What Are the Elder Scrolls? : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Thu May 03, 2012 1:53 pm

Hi.

I have a question. The elder scrolls. What ARE they? Who wrote them? Why? The in-game characters that tried to explain them to me made me terribly confused.

They somehow dosent exist, but clearly they do. And what's this about existing outside time? Explain for me will ya? As if i was a child, preferably.

» Thu May 03, 2012 3:16 pm

As per request...

Dey are da biggest most importantest parts of da elder scrollz. Dey are Aedrik professies of unown orijin and are arkives of historik and fewchur events.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Elder_Scrolls.

» Thu May 03, 2012 8:03 am

As per request...

Dey are da biggest most importantest parts of da elder scrollz. Dey are Aedrik professies of unown orijin and are arkives of historik and fewchur events.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Elder_Scrolls.

Aha. Aedric eh? Makes sense. They did create Mundus, after all. Can it be that the scrolls are impossible to understand for mortals?

» Thu May 03, 2012 2:17 pm

The notebook scribblings of the Godhead.

» Thu May 03, 2012 2:46 pm

Aha. Aedric eh? Makes sense. They did create Mundus, after all. Can it be that the scrolls are impossible to understand for mortals?

To call them Aedric is a misnomer. It is a, to quote Lost Histories of Tamriel, "highly inappropriate appellation."

» Thu May 03, 2012 7:56 pm

Aha. Aedric eh? Makes sense. They did create Mundus, after all. Can it be that the scrolls are impossible to understand for mortals?

The Blind Moth Priests can understand them, but it takes months of mediation per scroll to do so.

» Thu May 03, 2012 3:48 pm

Aka-shic records.

» Thu May 03, 2012 10:05 pm

The Blind Moth Priests can understand them, but it takes months of mediation per scroll to do so.

No,no i mean understanding there nature, not the contents.

» Thu May 03, 2012 5:32 pm

Aka-shic records.

Whats that?

» Thu May 03, 2012 8:31 am

Whats that?

It's a pun on "Akashic records" (google it) with the Aka separated to create a reference to the Time Dragon.

» Thu May 03, 2012 8:45 pm

Borge's Library of Babel.

(Thanks, love!)

[edit] UESP is not quite right: the Scrolls aren't Aedric. We don't quite know what they are, though they are said to predate the gods, iirc. Check out the books in http://imperial-library.info/category/tags/elder-scroll for more information.

» Thu May 03, 2012 10:18 pm

I think that their nature is mysterious to all even within Tamriel. Plainly they have uses and occupy a physical space, but they also do not really exist. Only they do. It is a mind screw and it's meant to be. Maybe someday new understanding will dawn, but as it is, we know that they can shift around reality, are variable in number, and while primarily used for prophecy and infallible historical recording in the days of the 3rd and 4th eras, they can be used for other things, like ripping time a new orifice and cramming an angry dragon-god in it.

» Thu May 03, 2012 10:30 am

Borge's Library of Babel.

(Thanks, love!)

Nah, that's Apocrypha. The Scrolls belong to Ts'ui Pên.

» Thu May 03, 2012 8:41 pm

An Elder Scroll is a magical parchment created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds Mundus together.

Erm. No...wait....

» Thu May 03, 2012 8:47 am

So i take it they are a mystery to everyone - with the exception of the gods - in Tamriel? In other words, they cant be explained? :confused:

Dammit, now ill never know

» Thu May 03, 2012 8:54 pm

A lot of things to do with TES lore cannot be explained; only inferred.

» Thu May 03, 2012 1:19 pm

The notebook scribblings of the Godhead.

Metaphysical feces smeared on the wall of the cosmic padded cell?

» Thu May 03, 2012 9:33 pm

So i take it they are a mystery to everyone - ~~with the exception of the gods~~ Including the gods, I think. - in Tamriel? In other words, they cant be explained? :confused:

Dammit, now ill never know

There is no indication that the gods even understand them. Remember that the gods are themselves Mundus to some degree. It's not certain, viewed from that perspective, that they can even directly percieve them. I envision the gods looking at Elder Scrolls as we realityland humans look at black holes; we can only see their effects, not the things themselves.

» Thu May 03, 2012 10:45 am

There is no indication that the gods even understand them. Remember that the gods are themselves Mundus to some degree. It's not certain, viewed from that perspective, that they can even directly percieve them. I envision the gods looking at Elder Scrolls as we realityland humans look at black holes; we can only see their effects, not the things themselves.

Could make a good expansion, or even the story of the next TES. Reveal the nature of the elder scrolls

» Thu May 03, 2012 11:14 am

Could make a good expansion, or even the story of the next TES. Reveal the nature of the elder scrolls :smile:

You're in luck. The dev[a]s nowadays seem to feel compelled to cram the actual scrolls into gameplay, presumably due to the settlement terms of vicious class action against Beth, the plaintiffs being ancient-scroll-enthusiasts who purchased Morrowind, Daggerfall, Arena, etc. with the expectation of actual ancient-scroll-based gameplay, only to be sorely disappointed by some crummy open-world RPG.

» Thu May 03, 2012 7:38 am

I've always assumed that the elder scrolls were a sort of scrying tool in the series, but after reading up on the quest "Ultimate Heist" in Oblivion on the UESP wiki (I've yet to have a PS3 or a powerful enough PC) I've wondered, was the elder scroll used to change the past or the future?

» Thu May 03, 2012 9:59 am

I've always assumed that the elder scrolls were a sort of scrying tool in the series, but after reading up on the quest "Ultimate Heist" in Oblivion on the UESP wiki (I've yet to have a PS3 or a powerful enough PC) I've wondered, was the elder scroll used to change the past or the future?

No, it was used to break Nocturnal's curse. Nocturnal's curse removed the name of the Grey Cowl wearer from history. The Elder Scrolls, being immune to the powers of the gods and incorruptible, were not affected. by reading Dareloth's name from the scroll, Nocturnal's curse is broken, and any weird stuff that followed was entirely the result of things going back to the way they should be without the curse.

» Thu May 03, 2012 6:20 pm

No, it was used to break Nocturnal's curse. Nocturnal's curse removed the name of the Grey Cowl wearer from history. The Elder Scrolls, being immune to the powers of the gods and incorruptible, were not affected. by reading Dareloth's name from the scroll, Nocturnal's curse is broken, and any weird stuff that followed was entirely the result of things going back to the way they should be without the curse.

Someone get me an Elder Scroll! I'm making the dunmer back into chimer. :drag:

» Thu May 03, 2012 12:46 pm

Someone get me an Elder Scroll! I'm making the dunmer back into chimer. :drag:

And the Orsimer back to Orcs?

» Thu May 03, 2012 4:07 pm

Someone get me an Elder Scroll! I'm making the dunmer back into chimer. :drag:

You want to turn the angsty, ashen-skinned reactionary-elves back into angsty reactionary-elves otherwise virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the Altmer? I think Azura did them a favor.