Nord Cultures (Guide)

Disclaimer

Please note that this document along with a few others have been created with new players in mind. These documents are written by other players and are not cannon. There is a lot of lore for ESO and new players will be well served by summaries that allow them to orient what they learn in game to the larger picture. This is not a final say document and we recognize that those of you who are very familiar with the lore may disagree with individual points expressed here. We welcome those differences to be expressed in role-play, but are not looking to generate a lore battle that would be far over the heads of this documents intended audience.

.. while each of the Nord families, clans and regions have their own unique cultures with the Skyrim flavor, there are some general classifications we can identify to help players in choosing where they are from.

Eastern vs Western Skyrim

On the whole, there is no one or two specific articles of the many I've read that discern differences between eastern and western skyrim. Rather, the seats of power and their different beliefs (as referenced in the game and in lore) vary a lot.

Solitude was always intertwined with the Reman Empire of Cyrodiil and thus became a sprawling metropolis until the fall. The king Svart demanded a moot to decide who would be high king of Skyrim vs the more culturally ol fashioned nords of Windhelm who believed the crown of verity should decide. Solitude's noble class is thus much more similar to the nobility of the Imperials because of their close intermingled history.

Windhelm on the other hand is the oldest city in Skyrim. Established by Ysgramor, many of the nords from the region display a lot of cultural style that harkens back to the Ancient Atmorans. They did support the choice of the crown of verity vs convening a moot just because of their belief in old ways.

So it's not so much a huge distinction between east and west as a whole as it is those two cities that also happen to be the most populous and controlling in their respective regions. Windhelm and Solitude are the classic nords vs the modern nords respectively, and those styles will actually carry on all the way into TES V where Solitude sides with the empire and windhelm sides with the stormcloaks in their civil war. Progression vs Old ways. It's a theme. --Ulrich

Skaal

We are bound to this land, like a great pine with roots that run as deep as the tree is tall. - Frea, Skaal Shaman

The Skaal are an offshoot tribe of Nords living in a village in northeastern Solstheim. They are known as a trusting and hospitable people, welcoming strangers into their village without any suspicion. Their village is located to the east of the Isild River, along the Felsaad Coast just north of Lake Fjalding. The Skaal believe Solstheim was originally part of Skyrim, which was turned into an artificial island during a climatic battle between Dragon Cult loyalists and rebels, with the Skaal being descended from the loyalist faction. Multiple Dragon Cult ruins were uncovered during the Fourth Era, which included carvings that corroborated the oral history preserved by the Skaal. The scholar Tharstan came to the conclusion that the legend described in the Guardian and the Traitor was likely true with the additional archaeological evidence supporting it, and the Skaal formed a distinct culture overtime thanks to the isolation gained from the conflict.

• Skaal Overview

Atmorans

..There are no longer any true Atmorans in Tamriel, however, many players claim to trace some of their ancestry or family traditions back to the Atmoran age.

Atmorans (Atmoranir in their own tongue), also known as Bron (Dovahzul, meaning: "Northmen") or Kuldood (Dovahzul, meaning: "Sons-of-Snow") in the dragon tongue, are a race of humans who originated from the continent Atmora, located north of Skyrim across the Sea of Ghosts. They migrated to Skyrim in the Late Merethic Era, because of wars and dwindling resources in their homeland. In ME 320 they founded their most notable colony, the city of Saarthal. After the Return and the Atmoran-Falmer War, they became the dominant race of the province.

• Atamoran Overview