Tamriel Data:The Talhjolde Companion

Book Information The Talhjolde Companion
Added by	Tamriel Data
ID	T_Bk_TalhjoldeSHOTN_V1
	40		3

The Talhjolde Companion

---

The Talhjolde Companion

published by the Imperial University Press, 3E 421

The Talhjolde, or Song-Stories, represent the strongest link between contemporary Tamrielic society and the Atmoran Nords of so many eras past. This collection has been curated by the Imperial University's Committee for the Transposition of Indigenous Oral Traditions, and serves to keep alive in the minds of both academics and the general public the roots of our culture and shared history.

In this companion to the Talhjolde, different scholars will offer their learned understanding of each tale's origins, meaning and significance. It is important to remember, of course, that these are neither the original Nordic tales nor a serviceable representation of Atmoran totemic religion; they do, however, serve to illustrate the ways in which our mannish origins retain their significance in Tamrielic culture to this day.

I. Hvals Bol (Whale's Sorrow)
- Hakan at-Hatan, Folkloric Linguistics

There are some odd anachronisms in the language used in this piece. For example, the "fighting twins of old" indubitably refer to the Shield-Thanes of Shor, Tsun and the lesser-known Stuhn (regarded as having left the Nordic pantheon to become Stendarr). However, the Whale in question is the totem of Stuhn, and so there is a strange paradox in likening Whale's emotions to his future representation. This is of course entirely typical of Nordic storytelling, but should highlight to the reader the limitations of applying these modern translations to Mythic Era Atmora.

II. Allfathirs Beit (Allfather's Riddle)
- Elvyra Aumilie, Indigenous Oral Traditions

Riddle-contests and feats of cleverness are very popular in the Nordic oral tradition, and this is exemplary of the genre. Although the character of the "Allfather" or "All-Maker" has either departed mainland Nordic storytelling or been folded into the character of Shor, here we see them as distinct and conflicting characters. In particular, the Fox (Shor's totem) is rebuked for his cleverness at the end, when this kind of wily glory-seeking is most commonly depicted as unambiguous heroism.

III. Modiskva Bern (The Angry Bear)
- Batul gra-Brok, Metaphysical History

The presence of an Adversary in this story has interesting metaphysical implications. I am unaware of many Nordic traditions that have retained this character, barring the most malicious interpretations of Alduin, and it is a concept that challenges traditionally-understood Nordic metaphysics. In particular, it proposes a firm end for Nirn, one that contradicts the kalpic cycle and the existence of a Sovngarde-like reality outside of Mundus.

IV. Horsk Olf (Wise Wolf)
- Johannes Silvanus, Indigenous Oral Traditions

This really is an excellent example of Atmoran and early Nordic songwriting, and it is very exciting to be able to include it in this collection. A few adjustments have been made to ensure rhymes and a consistent meter, but otherwise the spirit of the original song has been captured. The Frost Maiden is one of many archetypes from Atmoran poetry, like Lord Winter or Lady Harvest, whose role has been supplanted by individual heroes of later Nordic storytelling - not a great loss to some, but I personally miss the timeless quality of these characters.

V. Aliga Beit (The Same Question)
- Basil al-Taneth, Tamrielic Migration Studies

The title here is a play on words that translates well - it is the "same question" in that it is a question of "sameness", rather than a repetition of some unspoken but pre-existing enquiry. The moral of the tale - that familiarity is forged and not inherently imbued - has particular significance for the late Atmoran period, when shifts in climate were forcing disparate Nordic peoples into uneasy coexistence. One should not, however, mistake the answer to this "same question" to be one that Nordic thought has applied freely to the races of Tamriel, as the bloody history of conquest and subjugation post-Atmora demonstrates.

VI. Ovaldung Orm (The Snake of Chaos)
- Dagny of the Tower, Skaldic Studies

Even southerners will generally be familiar with the outline of this story, as it has entered popular mythology and spread through Legion postings and court appointments. It's not known when Orcs were introduced as the victims of Fox's clever thinking, and there is surprisingly little record of conflict between Orcs and early Tamrielic Nords until the Battle of Dragon Wall in 1E660, but it seems likely to have been introduced by skalds from south-eastern Skyrim who had chafed against the predations of Velothi Mountain Orcs in the First Era.