Snow Elf Snow Elves " ( Aldmeris : Falmer ) " , occasionally referred to as Ice Elves or Ancient Falmer , are a race of Mer that has nearly completely disappeared . During the Merethic Era , they were the main inhabitants of Skyrim , and had a very advanced society . It is commonly believed that centuries of underground living and Dwemer slavery twisted the race into becoming the blind , merciless and savage Falmer . The few known remaining Ancient Falmer call themselves " Snow Elf , " and refer to those that are called by the modern term " Falmer , " as " The Betrayed . " History . Despite most of this civilization ' s history being lost , a surviving Snow Elf by the name of Knight - Paladin Gelebor revealed details about the fate of his race . Gelebor explains that they were once a " proud and prosperous race , " before the war with the Atmoran s and their subsequent enslavement by the Dwemer . The Snow Elves had a society that almost rivaled that of the Altmer from the Summerset Isles . The Snow Elves were also very talented when it came to magic , as can be seen with Arch - Curate Vyrthur . Merethic Era . Beginnings . Like all Mer , the Snow Elves are descendants of the ancient Aldmer . Unlike the other races of Mer , the Snow Elves retained much of the Aldmeri culture . When they separated from them is unknown . The Snow Elves were originally a wealthy and prosperous society that made their home in portions of Skyrim . They were the first race of Mer in Skyrim and were present long before the first Atmoran colonies that were established by Ysgramor . Their origin was part of the initial exodus of dissident Mer groups from the Summerset Isles along with the Dwemer , Chimer and Ayleid s , although the only Mer to settle in Skyrim were the Snow Elves and later , the Dwemer . Peace with the Atmorans . When the Atmorans arrived from Atmora , the Snow Elves had a somewhat comfortable relationship with the humans . Initial coexistence between men and Snow Elves was largely peaceful , though this was not to last , as conflict soon arose between the two peoples . Night of Tears . The peace was short - lived , as an attack by Snow Elves destroyed the rapidly growing settlement of Nords in Saarthal . It was known as the " Night of Tears . " This raid on Saarthal destroyed the entire population of the city save for Ysgramor and his two sons , who fled back to Atmora . The death of his countrymen prompted Ysgramor to summon his Five Hundred Companions — the namesake and forebears of the Companions in Whiterun — and vow to return and drive the Snow Elves from Skyrim . As they considered the humans to be a lesser species , the elves had little qualms about the slaughter they committed . This genocidal spree would be known as the Night of Tears . The Sacking of Sarthaal . The " " and " Fall of the Snow Prince " suggest the conflict may have been related to the rapidly increasing Nord population and a struggle for control over territory and resources , which took the form of a war of extermination — with both sides apparently pursuing the utter destruction of the other . The " Night of Tears " as well as the " Imperial Report on Saarthal " suggests the conflict may have rather been more specifically related to , or escalated by the Snow Elves desire to control a powerful artifact uncovered by the Nord settlers and the Nords of Saarthal ' s desire to keep such power buried beneath the rocks and soil of their city . Later during the events of , a Thalmor representative , Ancano , as well as the Psijic Order member Quaranir , took actions and made statements giving credence to the theory that this object , known as the Eye of Magnus , may have played an important role in the conflict . The text " KINMUNE " supports the latter conclusion strongly as it identifies area under Saarthal as the site of a divine prison : Conflict with the Nords . However , the decision to eradicate the Nords would come at a great cost - to their entire civilization - as Ysgramor survived the attack on Saarthal and returned to their Atmoran homeland of Atmora to raise an army . Ysgramor and his army , known as the Five Hundred Companions , would return to Skyrim to take revenge on the Snow Elves . The series of events that would soon follow would be known as The Return , and with this return , a new war would begin . As time passed , the Nords once again returned to Tamriel . They landed in Skyrim , and began a march across Skyrim under Ysgramor ' s leadership to avenge their fallen brethren . The elves would wage war with the humans for years , slowly losing to the very " creatures " they had culled in years prior . Battle of the Moesring . The Snow Elves were broken and scattered , following numerous losses to Ysgramor and his Companions , and retreated to the island of Solstheim for safe harbor . Led by an