Introduction The continent
of Tamriel can be a bleak place. From the frigid peaks of Skyrim to the Ashy wastes of Morrowind,
the so-called land of Dawn’s Beauty is, for many, a land of cynical violence defined by a brutal
struggle for survival against nature, the Gods, and their fellow Man and Mer. It is remarkable
then, that in the far northwestern corner of this harsh continent lies a land of idyllic meadows,
where the sun is gentle, the wine is good, and people cleave true to the values of righteousness
and chivalry. Nestled in the heart of High Rock, the Bretons are a mixed-blood race that embodies
the strengths of both Men and Mer—as well as their flaws. As the heirs to the ancient
Direnni bloodline and the Druids of Galen, their heritage is woven with tales of valor, mysticism,
and political intrigue. In this video, we'll unravel the intricate history of the Bretons,
exploring their origins, cultural nuances, and the pivotal role they play in the turbulent
affairs of Tamriel. From the towering spires of Daggerfall to the mystical realms of the Reach,
join us as we uncover the secrets of the Bretons, their exceptional aptitude for magic,
and the challenges they face in a world teetering on the brink of chaos.
Who are the Bretons? The Bretons are a creole people,
the result of an ancient joining of men and mer. As a byproduct of their Elven blood,
the Bretons are the most magically gifted humans on Tamriel, with spellweaving coming as naturally
to them as breathing. The Bretons are native to the province of High Rock, located in the
northwestern corner of Tamriel, and home to the Adamantine Tower, the oldest structure on Nirn,
said to have been built by the immortal Aedra themselves during the time of creation. The
geography of High Rock is as diverse as the Bretons who call the land home. The
breathtaking snow capped peaks of the Wrothgarian Mountains and the harsh, craggy landscape of the
Reachlands rivals the untamed natural beauty of neighbouring Skyrim, contrasting sharply against
the charmingly pastoral western lowlands, with its rolling hills and gentle windswept meadows.
While High Rock as a whole swears fealty to the Septim Empire of Cyrodiil, the province
is divided into dozens, if not hundreds of tiny client states ruled by a panoply of petty
sorcerer-Kings. Consequently, High Rock is by far the most politically schizophrenic province
of Tamriel, an incoherent jumble of nobility and ruling families hopelessly entangled in
an intergenerational mess of dynastic ties and overlapping land claims. Anton Virane,
a Breton chef working in Skyrim, said it best: “You think politics here are something? Well,
we Bretons invented politics.” Sometimes, it is said that even the Bretons themselves have
a hard time remembering who, exactly, rules over who. The Bretons, however,
embrace these stereotypes in stride. “Find a new hill,” they joke, “and you can become a King.”
As a hybrid race with both human and elvish blood, the Bretons are generally accepted
among both societies, albeit with an undercurrent of condescension from both. Humans with a proud
mannish warrior tradition, like the Nords of Skyrim or the Colovians of western Cyrodiil,
tend to view the Bretons as a reliable ally in their struggle against the Elven tyranny of the
Thalmor, but find their cultural frivolity and magical superiority just a little too
elf-like for their tastes. Elven races like the Dunmer and Altmer, on the other hand,
tend to hold a begrudging respect for Breton spellcraft, but still can’t help but view
the Bretons as nothing more than the degenerated descendants of a once-pure strain of Aldmer genes.
Origins of the Bretons In order to fully explore
the origins of the Breton race, we must study the histories of both their elven and human ancestors,
beginning with the latter. Long before the ancestors of the Nords sailed down from the
frozen continent of Atmora to drive the Snow Elves from Skyrim, other tribes of man had
already inhabited much of Tamriel for millenia. These early, prehistoric humans, although diverse
in culture, custom and language, are referred to by modern historians using a catch-all ethnonym:
the Nedes. As far back as the middle Merethic era, a thousand years before the beginning
of recorded history, Nedic tribes had a presence across all of Northern Tamriel,
establishing settlements in what is now western Morrowind, Cyrodiil, southern Skyrim, Hammerfell,
and, of course, High Rock. The Nedes of High Rock, the direct ancestors of the modern Bretons,
were an animist people who worshiped the forest God Y’ffre, the same primordial woodland spirit
worshiped by the Bosmer Wood Elves. These Nedic proto-Bretons were guided by a caste
of mystic Druids who practiced a form of magic drawn from the earth bones, the magical forces
that govern the law of nature, and lived a life that emphasized harmony with the Green.
