ListEdit
The lore of the Elder Scrolls series covers a vast range of topics, including history, events, culture, religion and much more. These topics go towards building the rich universe where the games unfold. The vast continent of Tamriel on the planet of Nirn is the main setting of the games; however much of the lore covers topics from the various realms and planes of existence in the wider universe, or Aurbis.
The Lore section of the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP) is devoted to documenting the background of the known universe. The overall intent is to provide an encyclopedia of accurate and verifiable information, separate from game-specific details.
People, Places & History
- Races A list of all known forms of intelligent life on Nirn and beyond, notably the multiple races of Men, Elves, and Beastfolk. Also includes extinct, immortal and mythical races.
- People A list of noteworthy individuals, particularly those who have played an important part in historical events or had a substantial effect on the world.
- Places Articles about the various realms of existence, continents, provinces, regions, settlements and significant landmarks in the universe.
- History The known history of the world, spanning almost 7,000 years and including a timeline chronicling each era and the major events of Nirn's past.
- Wars & Conflict All known wars, battles, and other martial conflicts in Nirn's history.
- Emperors & Empires All known Cydodillic emperors and various empires, kingdoms and dynasties in Nirn's history.
- Factions Articles about the various guilds, groups and organizations found across Nirn and beyond.
- Library A compilation of lore-relevant literature and sources.
Arcane & Supernatural
- Magic Articles about the different forms of magic, traditions and magical study on Nirn.
- Artifacts A catalogue of all magical items of great power, fame, and historic relevance.
- Gods Articles about the various deities, Aedra and Daedra who are worshipped across Nirn, including pantheons followed by each race or culture.
- Rituals & Prophecies Articles about the various deities, Aedra and Daedra who are worshipped across Nirn, including pantheons followed by each race or culture.
- Magical Phenomena Articles about the various deities, Aedra and Daedra who are worshipped across Nirn, including pantheons followed by each race or culture.
- Time A catalogue of all magical items of great power, fame, and historic relevance.
- Metaphysics A catalogue of all magical items of great power, fame, and historic relevance.
Ecology & Nature
- Bestiary An archive of known creatures and constructs found on Nirn and beyond.
- Flora An archive of known plants that can be found growing on Nirn, especially those that can be used in alchemy.
- Alchemy Ingredients A catalogue of all known alchemical ingredients typically used in alchemy.
- Minerals A catalogue of all known metals, minerals and crystals found on Nirn.
Society, Culture & Tradition
- Cuisine A compilation of meals, beverages and foodstuffs consumed by various cultures in Tamriel.
- Death Beliefs around death and funereally practices of the numerous races and cultures on Nirn.
- Linguistics A collection of known languages and alphabets used by the various races on Nirn.
- Names A list of forenames and surnames used by the numerous races and cultures on Nirn.
- Statues A list of forenames and surnames used by the numerous races and cultures on Nirn.
- Law & Politics A list of forenames and surnames used by the numerous races and cultures on Nirn.
- Iconography & Symbolism A list of forenames and surnames used by the numerous races and cultures on Nirn.
- Transportation A list of forenames and surnames used by the numerous races and cultures on Nirn.
- Other A list of forenames and surnames used by the numerous races and cultures on Nirn.
Lore LibraryEdit
The Lore Library is a vast encyclopedia of information that contributes towards understanding and documenting the Elder Scrolls universe. It hosts a wide variety of official sources, including in-game books, online articles and published material. Items of information can only be listed in the Lore Library if they expand our understanding of Elder Scrolls lore in a meaningful way.
Although there are over 8,500 in-game texts (including books, letters and notes) across the entire Elder Scrolls series, over half are excluded from the Lore Library because they offer virtually nothing but game-specific information. The Lore Library strives to only list literature or texts, commonly referred to as "lorebooks", that are lore-relevant. This means almost any in-game text can qualify as a lorebook provided it expands upon the lore.
Over 3,000 lorebooks have been organised below into specific categories, where the subject or theme of the lorebook always takes precedence over the medium or format that its presented in. It is understood that many books fall into more than one category. In order to organise the Lore Library in the most usable way, lorebooks are generally filed under the most pertinent and lore-relevant category.
- History & Events
- Legends, Tales & Myth
- Research, Investigation & Commentary
- Culture & Tradition
- Religion & Prophecy
- Daedric Princes, Cults & Daedra
- Politics & Law
- Biographies, Memoirs & Profiles
- Guilds, Groups & Organizations
- Provinces, Places & Realms
- Instruction, Guides & Professions
- Flora & Fauna
- Artifacts
- Fiction
- Personal Accounts & Experiences
- Thoughts, Musings & Opinions
- Songs & Ballads
- Poetry & Plays
- Humor & Riddles
- Plaques, Monuments & Inscriptions
- Journals & Diaries
- Notes & Letters
- Newspapers, Notices & Reports
- Records & Lists
- Esoteric Texts
- Crafting Motifs
Pages that contain archived texts, articles and interviews from various official websites; many of which are no longer available online.
- Loremaster's Archive
- Meet the Character
- Interactive Map of Tamriel
- Crown Store Showcase
- Website Archives
A collection of official material that came packaged with collector's editions of certain Elder Scrolls games or novels, strategy guides, tie-ins and other material that was sold separately from Elder Scrolls games.
Given its nature, unofficial lore (such as writings and interviews by former developers) are not considered part of the Lore Library. However, because some unofficial lore can be relevant in understanding parts of the Elder Scrolls universe, we host many of these texts and tentatively allow their citations in lore articles. For this reason links to certain unofficial lore pages have been included below.
History & EventsEdit
Legends, Tales & MythEdit
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Research, Investigation & CommentaryEdit
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Culture & TraditionEdit
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Religion & ProphecyEdit
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Daedric Princes, Cults & DaedraEdit
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Politics & LawEdit
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Biographies, Memoirs & ProfilesEdit
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Guilds, Groups & OrganizationsEdit
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Provinces, Places & RealmsEdit
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Instruction, Guides & ProfessionsEdit
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Flora & FaunaEdit
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ArtifactsEdit
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FictionEdit
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Personal Accounts & ExperiencesEdit
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Thoughts, Musings & OpinionsEdit
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Songs & BalladsEdit
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Poetry & PlaysEdit
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Humor & RiddlesEdit
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Plaques, Monuments & InscriptionsEdit
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Journals & DiariesEdit
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Notes & LettersEdit
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Newspapers, Notices & ReportsEdit
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Records & ListsEdit
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Esoteric TextsEdit
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Crafting MotifsEdit
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