Board Thread:Online Discussion/@comment-180.95.18.10-20130528000937/@comment-10207438-20130605220518

PsijicThief wrote: Slim, the question isn't why two elves of the same specific race look different in some of the more basic appearances. It's more about why an entire race has changed so many time in the course of the series. I agree it hasn't been long enough for the races to change looks so often, and the obvious real-world answer is technology and the choices of the devs and artists doing the renderring. However, I think the OP here is seeking a lore-based answer, and while there isn't one in hard cannon to speak of, we've certainly come up with some suggestions. Obviously I like mine better, but I think I'm 'da shizz' as it were, lol. I understand that, but if you want an in-game world answer it could just be that the reason they look different is because that they have a wide range of visual features that they can have.

Or maybe like how khajiit can look extremely different depending on the moons, maybe they just look different because of the way they were exposed to magic while in the womb, or even while growing up.