Vvardenfell. A Dwemer name. Something has fallen here, as the second part indicates, consistent with Hammerfell and Volenfell. A meteor, a part of Lorkhan, his heart... What does the first part stand for, Vvarden?

Why did the Dunmer keep that name when they hated the Dwemer so much?

Thoughts? Sources? Rants...

Well, if I'm not mistaken...the Dunmer called the entirety of their homeland Resdayn, not sure what their word for just Vvardenfell was so it's possible thats not it. The Empire gave the name Morrowind to the land so its possible they gave Vvardenfell that name as well. (it is the official territory name I know)

Benould,

Vvardenfell translates to City of the Strong Shield, according to TIL's Translation Dictionary. Vvarden is Strong Shield in Dwemeri, and Fell is City. Volenfell translates to City of the Hammer, Hammerfell is simply a partial translation of the dwemer name.

The PGE also indicates this. The question however is what "City of the Strong Shield" actually refers to. Is it refering to Red Mountain perhaps?


And why does this place still have a Dwemer name, when the countries name changed from Resdayn into Morrowind?

I wonder if translating "fell" with City isn't a over-simplification, an Anglo-fication, or if it has two meanings. Volenfell is where the hammer Volendrung landed after it was thrown. fell could mean settling, (landing) and settlement.

The shield part seems to indicate a fortress of some kind, certainly the citadels at Red Mountain are just that? Sorry, got to run, be back later.

The Ghostgate, perhaps?

The Ghostgate was built long after the disappearance of the Dwemer.

Possibly because Red Mountain is a http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/ShieldVolcano/description_shield_volcano.html? (ducking)

A Geology reference! Heresy!! Haha..JK....

If not the Ghostfence, then perhaps the ancient fortresses that surround the island? Berandas, Falasmaryon, etc, etc.....I'm pretty sure that they're quite old and would be used for defense

Those are Dunmer forts.

um.....yeah, yeah they are. Going somewhere with that or...?

Why would the Dwemer want to name "their country" Vvardenfell because there are Dunmer forts in it?

Well...there was a short time where they were allies though I'm sure it's name extended further back than even that.

My question then becomes why would the Dunmer keep the name even after the Dwemer vanished...I know its the official Imperial name for it, just like Morrowind > Resdayn...

It might have something to do with the fact that colonization of Vvardenfell was pretty slow, it took a while before any major cities existed there. I don't know, though.

Umm...mabyue cos' its shaped like a shield?

Umm... no, not the Dunmer fortresses; I meant the Dwemer Citadels at Red Mountain, Kagrenac's Study & Library and such, since taken over and renamed after Dagoth Ur's Ash-vampires.

If these fortresses are the Shield, they are shielding something, alright, Red Mountain, which according to some serves the same function as the Adamantine Tower and the Whitegold Tower. The volcano Red Mountain was previously named Vvardenfell, see PGE 1, and about any older map.

But why would the Dunmer keep the name Vvardenfell? The Tribunal had to go to Red Mountain annually to renew their bond with the Heart of Lorkhan. Maybe it's precisely because the three owed their powers and God-hood to Dwemer tools and studies, to harness the power of the heart, that they didn't dare change the name. I mean Almalexia had no trouble renaming Mournhold to her name. Maybe the Dwemer hate was reserved for the masses, propaganda, so-to-speak, Sotha Sil certainly was obsessed with everything Dwemer. Speculating here

If the Dunmer found the name apt, and it refers to Red Mountain, then they would keep it. They are obsessed by Red Mountain.

Obsessed in what way? I am not too knowledgeable about Velothi teachings, are you indicating that the Chimer moved east, drawn by Red Mountain? Or is it because the Battle of Red Mountain was their defining moment as a race/kingdom?

No, it's just... always there. It determines everything about their lives and the land. Simply a societal fascination.

Yeah, I can certainly see that, with the Ash Storms and such, the harsh conditions only the Dunmer can endure, PGE 1/Morrowind has that tone pretty strongly. They're proud of their dark skin and the fiery eyes that match the fire in Red Mountain.

The Skeleton Man Interview is probably the best source on Morrowind out there, and it covers this admirably.

Ahem...correct me if I'm wrong, but Vvardenfell (the island) didn't exist at all until after the War of the First Council, correct? Red Mountain blew its top and created the Inner Sea, leaving the island and the subterranean caldera that exists today. So wouldn't Vvardenfell have to be a new name?

Yeah, Vvardenfell the island was created by the eruption in 1E 668, but the Volcano itself was named Vvardenfell even before that.

"Vvardenfell - The vast Volcano of Tamriel, this giant mountain dominates the north of Morrowind. " PGE 1/Morrowind

I thought Red Mountain was the name of the volcano. :confused:

The volcano has been called Vvardenfell and Red Mountain, although Red Mountain is the more predominant modern name.

Back to what they're shielding:

""But when Trinimac and Auriel tried to destroy the Heart of Lorkhan it laughed at them. It said, "This Heart is the heart of the world, for one was made to satisfy the other." So Auriel fastened the thing to an arrow and let it fly long into the sea, where no aspect of the new world may ever find it." - http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Monomyth

and this is where it landed:

"Beneath Red Mountain, Dwemer miners discovered a great magical stone. By diverse methods, Lord Kagrenac, High Priest and Magecrafter of the ancient Dwemer, determined that this magical stone was the heart of the god Lorkhan, cast here in the Dawn Era as a punishment for his mischief in creating the mortal world. " -- http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Kagrenac%27s_Tools

Vvardenfell.



Edit: Monomyth quote