Loremaster ' s Archive : Words and Power Loremaster ' s Archive : Words and Power is part of the " Loremaster ' s Archive " series written by Lawrence Schick , the Loremaster of . This entry was published on 07 / 03 / 2014 . Content . Words and Power " By Telenger the Artificer " Are languages in Tamriel more than a convenient means of communication ? Throughout my studies , particularly in my ongoing research of the mysterious runestones , a theme of language explicitly interconnected with magic has surfaced with frequency that cannot be ignored . Is the very act of casting ideas into words an invocation ? I present here evidence that may just support this admittedly radical position , which I hope the sapiarchs of the Crystal Tower will be enticed to expound upon or refute . Let us begin with the runestones of Enchanting . Each is marked with a symbol consisting of syllables arranged together . Alone , a rune is inert , but magical potential is unleashed when combined with others in the appropriate syntax . The full form , the complete expression , conveys magic . One does not even need to fully understand the language to unlock the power it contains — not enough words exist or are known to truly speak it , but by studying glyphs and combining runestones , it is possible to grasp enough of the raw concepts to utilize it . The language itself is undeniably connected in a fundamental way to magical energies , though its origin remains a mystery . As an aside for prospective students of Enchanting , do not become discouraged when you encounter a rune you are unable to decipher . Only through repetition of words and phrases you have learned and the extraction of runes from glyphs will you obtain the knowledge you need to master more difficult runes . Be patient and work with other students to create and deconstruct glyphs to gain more insight into their interplay and true meaning . Language , specifically the written word , is also of critical importance to the Altmer . Not only does it preserve our history , but it captures and defines our auspicious lineage and ensures that every Mer knows his or her place in the hierarchy . It is no accident that Altmeri society is the most orderly and structured in Tamriel — it is the will of Xarxes himself . The scholar - priests of the divine scribe , secretive though they are , are said to preserve an ancient tongue long forgotten to any but their order . In Helaameril ’ s “ Conversations with the Etymon - Binders , ” an anonymous scribe hints at tomes capable of producing tastes , smells , and dancing images , and texts that can be read by any gazing upon them — even the unlettered . Another form of word - magic , if Helaameril is to be believed . Consider even what may seem mundane : the speech of a great general upon the morn of battle that rouses his troops to perform incredible deeds , the songs of a master bard that inspire emotion , the calming tone of a mother to her child . Are there traces of magic in everyday exertions of will through speech or writing ? It seems possible that some remnant of ancient pre - Dawn power lingers on here , though it has grown faint . There is even more evidence to support this throughout the history of Tamriel — far too much to detail here — and I look forward to debating this theory among my peers . Telenger The Artificer Answers Your Questions : I have always been fascinated by enchanting and soul gems in particular . Is it possible to utilize the souls in Soul Gems in other ways than powering enchantments and spells ? Could one extract the soul and manipulate it outside of the gem ? Surely it is the intent of Molag Bal to use the power of soul magic — so why can we not do the same ? – Araeynir Fireheart Telenger the Artificer says : “ Though there is currently a great deal of investigation into soul - trapping and soul - manipulation occurring on continental Tamriel , as an Altmer I cannot in good conscience condone such experiments , which in the Summerset Isles would be rightfully banned as darkest necromancy . I advise you to turn the fire in your heart to other , brighter pursuits . ” I am a humble Breton battlemage who has only recently started learning the art of Enchanting . My search for runes is slow going , even with the assistance of a hireling . I find I am often lacking in aspect runes . On the opposing side of the spectrum , I have an over - abundance of essence runes . I have a number of potency runes , but they are beyond my level of comprehension . Have you any recommendations for learning this art more quickly ? – Marola Eponine Telenger the Artificer says : “ Ah , you young Bretons – sometimes talented , but always hasty ! My advice is to seek out the companionship of others with the same interests to form a society of mutual support – an enchanters ’ guild , if you will . In this way , you will be able to pursue different approaches simultaneously , and all will benefit from the resulting knowledge . You will also be able to trade runes amongst yourselves . ” I read with great interest your volume on the " Enigma of the Runestones , " certainly the most comprehensive account to date on this fascinating topic . I would be interested in knowing more about the words associated with the runestones . What language are they ? I am aware of the theory proposed by Nolin the Many - Hued , according to which runestones would be the result of an Ayleid wizard ' s experiment . And yet the Ayleid word for " fire " is " molag , " whereas the essence runestone associated with fire is " rakeipa . " And what is your personal opinion on the origin of runestones ? – Salagar Feynn , Evermore Mages Guild Telenger the Artificer says : “ A fascinating question , which I myself have spent some time researching . Study of the runes shows that they are made of repeating figures , each of which is expressed as a verbal syllable : thus ‘ Jora , ’ the trifling rune that translates as ‘ develop , ’ combines the two angled slashes that we know as ‘ jo ’ and ‘ ra . ’ When ‘ je ’ is added , the result is ‘ Jejora , ’ the slight rune that means ‘ raise . ’ “ So the rune names clearly form a language that is coherent and consistent , if limited . The question is , What language is it ? This is where we begin to run out of answers , as the rune - language seems to derive from no known historic or pre - dawn culture . My personal best guess is that it is a language that was entirely invented by some Dawn Era enchanter or school of enchanters who left no other record of their existence than the spread of runestones across Tamriel . ” Further Reading : Enigma of the Runestones " By Telenger the Artificer " The origin of the mystic runestones found scattered across Tamriel is obscure and uncertain . Even their nature and material composition is a matter of hot debate among the sages of the Crystal Tower . The Venerable Ancirinque , Sapiarch of Mythohistory , holds that certain difficult passages in Torinaan ' s Journal indicate that runestones were already here when the Foresailor arrived from Old Aldmeris . However , Nolin the Many - Hued , Sapiarch of Enchantment , contends that they date from the early Merethic Era , and are the unintended consequence of an Ayleid wizard ' s experiment gone awry . Whatever the truth of their origin , after generations of study by the finest magical minds in the Summerset Isles , their various properties have nearly all been identified , and their uses in the enchantment of arms , armor , and ornaments are well understood . For general classification they fall into three categories , which we latter - day mages have dubbed Potency , Aspect , and Essence . For enchantment purposes these three types of runestones can be understood as mystically complementary , for only by combining one of each category can the enchanter create a " glyph , " our term for the magical substance we use to endow an item with sorcerous power . However , though we know how to use runestones to create magical items , the enigma remains : what are they ? We have named their three standard categories Potency , Aspect , and Essence — but what does that mean ? Even the great Phariiz the Antic , who gave them these names , even he , when asked what they meant , merely shrugged and replied , " Those are the names that feel right to me . " Even the fact that there are three kinds of runestones generates debate , as it seems to contradict the Anu - Padu Theorem , which posits that duality is the foundation of the Aurbis . Camilonwe of Lillandril asserted that it was impossible that there were only three types of runestones , and spent the last two hundred years of his life searching for a fourth , convinced that proper classification called for such entities to appear in dual pairs . He never found this " quartonic runestone , " which he dubbed Celerity , but he insisted until the end that his theory was sound . Was Camilonwe right ? Do Celerity runestones exist , but in some state of reality that makes them imperceptible to normal mortals ? That is a question that is , so far , unanswerable .