A dowry, or a dower, is the transfer of parental property to a child at their marriage. Lands, gifts, and money can constitute a dowry.
The dowry itself is usually given by the family of the person who's children will not inherit their House name (bride's family for patrilineal marriages; groom's family for matrilineal marriages), a tradition particularly strong in the Summerset Archipelago, High Rock, Hammerfell, and Cyrodiil. Though in some places in Tamriel, such as in Nordic culture, it is given by the family who proposed the match or requested the marriage.