This article is about the known customs in the known world. Most information will reflect the general customs of Tamriel, though differing customs will be stated whenever possible.
Monarchy and Nobility[]
In most of Tamriel, all authority derives from a monarch. Nobles are charged with keeping the monarch's peace. In the monarch's name, they can punish criminals.
It is possible for the monarch to redistribute lands and grant titles of nobility as they see fit; they may also sign bills of attainder to strip lords of their lands and incomes. A lord can conceivably hold more than one title; however, it is unusual for noble holdings to be divided or combined. Younger siblings of a lord can become vassals to their sibling, and hold a keep in their name. Territorial disputes between landowners are adjudicated, either by the liege lord or a monarch.
On extremely rare occasions, the lords of a kingdom may be gathered together to decide some great matter, such as who to name the heir if no clear possibility is available.
Social Ranks[]
Tamriel is, for the most part, a feudal land. Below the monarch and the royal family rank, great Houses, followed by other noble Houses, both greater and small, knights (landed knights, household knights, and hedge knights), and commoners. Nobles are addressed as "my lord" by other highborns, or "m’lord" by the commoners. Commoners might be addressed as goodwoman or goodman.
Every noble House has a house motto, while a coat of arms can be used by both nobility and knights, as a sign of status and identification (e.g. on the battlefield). Both nobles and knights can be ransomed, so in battle it might be preferred to capture them instead of killing them. Three hundred golden pieces is considered to be a fair ransom for a knight, whereas a nobleman’s child might be ransomed for three thousand golden pieces. A noble prisoner can be treated with honour and be kept in isolation in rooms as his status requires. However, making offence can result in the loss of the right for such honourable treatment.
At feasts, great honour can be given to a guest by seating him or her on the dais, with the place of highest honour being on the right side of the host. Being seated at the far end of the hall, far from the dais, however, is regarded as a place of little honour and regard. When a lord presides over a feast, they receives first choice of all dishes. They might send some of the especially fine dishes down to specific guests, showing friendship and respect.
For more in-depth information about the social practices of the many races, see Feudalism, Rules of Peerage, and Cultures.
Inheritance[]
Absolute cognatic primogeniture is customary, but not binding, for most nobles. A lord's eldest child, whether man or woman, followed by the second-born, and so on. However, a lord also has the option of naming one of his younger children heir, passing over his elder children, or to name the child of another as his heir. When there is no clear heir, claims can be presented to the monarch. One of the few exceptions among nobility is House Rilis on the Summerset Archipelago, where only males inherit, regardless of birth order. In orc strongholds, just like in House Rilis, only men inherit, though among Orcs the practice of agnatic primogeniture was not a result of political necessity, but rather cultural customs regarding the place of women in the world compared to men. Additionally, in the land of Hammerfell, men inherit according to agnatic-cognatic primogeniture (daughters only inherit if there is no eligible male child of the ruler.
When a ruling lord dies and leaves no clear heir, their widow might lay claim upon their lands and rule until their own death, and in such a case, might name an heir by themself. A lord may lay out specific terms for inheritance or pass over their offspring in their will, which may invite legal wrangling after their death, and potentially violence during it.
The role of legitimised bastards throughout Tamriel is also unclear i.e., whether they follow trueborn children, or join the line of succession in order of birth as if they had been trueborn all along. Legitimisation, once made, is irreversible. The claims of legitimised bastards can present dangerous consequences for trueborn relatives. While unlegitimised bastards have no legal claim, they may still threaten legitimate descendants' inheritance.
Loss of Succession Right[]
The right of succession may be renounced.
A king or lord can also name another as their heir. However, even in such cases, claims might still be made later on and are thus rare. Additionally, if another heir were to be named they would almost exclusively be another person from the same House, and not an outsider.
Right of succession is also lost when someone becomes a member of a priesthood, a sapiarch, or joins the personal guard of a monarch. Traitors may be attainted, in which case even their descendants would lose their right to succeed.
Age of Majority[]
For Men and Beast, sixteen is the age of legal majority, while for Mer it is eighteen. From that point, they are referred to as a "man grown" and "woman grown" (regardless of race).
However, for children, there are exceptions. A girl who has had her first flowering (i.e., first menstruation), or a boy whose voice has dropped, is considered to be fit for both marriage and consummation of the marriage. Most highborn girls have their first flowering at the age of twelve or thirteen, and most boys witness their voices drop at a similar age, bringing them in a somewhat ambiguous position. They are considered to be "part child, part woman/man", and can be referred to as a "maid" or "maiden", and, even if they have not yet reached the age of majority, a "woman/man grown".
Young highborn can be sent away for fosterage to other noble families. While there are exceptions, it appears that those who have reached the age of majority are free to go where they like, thereby ending their fosterage.
