Though the first four Elder Scrolls games all took place within the same 40-year time-span, Skyrim was set 200 years after the end of the Oblivion Crisis and the fall of the Septim Dynasty. This two-century time jump saw some of the series’ biggest changes come to Tamriel, particularly the rise of the Aldmeri Dominion to fill the power vacuum left behind by Cyrodiil’s waning Empire.
With the balance of power on Tamriel likely to shift even further from the status quo in The Elder Scrolls 6, fans might be forgiven for thinking the High Elves are the continent’s biggest threat. It’s their neighbors, the Wood Elves of Valenwood, who have the potential to be the most terrifying presence on Tamriel if the next game puts their lore under the spotlight.
There are a few different accounts of the development of Valenwood’s Bosmer or “Wood Elves.” In some sources it’s suggested that they split off from their cousins in the Summerset Isles in search of a more peaceful life in harmony with nature. In others, the Aldmer – the common elven ancestor – left some of their own kind in Valenwood in ancient times to ensure that they would have a tie to the land if they ever needed to settle Tamriel.
According to the Bosmer’s own creation myth from the in-game book “Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi,” the race arrived in Valenwood as Ehlnofey, the descendants of the Aedra who were able to take any form they wanted. They gained the favor of the forest god Y’ffre and entered into something known as the “Green Pact,” becoming religious carnivores and cannibals, refusing to ever eat or harm a plant.
When Y’ffre became the first Ehlnofey to die, he used his final energy to create the “Earthbone,” natural laws which stopped things changing their shapes. This solidified their forms of the Bosmer, making them distinct from the Khajiit whose forms became attached to the different lunar cycles.
However, having witnessed the death of Y’ffre and the creation of the Earthbone directly, some Bosmer Shamans were still able to untether themselves from the forms Y’ffre had determined. This ritual became known as the Wild Hunt, and would transform any Bosmer who underwent it into “a flood of horrific beasts, tentacled toads, insects of armor and spine, gelatinous serpents, [and] vaporous beings with the face of gods.” The Wild Hunt destroys everything in its path, eventually including itself. As such, the ritual is only performed at times of war, as a last resort, or at the end of eras. According to some Bosmer, it is the origin of all Tamriel’s monsters.
With the Wild Hunt up their sleeves and no way to control it once it starts, the Bosmer could be among the Aldmeri Dominion’s most terrifying weapons if deployed in The Elder Scrolls 6. The Wood Elves have the potential to be a hugely destructive, self-sustaining cannibalistic army, though once unleashed the Dominion could find it has bitten off far more than it can chew. If nothing else, the darker lore of the Wood Elves should come to the forefront of their portrayal in The Elder Scrolls 6, helping to give them and their reception a more unique feel wherever they are in the world.
The Bosmer also have the potential to be the Dominion’s downfall. It’s clear that not all Wood Elves appreciate being brought under Altmer rule. The Dominion is stated to have purged parts of Valenwood, and the Bosmer who helps the Dragonborn in the Thalmor Embassy for Skyrim’s main quest states that he’s doing so because the Thalmor wiped out his family.
Wild Hunts can strike with deadly efficiency despite their chaos. When the High King of Skyrim travelled to Cyrodiil in the First Era to convince the Imperials to join him in a war against the Wood Elves, he was killed by a Wild Hunt on the journey. It’s possible that individual Bosmer who have been wronged by the Dominion could go through the ritual, creating monsters which could do untold damage.
While all this lore can be found in in-game books like “A Dance in Fire,” it’s rarely focused upon in the main Elder Scrolls games. In contrast, the lore of the Dunmer and the Altmer has played a more prominent role between Morrowind, the Aldmeri Dominion, and Skyrim’s Dragonborn DLC, helping give those races a more distinct feel and place in the world.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is Bethesda’s chance to really bring out the fear that the people of Tamriel might have of the Bosmer. The humans and beastfolk of Tamriel should rightly fear that the Wood Elves’ chaotic powers could bring untold destruction if used by the Dominion, while the Dominion could find Valenwood to be its most difficult province to manage.
Skyrim made moves to bring out the Bosmer’s creepier side, giving all its elves a more alien look that complemented the fear and distrust that factored into Skyrim’s Civil War. Now, however, The Elder Scrolls 6 needs to give the Bosmer the focus they deserve, bringing out their less savory side.
If The Elder Scrolls 6 is set in Hammerfell as some rumors have speculated, the Redguard in the south of the Province may be as anxious about their chaotic neighbors to the east as they are the more orderly and controlling Altmer. Wood Elf players should have the option to cannibalize their fallen foes, similar in effect to Skyrim’s Ring of Namira. The possibility of a Wild Hunt forming as Tamriel’s changing political landscape puts pressure on Valenwood’s people should be a threat that hangs over the lives of Bosmer and non-Bosmer alike. The reception of Wood Elf characters should affect players in the game regardless of whether a Wild Hunt is actually likely to happen, or if one appears in the story.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.
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