User blog:Zippertrain85/Real life comparisons to Elder Scrolls races (Elven edition)

Yep, it's finally here. The real life comparisons blogs you've all been waiting for. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, a couple days ago I made a blog comparing the human races in the Elder Scrolls games to real life cultures. So for this blog I'm going to do the same thing except with Elves. Keep this in mind though, my comparisons may not be spot on accurate in every way, it will also be harder to pin-point a specific culture that an Elven races is based on since... well... they're elves. Let's begin!

Altmer/High Elves: The Altmer have always been the most lore friendly elves in the Elder Scrolls universe. Using magic, being taller than humans, etc. They're a little to hard to compare to one culture on Earth, but I think I found one. Chinese. Think about it, they an extremely old culture, they have more slanted eyes, and have yellower skin, etc. Also, the chinese did a lot of things that could be considered "magic" by westerners in the Renaissance. The Chinese, similar to the Altmer, are considered by some to be undemocratic or even downright "evil", but by others are considered very cultured and civilized. The Summerset Isles isn't exactly like China. Since China is a landmass, and the Summerset Isles are as their name implies, islands. But a lot of big cities in China such as Beijing or Shanghai are surrounded by rivers, which in a sense could mimic the feel of being on an island.

Dunmer/Dark Elves: Just like the Altmer, Dunmer are another race that isn't that instantly similar to a specific culture. But I have found one, and it is Japanese. Just so we're clear, in my opinion it seems like the Elves are the asians of Tamriel, so that's why I keep comparing them to asian cultures. The Dunmer kind of look like Japanese, more in their hair then their skin. Because Dunmer seem to usually have jet black hair (or sometimes red) that's sometimes in Japanese like ponytails. The Dunmer also are said to have one of the strongest armies in Tamriel, the Japanese had one of the strongest armies in Asia. Also the Chinese and the Japense (speaking in a general sense of course) don't really get along to well, neither do the Altmer and Dunmer. Also, the reason why Dunmer might be more combat oriented than the Altmer is because Japanese were known to be Samurais. I know this isn't completely accurate, but I'm trying people. The only part of Morrowind that I really consider the to be like Japan is Vvardenfall, mostly just for being an island XD. But Morrowind does have a lot of volcanos, Japan does as well, so they do have atleast one thing in common.

Bosmer/Wood Elves: This might be an odd choice, but I think Bosmer have a lot of similarities with the Hindu-Indians. They're have a deep connection with nature, they're known for being very friendly, have traditions that many would consider "werid" etc. But they eat only meat, and the Hindu's are known for not eating steak and have a lot of bread and vegtables in their diet, that could just be some classic irony. The Bosmer are also divied into two kingdoms (don't remember their names), India was divied into numerous kingdoms before it became part of the British Empire. The Hindus also co-existed a long time peacefully with their neighbours the chinese, or in the Bosmer's case Altmer. India is kind of like Valenwood, not exactly a pure tropical rainforest, but not completely a temprete one either.

Orsimer/Orcs: The Orcs I felt were the easiest to find a real life connection to. In my opinion, they seem to heavily resemble the Mongols. A race of warriors, who really didn't have a homeland. But unlike the Mongols the Orcs never had a large Empire, and didn't attack the Summerset Isles. But they are still known for being really strong fighters. Orc Strongholds definitely have asian likes desigins, the roof, courtyard, etc. Orsinum I can definitely see being like Mongolia, a small peice of land, that doesn't have many inhabitence, and has a tough climate to live in.

I know not all of these comparisons were spot on, but honestly I really didn't know what other cultures they resembled. Stick around for after this for the Beast edition after this, the end of the real life comparisions trilogy.