Even the upper body need not be http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj125/Gizmojunk/mermaid_dissection.jpg or elf; just sort of resemble it on the surface...
Nor does it have to act sentient ~it could be http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj125/Gizmojunk/FO58512_MERMAID.jpg and no dialog.
(and regardless of appearance ~it could look totally http://www.tristanschane.com/gallery/albums/Mermaid/mermaid06.jpg and still have the mentality of a moray :shrug:)

Not to be rude, but can you read the entire conversation before posting on it? I was already accused of this:


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I'd welcome anyone to start a poll if they truly care to see.


Again, this was already thrown in my face:

(double post)

If the topic creator would have given plausible reasons for why mermaids would make sense in Skyrim or even why exactly he wanted them, I wouldn't have been so blunt. Look at the OP:


He's pretty much announcing to the forum that he believes mermaids should be in the game just because he randomly decided he likes them not five minutes ago.
When people try to tell him it's not probable or possible, notice how he reacts to friendly criticism:


I don't think I was abrasive enough.

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Tell that to the people who don't know them.


All the more reason not to add mermaids. Besides, what about the Tsaesci? They're half SNAKE.


See, this is the part that ties in with the name.
Mer = Elf
If it's called a mermaid, it's got to be a race. If it's called something else, it's not a mermaid.


Edit: I posted twice because the settings do not allow for more than ten quotes at a time.

IM-AG-IN-A-TION of a sick and twisted fin lover. ^_^

Eehhh... I don't think so. The name Mermaid pre-dates the Elderscrolls, and it honestly doesn't matter if 'Mer' = Elf in TES (or anything else).

They could be called anything in the game (including Mermaid) and be nothing more than the deer are in the woods.

Um, I know that thanks. I'm saying if a creature were to be included in TES, it would have to abide by the laws of the series.

You don't see polar bears in Bloodmoon, you see snow bears. It's the same thing. So yes, it does matter.

That I don't disagree with... but what name means 'Fish-Lady'? (and also... there is the possibility that they are not a race, but just wildlife.)

Technically I believe the statue in Anvil is not a mermaid but a Selkie.


Selkies are legendary creatures from Irish, Scottish and Icelandic folklore. Generally they are imagined as seals that can transform into humans, usually beautiful women. It's thought that they transform by removing their seal skins and return to their seal form by putting the skin back on.

Selch means 'seal' in the dialect of Scotland's Orkney Islands.

The majority of tales about selkies are romantic tragedies about lonely fishermen stealing the seal skin of a selkie while they are in human form, forcing them to come home with them to become their wife. The couple then have children and in some versions these children have webbed hands or other abnormalities, all the while the selkie continues to search for her skin as she cannot return to the sea without it. Once found the woman will return to the sea leaving the man desolate. However in some cases the man is completely unaware of the womans true nature, that they are selkie.

Another legend says that if a lonely fisherman's wife drops seven tears into the sea a male selkie will appear and make love to her.

Seals are perfectly fine in cold waters, like those around Scotland. So if there were to be something like mermaids, it would probably be more like a selkie.

I guess that's true. :shrug:

/rant

I've got no foothold to argue against you here, you're free to decide on what you think is relevant to the series.

And their return means that their lore is on par with the series?

Morrowind actually. Betmer are the beast races. Mer means people or folk. They didn't have a word referring to humans that way.

A rose by any other name.

And you're talking about confusing the newbs to the series. It will make perfect sense to them if they read the lore.

So really it's this. There's no reason for not having them, you just don't want them. That's fine.

It really depends on what you define as mermaids. sixy blonde ladies with scales and sea-shell bras? That would be ridiculous. Some sort of humanoid sea creatures like http://kainoromiastales.webs.com/photos/Races/0728a_merman.jpg wouldn't be so bad I don't think.

Neckers > Mermaids
Kraken > All

If I remember correctly the elven races are called Mer because they originated from the sea. If this were true, and we consider evolution is real in Tamriel, then it is not a stretch to think that there would also be an intelligent "elven" race that did not come ashore and is still in the water. These would be the equivalent of mermaids and mermen, but in reality they would be another elven race. The introduction of a new concept like this would probably make lore fanatics upset, but it wouldn't bother me. You could explain it by saying that the Aqumer (yes that is aquatic Mer ) lived in the deep ocean for ages before deciding to investigate what ever happened to their crazy ancestors that came ashore.

Btw Mer means Sea in French

We have Lamias and weresharks (and obviously ordinary sharks), also krakens and slaughterfish
How much more creatures one need to make sea a dangerous place?
If you need peacefull populated underwater areas, than those can be inhabited by argonians (since they are amphibious)

Mermaids? NO! Check the lore.

They had Lamias in Daggerfall, they were like Mermaids....but Evil!

Mer means People, Folk, Ones, or Elves in the Aldmeri language. Examples: Aldmer (First Folk, Elder Folk), Altmer (High Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves), Chimer (Changed Folk, Changed Ones), Dunmer (Dark Elves), Dwemer/Dwarves (Deep Folk), Falmer (Snow Elves, Ice Elves), Maormer (Sea Elves, Tropical Elves), Orsimer/Orcs (Corrupted Elves, Pariah Folk)

If there would be mermaids, I want them to be the real, original mermaids who will drag you underwater and feast on your drowning, quivering body. Something that would scare the living hell out of you, not those BS sixy women mermaids waving on top of rocks. I read in a book once, how the mermaids would rock canoes untill people fell overboard, and ate them alive. I'd like to see that.

Redhead mermaids please!

What a stupid idea. WE ALL KNOW THAT MERMAIDS LIVE IN THE ATLANTIC, UNDER DA SEA. Skyrim is too cold :[

So sorry I don't live and breathe this forum day in and day out to have poured over 10 pages of stuff to notice.

What motivation would I have if this weren't the case? Yes, I don't want them. And yes, there are reasons why mermaids aren't appropriate.


Well you do have over eleven thousand posts...

Quick question. How is Skyrim's waters colder than the Atlantic? The Atlantic is pretty darn cold under the sea. The Pacific is really darn cold on top of the sea.

Everyone is so angry over mermaids. The nerd rage in this thread is palpable.