Elder Scrolls Races: Real Life Counterparts

Timestamps & corrections below! Help the algorithm with a like, and sub for more Leftover Lore.

00:00 - Intro
01:07 - Argonians
05:24 - Dark Elves
09:00 - Nords
10:04 - Bretons
11:37 - Orcs
14:13 - Redguards
18:00 - Imperials
19:09 - Khajiit
23:50 - Wood Elves
25:37 - High Elves
28:24 - End & Full List

[Reddit Companion Post]

[Original LeftoverArgonian Face]
Made for LeftoverPat by LizardBusiness

[MUSIC & FUN RESOURCES] - In order...
- Various Loading Screens [Sims 1]
// ARGONIAN:
- Music: Various Loading Screens [Sims 1], UnReal World Therme [UnReal World]
// DARK ELVES:
- Music: Behold the Great Science Fi [Age of Mythology], Ballad of Ace Lebanon [AoM]
// NORDS:
- Music: Song of the Dragonborn [Skyrim], Out of the Cold [Skyrim]
// BRETONS
- Music: Treasure Town [Pokemon Mystery Dngn], Outset Island [LoZ: Windwaker], Boss Theme [FF7], The Nightingale [Witcher 3], Folk1 [Daggerfall cover by Ramon M]
// ORCS
- Music: Age of Empires II
// HAMMERFELL
- Music: Ingame Theme 2 [TESA: Redguard], Al-Kharid Medley [Runescape 3], Chocolate Outline [AoM]
// IMPERIALS
- Music: Roman Fanfare [RCT2], Merchants of Novigrad [Witcher 3]
// KHAJIIT
- Music: Another Round for Everyone [Witcher 3], At the Summertime Feast [Adrian von Ziegler]
// WOOD ELVES
- Music: Nevermind the Slacks & Bashers [AoM]
// HIGH ELVES
- Music: Eat Your Potatoes [AoM], Out of the Cold [Skyrim], Around the Fire [Skyrim]

[CORRECTIONS]
-TES4 established Bruma to be Nibenese, not Colovian
-Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded Oda Nobunaga NOT the other way around. Toyotomi enacted the sword hunt.
-The "Berber" pictured in the Redguard section is sub-saharan African, NOT Berber as stated. On a lighter note, some have pointed out even more sub-saharan medieval influences in Redguards, such as from the Mali and Songhai.
-The Sami people are not just from Finland, but all of northern Scandinavia.

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[hunterrichards]

I can't believe these people built their whole cultures around elder scrolls games. That's incredible.

[realkingofantarctica]

Snow Elves are most closely related to Discord Mods because they both stay in their basements until they aren't capable of real human interaction.

[dukez]

Every elf can become a "high" elf with a little bit of skooma.

[richardwolf]

It’s ironic how the Argonians could represent the Natives of the Americas. Yet they are immune to all diseases

[findout-YGO]

One thing all races have in common is that they can become incredible stealth archers

[JaneTheDark]

I swear as a French, the first time I played Skyrim I fucking laughed at how I could play a heroic-fantasy lizard humanoid or a fucking Breton.

[Linguineo]

Nords: I bet you'd never guess who we are.

[gabriellavedier]

One thing missed in the Imperials section is that, as of Skyrim, they're in the middle of an evolution in linguistics and culture. Old Cyrodilic peoples had much more traditional Roman names. In Skyrim you still see that with Tullius and Titus, but other, more common, folk have more Italian names. It's the slow cultural evolution from the Romans to what are now seen as Italians.

[jaredhennessy]

Fun fact about the "Crazy Horse" name. It actually more accurately translates to "They Are Even Afraid of His Horse" but native americans at the time had trouble translating that meaning for european americans.

[GophersVids]

This video is utterly brilliant and completely fascinating! And yes, for the record, I want a full Elsweyr video :)

[zachvance]

I just went down a rabbit hole of lizard breasts and came out the other end learning about linguistics and history. Thank you.

[lordcrunchy]

Since you brought up the parallels between the Dwemer and Sumerians, I would love to see a continuation of this video on the lost races of Tamriel like the Falmer and Nedes and maybe even the Akaviri races. I’ve always wondered what cultures Bethesda modeled Sky Haven Temple after

[KaiserNicer]

The Khajiit and Romani connection doesn’t just stop in language similarity. Both groups have a reputation of being thiefs and both groups are known for their nomadic life styles.

[decrisseur]

As a Breton in real life I have always played as a Breton lmao

[Deej]

Also a thing for the Nords:
In the bard's college, the first quest has you get king Olaf's verse to add to the Poetic Edda. Here on Earth, Poetic Edda is the compilation of poems of the old norse mythos that was arranged by Christian scribes around the 1300s

[basedpliskin]

Me: “I wonder why I always loved the Khaijit so much? They’re just so cool and speak to me!”

Also me: *is Persian*

[MondomondoTime]

No one expects the Thalmor Inquisition

[whospeaks]

When I first played Skyrim and met Redguards, I immediately recognised the sounds of their names, and the strong cultural similarities to home and places close to it. Didn't understand a single name or word they uttered but they managed to get the sounds so on point. GG Bethesda.

[arwahsapi]

+ "Who are the Bretons?"
- "We all are. We are the Bretons and I am you king."
+ "Didn't know we had a king..."

[AnarkiarenErregina]

The Bretons are Celtic in real life to. As someone who’s studying Breizh I find it interesting because the reachmen remind me a lot of the independence movements in Brittany. It’s very interesting. Amazing video. Kentoc’h mervel eget bezan saotret! Bevet Breizh!