This question came after reading the other thread on Dunmer Ancestor Worship. I've read that the Dunmer worship the Daedra as their stronger ancestors, and I know that most other elvish races view the Aedra as their stronger ancestors. I understand why the Aedra would be viewed as ancestors with how they reproduced to survive in some of the myths but how is it that the Dunmer see the Daedra as ancestors?

They were either enlightened or corrupted by the teachings of the prophet Veloth, who served Mephala, Azura and Boethia.

You have to remember that in Tamriel, belief and actions can actually alter one's history and physical being. Perhaps due to the force of their worship the Dunmer really ARE descended from Daedra, at least philosophically, for when they began these ways they ceased to be Aldmer.

As Hairdo already mentioned, the Dunmer's supposed foundations were laid by the three "Good" Daedra, if you can even apply that definition to the likes of Azura, Mephala, and Boethiah. These Daedric Princes, as the stories go, helped the Dunmer's ancestors establish an identity in Morrowind as they struggled to survive. They aren't necessarily from the Daedra themselves, but they owe their existence to these three and so they consider them their "ancestors". This is why ALMSIVI validated themselves by claiming one of the three mentioned as their anticipation.

This thread seems to be on a slow turn, but...

Putting aside the it's-all-in-your-perspective part of the hard definitions of whether Aedra are ancestors and Deadra are not.

Didn't anyone see Elves claming Aedra as their ancestors arrogant? (And then the Dunmer have to be different and claim Deadra as ancestors, but it amounts to the same thing. "We're better than the other races.")

All creatures are created by God (or Gods in this case; there were originally two, but I digress). Aedra and Deadra can be considered mini Gods (or angels or demons, you choose); hence, they played a role in creation.

I won't disagree that the Dunmer were altered by the Daedra Azura, but that's a different matter (IMO). It's more like...

Did you create me or did I spawn from you? Elves choose to believe the latter.

The Daedra seem to like taking mortal worshippers from the Aedra. And they're more than capable of trickery and deception to achieve those ends. It helps that they're not bound by the Earth Bones.