elf only known as the Snow Prince , the Snow Elves took a final stand against the Nordic people , inspired by their leader , to seek their victory anew . During the Battle of the Moesring , which was to be the last battle against the Nords , the Snow Prince was slain by a child by the name of Finna , who , in her grief after the death of her mother , threw her mother ' s sword at the Prince , which struck him in the breast and killed him . The death of the Snow Prince caused the elves ' hope to be shattered , and many attempted to flee the battle . It is not known what the exact date of this loss was but it was towards the end of the Merethic Era . With the elves ' military power destroyed , the Nords , then , mounted a genocidal campaign and killed the Snow Elves by the thousands . Interactions with Sai . Following their defeat , the Snow Elf resistance was eradicated . Sai had agreed to help all living creatures of Nirn with his luck , and thus attempted to help the Snow Elves . He had to find them first , as this was not an easy task , for the few remaining survivors had vanished into hiding . When he did find them , he did not manage to win their trust and they refused his help . The betrayal . Eventually , the Snow Elves sought refuge with the Dwemer , in their underground fortresses . The Snow Elves had always maintained an uneasy alliance with the Dwemer , also known as Dwarves , and since the Snow Elves were experiencing the eradication of their culture , they turned to the Dwarves for help . The Dwarves agreed to grant the Snow Elves refuge , but at a high price . They were forced to eat toxic plants in order to live underground . This toxic fungus naturally came from Blackreach , and the Dwemer fed the toxic fungus to the Snow Elves . The toxins gradually destroyed their sight , and this loss happened over generations . The Dwemer then forced the blind Snow Elves into slavery . Not all of the Snow Elves agreed to such a price . Splinter groups had formed to search for alternate solutions . These elves sought out other alliances , but , ultimately , most were slaughtered , vanished , or gave in and accepted the Dwemer ' s offers . Birth of the Falmer . Over time , the Snow Elves began to devolve into twisted , blinded creatures , becoming the degenerate race now known as the Falmer . They were slaves of the Dwemer and over time , their history was lost as they became an increasingly primal people . Because of this , it is commonly believed that the Snow Elves were actually tricked into blindness and slavery , rather than having agreed to the situation to survive . Although contradictory reports state that most Snow Elves sought the Dwemer ' s help and agreed to their terms to avoid eradication . Sometime later , the Snow Elves / Falmer revolted against their masters , which started a war that lasted decades . The full - fledged and bloody conflict was known as the War of the Crag . The war raged deep below the surface of Skyrim , unbeknownst to the surface dwellers , the Nords . Then , in 1E 700 , the Snow Elves came to face the Dwemer in battle , but the Dwemer people had completely disappeared . The Dwemer ' s demise . At that time , the Dwemer were also fighting another war against the Chimer , east of Skyrim , in Morrowind — the War of the First Council . This war , in Morrowind , was fought over religion , philosophy , and issues over ethics , technology , magic and religion . However the central contentious point was the fact that the Dwemer were in possession of the powerful Heart of Lorkhan . The war started in 1E 668 , and in 1E 700 , the Battle of Red Mountain took place in and around the Dwemer citadels on Red Mountain . It is reported that , as the battle was being fought , Kagrenac , the Chief Tonal Architect of the Dwemer , used his tools to tap into the Heart , which caused the Dwemer race to disappear . The disappearance of the Dwemer subsequently freed the Snow Elves . However , years of enslavement and war had left them bloodthirsty and in a primal state . Some pockets of Snow Elf resistance remained , although , it appears that most were eventually eliminated . Skorm Snow - Strider ' s Journal discussed a military campaign against Snow Elf refugee forces as late as 1E 139 under the First King of Skyrim , Harald . Despite this , Gelebor believes there may be other isolated Snow Elf survivors scattered across Tamriel . By the 2E 582 , the Snow Elves were a near - forgotten legend , and the ruin - dwelling Falmer remained hidden from the eyes of those on the surface . The last of the Snow Elves . Not all Snow Elves suffered the fate of the Falmer : it appears that elves , such as Knight - Paladin Gelebor and various other religious followers , were able to evade death at the Nords ' hands or their enslavement by the Dwarves . These last Snow Elves