Who Are The Thalmor? An Elder Scrolls Guide

Those hostile elves in black robes interrogating you about Talos worship in Skyrim? That’s the Thalmor, and yes, they’re exactly as bad as they seem.

The Thalmor are a political faction of High Elves that controls the Aldmeri Dominion.

They believe in elven supremacy and won the Great War against the Empire.

As part of the peace treaty, they forced the Empire to outlaw Talos worship.

But their goal isn’t just conquest—they may want to unmake the world itself.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this article:

• Who the Thalmor are and their core philosophy
• How they rose from fringe group to superpower
• The Great War and White-Gold Concordat
• Their real goals beyond conquest
• How they operate throughout Tamriel
• Key Thalmor members you’ll encounter

Who Are the Thalmor?

A Political Body, Not a Race

The Thalmor isn’t a race—it’s a ruling political party. This is a common misconception.

They’re the governing council of the Third Aldmeri Dominion, made up primarily of Altmer (High Elves) from the Summerset Isles.

Think of them as a political party that seized total power.

Not all High Elves are Thalmor, and not all Thalmor agents are Altmer. You’ll occasionally see Bosmer (Wood Elves) working for them, though always in subordinate roles.

The organization controls three territories: the Summerset Isles (which they renamed Alinor), Valenwood, and Elsweyr.

The Khajiit and Bosmer who live under their rule aren’t partners—they’re subjects.

Core Philosophy: Elven Supremacy

The Thalmor believe elves are inherently superior to humans and other races.

This isn’t just political posturing—it’s religious doctrine.

According to their beliefs, the Altmer descended from divine ancestors who existed before the world was created.

A trickster god, Lorkhan, supposedly tricked these divine beings into creating the mortal realm of Mundus.

This act trapped them in physical bodies and stripped them of their divinity.

The Thalmor see themselves as the purest descendants of these original spirits.

Their extended lifespans and natural magical abilities? They view these as remnants of their ancestors’ divine nature.

This worldview has terrible consequences.

If you’re not an elf, you’re inferior.

If you’re a Bosmer or Khajiit, you’re better than humans but still beneath the Altmer.

And if you’re human? You exist at the bottom of their hierarchy.

The Aldmeri Dominion

The Aldmeri Dominion has existed in three different forms throughout history.

The Third Aldmeri Dominion—the current one—is completely controlled by the Thalmor.

Unlike previous versions where the Altmer monarchy held power with the Thalmor serving administrative roles, this iteration puts the Thalmor in direct control.

They overthrew the traditional Altmer royal family during the Fourth Era and established what amounts to a totalitarian state.

The Dominion’s territory stretches from the Summerset Isles through Valenwood and into Elsweyr.

After the Great War, they gained the right to operate freely throughout Imperial territories to enforce the ban on Talos worship—effectively extending their reach across most of Tamriel.

The History of the Thalmor

The First Dominion: Bureaucratic Origins

The Thalmor started as bureaucrats during the Second Era’s First Aldmeri Dominion.

Queen Ayrenn established this alliance between the Summerset Isles, Valenwood, and Elsweyr during a period called the Interregnum.

Back then, the Thalmor worked as the Dominion’s police force and administrative branch.

They maintained order, implemented policies, and advised the queen through an Inner Council. Nothing sinister yet.

Queen Ayrenn’s vision centered on protecting elven interests from human expansion.

She believed elves, with their centuries of accumulated wisdom, could bring lasting peace to Tamriel.

While this showed elven bias, it was pragmatic compared to what came later.

The First Dominion eventually dissolved after the Alliance War ended.

The organizational structures and administrative practices the Thalmor developed during this period would prove useful when they re-emerged centuries later—but with a far darker agenda.

The Second Dominion and Defeat by Tiber Septim

The Second Aldmeri Dominion formed roughly three centuries after the first collapsed.

During this period, the Thalmor expanded beyond simple administration—they became the governing power in Valenwood, ruling over the Bosmer directly.

This transition marked a shift.

The Thalmor began articulating more explicit supremacist ideologies, viewing the Bosmer and other non-Altmer as inferior to High Elves.

Then came Tiber Septim.

His conquest of Tamriel in the late Second Era crushed the Second Dominion.

Using the Numidium—a reality-warping superweapon of Dwemer origin—he forced the Aldmeri Dominion to surrender and incorporated the Summerset Isles into his Empire.

This defeat scarred the Altmer psyche.

A human warlord had conquered the supposedly superior elven races.

The shame of this capitulation festered for centuries, transforming the Thalmor from administrators into extremists nursing grievances and plotting revenge.

During the Third Era, the Thalmor existed as a fringe extremist group.

Most Altmer ignored or ridiculed them.

But they kept developing their ideology and organizational structures, waiting for an opportunity to seize power.

The Oblivion Crisis: A Seizure of Power

Everything changed in 3E 433 when the Oblivion Crisis erupted.

Mehrunes Dagon’s daedric invasion devastated Tamriel, but the Summerset Isles suffered especially severe damage.

Oblivion Gates opened throughout the islands.

Daedric forces slaughtered thousands.

The Crystal Tower—one of the most sacred structures in Altmer culture—fell to the invasion.

The Imperial government, dealing with the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, couldn’t effectively protect its outlying provinces.

The Thalmor exploited this crisis.

They spread propaganda claiming they had single-handedly saved the Summerset Isles from the daedric invasion through “deep and subtle magicks.”

This was likely exaggerated or outright false.

Martin Septim ended the Oblivion Crisis by destroying the Amulet of Kings and invoking Akatosh’s avatar.

