Let's see...

SKYRIM

Obvious, from elements 'sky' and 'rim', indicating mountainous country that "rims the sky". I feel it also contains the sense of "cradle of independent human civilization".

HIGH ROCK

Unknown, though perhaps it a reference to the mountainous terrain?

HAMMERFELL

Product of the Dwemeri exodus from Resdayn. The seditious Dwarven chief famously threw his hammer, Volendrung, and where it landed indicated their new homeland.

SUMMURSET ISLES

Unknown, though suspiciously similar to the English 'Somerset', which originally meant "summer settlement". Perhaps a reference to The Dawn?

VALENWOOD

Unknown, though the 'wood' element obviously refers to the the provinces' famously Silvan landscape.

ELSWEYR

From a Khajiiti proverb "The perfect society is found elsewhere".

BLACK MARSH

Exonym referring to it's dangerous and near-impenetrable terrain. Origin of its alternate name, Argonia, is unknown to me however.

MORROWIND

Unknown, though the elements 'morro' and 'wind' provide clues. Morro could be temporal, as in 'next day', or geologic - referring to a rocky outcrop in the shallow waters of a harbor. Wind is most likely a meteorological reference.

CYRODIIL

Unknown, though there are references to an older/truncated form, 'Cyrod', whose origin is likewise unknown. The Odiil family living near Chorrol suggests Colovian origin.

Summerset probably comes from it being a tropical island. Summer weather lasts longer there, so it can be said to "end" or "set" there

Morrowind could come from their tendency to make stuff out of bones, 'cause, y'know, bones contain morrow.

That's all for know.

I'm sure you're thinking of marrow.

It's a safe bet that High Rock is all about the rocky terrain.

High Rock is a reference to the psychedelic rocks. Or whence mortal life descended. I don't know.

On Morrowind, I like the idea of "Morrowind" being anologous to "tomorrow's wind", or "on the winds of tomorrow" as a sort of signifier of a new age for the region. It would no longer be Resdayn.

And a few side notes:

"Hammerfell" is a bit more of a corruption than you depict. It was originally named "Volenfel" or "Hammer City" It was later partially translated into "Hammerfell", translating "Volen" correctly but corrupting "city" or "fel" into "fell". We don't know how old the legend is, but it probably perpetuated (or even originated with) this mistake.

There was another story for Elsweyr's name, coming from a Khajiiti word, but I can't remember what that was...

Interestingly, Daggerfall shares the same "legend" as Hammerfell, as far as false appropriations go (PGE_1? I don't recall). Though, now I suddenly remember the old viking stories of claiming land by how far you toss an axe. High Rock was a mix of everything in its earlier incarnations.

Sentinel was were the Forebears first landed, iirc, the warrior-caste of the ancient Redguards. Excellent location and quite the name. Kept an eye on the bretons to the north, and overlooked Hammerfell's expansion to the south.

I love how there's a city Dune in Elsweyr. Even if it's barely a meaningful reference, I have to finish the rest of the series, even the non Frank-Herbert ones. The sugar must flow.


omg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML1OZCHixR0#t=2m50s!

Convention as it happened. When the moon split, the cataclysm was so great, protomen the world over began to mark their days by it. They grunted stories, "I was there," or snorted "Haw, this is how it truly was!" The loudest were the most correct... the most correct were brutal. How else would their version last? Then came the awful fighting.

High Rock, the Foundation Stone.

Cyrodiil is named for Reman Cyrodiil, is it not?

The region was named Cyrod long before his coming.

Cyrodiil, a very old and now antiquated demonym, superseded by "Imperial" and "Cyrodilic." The Light of Man was born of the earth, literally the son of the Cyrod, making him more of a Cyrodiil than any, so he took it as the name fo his house.

Reman was the King of the Two Cyrodiils, the two lands of Cyrod, Niben and Colovia. Over time, words shifted. Cyrod is an older word of unclear meaning.

