Lore:Guar

Guar (or guars) are large bipedal reptilians native to Morrowind and  . They are the primary domesticated herd animal of these provinces, and are not usually aggressive. Characterized by their endurance and intelligence, guar are used mostly as pack animals and beasts of burden, although certain breeds are used as mounts. Although usually associated with the  , guar have a special relationship with  s and the Dunmer traditionally employ   slaves as guar-herds and handlers. A young guar is called a calf.

The guar is related to the  ,  , and  , and some scholars argue that the guar is a distant cousin of the Argonian.  Argonian historians have speculated that guar were originally native to Black Marsh, and were introduced to Morrowind by Dunmer slavers.  However, other sources claim that Morrowind's unique fauna developed in geographic isolation from the rest of Tamriel. 

Despite the name,   are actually a member of the   family, more closely related to   than guar. Domesticated guar are regularly seen outside their native lands, and have been imported into   as beasts of burden for hundreds of years.  Guar are often raised or hunted for their  , eggs, and meat. Wild guar are usually docile, but can sometimes turn feral and attack travelers. Domesticated guar that are used to carry cargo are known as pack guar.
 

Breeds
Guar come in many different breeds, listed below:

Albino Guar
thumb|right|An albino guar
Albino Guar, also called White Guar,  are a rare type of guar. They often feature in   prophecies, and bezoars taken from their stomachs can be used in rituals. 
 

Banded Guar Charger
thumb|right|Banded Guar Charger
The Banded Guar Charger is a breed of striped guar used as a war mount. They are related to the feral tiger guar. 
 

Common Vvardenfell Guar
thumb|right|A common guar
The Common Vvardenfell Guar is the most common breed of guar. Despite the name, the breed is not limited to the island of  .
 

Freckled Guar
thumb|right|Freckled Guar
Freckled Guar are considered to be the most intelligent breed of guar. They can be taught to come when called, and some can even be house-trained. As such, they're regularly kept as pets in  . 
 

Frostbane Guar
Frostbane Pony Guar|thumb|right
Frostbane Guar is a strange breed of guar found in  . It has a shaggy white coat, adorned with symbolic hair-knots and hide strips meant to protect it from the frigid climate. The practice of adorning mounts with these dangling "Frostbane talismans" is an  n tradition dating back to  's arrival in Skyrim. The ancient  s worshipped totem animals as  , and Frostbane talismans continue to be used into modern times. Since the guar is native to warmer climates, the existence of Frostbane Guar suggest that these wards do in fact protect against the cold.

The Frostbane Pony Guar is a smaller breed which has long been popular among the more traditional aristocracy of  , who enjoy dressing them in Frostbane garb and keeping them as pets.
 

Glowgill Guar
Glowgill Guar|right|thumb
The Glowgill Guar (also called the Lambent Guar)  is an exotic breed of guar that is distinguished by its glowing eyes and stripes. They trace their origins to a coastal Argonian tribe near  , where they have dark navy skin and bright blue eyes, and bioluminescent stripes. Rumors suggest that they can breathe underwater, but it's unknown if they can.  The glowgill guar from    and    are distinguished by their golden colors, hence why they are called the Ambergill Guar and not just the Golden Glowgill Guar.  Locals that live in Black Marsh's swamps believe that nature's energy feeds the guar's light, but scholars believe that the light is only an   reaction.  Tattoo artists in Murkmire siphon the guar's blood to create glowing yellow skin markings and say that the blessing of the land keeps them lit. 
 

Golden Eye Guar
thumb|right|Golden Eye Guar
Golden Eye Guar (or "golden-eyes") are a breed of guar used as a mount. It is a cross between a Banded Guar Charger and a wild guar, known for its difficulty to control and its distinctive golden eyes. Despite the difficulty involved in training one, Golden Eyes are fearsome, loyal, and intelligent. 
 

Green Narsis Guar
thumb|right|Green Narsis Guar
The Green Narsis Guar is a robust breed, used as the standard mount and dray-beast of central Morrowind.  It's named after the city of  .
 