Having discussed the Bretons’ human ancestors, let us now turn to their
Elven ones. Supposedly arriving from the mythical and probably metaphysical continent of Aldmeris,
the ancestors of all of todays’ modern Elven races arrived in the Summerset Isles in the
early Merethic Era, from where they spread out across the vast Tamrielic mainland,
coming to dominate over the continents’ many indigenous beast races and primitive
Nedic tribes. After generations of separation, the descendants of different groups of Aldmer pioneers
eventually diverged into many Elven subraces. The Elves who settled High Rock during this era would
ultimately become a strain of High Elf, or Altmer, culturally and physically indistinguishable from
their kinsmen in the Summerset Isles. By far the most successful clan of Altmer to settle
High Rock was the Direnni. At some point in the Middle Merethic era, the Direnni left their
ancestral homeland and sailed north, seeking new fortunes. Through their superior arcane
prowess and potioncraft, they established themselves as the new top dog in High Rock,
even managing to capture the Adamantine Tower on the isle of Balfiera. Establishing their base of
power at the base of the primordial ur-pillar of creation, the Direnni became the hegemons of
vast swathes of High Rock. Over in Cyrodiil, the Ayleids, or Heartland High Elves, had reduced the
native Nedic population of their vast domains into a tortured slave caste. The Direnni, in contrast,
were not as aggressively psychopathic as their Ayleid cousins. They did not enslave the Nedes
of High Rock, instead establishing a feudal hierarchy with themselves at the top and the
humans as their free subjects. However, the Direnni were… prolific. Unlike many of their
Altmer cousins who considered tainting their pure elven bloodline with mannish blood to
be the highest sin, the Direnni were all too happy to take on Nedic concubines.
Far from being discarded as unwanted bastards, these mixed-race children born of these unions,
the so-called ‘manmeri’, came to enjoy a privileged position in the Direnni hegemony.
They became something of a ‘middle class’ in a racially stratified society, with their Direnni
genitors giving them privileged positions among the Nedes, using them as intermediaries to rule
over their human kinsmen at a local level on behalf of their elven fathers. Over time,
this new manmeri caste became known as the ‘Bretons’, from the old Ehlnofex ‘beratu’,
meaning ‘half.’ As these half-breeds were forbidden from marrying elves,
they bred into the Nedic population, their Elven bloodline disseminating into the human
peasant masses. Generation after generation, the Direnni continued to produce half-breed children,
who would then marry into the Nedic tribes. Over time, the entire human population of High
Rock had inherited a substratum of elven blood. Thus, through love and not war, the majority of
the population of High Rock had become Bretons, a predominantly mannish species of elven heritage.
Culture of the Bretons Having covered the story
of how the Bretons came to be, let us now take a moment to explore their society as it exists in
the contemporary era. One thing that many Bretons have in common is a romantic fascination with the
chivalric ideal. Just as every hill on High Rock has its own King, so too does every valley have
a wandering hedge knight seeking to make a name for himself through needs of virtue and valour.
According to the Pocket Guide to the Empire: “Youths of all professions and trades in High
Rock spend their free time in knightly pursuits, real and imagined. This "quest-obsession," has
served as High Rock's sense of national identity, a peculiar form of altruism and mutual reliance
that binds its people together.” Breton culture is, for lack of a better word, bougie. Having
inherited a love for sophistication from their High Elven forebears, the Bretons are obsessed
with the finer things in life, be it fine wines, thoroughbred horses, or fancy threads. Nowhere is
this more readily expressed than in their food. Bretons are considered the best chefs in Tamriel,
their haute cuisine unparalleled throughout the continent. Granted, this may be partially
due to the fact that the Dunmer eat bug eggs, Khajiit food is diabetes central,
and the Bosmer chow down on people pot pies, but that is neither here nor there.
