But what is myth, and what is history? I love the lore, exactly because it is so unreliable - often with no distinction between the two. Just like a lot of medieval (and more generally pre-modern) literature.alynnidalar wrote: ↑Sun Jun 21, 2020 11:11 pmThe problem with TES is that the lore is complex, bizarre, and told entirely by deeply unreliable narrators. Unfortunately, the actual games relegate all of that to in-game books instead of showing it because uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh medieval Europe and dragons I guess. I mean, this is a series where (canonically!) linear time occasionally stops working, the stars and sun are literally holes punched through to a different plane of existence, and all the gods worth talking about are dead, but do you ever talk about that in the games proper? Nooooo.sasasha wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 1:51 pm Of course!! But I personally think ES is more watertight than at first it seems. Because it appeals to tropes it looks silly, but there is some good world-building thought hidden behind the 'I am a stock fantasy world' façade. For instance, the whole conceit of the Elder Scrolls themselves is actually pretty neat, if you ask me.
TES lore books effectively call to mind writers like Geraldus Cambriensis and Geoffrey of Monmouth, who mix in not just myth but also allegory, prophecy, eschatology, etc. into their historical writing. Just because it's in a lore book doesn't mean it is a 'real' part of the Elder Scrolls universe.
And personally I am glad the gaming environment isn't as insane as it would be if all the lore was obviously related to current observable 'real' world phenomena. Some of the lore is there just to add the extra depth that comes to a society with 'book-learning': not to faithfully document objective truths about the universe they live in.
We'll probably agree to disagree: I see some of TES's flaws as a world-building exercise but also, I think it has a deliberately contrived patina that gives it an outward appearance of being less considered than it actually is. This aids the player who is uninterested in, say, the eschatology of the gameworld just get on and hack critters up. But there is more depth, if you want to access it.