Altmer The Altmer , also known as High Elves and Salache / Saliache , are a race of elves that inhabit parts of the Summerset Isles . They are one of the ten default playable races , primarily known for their enhanced magic al abilities . As a race , the Altmer strive to maintain the appearance of their ancestor race , the Aldmer , primarily through highly selective traditions surrounding marriage and reproduction . Summerset Isles . The Summerset Isles ( also Sumurset Isle and , rarely , Summurset Isle ) are two islands located southwest of Tamriel , west of Valenwood , from which the Aldmer spread onto the Tamriel mainland . - The province is home to the Altmer . The islands have at times been part of the Tamrielic Empire , but at various times in Tamriel ' s history they have served as the capital of the Aldmeri Dominion , a confederacy of merish nations led by the Altmer . Even though the Isles reside in the Abecean Sea , they are still considered a part of Tamriel . Physiology . The Altmer are among the tallest of the humanoid races ; taller than humans and even the other mer races . Their skin maintains a very pale golden hue , not quite the pale white of the northern human races such as Nord s or Imperial s , but far lighter than the Bosmer . They are slender , with prominently pointed ears and almond - shaped eyes . On average , Altmer are of smaller build than humans , and thus generally not as strong . Their tall stature also makes them less agile than their Bosmeri cousins . However , Altmer are among the most intelligent and magically - inclined races on Nirn , surpassing even the Breton s in magical aptitude . Culture . The Altmer are one of the oldest races on Tamriel , one of the earliest descendants of the original mer race of Aldmer , and from there , through the Ehlnofey to the divine et ' Ada themselves . As a race , they are extremely proud of their Aldmeri heritage and make a concerted effort to maintain their genetic lineage . Their name translates from the Aldmeri language as High Ones or Cultured Ones ; a name which is often interpreted to mean " tall , " or more often , " snobbish . " For their part , the Altmer argue that they are the first true culture on Tamriel and still the most civilized race ; an argument that even human scholars find difficult to refute . The Altmer primarily live in the province of Summerset Isle , a large island off the southwest coast of Tamriel , which is southwest of Valenwood . According to their histories , their Aldmeri ancestors arrived on Summerset Isle due to mysterious reasons from the continent of Aldmeris . From here , splinter groups of Aldmer spread throughout Tamriel , but the Altmer remained on the Isles , acting as the nominal head of the empire of Altmeri nations on Tamriel . For most of the Mythic Era , the other races of elves on Tamriel acknowledged the Altmeri king as their own ruler , a practice which persisted until the founding of the Camoran Dynasty in Valenwood which marked the start of the First Era and the beginning of the decline of Altmer - dominated Tamriel . Their influence is still felt across the continent , however , as their culture forms the basis for the religion , language , and even architecture of the Cyrodilic Empire . The Altmer also have a very precise culture . From their customs to their buildings , or their appearance to their table manners . If one is to dine at an Altmeri dinner table , they must remember a very precise set of rules : Religion . The Altmeri religion forms the basis for most of the other religious practices on the continent , primarily due to its widespread acceptance prior to the advent of human civilization . It is generally assumed that the Altmer pantheon derives directly from the original gods of the Aldmer , and was nearly identical to that of the Ayleid s that ruled central Tamriel before the Alessia n revolt . The Altmer pantheon consists of nine of the Aedra that originally cooperated to form Nirn , the mortal plane . They primarily worship those Aedra which removed themselves from the creation process in time to save their divinity , with a few notable exceptions . As with nearly all Tamrielic religions , they revere Akatosh , whom they call Auri - El , as their chief deity , at least in principle . However , Akatosh , along with the Altmer deities Stendarr ( whom the Altmer view as an apologist of Man ) and Mara , were part of the creation process until its end , and so were severely weakened from their original form . In practice , the Altmer followed the teachings of Trinimac , the champion deity of the elves , who was still able to physically walk the face of Tamriel during the Mythic Era . Other key divines in their pantheon include Magnus , the source of magic on Nirn , and Phynaster , the patron god of the Summerset Isle , whom the Altmer claim taught them to live much longer lives by taking shorter strides . Although they do not revere him as a god ( in fact , quite the opposite ) , the Altmer do acknowledge the divinity of Lorkhan , the patron god of man . Much of the early Altmer history involves conflicts between Trinimac and his elves , and Lorkhan and his humans . The Altmer cast Lorkhan as a treacherous , shifty character who tricked the Aedra into carrying out his plan for creation . As the elves believe themselves to be direct descendants from Auri - El , they blame Lorkhan for the loss of their divinity . This is the key difference between human and mer theology : humans consider themselves " creations " of the gods , not " descendants " of the gods . Unfortunately for the Altmer , Trinimac disappeared near the end of the Mythic Era ; according to legend , he was eaten by the Daedric Prince Boethiah and reformed into Malacath . The start of the First Era marked the beginning of a sharp decline in Altmer cultural and religious dominance across Tamriel ; in modern times , Altmer outside of Summerset are as likely to worship the Nine Divines as their own traditional gods . Altmer names . High elf names usually consist of 5 – 8 characters without any spaces , dashes or symbols . Also , the Altmer do not have surnames , but they will very rarely have a clan name . Note that these rules are not mandatory or strict , but rather a base for creating an Altmer ' s name . Notable Altmer . As they are the longest lived , and eldest , of the mortal races , many key historical and modern political figures are Altmer . These are some of the more notable or well - known Altmer in Tamriel :