Of course, it would be remiss of us to discuss Breton culture without discussing the role that
magic plays within it. Descended from mystic Druids on their human side and
mighty Direnni wizards on their elven side, the Bretons are one of the most
magically gifted races on Tamriel. Magic permeates at every level of Breton society,
from the lowest serf to the highest king. Other human races often find the normalization of magic
in High Rock to be both remarkable and unsettling. Fahamal, a Redguard trader, remarked as much:
“Our Breton allies are comfortable with magic, yes. More than comfortable,
I would say. I have even seen their youths practice illusions upon each other in the very
streets of Daggerfall. No Redguard would ever permit his own children to tamper with magic in
such an irresponsible fashion. Do they not realize the dangers?” Naturally, spellcraft plays a huge
rule in Breton warfare. There are few fighters on Tamriel as formidable as the Breton mage-knight,
who merges their arcane aptitude with traditional martial prowess to deadly effect. Collectively,
the Bretons lack the lockstep discipline of the Cyrodilic legions, too fixated on individual
acts of heroism and valour to serve as a cog in a collective whole. However, in terms of individual
versatility, Breton spellswords are among the most lethal fighters in the land of Dawn’s Beauty.
As can be expected from a people of mixed heritage, the modern Breton religion is a
syncretic blend of faiths. As a result of their long vassalage to the Imperial throne in Cyrodiil,
the Bretons have long since adopted the Eight Divines of the Empire as their main Gods,
constituting Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr and Zenithar. However,
Elven deities like the Altmer hero-god Phynaster remain important, worshiped by
Breton mages who value their elven blood. One of the Bretons’ gods is Jephre, known also as Y’ffre,
the God of the Forest and spirit of the Now. Through their worship of the Father of the Green,
the Bretons maintain their connection to their ancient Nedic ancestors and their druidic rites.
It should also be noted that High Rock is also home to many Breton clans who have rejected the
lavish, feudally stratified society of the modern age. The Bjoulsae River Tribes, also known as the
River Horse Bretons, are an indigenous tribal people who wear fur armour and bone necklaces
and live a nomadic pastoral life. Throughout the province’s deepwood groves and mountain caves,
the Wyrd Women dwell. Rejecting the trapping of both man-made and mer-made civilization,
these all-female Witch Covens live in wild isolation, guided only by the Earth Bones
and their devotion to the Forest Father Y’ffre. It would also be remiss of us not to mention the
Reachmen, the untamed, briarhearted clansfolk of the misty crags. Travelers to Skyrim will no
doubt be gravely familiar with the region of the Reach, and the vicious Forsworn,
a sect of Reachmen rebelling against Nordic authority of the Jarl of Markarth. What they
may not realize is that half of the region known as the ‘Reach’ lies in High Rock,
and that the Reachmen are of predominantly Breton blood. Granted, both the stubbornly
free-spirited Reachmen and the proudly cultivated Bretons take serious offense
when one claims that either of their peoples shares anything in common with the other.
History of the Bretons Having painted a landscape portrait of Breton
society, let us now run a brief highlight reel of Breton history. We will begin back in the early
First Era, when High Rock was still under the rule of the Direnni High Elves. In First Era 200,
when the Nord King Vrage received word of a breed of manmeri living in the western reach,
he resolved to liberate this ostensibly enslaved race of men from their ostensible elven masters,
kickstarting a spree of wars which would see the Nords conquer large swathes of not only High Rock,
but northern Cyrodiil and Morrowind as well. Although the Nordic Empire collapsed within
a few generations, its legacy in High Rock still survives today. Daggerfall,
the largest city in the Province, was originally founded by these ancient Nordic conquerors.
Ultimately, these Nordic land gains didn’t stick, and within two centuries, the Direnni had regained
control of High Rock. However, their Merrish Hegemony would soon have to answer the bell
of another Human Empire. In First Era 243, the enslaved Nedes of Cyrod, long suffering under
the sadistic rule of their Heartland High Elven masters, rose up in revolt under the leadership
of the Slave Queen Alessia, toppling the Ayleid Empire and establishing an Imperium of their own.
Soon, the Alessian Empire, or First Empire of Man, turned their sights upon High Rock,
resolving to expel its Elven Oligarchs and free its enserfed humans. However, the merblooded men
of the west had no interest in letting the former slaves of Cyrodiil expel their Direnni forebears.
