Who Are The Thalmor In TES?

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In the expansive world of The Elder Scrolls, many factions exist, all seeking to accomplish their missions—some more brutally than others. Possibly the most hated faction among Elder Scrolls fans is the Thalmor. This aggressive elven extremist group embodies god-level hubris and hatred, using underhanded methods to achieve its ends.

The Thalmor are based in Alinor in the Summerset Isles and have served throughout all three iterations of the Aldmeri Dominion. However, aside from dominating Tamriel and enacting revenge against the Cyrodilic Empire, there could be a nefarious hidden motive for their actions. As such, here is a history of the Thalmor, including its origins, actions, and goals.

Foundation And Origin

Before diving deep into how the Thalmor came to be, it’s crucial to learn the basis for their extreme self-importance.

According to the creation myth, some of the et’Ada (or Aedra), who were deceived by Lorkhan to create Mundus, were forced to procreate with one another to survive. But with each successive generation, their power gradually waned, and these descendants are known as the Ehlnofey (or Earth Bones).

Eventually, the Ehlnofey splintered among themselves, with the Old Ehlnofey staying in Aldmeris, while the Wandering Ehlnofey scattered across Tamriel. The Old Ehlnofey are the ancestors of all Mer, while the Wandering Ehlnofey became the ancestors of Men. From the Old Ehlnofey came the Aldmer, the progenitor race from which all Mer descended.

Since the Aldmer retained their ancient knowledge and connection to Aldmeris, the Mer possessed longer life spans than the descendants of the Wandering Ehlnofey. But among all the elven races that came to be, the Altmer (or High Elves) are considered the direct, unaltered descendants of the Aldmer, and are not too dissimilar in appearance to the original Aldmer.

As a result of considering themselves the direct descendants of the Aedra, the Altmer deem themselves superior to Men and even other elven races. The Altmer — the Thalmor, especially — hold a level of animosity towards the race of Men for being the followers of Lorkhan, the traitor god (also known as the god of mortal races) who they consider responsible for causing the Altmer to lose their immortality.

The First And Second Aldmeri Dominion

The Thalmor’s origins can be traced to the Second Era, when the First Aldmeri Dominion was created by Queen Ayrenn during the Interregnum. Queen Ayrenn intended to safeguard Altmer territory, culture, and interests from that of Men and desired to bring all of Tamriel under Mer rule. She allied Summerset with Valenwood and Elsweyr, home of the Bosmer (or Wood Elves) and the Khajiit respectively.

She believed that only the descendants of the Aldmer could bring true, lasting peace and prosperity to all of Tamriel, due to the wisdom and experience attained through their extensive lifespans. During this time, the Thalmor were the bureaucratic and administrative arm of the Dominion and became the kingdom’s police force. The Thalmor also had an Inner Council which served as advisors to Queen Ayrenn.

A Second Aldmeri Dominion was established nearly three centuries after the first one, and in this case, the Thalmor became the governing power in Valenwood, home of the Wood Elves. It was during this time that the Aldmeri Dominion was under threat, with Tiber Septim’s conquering of Tamriel marking a momentary decline and dissipation of the Thalmor throughout the Third Era.

Naturally, the surrender of the Altmer to Tiber Septim’s forces and rule impacted the Altmer negatively, and their pride was wounded. Their capitulation to the Septim dynasty fanned their hatred and shame, ultimately bolstering the Thalmor’s resurgence during the Fourth Era.

The Thalmor In The Fourth Era

The Fourth Era saw the return of the Thalmor and proved the highest point for the organisation. The Oblivion Crisis had dealt further damage to Summerset and the Altmer’s morale, which saw the destruction of the Crystal Tower and the deaths of many Altmer. The Thalmor began to gain massive support in the aftermath as they took advantage of the situation. They even gave Summerset a new name: Alinor.

The Thalmor became so powerful that they managed to overthrow the monarchy and install themselves as the ruling government. They not only managed to completely take over Valenwood (thus kickstarting the Third Aldmeri Dominion), but were even able to nudge the Argonians to rebel against the Cyrodilic Empire, starting what’s known as the Accession War.

Being at the height of their power, the Thalmor were ruthless in vanquishing those who opposed their rule, even among their own people. Some of the Altmer did not agree with the Thalmor’s beliefs and goals, and those who weren’t killed successfully fled to places like Hammerfell. But even then, the Thalmor would not let things lie, following them to Hammerfell and enacting a mass slaughter of Altmer refugees at the beginning of the Fourth Era known as the Night of the Green Fire.

The Thalmor don’t hold back on enacting ethnic cleansing of their population, persecuting other races and killing those they deem ‘unclean’ and ‘unworthy’. However, it’s likely these are just excuses they used to murder their political opponents.

The Great War

By the Fourth Era, the Cyrodilic Empire had weakened drastically, and since Mer lived long lives, there must have been those among the Altmer who remember Tiber Septim’s subjugation of the Summerset Isles. The Thalmor were incensed at the deification of Tiber Septim into Talos and the notion that Men could ascend to godhood.

It was during the reign of Emperor Titus Mede II when the Thalmor sent a representative and made a list of demands to the Cyrodilic Empire, all while bearing a cart full of the heads of every Blades agent stationed in the Aldmeri Dominion. Titus Mede II refused and the Great War began.

The Aldmeri Dominion achieved significant progress in their struggle against the Cyrodilic Empire following Tiber Septim’s conquest, reaching a point where they successfully seized control of the Imperial City. However, the war eventually reached a standstill as the Empire launched a fierce counterattack, trapping and destroying the Aldmeri army to bring the conflict to an end.

The Great War officially ended with the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, which essentially bullied the Empire into acceding to the same list of demands that the Thalmor had presented to the Emperor. As a result of this, Skyrim erupts into civil war between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials, which we get a front-row seat to as the Last Dragonborn.

The Thalmor And The Towers Theory

A popular, yet unconfirmed theory — known as the Towers theory — states that the Thalmor’s goal goes beyond the domination of Tamriel. There are about eight known towers in Nirn, and this includes the Adamantine Tower on High Rock, the Red Tower (or Red Mountain) in Vvardenfell, the Crystal Tower in Summerset, and the White-Gold Tower in Cyrodiil. Of these towers, it is claimed, the Adamantine Tower and the Red Tower were built by the Aedra.

As mentioned before, the Altmer hated Lorkhan for his actions in sundering them from immortality. According to the theory, these towers are what maintain and preserve the stability of Mundus and that the Thalmor aim to destroy these towers and, in essence, destroy Mundus. In the Thalmor’s mind, the destruction of Mundus would allow the Altmer to return to divinity.

Thus far in the games, several towers have been destroyed or deactivated. For example, the Red Tower was destroyed when it erupted, the Crystal Tower was destroyed during the Oblivion Crisis, and the Dwemer’s Numidium was obliterated in the Daggerfall instalment. This does lend credence to the theory, but it remains unconfirmed and, hopefully, will be answered in Elder Scrolls VI.

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2025-03-18 03:18