live in seclusion , and appear to have remained as keepers or guardians to their shrines . Gelebor shows pity toward his " primal brethren , " whom he calls " the Betrayed . " He also states that he rejects the name of " Falmer , " preferring to be called " Snow Elves . " The largest gathering of these elves were at the Chantry of Auri - El . However , after a massive raid by the Betrayed , Knight - Paladin Gelebor and his brother , Arch - Curate Vyrthur , seem to be the only survivors left there . It is unknown how many other Sanctuaries exist in Skyrim , where these Snow Elves may be found , but it should be noted that several tomes states that many fled Skyrim , and may probably be living in other parts of Tamriel or on different continents . Religion . During the Merethic Era , the elves erected monuments and shrines dedicated to their gods . Some of these gods are common Aldmer i gods , such as Mara . However , their chief - deity was Auri - El , also known as Akatosh . One such monument is known as the Chantry of Auri - El , this monument was originally so large it covered an entire valley . This chantry may have also been the epicenter of the Snow Elf religion , having several rituals for initiates who sought out enlightenment . Following the regression of their race into the malevolent Falmer , many of the elven priests , known as Prelates , were killed during Falmer raids . Subsequently , according to Gelebor , Auri - El " evoked " their spirits , allowing them to continue their work in Tamriel as " spectral Prelates " at the wayshrines . One of the rituals of the Snow Elves required the initiates to visit each of these wayshrines on their paths to enlightenment . It appears that these ' spectral Prelates ' are unaware of the disrepair of the chantry and will not respond to anyone , unless that person is on the path of the initiate , and possesses the Initiate ' s Ewer . According to Knight Paladin Gelebor , they worshiped the following gods : Morphology . In the Fourth Era , during the events of , two living Snow Elves were encountered ; Knight - Paladin Gelebor and his brother Arch - Curate Vyrthur , as well as five ' spectral Prelates , ' none of whom are female . Their appearance is very similar to that of the High Elves , with the exception of their skin and their hair , which is white . As the Chantry did not enter disrepair until after the fall of the Snow Elves , it is unknown how long Snow Elves live . As Gelebor stated , the Chantry was in disrepair long before he arrived . Thus his age cannot be fully determined . The Snow Elf ' s life span . Similarly to their cousins , the High Elves , they have a rather extensive lifespan . Attesting to this , the report that Arch - Curate Vyrthur brought about the prophecy of the Tyranny of the Sun , that , much later became the obsession of Harkon . There is also the fact that Gelebor and Vyrthur were alive before the rise of the Alessian Empire , as Serana mentioned not knowing about the " Empire " , she was , thus , imprisoned before Cyrodiil became the seat of an empire . From what is known , Gelebor and Vyrthur are at least over 4 , 000 years old . Due to the fact that the Snow Elves worshiped the god Phynaster and are very similar to the Altmer , in comparison to the other races , it is , also possible that Gelebor had his life extended directly from Auri - El . Return . There is speculation that the Falmer will eventually become a surface - dwelling race once again . In 2E 582 , the Falmer remained dormant , keeping quiet within the Dwarven Ruins for centuries to come . By 4E 201 however , there are reports of increasing organized surface raids from the Falmer ; attacking cattle and crops , abducting civilians , and killing travelers and explorers who would venture too close to their dwelling . There have also been cases where they have broken through underground tunnels into habitations and decimated those that lived therein . Reports from Dwemer ruin explorations reveal that the automated guardians that the Dwemer left behind are keeping the Falmer from escaping the depths of the ruins , causing them to resort to digging tunnels and find other exits . During the events in , the Dragonborn , while seeking Auriel ' s Bow , meets two living snow elves . The first one , Knight - Paladin Gelebor , who owns the bow , believes that his brother , the other living Snow Elf , has been corrupted by the Falmer . Gelebor proposes to relinquish Auriel ' s Bow if the Dragonborn defeats his brother and ends his reign of terror . Gelebor also mentions that the Falmer are becoming more intelligent , and if a line of communication could be established , relations may improve . Furthermore , Gelebor hopes that the Falmer will one day end their ways of hatred , and even begin to worship Auri - El like the Snow Elves once did .