Lore:Nirn

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The only map showing some sections of Nirn outside of Tamriel.

Nirn is the planet on which the Elder Scrolls is set. It floats in the void of Oblivion and is, for all intents and purposes, the majority of the realm known as Mundus^[1]. Sources often use the terms Nirn and Mundus synonymously, despite the technical differences in the two terms. Nirn was created during the Dawn Era by the Aedra and Anu-aligned spirits, based on Lorkhan's inspiration^[2] and Magnus' designs^[3][4].

Tamriel is the main continent of Nirn and is its mythic and symbolic center. Tamriel is split into 9 provinces: Black Marsh, Cyrodiil, Elsweyr, Hammerfell, High Rock, Morrowind, Skyrim, Summerset Isle, and Valenwood.

Other continents on Nirn are mentioned in various texts, but have not generally been shown on maps or described in detail:^[5][6]

• Akavir is a continent east of Tamriel, including four regions/races: Kamal, Tsaesci, Tang Mo, and Ka Po' Tun.^[7]
• Atmora is a continent north of Tamriel, former homeland of the ancestors of modern Nords.^[8]
• Yokuda was a continent west of Tamriel and the original homeland of the Redguards, but it sank into the sea.

Nirn has two moons, Masser and Secunda.^[9] The other astral bodies in the sky above Nirn are believed to actually be the spheres of the Aedra and Daedra, as seen from the mortal plane. The sun and stars are also punctures in the veil of Oblivion, through which the light of Aetherius shines into Mundus. One exception is the snake constellation, Sithis, which simply 'drifts' about the sky. It is made up of "unstars."

For an account of Nirn's mythic history, see the article on the Mundus.

[edit] References

1. ↑ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition - Arena Supermundus
2. ↑ Spirit of Nirn, God of Mortals
3. ↑ Varieties of Faith in the Empire
4. ↑ The Monomyth
5. ↑ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition - Other Lands
6. ↑ The Annotated Anuad
7. ↑ Mysterious Akavir
8. ↑ Frontier, Conquest, and Accomodation
9. ↑ The Lunar Lorkhan