Ruling lords and ladies who inherit while still in their minority usually have a regent, who serves as the decision-making ruler until they come of age.
Marriage[]
Marriages are frequently preceded by a betrothal. Betrothals are expected to be arranged by the head of a House, both for his or her children and any unwed younger siblings. There is no age limit to betrothals or marriages. Children might be as young as two years old when betrothed although generally children are somewhat older. Marriages to children who have not yet reached their majority or even their first flowering (i.e., when a girl has had her first menstruation) do happen, although not often. Usually, the two have already reached their majority, or are even older, although marriages involving infants have also occurred, although this happens rarely and usually is only done for specific reasons.
Marriage Ceremonies[]
Marriage customs vary considerably between the regions and major faiths, though all appear to be religious ceremonies between two people (who should not be more closely related than first cousins). Wedding ceremonies involve the exchange of vows in the presence of particular sacred witnesses, and are followed by a feast, where the bride and groom eat and drink with everyone. Afterwards, the bedding takes place, where the marriage is consummated.
Wedding ceremonies differ between religions. A priest is involved in ceremonies following the customs of the Church of Alaxon and its children-religions. For more information on the various marriage ceremonies of the many faiths, see religions.
Wedding ceremonies are generally followed by a feast, which in turn is followed by the bedding. Towards the end the spouses are presented with their gifts, after which the marriage will be consummated.
Polygamy[]
While most marriages are between only two people, polygamous marriages do occur in the known world. Before the coming of the Aldmer, some Nedic chiefs practised polygamy. Polygamy is currently still practised by many Orc chieftans, who are allowed to take multiple wives in addition to their principle wife.
Funeral Customs[]
Funeral customs can differ between followers of different religions, but also between families following the same religion. The Aranas of Alinor would bury their dead in the royal catacombs of the Monastery of Serene Harmony in Shimmerene, though this is a custom of the Altmeri royalty and not necessarily of their families. The X's of X burn their dead and place their ashes in urns in small catacombs beneath their castle.
To see specific funeral customs per religion, see religions.
Embalming the body of the deceased involved removing the bowels, internal organs, and blood, and replaced with salt and fragrant herbs. During a funeral service lasting several days, prayers are held both in the morning and the evening; While the morning services are open only to nobility, the afternoon prayers are open to the commoners, and the evening prayers for all.
A great lord who dies away from home will usually be escorted back home. A funeral procession of a lord of high nobility can include an escort of knights, vassal lords, members of the household guard, and others. In any case, several specialised priests will accompany the body. Especially among the nobles, great importance is placed on returning the body to the family of the deceased, and failing to do so might be cause for resentment.
Naming Customs[]
First Names[]
In Tamriel, children receive a name at their birth.
Surnames[]
Upon marriage, people keep their maiden names, though some have been known on rare occasion to give them up in favour of their spouse's. However, usage can vary: a noble that gave up their maiden names might still be called by their maiden name, if only to make clear that they are still a member of their original House. If the family of the noble in question is significantly lower born than the family of the spouse, the noble might chose to use mostly their spouse's, and their maiden name little, or not at all.
Surnames are almost exclusively attached to a noble status, though Houses that have lost so much prestige, money, and land and live among the commoners as commoners will over the generations lose the noble status while maintaining their surnames as the last point of pride for their family.
Bastards, whether highborn or lowborn, lack surnames. When a bastard has legitimate children, these children receive their parent's bastard status (no surname), though a later generation might adjust the name as to remove the taint of bastardy. Highborn parents can also decide to give their bastard a unique surname. Those who receive lands and knighthood might also take a (new) surname.
Traditions regarding surnames might differ slightly in some regions of the world, such as in Morrowind where if one joins a Great House's respective organisation, they are entitled to bear the family's name as a second surname after their own. For information on surnames specific to certain cultures, see the respective pages of those races.
Argonians and orcs do not have surnames within their own cultures, though if individuals are ennobled in other kingdoms they would then have a surname and House. Orcs have their own custom for surnames, which is used by most orcs that lack a surname (i.e., that are not nobles of a non-orc realm), which involves using one's location of birth as a quasi-surname.
Holy Days[]
In Tamriel, in custom to the Faith of the Eight, each of the eight gods have their own holiday, and every seventh day the pious attend a ceremony in their local temple.
While the Faith is the most widespread religion on Tamriel, it is not the only one, especially in the Summerset Archipelago where worship of the Church of Alaxon is still strong. See religions for in-depth information about each faith.
