I have a feeling you don't.

Wait, let me guess, the Scandinavians? Wrong. Most of the art/culture comes from the Celts, not the Vikings/Norse/Scandinavians. Seems most people don't even know what they are talking about so I don't see how history applied anyways.. I like the helmets in the trailer.

I think this addresses the real issue here. It's not about realism or Vikings or anything like that, it's about practicality. Having horns on a helmet is impractical, and warriors will generally eschew such things.

On the other hand, there are a lot of things that are impractical in TES but are in the games because they look cool, and I'm fine with that. If I were really wearing armor and fighting, I would definitely not want horns on my helmet. In a fantasy game, though, where the idea is to have fun and maybe look cool* while doing it--well, I still probably wouldn't wear a horned helmet, but I have no problem with them being in the game.

_____
*By this, of course, I mean that my character looks cool in the game. I definitely do not look cool while playing TES games.

Horns on helmets == plate metal thong under"armor".

For almost all RPG's, it's never been about practicality, it's always been about looking good. TES is no different.

Actual armor would be as smooth as the maker could manage, so as to deflect blades, but that would be downright boring...

meh when i think of Nords I compare them more to the Cimmerians of Hyboria then vikings

this is a fantasy game so give me a wide and diverse collection of helmets. ill just be happy aslong as the helmets dont look stupid on my character.

I agree fully. This is fantasy, it's not supposed to be historically accurate, if I want historical accuracy, I'll read a history book. Now, that isn't to say you can't have realistic armor and weapons appear in a fantasy setting, of course, but designers shouldn't forget that they're making a fantasy game, not a historical reenactment. It seems that the obssession with realism in games gets a bit too strong at times, to the point that people sometimes forget that they're talking about a fantasy game. I'd like a large variety in helmets, myself, both ones you might expect to see in real life, and ones that are getting more into the realm of fantasy can exist in the same game.

Really, I think that Bethesda has the right idea with the armors I've seen so far, while perhaps not wholly realistic, they don't look completely implausible, just the right balance between fantasy and realism to not look boring but not look ridiculous either.

I just want Nords to have those facial tattoos again, that we saw in Morrowind.
Made them seem so much cooler and unique.

Tatoos have been confirmed. You can even see one in the trailer.

I read somewhere that nords were based on scandanavians(excuse spelling)

Nord

"The Nords inhabit the northern province of Skyrim.[19] They are strong and able warriors who are also highly resistant to frost. They are generally fair haired, pale, and blue eyed. Their origins can be traced all the way to the continent of Atmora.[37] Little is known of the geography and history of Atmora, as at the time of the migration from there, humanity did not possess a written language. What little is runic writing, as well as old Elvish records which are not open to Imperial scholars, but which are known to refer to the continent as 'Aldmora', meaning "Elder Wood". It is likely Atmora is a human corruption of this word. In a historical sense, the humans who live there are called "Nedes", as are those humans living in Tamriel before King Harald, thirteenth of the Ysgramor line, seceded from Atmoran rulership, after which they are historically annotated as Cyro-Nordics, to illustrate that the Cyrodiil people had not yet gone separate from the original trunk of human population.

When designing the Nordic people and culture, Bethesda Softworks took inspiration from a combination of real-world historical sources, including most prominently the Scandinavian kingdoms, northern (especially Baltic) Russia, and northern Scotland as seen with the Nord ability of woad, a substance used by Scandinavian and Celtic peoples." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Races_of_The_Elder_Scrolls#Nord

I sometimes research Norse Mythology and History, as well as the Mythos and History of Tamriel to form a concept of my Skyrim character. Although comparisons are interesting, for me, it is best to always remind myself that although there are similarities,
Earth is not Nirn.