Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-72.74.78.185-20150114215109/@comment-80.216.192.17-20150115102345

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Mer

"Generally speaking, the mer believe themselves to be direct descendants of the Aedra, having been tricked by Lorkhaninto giving up their immortality to create the world. Their opinions on their mortality differs from race to race, but none consider it a "gift" in the way humans do. Rather, opinions range from lamenting the loss of their birthright, to enduring the suffering as a test of character."

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Altmer

"Although they do not revere him as a god (in fact, quite the opposite), the Altmer do acknowledge the divinity of Lorkhan, the patron god of man. Much of the early Altmer history involves conflicts between Trinimac and his elves, and Lorkhan and his humans. The Altmer cast Lorkhan as a treacherous, shifty character who tricked the Aedra into carrying out his plan for creation. As the elves believe themselves to be direct descendants from Auri-El, they blame Lorkhan for the loss of their divinity. This is the key difference between human and mer theology: humans consider themselves creations of the gods, not descendants of the gods. "

Look at that, no mention of Thalmor at all.