Ancestors and the Dunmer ( Abridged ) Content . Ghosts Walk Among Them . The departed spirits of the Dunmeri , and perhaps those of all races , persist after death . The knowledge and power of departed ancestors benefit the bloodlines of Dunmeri Houses . The bond that forms between living family members and their immortal ancestors is partly blood , partly ritual , partly volitional . Anyone brought into a house through marriage is bound through ritual and oath into the clan , gaining communication and benefits from the clan ' s ancestors ; however , his access to the ancestors is less than that of his offspring , and he still retains some access to the ancestors of his own bloodline . The Family Shrine . Each residence has a family shrine . In poorer homes , it may be no more than a hearth or alcove where family relics are displayed and venerated . In wealthy homes , a room is set aside for the use of the ancestors . This shrine is called the Waiting Door , and represents the door to Oblivion . Here the family members pay their respects to their ancestors through sacrifice and prayer , through oaths sworn upon duties , and through reports on the affairs of the family . In return , the family may receive information , training , and blessings from the family ' s ancestors . The ancestors are thus the protectors of the home , and especially the precincts of the Waiting Door . The Mortal Chill . Spirits do not like to visit the mortal world , and they do so only out of duty and obligation . Spirits tell us that the otherworld is more pleasant , or at least more comfortable for spirits than our real world , which is cold , bitter , and full of pain and loss . Mad Spirits . Spirits that are forced to remain in our world against their will may become mad spirits , or ghosts . Some spirits are bound to this world because of some terrible circumstances of their death , or because of some powerful emotional bond to a person , place , or thing . These are called hauntings . Some spirits are captured and bound to enchanted items by wizards . If the binding is involuntary , the spirit usually goes mad . A willing spirit may or may not retain its sanity , depending on the strength of the spirit and the wisdom of the enchanter . Some spirits are bound against their wills to protect family shrines . This unpleasant fate is reserved for those who have not served the family faithfully in life . Dutiful and honorable ancestral spirits often aid in the capture and binding of wayward spirits . These spirits usually go mad , and make terrifying guardians . They are ritually prevented from harming mortals of their clans , but that does not necessary discourage them from mischievous or peevish behavior . They are exceedingly dangerous for intruders . At the same time , if an intruder can penetrate the spirit ' s madness and play upon the spirit ' s resentment of his own clan , the angry spirits may be manipulated . Oblivion . The existence of Oblivion is acknowledged by all Tamriel cultures , but there is little agreement on the nature of that otherworld , other than it is the place where the Daedra live , and that communication and travel are possible between this world and Oblivion through magic and ritual . The Dunmer do not emphasize the distinction between this world and Oblivion as do the human cultures of Tamriel . They regard our world and the otherworld as a whole with many paths from one end to the other rather than two separate worlds of different natures with distinct borders . This philosophical viewpoint may account for the greater affinity of Elves for magic and its practices . Foreign Views of Dunmeri Ancestor Worship and Spirit Magic . The Altmeri and Bosmeri cultures also venerate their ancestors , but only by respecting the orderly and blissful passage of these spirits from this world to the next . That is , Wood Elves and High Elves believe it is cruel and unnatural to encourage the spirits of the dead to linger in our world . Even more grotesque and repugnant is the display of the bodily remains of ancestors in ghost fences and ash pits . The presentation of fingerbones in a family shrine , for example , is sacrilegious to the Bosmer ( who eat their dead ) and barbaric to the Altmer ( who inter the ashes of their dead ) . The human cultures of Tamriel are ignorant and fearful of Dark Elves and their culture , considering them to be inhuman and evil , like Orcs and Argonians , but more sophisticated . The human populations of Tamriel associate Dunmeri ancestor worship and spirit magic with necromancy ; in fact , this association of the Dark Elves with necromancy is at least partly responsible for the dark reputation of Dunmer throughout Tamriel . This is generally an ignorant misconception , for necromancy outside the acceptable clan rituals is a most abhorrent abomination in the eyes of the Dunmer . The Dark Elves would never think of practicing sorcerous necromancy upon any Dark Elf or upon the remains of any Elf . However , Dark Elves consider the human and Orcish races to be little more than animals . There is no injunction against necromancy upon such remains , or on the remains of any animal , bird , or insect .