Skyrim:Snow Elf

Knight-Paladin Gelebor

The Great Statue of Irkngthand, a rare depiction of a Snow Elf

Snow Elves (also known as Ancient Falmer to distinguish them from their devolved modern counterparts) are a largely extinct race of mer that once inhabited the province of Skyrim. They resemble the golden-skinned, white-haired, pale Altmer, and have very long lifespans, as well as a strong resistance to frost. They worshipped Auri-El and built the Chantry of Auri-El and various wayshrines in the Forgotten Vale. Following their defeat at the Battle of the Moesring, Snow Elves were the victims of a genocide by the Atmorans that left their numbers significantly low. Many took refuge with the Dwemer, who in exchange for protection forced them to eat a toxic blinding fungus that turned them into the twisted and primal modern-day Falmer, known by surviving Snow Elves as "The Betrayed".

For more information, see the main lore article.

Snow Elves

There are a total of seven Snow Elves; only Gelebor is unaffected by a form of undeath, as Vyrthur is also a vampire and the prelates are all ghosts. They are all encountered in the Dawnguard add-on.

Name	Location
Arch-Curate Vyrthur	Inner Sanctum (Forgotten Vale)
Knight-Paladin Gelebor	Darkfall Cave (The Reach) Inner Sanctum (Forgotten Vale)
Prelate Athring	Wayshrine of Sight (Forgotten Vale)
Prelate Celegriath	Wayshrine of Learning (Forgotten Vale)
Prelate Edhelbor	Wayshrine of Radiance (Forgotten Vale)
Prelate Nirilor	Wayshrine of Resolution (Forgotten Vale)
Prelate Sidanyis	Wayshrine of Illumination (Forgotten Vale)

Related Quests

• Touching the Sky: Find and retrieve Auriel's Bow.

Notes

• In the game files, every member is part of a newly-created race known as SnowElfRace. It is largely based off of the High Elf race, and even bears the name "High Elf" internally, but for all purposes all members of the race are to be considered Snow Elves.
  • All Snow Elves that can be met, are male. This appears to be a deliberate design decision, as there are no traces of female Snow Elf NPCs ever having been created. In fact, the racial traits of snow white skin and the unique albino white hair color aren't even set up to work with female NPCs, further suggesting they were never meant to exist.

See Also

Books

• The Betrayed by Engwe Emeloth — A poem surrounding the tragic fall of the Snow Elves
• Diary of Faire Agarwen by Faire Agarwen — The ancient diary of a Snow Elf lamenting the extermination of their race
• Fall of the Snow Prince by Lokheim — An account of the Battle of the Moesring as transcribed by Lokheim, chronicler to the chieftain Ingjaldr White-Eye
• The Falmer: A Study by Ursa Uthrax — A study on Falmer, recounting their war with the Dwemer
• Journal of Mirtil Angoth by Mirtil Angoth — The ancient diary of a Snow Elf and their plan to seek refuge with the Dwemer
• Touching the Sky by Parmion Saldor — An overview of Snow Elf pilgrimages to the Chantry of Auri-El
• The Wispmother by Mathias Etienne — Summation of legends regarding the Wispmothers