aldmeris, their architecture radiant with symmetry and crystalline light. Ancestor veneration was equally important: every household honored forebears as protectors and exemplars. To the Aldmer, life was a cycle of imitation, living as the ancestors had, so that in death the spirit might return to Aetherius.

Daily life emphasized refinement and continuity. Clothing was elegant, crafted from silks and adorned with jewelry. Music, poetry, and philosophy were cultivated to reflect celestial harmony. Agriculture and craft supported growing populations, with fisheries and orchards described in myth as abundant and perfect. Art was communal rather than personal, expressing ancestry and divine imitation rather than individual creativity.

Though peaceful by self-image, Aldmeri culture in Aldmeris was exclusive and rigid. Outsiders were seen as lesser, their customs dismissed. Even among themselves, deviation from tradition was punished. This rigidity, while preserving stability, also stifled innovation, planting seeds of discontent that would later fracture Aldmeri unity into splinter cultures across Tamriel.

History

The true history of Aldmeris is uncertain, known only through myth, memory, and scattered records. Some claim it was a literal continent, lost in cataclysm. Others argue it was never a physical place, but a mythic memory of the Dawn, when spirits still walked Nirn. Regardless, Aldmeri tradition treats it as origin, the cradle from which all Elves came.

According to legend, the Aldmer lived in harmony with the Aedra on Aldmeris during the Merethic Era. When Nirn shifted and stabilized, Aldmeris became more distant, eventually abandoned as the Aldmer migrated to Tamriel. The reasons are debated: some speak of environmental collapse, others of internal strife, and some of metaphysical decay, as the world drifted further from Aetherius.

The migration from Aldmeris was pivotal. Aldmer sailed across the seas, settling in Summerset, Valenwood, Morrowind, Skyrim, and Cyrodiil. These migrations birthed the Altmer, Bosmer, Chimer, Falmer, Maormer, Ayleids, Orsimer, and others. Each splinter race claimed to preserve or adapt Aldmeri traditions, but all diverged. The Altmer insist they preserved Aldmeris most faithfully, while others — Chimer with Daedra, Bosmer with Green Pact, Maormer with serpent cults — embraced radical changes.

By the First Era, Aldmeris was already described as lost. Scholars in Summerset and Cyrodiil argued whether it had sunk, transformed, or never existed as land at all. The Psijic Order treated Aldmeris as a spiritual truth: the state of perfect Elven unity with gods, unattainable in material world. To humans, Aldmeris became legend, often dismissed as self-aggrandizing myth.

By the Fourth Era, Aldmeris remained entirely absent, preserved only in Altmer memory and scattered texts. Whether continent, metaphor, or vanished plane, its significance endured as origin of the Elves. It was less a homeland than a dream: a memory of perfection, invoked to justify purity, superiority, or the desire to return to godhood.

Other Information

Physiology:
The Aldmer of Aldmeris were tall, slender, golden-skinned, resembling their Altmer descendants. They were long-lived, graceful, and intellectual. Their forms were said to shine with Aetherial light, a mark of closeness to divines. Variations later emerged only after migration to Tamriel, where environment and faith shaped new identities.

Architecture and Settlements:
Aldmeris was described as radiant cities of crystal, white stone, and symmetry. Towers pierced sky, gardens bloomed in geometric order, and light suffused streets without flame. Settlements embodied eternity, designed not to change but to endure as reflection of Aetherius. No ruins have ever been found, suggesting either its mythical nature or total destruction.

Warfare:
Little is said of Aldmeri warfare in Aldmeris, as myths describe it as time of peace. Yet discipline and hierarchy suggest organized armies existed, with phalanxes of spearmen and battlemages. Naval power carried them to Tamriel, implying fleets of advanced design. Conflict, if it occurred, was overshadowed by cultural emphasis on preservation.

Magic and Attitudes:
Aldmeris was seat of early sorcery. The Aldmer perfected restoration, alteration, and enchantment, using magicka to sustain agriculture, art, and health. Magic was divine imitation: to cast spell was to reflect power of ancestors. Destruction magic was secondary, though undoubtedly known. Daedric worship was rejected as heretical, a stance preserved by Altmer.

Naming Conventions:
Aldmeri names were elegant, melodic, often ending in “-ion,” “-aril,” or “-onir.” Titles emphasized ancestry: “of the Line of Trinimac,” “Child of Auri-El.” These naming patterns carried into Altmer and influenced all Elven dialects.

Relations with Other Races:
In Aldmeris, no men or beastfolk existed — only Aldmer. Relations with outsiders began only after migration to Tamriel. Later Altmer projected Aldmeri superiority onto Tamriel, seeing themselves as bearers of Aldmeris. Other Elves, diverging from Aldmeri purity, were seen as heretics or degenerates.

Art and Expression:
Aldmeris art emphasized perfection and stasis. Crystal carvings, golden jewelry, and symmetrical murals dominated. Music was choral, reflecting celestial harmony. Literature preserved myths of creation and ancestry, written in refined scripts. Art was not for individuals but for eternity, embodying ideal of unchanging order.

Afterlife and Philosophy:
Aldmer believed in return to Aetherius, emulating Auri-El’s ascension. Ancestors were guides to eternity, their spirits invoked to sustain order. Philosophy emphasized stasis: to live as one’s ancestors was to escape mortality. Deviance was betrayal, change was corruption. This obsession with continuity defined Aldmeris and later Altmer identity.

Legacy of Aldmeris

Aldmeris is gone, perhaps never real, but its shadow dominates Elven history. It was homeland of Aldmer, seed of all Elven races, symbol of perfection and unity. Its fall or abandonment led to fragmentation: Altmer, Bosmer, Chimer, Ayleids, Maormer, and others. Each carried part of Aldmeris but lost its whole. By 4E 201, Aldmeris remained a dream: proof of origin, symbol of superiority, and myth of lost perfection. Its legacy is memory itself — the idea that once, Elves were whole, and that through ancestry or transcendence, they may become whole again.