Hist Guar
thumb|right|Hist Guar
The Hist Guar, known in Black Marsh as Scales-Seem-Daubed-with-Hist-Sap, is a subspecies of guar which appears as if it has splotches of glowing   splattered across its green skin. It is unknown if the breed actually has any connection to the   or to  . The Hist Guar is used as a mount, and is the only subspecies known to enjoy music. 
 

Hollowjack Rider Guar
thumb|right|Hollowjack Rider Guar
Hollowjack Rider Guar are a mysterious breed usually only sighted on the night of the  . These sightings are the result of  , a malevolent   spirit that curses riders all across Tamriel to ride headless through the night. Guar riders stricken by this curse can be sighted riding headless atop jet black guar mounts with red eyes. Hollowjack Rider Guar appear to be native to the realm of   and can be summoned from that realm. 
 

Pale Velothi Guar
thumb|right|Pale Velothi Guar
The Pale Velothi Guar is a breed that hails from the ashlands downwind of the volcanic  . They are used as mounts, and are renowned as hardy creatures capable of enduring especially harsh conditions. 
 

Pony Guar
thumb|right|A pony guar
Pony Guar are a smaller species of guar that are rarely exported since they lack the physical strength of their larger cousins. Not well known outside of southern Morrowind, pony guar are usually bred as a curiosity, although some are raised for their meat and skins. 
 

Psijic Guar Exemplar
thumb|right|A Psijic Guar Exemplar
Psijic Guar Exemplars are a breed of guar created by the  . Like all Psijic Exemplars, this breed theoretically represents the ideal form a guar can assume, at which point the creature transcends the physical and incarnates the mystical. As such, Guar Exemplars take on a yellow ghostly form. They are used as mounts by Psijic monks when traversing the marshy terrain of Black Marsh or southern Morrowind, and are unequaled in this task. The first guar came to   when a Psijic advisor to the   returned from   with a Pony Guar in the middle of the  , , so the creation of Guar Exemplars presumably began sometime after this.
 

Psijic Mascot Guar
Psijic Mascot Guar|thumb|right
Psijic Mascot Guar are a breed of guar created by the Psijic Order for use as pets. Like all Psijic Mascots, it is unknown if these guar are real animals with an enchanted appearance, or illusory constructs created from Magicka to be used as beast companions and portable storage batteries of Magicka. The Psijics refuse to clarify the true nature of these creatures, although they have dismissed the theory that Mascots are simply portable batteries. In appearance, the Psijic Mascot Guar is a black guar which glows with Magicka through the mystic blue runes that embellish its possibly-illusory epidermis. Guar have been favorites of the Psijics ever since the first one was brought to Artaeum in the middle of the First Era, and Mascot guar calves are very popular as pets.
 


thumb|right|Shadowghost Guar
Shadowghost Guar are a mottled black and white breed of guar and are the only known nocturnal breed of the species. Due to their nocturnal habits and the fact that their patterned hides blend in with the shifting gray ash clouds on the slopes of  , the breed is rarely seen even by the native Dunmer. Nevertheless, Shadowghost Guar are sometimes used as mounts.

Shadowghost Pony Guar are a smaller breed also native to the slopes of Red Mountain. They are sometimes kept as pets.
 

Skyfire Guar
thumb|right|A Skyfire Guar
Skyfire Guar are often mistaken as being poisonous due to their colorful pattern. Patience is needed to bring this breed to heed.
 

Striated Pony Guar
thumb|right|Striated Pony Guar
The Striated Pony Guar is a breed of pony guar kept as household pets in Morrowind.
 

Tessellated Guar
thumb|right|Tessellated Guar
The Tessellated Guar is a multi-purpose guar mount, at home anywhere from swamps to ashlands.
 

Tiger Guar
Tiger Guar are a legendary breed of large wild guar, and are a highly prized game animal for noble huntsmen.  Found only on the  , their stripes have been compared to those of a tiger.   The banded guar charger is a breed descended from the tiger guar. 
 

Notes
Some    s were constructed in the shape of a guar.
Conjurers are able to compel   to adopt the form of a guar.
The Hist have shaped the native   of Black Marsh to create Guar-Lizards for use as steeds by the Argonians.

See Also
For game-specific information, see the Morrowind and ESO articles.

References