When one hears Elder Scrolls in relation to video games, one thinks of the numerous and continuous releases of “Skyrim” on every game console available. Or of the large amount of bugs and glitches present in “Skyrim”. And because of these distracting facets of the idea of The Elder Scrolls, cloud the diverse and throughout story that exists in “Skyrim”, its predecessors, and its expanded universe shown in books (both in the game and in real life).

The Lore and depth which is present in The Elder Scrolls universe is one of the most thorough and theorist spawning worlds. In this universe, there are many mysteries, conflicting histories from two opposing sides, military conquest, political tactics, magical involvement, and much more. There are many mythical races in this universe, each with their own complex origin, continuation and depth in their culture and involvement with each other. Some races are as follows: Altmer (High Elf), Dunmer (Dark Elf), Bosmer (Wood Elf), Dwemer (Deep Elf), Maomer (Sea Elf), Snow Elf, Ayleid (Heartland Elves), Arogonian, Khajiit, Imperial, Nord, Breton, Orc, Redguard, Sload, and more. Each of these races are different and those differences lead to a lot of conflict and many interesting involvements.

The universe of The Elder Scrolls spans for thousands of years and has interesting and in depth events running through the entire course. From the creation of the Gods, and the trickery used to form the world, migration of the Elves to Tamriel (The Main Continent), to the subjugation of Nords by the Dragons and their Priests, to the many many emperors and leaders of the countries. Even the countries have interesting pasts, and an example of this would be Hammerfell. This country was founded because a king of the Dwemer who are basically dwarves threw his hammer far away and said they would settle where it fell, hence the name Hammerfell. 

The lore of the Elder Scrolls universe is told in many books, both in the games and in real publications. In “Skyrim” alone there are 337 books to find and read in game, and there are books in the other games as well that have been brought into this one. The books in real life expand upon the story and introduce new ones. The main example of a new story would be the story of Umbra and the floating city of Umbriel told in the “The Infernal City” and “Lord of Souls” books by Greg Keyes. The others are a summary of stories from the viewpoint of a certain species, so the High elves give their side of the enslaving of men and the men give their side as well. All of the books give the lore extra depth and invite the reader or the player to theorize about how certain things relate or what the answer to a question is. The theories and postulates of the community of these games and stories are thought out and if true could give us insight into further entries in the books or games. Also theory crafting is fun to try to answer some of the more obscure and bizarre questions this world poses. 

The games do a good job of exploring the characters present in them, but not so much the protagonist because they are usually silent and helpful. The characters have methods for their actions and most are clear and understandable. One clear example of having a moral high ground is the case of the Forsworn. The Forsworn were natives of the North land of Skyrim and were forced to be subservient to foreign occupiers, so when they rise up it is justified because they were there first and even when ruling over their occupiers they were fair. The various groups have motive and that leads to pleasant payoffs later when their justification is recognized and put forth through actions. The games and books themselves are easy to follow and simple to play, there are no really high difficulty puzzles or large words that muddle up the newcomer to the story. The characters are relatable to almost any type of person, and the quests and plot are entertaining and memorable to those who play through or read them. 

This is but a cursory glance at the total universe of The Elder Scrolls universe. There is more one can glean from the story using their own opinions and theories. The world in these books and games are vast and full of different types of intrigue, which can be experienced differently by those who dive in. The universe of The Elder Scrolls is a massive universe that anyone can find a certain piece of lore and story to grab on to.