Nord

"Tradition has it that the Nords came to Tamriel from the continent of Atmora in ancient days."

- Unknown, Pocket Guide to the Empire



Still re-writing history, will pull this message down when i have completed Wolfishtail (talk) 14:16, August 24, 2012 (UTC)

Nords are a race of humans from the province of Skyrim.

By game

 * Nord (Arena)
 * Nord (Daggerfall)
 * Nord (Morrowind)
 * Nord (Oblivion)
 * Nord (Skyrim)
 * Nord (Online)

Skyrim
For main article see Skyrim.

Skyrim is a vast region set in the northern part of Tamriel. It is the home of the Nords, large and hardy men and women who have a strong resistance to frost, both natural and magical. It is bordered by Morrowind to the east, Cyrodiil to the south, Hammerfell to the southwest, and High Rock to the west. The island of Solstheim lies to the northeast of Skyrim. Skyrim has nine holds governed by Jarls who swear fealty to the High King.

Biology
The Nords are a race of fair-haired humans that are the direct desendents of the Atmorans who hail from the frozen continent of Atmora, and Nedic peoples native to Tamriel. Nords are more muscular then most other races and normally have fairly pale skin. They have evolved a resistance to cold which is most likely come from the fact that they have lived in a very cold region of tamriel.

Methic era
The Nords first originated as the Nedes, on the northern continent known as Atmora. It is unknown if the climate of Atmora was ever temperate enough to sustain anything more than a small hunter-gatherer population, though there are some references to "distant green summers." What is known is that at some point in Nedic history, there was a great civil war. Ysgramor, a revered Nordic hero, gathered all who would follow him and sailed south. They eventually came ashore in Skyrim at a place now known as Hsaarik Head. As there was already an Elven population on the continent, the Nedic immigrants had dubbed it "Mereth". Contrary to popular belief, Ysgramor was not the first human to create a settlement of Tamriel; he and his colonists were simply the latest of a long line of immigrants from Atmora. There was in fact already an indigenous human population upon their arrival.

In the early days, mer and men lived in relative peace with one another. But racial tensions arose as the Snow Elves realized that the Nords would soon surpass their own numbers if left unchecked. The desision was made to halt the expansion of the human settlers, by any means necessary. This culminated in the Night of Tears, when a Snow Elf army fell upon the unsuspecting Nords in the human city of Saarthal and razed the settlement to the ground. The only remnants of the city seen today are the ancient tombs found slightly south of Winterhold. Only Ysgramor and two of his sons escaped the carnage and returned to Atmora. After his escape from Saarthal, Ysgramor vowed to avenge his people and returned to Skyrim, bringing with him the famous Five Hundred Companions, a name that was later adopted by a mercenary order in Whiterun. Upon their return to Tamriel, they slaughtered the Snow Elves living there and began a pogrom to completely eliminate the Snow Elf population.

Society and religion
The spiritual relationship between the Nords and breath, which is associated with the Sky Goddess Kyne, is also important. As Children of the Sky puts it:

''Nords consider themselves to be the children of the sky. They call Skyrim the Throat of the World, because it is where the sky exhaled on the land and formed them. They see themselves as eternal outsiders and invaders, and even when they conquer and rule another people; they feel no kinship with them. The breath and the voice are the vital essence of a Nord. When they defeat great enemies they take their tongues as trophies. These are woven into ropes and can hold speech like an enchantment. The power of a Nord can be articulated into a shout, like the kiai of an Akaviri swordsman. The strongest of their warriors are called "Tongues." When the Nords attack a city, they take no siege engines or cavalry; the Tongues form in a wedge in front of the gatehouse, and draw in breath. When the leader lets it out in a kiai, the doors are blown in, and the axemen rush into the city. Shouts can be used to sharpen blades or to strike enemies. A common effect is the shout that knocks an enemy back, or the power of command. A strong Nord can instill bravery in men with his battle-cry, or stop a charging warrior with a roar. The greatest of the Nords can call to specific people over hundreds of miles, and can move by casting a shout, appearing where it lands.''

The art of Thu'um as a weapon is now lost and forbidden. Apart from the students of the discredited School of Thu'um in the Imperial City, Tiber Septim was reputedly the last man to wield this power. However, the ancient Greybeards still sit atop the many steps leading to the peak of High Hrothgar, where the Nordic race was born.

Like all Tamrielic races (Dunmer excluded), the religion of Skyrim is focused on the Aedra and their old ally, Lorkhan. Kyne is notably more assertive and warlike than the nature-loving Kynareth. Although Mara is present in her role as a mother goddess, it was Kyne who is the mother of the Nords. She is also credited with sending her son Morihaus (and perhaps Pelinal) to the aid of the Cyro-Nordic slaves in their uprising. The chief of the pantheon of Skyrim is Lorkhan, known to them as Shor, and he merits the most mention. The Nords know Shor as the king of the gods, a champion of men in their struggles against the elves. He was treacherously slain by elven devils, yet continues to bestow favor on his people by aiding them with immortal champions such as Ysmir, another member of the Nordic pantheon. Today, Ysmir is the name by which Nords recognize the divinity of Talos.

Also of note is that fact that certain Daedra, such as Hermaeus Mora, can be found in the Nordic pantheon.

The isolated tribe known as the Skaal follow a different form of faith to their mainland brethren. Instead of regular religious worship they venerate nature. They believe that certain parts of nature, such as the winds, the trees and the sun, were given to them by the All-Maker. In this regard, wolves and bears are especially sacred to the small tribe. All aspects of nature must constantly be in harmony, for this is what gives the Skaal their shamanic powers. This magic was given to them by the All-Maker, a benevolent, unknowable creator deity. Further research into their oral traditions has led to the conclusion that the All-Maker is their version of Alduin. The Skaal also tell tales of the Adversary, the enemy of mankind, and his lieutenant, the Greedy Man. As other tales show, the Greedy Man is none other than another incarnation of Lorkhan in a Nordic pantheon, yet cast in this case as a demon. In view of this, the Adversary is none other than the Padomay/Sithis of the north, which gives birth to Lorkhan in elven tales. Indeed, in this regard the faith of the Skaal is nearly the reverse of the pantheon of Skyrim. Although not worshiping them, the Skaal are also aware of the existence of the Daedric Princes.

Trivia

 * Nord means North in Norwegian, German, French, Romanian, Swedish, Italian and Danish, while "Noord" has the same meaning in Dutch and Afrikaans.
 * Nords appear to be the Tamriel version of the real world Norse people that inhabit Northern Europe. The Nords of Tamriel are voiced with vaguely Scandinavian accents and much of their warrior-centric culture is based on the Old Norse cultures like the Vikings and the Saxons. Hrothgar, for example, is also the name of a legendary Danish king. And Sovngarde is very similar to the Viking Gods' home, Valhalla. Also, a lot of Nords have Scandinavian names. For example Sven, Bjorn, (in Norway/Sweden spelled Bjørn/Björn) Arngeir, Hilde, Hakon (One-Eye) (in Norway/Sweden spelled Håkon or Haakon/Håkan) and Frida are quite common Scandinavian names.