In First Era 482 at the Battle of Glenumbria Moors, an alliance of Direnni wizards, Ayleid
refugees and Breton spell knights decisively defeated the Alessian hordes. For the Direnni,
this was a pyrrhic victory. The Altmer elites of High Rock had always been a small ruling minority,
and after this conflict, their population had become so diminished that they were forced to
retreat to the Adamantine Tower, leaving the rest of High Rock to their Breton children. Without
the Direnni as a unifying force, the Breton People split politically into hundreds of tiny
independent city states and fiefdoms. In time, the Kingdoms of Daggerfall, Camlorn, Wayrest,
Shornhelm, Northpoint, Evermore, Farrun, and Jehanna emerged as the most influential polities.
No sooner had the Bretons received their independence did they receive new next
door neighbours. Having fled the shores of their sundered homeland of Yokuda,
the warrior wave of the Ra Gada arrived upon the shores of Hammerfell in First Era 792,
annihilating the region’s native Nedic and Merrish populations in a wave of ferocious conquest. The
spell knights of High Rock would keep the nascent Redguards contained to their side
of the Iliac Bay, and the nobility of High Rock would proceed spend pretty much the rest of their
history in an intermittent dance of war, trade and intermarriage with the children of the Alik’r. It
was also in the First Era that the Orsimer, or Orcs, established the titular Kingdom of Orsimer
in the Wrothgar mountains. Time and again, the Orcs of Orsimer would find themselves at conflict
with their Breton neighbours, and time and again, their capital would be sacked at Breton hands. In
First Era 1029, the Bretons willingly joined the Empire they had fought to repel five hundred years
ago and accepted the Eight Divines of Cyrodiil as their chief pantheon of Gods. From here on out,
the Bretons, while remaining internally divided, would continue to be the consistently loyal
vassals of the various Imperial Dynasties based out of the Imperial City in Cyrodiil.
Not a living soul in the land of Dawn’s Beauty does not know the story of Tiber Septim,
the great uniter who emerged from the chaos of the Second Era interregnum, conquered all of Tamriel,
kicked off the Third Era, and was elevated to Godhood upon his death, becoming the Ninth Divine
of the Imperial Pantheon. Official Imperial propaganda claims that Talos’ birthplace was
Atmora, the ancient homeland of the Nords. But Atmora had become an uninhabitable block of ice
by the late Second Era. Instead, the heretical but pragmatic Arcturian Heresy claims that Tiber
Septim, known in his youth as Hjalti Early-Beard, was born on the island of Alcaire, located in the
province of High Rock. If this is true, that makes it very likely that Tiber Septim was a Breton,
or at least of partial Breton blood. Even official Imperial accounts admit that the
majority of Septim Emperors from Tiber to Uriel IV were either Breton-blooded or had strong ties
to High Rock. Indeed, the Bretons often receive an undeserved reputation as the lackeys and loyal
dogs of Cyrodiil, but infact, the opposite is true, for while the Emperor of Tiber Septim was
based in Cyrodiil, dynastically, an argument could be made that it was a Breton Empire.
Far from playing second-fiddle in importance to Cyrodiil, High Rock itself was time and again
center stage in deciding the fate of the Empire. In Third Era 249, when the Merrish
dread-king Haymon Camoran rebelled against the Septim Dynasty and cut a bloody swath through
western Tamriel at the head a horde of undead and daedra, it was an alliance of High Rock Kingdoms,
holding the line at the Barony of Dwynnen, who put a reign to his campaign of terror. When
the illegitimate son of Mankar Camoran kicked off a little thing called the Oblivion Crisis,
High Rock seemed to fare better than most other provinces against the Daedric tides. Then,
in the wake of the crisis, with the final strain of Imperial Dragonborn blood spent,
the last Septim dead, and the Empire in a state of disarray, the Kingdoms of High Rock remained
loyal to Cyrodiil, even as Black Marsh, Morrowind, Summerset, Valenwood and Hammerfell were lost to
the Imperial throne. As of Fourth Era 201, with the civil war in Skyrim raging on, High Rock
stands poised to potentially be the last province to remain loyal to the White-Gold throne and its
incumbent Mede dynasty. Only the Elder Scrolls themselves can tell what the future has in store
for the creole children of men and mer, but it would be unwise to write them off. For while
every hill on High Rock can spawn a king, so too have the manmeri spellslingers of the western
hills proven time and again that they can be the children and the architects of Empires.
This series will continue with explorations of all the races and cultures of Tamriel,
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