You know, didn't one of the books from KotN say something about someone shouting Reman's name long before Reman was born? And wasn't Whitestrake basically a time-travelling robot? Could Cyrodiil's naming be the result of a stable time loop? Reman is named after Cyrodiil which is named after Reman?

Pelinal is mentioned as screaming praise to Reman, "a name that no one knew yet."

Reman also means "Light of man".

While we're at it, why add in city and sub-regional names, eh?

Vvardenfell?

Colovia?

Nibenay?

Illiac bay?

Mournhold?

Alinor?

Morrowind always evoked the twilight for me, which is apt, given its patron.

Mournhold was built upon the ruins of other cities, including not a few ungrateful dead. So, a Hold of Mourning?

[edit] Colovia must be named after the hats. No, not the other way around.

Home of Vivec & Arden-Sul?

No clue.

Named after the river

Corruption of Lilac bay?

Isu's idea?

No clue in-universe, but I figure it's probably another alien pun, like with the Ayleids.

Vvardenfell is actually Dwemer for "City of the Strong Shield."

Nibenay is named after the river Niben, which is in turn named after http://imperial-library.info/content/oblivion-father-niben. That same book mentions a pilot named "Illio," after who the Illiac Bay could have been named.

Nah. The fur helmets don't actually come from Colovia, they're just called that in Morrowind. Like how French fries aren't really French, or Russian dressing isn't Russian.

Lies! *pulls his Freedom Fur Helm tighter*


This is undoubtedly pure and baseless conjecture, but Vvardenfell might also be mistakenly written as "Wardenfell" (get it? double-V is, in some languages, the way to pronounce "W", and at least superficially similar to look at), and Vivec sort of serves as the "Warden" of Red Mountain... but I don't recall any account of him really "falling", so, like I said, baseless conjecture.

And in some languages, LL is pronounced with a Y-sound. Warden-fey. The mad protector? The fairy guardian? Sounds pretty damn Viveckish to me
lolconjecture

The Poems of Topal suddenly remind me of the old New World Explorers. Erikson and the like. "Three boats" that veered off for nowhere? Totally Columbus.

Yokuda -- "Only the redguards know what it means"?

Did Resdayn (pre-Morrowind) have a meaning?

Resdayn, I think, wasn't called Resdayn until the Dwemer and Chimer sat down and held hands together, so maybe that has something to do with any kind of meaning it might have. Apparently it was Dunmereth before that, but I've only found one source that says so (Velothi seems to be what's used before Resdayn, more often).

Why would the Redguards keep the Dwarven name? Dwarves weren't even around by the time Redguards landed, just Orcs who were deemed sword fodder and couldn't be responsible for naming conventions.

The weight of convention from all the neighbouring Provinces that remembered when Dwarves populated Volenfel?

I mean, by the same line of thought, why would the Redguard keep the name Redguard?
The locals misunderstood the name of the vanguard Ra Gada warrior caste, who secured the desolate province for the Yokudan refugees.

Don't let the Redguard fool you. They did not simply come ashore, swords flashing, and conquer all of Hammerfell and completely sweep the natives aside. It was a gradual process. Most likely, the first waves of Ra Gada were probably offered hospitality by the natives---Nedes, Orcs, Bretons, Centaurs---when they arrived soaked and sea-legged on the tropical shores of Hammerfell. They were then probably leased some mediocre land on which they could grow crops and raise families. This would prove to be an okay arrangement, but for one thing: the Ra Gada kept coming. Very soon they outgrew the land given to them, becoming a point of contention between the Ra Gada and the natives. Maybe the warfare that would lead to Hammerfell's eventual conquest started when some troublesome Ra Gada youth stole some local cattle. Maybe a local ruler saw that his own people would soon be out numbered, and thought it best to strike the Ra Gada preemptively and chase them from the land. We can't be sure. But we can be certain that the early Redguard mingled aplenty with the locals, and undoubtedly received the name from them.