Hospitality[]
The custom of “guest right” is both sacred rule and ancient. The obligations of hospitality are taken very seriously; however, the custom of guest right looms less in the southron regions of Tamriel, but is held most dear in Skyrim. There, breaking the guest right is rare, but when it occurs, is punished similarly to the direst of treasons. Hospitality can be offered by a lord upon the arrival of the host. The most common way of receiving hospitality, also called “guest right” is by eating offered food. Once guest right has been offered and accepted, the guests and hosts are protected from harm by one another for the length of the stay. Guest gifts can be given on the day the guests depart, possibly as a means of ending the protection of the guest right. Guest gifts are no longer given by all lords, however.
Pastimes[]
Nobles and commoners alike can participate in a variety of pastimes for their entertainment.
Children play with toys (e.g., puppets, barrel hoops, blocks, carved wooden statues, and dolls) or play a variety of games. Noble born children, especially when they grow older, are expected to train in several skills for their entertainment as well as general education. Noble children learn to ride horses. From a certain age onwards nobles are taught a variety of arts, which include sewing, embroidering, dancing, singing, writing poetry, or playing musical instruments (e.g., the high harp or the bells). Others begin to train in martial skills. Usually starting at a young age, nobles are trained with spear, sword, and shield. Younger nobles train with wooden swords. By the time boys are twelve, they have often been training at arms for years.
The two different paths nobles take in their youth is often decided by their birth. Heirs and those close in succession tend to be trained in the latter sort of activities (martial training, etc), while those lower down the line of succession might be pushed towards the former sort of activities (embroidering, etc). However, this is not a concrete rule, as some nobles close in the line of succession might take the time to learn music of their own volition, or those far down the line might aspire to be great warriors and take up the martial arts.
Places adults might like to visit for their entertainment include taverns and brothels. Most nobles are literate, and therefore might prefer to spend their times reading books. Nobles might prefer to sail for their pleasure, or simply take a horse ride, sometimes to pick flowers or feast outdoors. Both adults and children, noble and commoners, enjoy swimming in lakes, rivers, pools, and moats.
Games[]
Tamrielic children's games include X, X, X, and X.
X is a board game of simple strategy originating from the Summerset Archipelago. It is also played in the archipelago, and since roughly 3E XXX has been present in the rest of Tamriel, after a trading galley from Skywatch introduced the game in Cyrodiil, from where it was spread. The game came to the Imperial City in 3E XXX.
Hunting[]
Nobles might hunt for sport, and often enjoy hunting a large variety of animals, like boar, aurochs, or deer. Hunting hounds might be used. When hunting boar, a hunting spear is needed, as well as horses and dogs, and men to flush the boar from its lair.
Nobles can also practice a more specific form of hunting: falconry (frequently called "hawking"), "the sport of hunting with falcons, hawks, eagles, or other birds of prey". Nobles might own a falcon an eagle, or a hawk of their own.
Hunts can be dangerous, and accidents during a hunt are common enough that they might be faked in order to assassinate someone. Although hawking is much safer, deathly accidents still occur.
Combat[]
Popular in Tamriel are tourneys, chivalrous competitions where men compete against one another either in a joust, a melee, an archery competition. The format and rules used during a tourney can vary between different regions in Tamriel, demonstrating the desires of the hosting lord. People of Tamriel additionally participate in bear-baiting and boar-baiting.
The region of Skyrim prefers to watch gladiatorial combats in fighting pits, a custom brought to the Imperial City and made popular by the Arena. Nordic pits can be found in at least Windhelm and Falkreath. Within these pits, pit fighters battle either one another, or an animal, until one dies.
The custom of fighting pits also exists in the region of Morrowind, though its participants were almost entirely slaves. In these pits it was not uncommon for children to be made to fight against wild animals.
Gambling[]
Other pastimes include gambling, like playing at dice or tiles. The latter can be three-sided. However, bets can be placed upon anything, including the outcome of a tournament.
Mummers and Music[]
Mummers, singers, and puppeteers often travel from place to place in Tamriel. While singers often travel alone, mummers and puppeteers travel in troupes, performing their acts wherever they go. Places located more remotely, like Morthal, might not be visited by travelling entertainment for years or seasons on end. Travelling singers, called "wandering singers", rarely travel far north into Skyrim. Tourneys and weddings can attract mummer troupes and singers. Additionally, mummers, singers, and puppeteers can find service with a lord or lady.
Some mummer groups prefer to perform from a fixed location (e.g., X and the X, two mummers' playhouses in X, and the mummers' amphitheatre in Rellenthil). In some of the mummers' playhouses, the mummers play out written stories instead of making up farces.
In Solstheim, mummer troupes might contain enslaved mummers. These slaves can buy themselves free once they have gained enough wealth. This used to extend to the rest of Morrowind when the Dunmer ruled the entire province.
Gender and Sexuality[]
The various cultures across Tamriel have diverse attitudes and social patterns regarding gender and sexuality.