The Elder Scrolls: What Happened To The Snow Elves?

thegamer.com:

If you've played Skyrim, there's a very high chance that you've encountered the vicious Falmer - sightless, subterranean foes who live alongside Chaurus and make your adventures in Dwemer ruins an absolute nightmare. Delve a little into Skyrim's history, though, and you'll find out far more about the Falmer and their origins.

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Their name will give you a clue - Falmer. The suffix '-mer' is also used by the Altmer, Bosmer, and Dunmer - all elves. Where the Altmer are High Elves, Bosmer are Wood Elves, and Dunmer are Dark Elves, the hated Falmer were once the proud Snow Elves.

Elves, or mer, are the oldest denizens of Tamriel, with Men and Beasts coming later. The Falmer, or Snow Elves, were called such because they lived in the farthest reaches of the continent, in the snowy lands of Skyrim and the mountainous High Rock. Well-regarded for their magical aptitude, it's said that they created a grand civilization that rivaled even the Summerset Isles.

They were a deeply religious people, with the worship of Auri-El - the ancestor god in most elven pantheons - being very important. Making pilgrimage was a tenet of their belief, with journeys to the Chantry of Auri-El commonly made. The Chantry remains standing today in the Forgotten Vale, and is one of the only examples of Snow Elf architecture that we can examine ourselves in-game.

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So how did the Snow Elves become the foes we face in Skyrim? Well, as is often the case in that region, the Nords are to blame.

For many years, the Snow Elves found