Lore:Falmer Language

Known Examples
The Falmer Alphabet is, or rather was, the alphabet used by the Snow Elves. It is a very stylized script, quite the opposite of the minimalist script of their Dwemer captors. There are only two known examples of the language, both appearing in Skyrim. The very low number of examples is probably due to the fact that the many Snow Elves who sought asylum with the Dwemer were forced to lose their sight, at which point they ceased to require a written language.

Gallus's Encoded Journal, written by a former Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, is written in the Falmer alphabet, but it directly transliterates into English. The Skyrim add-on Dawnguard adds an additional four books, Unknown Book, Vols. I, II, III, and IV, but they too directly transliterate into English.

thumb|250px|left|A stone which translates both Dwemeris and the Falmer language.|left
The largest and only example of the Falmer language is inscribed on a stone in Calcelmo's Tower. The half that is in the Falmer language transliterates into:
 
 


The text appears in the Falmer Alphabet as follows: 

:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 

No translation to this is provided, but parts of it can be translated, as detailed below.

Falmer Language
Note: The partial translation below is just expert opinion.

The Falmer language appears to be heavily based on the Ayleid language. A large number of words are shared by both languages and it appears that the Falmer language also uses the same grammatical structure. Details on the Ayleid grammatical structure can be found here. One difference is the complete lack of punctuation and capitalization, making separating sentences and clauses very difficult. Punctuation has been inferred from the Dwemer version of the text.

Using Ayleid words to translate Calcelmo's Stone, it partially translates into:
::And your people driven CALNE pass into our Halls of Fire, and TRUMBI our power.
::ILPEN of your exiles killed by GUNTUMNIA SPANTEL-speak-throat kings of the wood,
::and your LIE-stones down-in-never, and you RAUTANE SYE, and you shall become our slaves,
::GUME your GRAVULOI. METANE SYE caverns FREY, by Dwemer gifts endured
::LANE your wisdom and FREY by music of Avatheled CARELLE your new lives
::BISIA SILYA. We exile your ARCTEN, RIAS you NEMALAUTA GE. We exile your gifts of speech,
::RIAS you NEMELAUTA GE. You FREY SEPA SYE acknowledge dark-cast treaties
::CULLEI our STANEIAYE. As your vision fades, as darkness comes forbidding,
::MALAUTAVOY FEY our DARRE, and light our high, by what MORAGA your life
::of SERCEN, and GETHENA your final journey VEY guiding your eternal BISIA.

An official, albeit out of game, translation of the text has also been provided, which reads like this:

::And so it was that your people were given passage to our steam gardens, and the protections of our power.
::Many of your people had perished under the roaring, snow-throated kings of Mora,
::and your wills were broken, and we heard you, and sent our machines against your enemies, to thereby take you under.
::Only by the grace of the Dwemer did your culture survive,
::and only by the fifteen-and-one tones did your new lives begin.
::We do not desire thanks, for we do not believe in it. We do not ask for gratitude, for we do not believe in it.
::We only request you partake of the symbol of our bond, the fruit of the stones around us.
::And as your vision clouds, as the darkness sets in, fear not.
::Know only our mercy and the radiance of our affection, which unbinds your bones
::to the earth before, and sets your final path to the music of your new eternity. 

Falmer Dictionary
Below is a list of known Falmer words, gleaned from the official translation of Calcelmo's Stone. Definitions are provided when known. Because of the large number of compound words in the Falmer language, many words in the list will have similar parts.

 


B


C


E


F


G


H

L


M


N


O


P


R


S


T


V


W


Y

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Resources
Falmer Font
This font was created by GodRaine and is available for download. Note that all of the Falmer letters are written in entirely upper-case.

FalmerFont.zip 8Kb
For Windows: Unzip and copy the FalmerFont.ttf file into the WINDOWS\FONTS (95, 98/ME, XP, Vista and 7) or WINNT\FONTS (NT, 2000) directory.
For Mac: Unzip (Stuffit Expander should work), and copy the FalmerFont.TTF file into your /Library/Fonts folder.
For Linux: Open the TTF file and click on "Install Font".

UESP Template
The usage on the wiki is described in more detail on its template. 

References