A variety of social patterns concerning gender and sexuality can be observed in the known world. Modern terms such as "gay", "homosexual", or "LGBT" do not appear. Moreover, no analogous in-universe term has ever been introduced.
For that matter, it is as yet unclear if "homosexuals" are even considered a conceptual category of persons in Tamriel and beyond, given that this conceptual category didn't actually exist in the real Middle Ages.
Characters Who Have Engaged in Homosexual Behaviours[]
Numerous characters have engaged in homosexual behaviour or expressed desires for characters of the same gender:
- Cartorrel, an Altmeri sailor on the Eyebright, who was married to Wendlain.
- Hadrill Diina, a Dunmeri civilian of Heimlyn Keep.
- Huna, an ex-slave who was the lover of Pelinal Whitestrake.
- Pelinal Whitestrake, a legendary knight who was deeply in love with Huna.
- Velsa Arendis, a member of the Thieves Guild who was in love with Narahni.
- Wendlain, an Altmeri commoner, who was married to Cartorrel.
Multiple characters have displayed sexual attraction towards or have had sexual relations with both genders:
- Vivec, living-god of the Tribunal Temple, was known for having sexual relations openly with his followers no matter their gender.
Societal Patterns of Gender and Sexuality in Tamriel[]
The societal patterns in Tamriel are rather uniform in several aspects. However, much is dependent on the different cultures one belongs to, and can thus differ between regions. Overall there are some light gender-based patterns based primarily on biology, which result in more men on average serving as soldiers in armies, as well as men typically being the ones to seek women as partners. These patterns appear to permeate all of Tamrielic culture and customs, though it rarely extends towards outright gender-based discrimination. Notable exceptions include Redguard and orcish culture, and some isolated cases such as X Dratha of Tel Mora who disliked men and banned them from her city.
In Tamriel there exist gender roles, albeit much more lightly culturally enforced than in the real world. Notable exceptions to prevailing gender roles are Skyrim and the Summerset Archipelago, which are more egalitarian in their outlook on gender. It should be noted that despite the existence of gender roles on Tamriel, never (except in Redguard and orcish culture) do they result in outright gender-based discrimination.
The customs regarding inheritance and landownership are mostly uniform throughout Tamriel. Equal primogeniture is customary (women inherit on the same grounds as men), although not always binding for most nobles. The orcish strongholds stand out as an exception, as the women have more submissive roles in society and are barred from leading, and are thus relegated to being wives or fulfilling other secondary roles in orcish society. Additionally, House Rilis of the Summerset Archipelago is the only House of Alinor that practices male only primogeniture (only men inherit), a result of the Rilis war of succession. The Redguards of Hammerfell are also known for their practice of male preference primogeniture (women inherit only if there is no available male sibling), though Houses from eastern Hammerfell will ocassionally use Nedic laws of succession, which is equal primogeniture.
In general, nobles, especially heir apparents, are encouraged (and sometimes forced) to marry someone of the opposite gender regardless of their own sexuality. However, this does not appear to be done out of disdain for their sexuality so much as for stability, the preservation of a House's line, and political alliances.
The Argonians of Black Marsh, while not discriminatory against those of same-gender attraction, are much more traditionalist than other races on Tamriel. For them, bonding rituals (a similar ceremony to a wedding) are meant to serve the purpose of procreation, and feelings of love play little role. For this reason, no Argonian that loves another of the same gender will ever have a bonding ritual of their own, as it would serve no purpose if they cannot produce an egg.
Some Argonians are known to have swapped genders through the machinations of the Hist. According to Argonians, the Hist, being the "giver of an Argonian's life and sapience", has the power to change one's gender to fit their natural needs, such as if a tribe is in dire need of a female and only males remain. Argonians who do not reside in Black Marsh cannot undergo such a transformation, as they are too disconnected from the Hist.
Non-Sapient Races[]
Not much is known about the cultures of non-sapient sentient races, who have dwindled to near-extinction in recent millennia.
- Among the race of giants, it is observed that their females look very similar to their males.
- Gryphons, while not a sapient race but animals (albeit very intelligent ones), are still noteworthy for their relatively unusual reproductive biology. Gryphons have no fixed gender differentiation—according to X and Sapiarch X, gryphons are “but now one and now the other, as changeable as the wind”, presumably meaning that they are able to change from one gender to the other. This knowledge was later lost, with many sapiarchs doubting it was true in the first place.
Contraception[]
Condoms are not present in the medieval world of Tamriel. In real life, medical treatises only start mentioning the existence of condoms (made of lambskin, linen, etc.) starting at the time of the Renaissance in the 1500s. The only birth control that men ever make use of in Tamriel is the withdrawal method (coitus interruptus).
Women may rely on several herbal mixtures as a means of contraception or abortion, most notably tansy tea. One of the main ingredients in tansy tea is a drop of pennyroyal—which actually was a main ingredient in several abortion drugs during the real-life Middle Ages.
The views of major religions in Tamriel and beyond on contraception and abortion haven't been stated. It appears to be technically denounced, but given medieval levels of communication and social control over large territories, it seems that any prohibition is functionally difficult to actually enforce (comparable to the real Middle Ages). Women seem to obtain tansy tea from itinerant woods witches at the fringes of society more often than they obtain it from official sources such as sapiarchs. On the other hand, some noblewomen have been known to request tansy tea from sapiarchs directly (often for unspecified purposes), so it's unclear if there is a formal prohibition on sapiarchs giving their patients tansy tea.
Gender and Sexuality in Real-Life Medieval Europe[]
The society of real-life Medieval Europe, like Greco-Roman societies before it, did not actually possess a binary of heterosexual versus homosexual. Instead, the sexual categories of the Greco-Romans were divided along a Dominant/Submissive dichotomy, between those who penetrate and those who get penetrated. Men who penetrated other men were seen as normal and masculine; only men who were penetrated were considered unusual or shamefully effeminate. Societies with Dominant/Submissive dichotomy, heavily defined by penetration, also often didn't conceptually recognise female homosexuality, even to condemn it.[1]
The society of Medieval Europe was similar to the older Greco-Roman models, with a Dominant/Submissive binary, given that both were male-dominated societies in which religious moral instruction was itself dominated by male priests. Pagan Viking culture in ancient Scandinavia similarly followed a Dominant/Submissive binary. The major difference is that Medieval Christianity came to practice clerical celibacy for monks and nuns, so that the fundamental division of society became between celibate or non-celibate (not heterosexual versus homosexual), and among the non-celibate this was further divided into Dominant/Submissive binary. These patterns only ended with the massive social changes of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, during which clerical celibacy was rejected by Protestants, and even the Catholic Church had to respond with a new emphasis on praising sex within marriage among the non-celibate.[1]
Homosexuality in Real-Life Medieval Europe[]
"Homosexuality" did not exist as a conceptual category in real-life Medieval Europe. It was seen as an action someone could perform, like adultery, but not as an exclusive category of identity. Given that the main social divide was between the celibate and the non-celibate, all non-procreative sex was frowned upon. A man receiving fellatio was condemned by the Church because it wasn't procreative, regardless of whether a woman or another man was performing it.[1]
Homosexual behaviours were seen as a venal sin of the flesh, rather than being heavily vilified. It was roughly on par with adultery or masturbation, both of which were frowned upon, but mass persecutions of homosexuals were not commonplace.