There was a discussion about Wispmothers and Falmer and Will o' the Wisp a while back and that got me thinking about the other mythic creatures.

My question is, what are Minotaurs and how do they fit lore? If it was a race, there would have to be female Minotaurs. Are they like Hagraven, where people turn into them? Is it a curse placed on some people, or is it when a bull bangs a woman?

What about Ogres? I assume they're pretty much just like goblins.

Imps? Just like goblins?

Unicorns? Just a magical breed of horses?

Centuars? Probably not actually a part of TES. Retconned out.

Harpy? Retconned out?

Lamia? Retconned out?

Medusa? Looks kinda Tsaescii but also probably retconned out.

Nymphs? They all seem to be female.

Minotaurs are the issue of Alessia and Mor Breath-of-Kyne.

Not sure how to google that.

Shoulda listened to uncle Pelly.

Some wandering bull chanced upon a certain hillock..

But why then, Brother Elk, are they such miserable sods?

Their balls are so huge that the testosterone drives them mad. I guess.

Ok. I googled it. Are they descended from the fluid swapping of Alessia and Morihaus? Was Belharza the second emperor a minotaur??

I thought it was something like that. You never disappoint, sir.

As for the others, I'm not qualified to even guess seriously, but I wonder if there isn't some agent and/or force of mutation (read: Chaos equivalent) in the Elder Scrolls setting that might have resulted in so many monsters. Have powerful Daedra meddled with lifeforms on a genetic level in the past? Did the Dwemer do so during their time on Tamriel?

I think Beth just added a bunch of lame [censored] to Arena and Daggerfall and are distancing the newer games from it. I heard The Elk is responsible for making the universe cool in Morrowind. Maybe he has CHIM and used to to de-lamify TES.

Hey!

Some of us are the proud result of the one time Pel forgot to keep Mor away from the whiskey! This assertion that all "true minotaurs" are the children of Alessia is just downright bigoted!

[/not intended as a serious comment on MK's Minotaur lore. Just a joke because of my username]

When I made this post, I thought of you.

TES was not lame during Daggerfall and Arena! Series pretty much just started then. It was just a tiny bit more genric. And MK does not need CHIM to be unique. He just needs that amazing mind of his.

In http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Brenus_Astis%27_Journal, it's mentioned minotaurs were once thought to be intelligent. I suspect that they were, long ago.

"Are you certain this is a good idea? This isn't like your usual fablerie, [Renard], the simple prestidigitatorial histories and loresmithing. You're speaking about proscription of plain fact, cat-gut and whale-bone-needle chimurgia of the living oikos of the Heartlands."

"I don't want to. I must. The risk that...they pose is too great. Something must be done. Believe me, I'd much rather keep the land the way she is. I do so love the rainforests: the tigers, the durians, etc. etc. Especially beautiful this time of year. "

"But a greater a risk than drought or famine, [Renard]? What of sericulture? Bombyces require very specific conditions. Have you considered that?"

"I have, 'Rin. We've nothing to lose there. A reduction in the number and size of Niben's magnaneries will make the Mothnastics easier to control. We'll also make a killing on the necessary tax hikes."

"Still though. It seems dreadfully invasive, and all for the sake of a few Minotaurs who only may wake to their lineage if they can be bothered to put aside the bottle for just a moment. You're certain we couldn't just, I don't know, invent another history? Perhaps our men in Alinor found documentation of a secret, treacherous alliance between the Thalmor and Duke Belharzulu. Then we could have them rounded up and purged to the cheers of the rabble."

"Trust me when I tell you it wouldn't work, not with anything approaching acceptable certainty. Their claim to sunder-seat is so strong, so pure, that nothing short of a full erratum to Mother Cyrod's aka-shic record will ensure that they cannot contest me. Like I said, 'Rin, I must."

"Fine, [Renard], I defer. Shall I fetch Choir-Eight now? They've been left waiting for over an hour."

"Yes, yes...Oh, and 'Rin, If I'm to be Imperator Actual, we would all do well to address me by my proper name."

"Why, of course, m'lord Tiber Septim."

Needs more head-puppets.

Not shown, I know, but throughout the whole exchange he was combing the hair, barbie-style, of his recently acquired head of what was previously the King of Alinor. Such pretty golden locks.

One of We, you are.

I love everything you write, Haute.

I'm assuming there are female Minotaurs. Nasty. And baby Minotaurs.

D'aww shucks, guys...


Minotaur-cows and Minotaur-calfs. Also, Minotaur-oxen. Poor bastards.

The centaur, aswell as appearing in Daggerfall, were briefly seen in A Dance in the Fire, if that makes it less likely for them to be retconned out to anyone. I also believe there was a book about harpies, although it may have been from Daggerfall. On ogres - Malacath favours them in Oblivion, I remember someone speculating on these forums that they could have been the human followers of Trinimac before his devourment into Malacath, take from that what you will. On Unicorns...maybe they are the opposite of Shadowmere (instead of being created in some dark shadowy pool they are created in a pool of....rainbows?)

Ogres also have a similar skin color to Goblins.

This. So this.

I'd really like to know the origins of Goblins, Ogres and the other semi-sapient beast races.