Nordic - Falmer War The Nordic - Falmer War was a conflict between Atmoran immigrants to Tamriel and the native Snow Elves of Skyrim , which took place in the late Merethic Era . Order of events . Background . Late in the Merethic Era began the Atmoran tradition to migrate and settle on Mereth , a continent later known as Tamriel . Early Nord ic ancestors had given the land this name due to the Mer that used to rule there . For a time Atmoran settlers and Mer lived in peace with each other . This resulted in a population boom of the Atmorans in Skyrim . Harsh weather and civil war ensured more Atmorans coming to Mereth . Thus , the first major settlement was built - Saarthal . It is believed that the Atmorans ' fast reproduction rate posed a demographic threat to the Snow Elves in Skyrim , and this was one cause of the Snow Elves ' genocidal campaign against Men . Another theory is that Atmoran settlers had found an unimaginably powerful artifact - the Eye of Magnus , that was said to be buried somewhere in Skyrim . Combination of greed and fear drove Elves to reclaim the artifact for themselves . War . Snow Elves attacked the unsuspecting Atmoran settlement during the night and murdered nearly its entire population . Saarthal was in ruins and it is said that only three survivors were able to escape the carnage and sail back to Atmora : Ysgramor and his two sons . This event is known as the Night of Tears . The seemingly successful plan , however , only fueled the wrath of the Atmorans in the form of the Five Hundred Companions , who were led by Ysgramor . A fleet of longboats left the port of Jylkurfyk to avenge their slain brethren . The Atmoran return to Skyrim started the historic period known as " The Return . " During this period , Atmorans led bloody skirmishes to kill and enslave the Elven populace . This way , these Nordic ancestors quickly spread all over Skyrim and nearby areas , claiming land for themselves . The last Snow Elven commander was said to have fallen on Solstheim during the Battle of the Moesring . The Snow Prince , was , perhaps , the only Elf that Atmorans honored . He proved to be a worthy enemy for many Atmoran warriors and was buried in a barrow in a show of respect , as Atmoran tradition demanded for brave foes . The war was said to have ended during the reign of King Harald , thirteenth of Ysgramor ' s line . The last recorded skirmish against the Snow Elves , however , happened in 1E 139 , under the rule of Harald , at the time just a lord . Outcome . The Nordic - Falmer War resulted in humans becoming ascendant on the continent of Tamriel as a whole , as the Atmoran campaign of conquest against the Snow Elves not only broke the long dominion of Mer over Mereth , but also freed much of the Nede populations of Men from Ayleid slavery . With the help of labor by the Elven prisoners of war , Saarthal was rebuilt and cities as Windhelm were founded . The first human empire was born , led by the Ysgramor Dynasty . Using claimed Elven knowledge from the conflict , humans first developed writing . The surviving Snow Elves pled with the Dwemer for aid and quarter . The Dwemer initially agreed to their plea , offering them refuge in the Dwarven cities , but later ended up betraying and enslaving them . The Dwemer are believed to have mass - poisoned the Snow Elves by forcing them to eat a fungi that would cause blindness , an act that affected their offspring as well . After the disappearance of the Dwemer , the Snow Elves gradually devolved into the cave - dwelling beasts known as the Falmer . Few Snow Elves managed to escape the Nords and not make a deal with Dwemer , the only known case being with the Chantry of Auri - El , where hundreds took refuge . They were eventually slaughtered by their degenerated Falmer brethren , leaving only Knight - Paladin Gelebor and Arch - Curate Vyrthur as the last known Snow Elf survivors .