General:Real-World References

This page is for Real-World References only. Real-World References include apparent parallels between gaming content and places, concepts, historical events, people or cultures of the real world. For other points of interest, like Easter Eggs, or references to other games in the Elder Scrolls series, please see the appropriate pages.

Even though some references are more obvious than the others, the majority of such connections are subjective. Therefore, when listing a fact which you see as a real-world reference, please try to avoid definitive wording, e.g., "It was inspired by..." or "It is derived from...". Instead, use phrases that demonstrate an uncertain nature of such facts, e.g., "It has parallels with" or "It visually resembles...". Unless a reference is supported by an interview with developers, for instance, information on this page is in the territory of original research and should be presented as such.

ES universe concept	Real-world reference	Wikipedia/Interview Link
Confessions of a Skooma-Eater	This book seems to be a parody of the real book Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, which concerns the drug Laudanum.	Confessions, Laudanum
Housecarl	In medieval Scandinavian cultures, the term "housecarl" came to refer to bodyguards for lords and kings, very similar to the housecarls of Nordic culture.	Housecarl
Imperial Legion	The Imperial Legion of the Empire of Tamriel shares several similarities to the legions of ancient Rome.	Roman legion
Oghma	The TES term "Oghma", usually taken to mean "book", likely comes from the Celtic god of the same name who was attributed with creating the Ogham alphabet.	Ogma
Oghma Infinium	The symbols on the second page of the Oghma Infinium are visually similar to the symbols on an Icelandic magical stave, Vegvísir.	Vegvísir
Soul Gems	The soul gem designs appear very similar to variations of Aura Quartz; special quartz crystals that are put in a high temperature vacuum and have had either gold, titanium, iron or other metals fused on in powdered form.	Aura Quartz
Molag Bal	The name "Molag Bal" might be a reference to the two Canaanite deities, Moloch and Baal, both noteably evil figures, who often required human sacrifices.	Moloch, Baal
Thalmor	The Thalmor have a very similar history, and especially in TES V: Skyrim, some similar ideals, to the Nazis of Germany. They also use an eagle as their logo, which resembles the Nazi Hoheitszeichen.	Nazism, Hoheitszeichen
Nords	The Nords of Skyrim bear a resemblance to the Vikings of Scandinavia in culture, stereotypes, architecture, and even somewhat in history.	Vikings
Orcs	In TES V: Skyrim, orcs resemble the Khans, both in armor design and the attitudes other races have towards them.	Genghis Khan
Thane	In Anglo-Saxon England and early medieval Scandinavian cultures, a "thane" or "thegn" was an aristocratic retainer in military service to a king or nobleman, very similar to the relationship between a thane and jarl in Nordic culture.	Thegn