But traumatized Altmer citizens, desperate for heroes, believed the Thalmor’s claims.

Anyone who publicly disputed the Thalmor’s narrative faced assassination.

Rynandor the Bold, the great seer-mage who actually commanded the Crystal Tower’s defense, was exiled and murdered when he questioned their role.

By 4E 22, the Thalmor had accumulated enough power to overthrow the Altmer monarchy entirely.

They renamed the Summerset Isles to Alinor and established total control.

This revolutionary transformation set the stage for renewed conflict with the Empire.

The Great War

The Great War began in 4E 171 when a Thalmor ambassador presented Emperor Titus Mede II with an ultimatum.

The demands included:

• Huge tribute payments
• Disbanding the Blades
• Outlawing Talos worship
• Ceding large parts of Hammerfell to the Dominion

When the Emperor rejected these demands, the ambassador upended a covered cart.

Over one hundred severed heads spilled across the floor—each one a Blades agent who’d been operating in Summerset and Valenwood.

The war started immediately.

Aldmeri armies invaded Hammerfell and Cyrodiil simultaneously from hidden forward bases they’d secretly established during the preceding years.

The southern cities of Leyawiin and Bravil fell quickly.

Imperial forces conducted a desperate fighting retreat across the Alik’r Desert in what became known as the March of Thirst.

Thousands died from exposure and dehydration while fighting rear-guard actions against pursuing Aldmeri troops.

By 4E 174, Aldmeri forces had surrounded the Imperial City on three sides.

But the Thalmor overextended themselves.

At the Battle of the Red Ring, Imperial forces broke the siege and inflicted devastating casualties on the Dominion army.

Both sides were exhausted. Neither could continue fighting.

The stage was set for a peace treaty that would satisfy no one.

The White-Gold Concordat: A Divisive Peace

The White-Gold Concordat ended the Great War in 4E 175.

The treaty forced the Empire to agree to most of the Thalmor’s original demands:

• A complete ban on Talos worship throughout Imperial territories
• Formal disbandment of the Blades organization
• Territorial concessions in Hammerfell
• Allowing Thalmor justiciars to operate in Imperial lands to enforce the Talos ban

The Talos ban proved controversial.

Talos, the deified form of Tiber Septim, had been worshipped as the Ninth Divine for centuries.

The Nords of Skyrim revered him as a hero-god of mankind.

The Thalmor’s motivations were layered.

Theologically, many Altmer rejected the idea that a human could achieve genuine divinity.

Politically, the ban was designed to humiliate human populations and sow division within the Empire.

And it worked.

Hammerfell refused to accept the territorial concessions and broke away from the Empire, continuing to fight the Dominion alone.

In Skyrim, resentment simmered for decades before erupting into civil war when Ulfric Stormcloak rebelled against Imperial authority.

The Concordat gave the Thalmor what they really wanted: a weakened, divided Empire unable to resist future aggression.

Ideology and Ultimate Goals

Divine Ancestry and the Myth of Creation

The Thalmor’s supremacist ideology rests on Altmeri creation mythology.

According to their beliefs, the earliest Aldmer were divine spirits—ada—who existed in a state of perfection before the mortal world.

Lorkhan, the trickster god, allegedly deceived these spirits into creating Mundus.

This act trapped them in material form, stripping away their divinity and condemning them to mortality, suffering, and eventually death.

The Altmer see themselves as the purest descendants of these trapped spirits.

Their extended lifespans (living for centuries) and natural magical aptitude represent vestiges of their ancestors’ divine nature that other races lack.

This isn’t just religious theory—it’s the foundation for their entire worldview.

If the Altmer retain traces of divinity that other races don’t possess, then elven supremacy becomes not just justified but cosmically ordained.

The Heresy of Talos Worship

The Thalmor’s rejection of Talos worship goes deeper than politics.

It strikes at the core of their theological worldview.

If a mere human—Tiber Septim—could achieve genuine godhood through his mortal deeds, it invalidates the Altmer claim that only those with divine ancestry possess the capacity for such transcendence.

Making it worse: Tiber Septim achieved his supposed apotheosis through military conquest of elven lands.

He used the Numidium to subjugate the Aldmeri Dominion.

From the Thalmor perspective, the entire Talos cult represents a theological impossibility, a political affront, and a historical humiliation.

Banning Talos worship serves multiple purposes.

It asserts Thalmor theological supremacy, humiliates human populations, and—most importantly—creates internal strife within the Empire that weakens its ability to resist future Dominion expansion.

The “Towers Theory”: Unmaking the Mortal World

The Thalmor’s ultimate goal may be more terrifying than simple conquest.

Evidence suggests they want to undo creation itself.

Their plan is to unmake the mortal world and re-ascend to a divine state.

This apocalyptic objective allegedly involves destroying or deactivating the metaphysical “Towers” that anchor reality and maintain the stability of the mortal realm.

What are the Towers?

The Towers are ancient structures scattered across Tamriel that serve as metaphysical pillars holding reality together.

Each Tower has a “Stone”—an artifact or essence that powers it.

Examples include:

• The White-Gold Tower in the Imperial City (Stone: the Amulet of Kings, destroyed during the Oblivion Crisis)
• The Crystal Tower in Summerset (destroyed during the Oblivion Crisis)
• The Throat of the World in Skyrim (Stone: unknown, possibly the dragon Time itself)
• Red Mountain in Morrowind (Stone: the Heart of Lorkhan, destroyed during the events of Morrowind)

When Martin Septim destroyed the Amulet of Kings to end the Oblivion Crisis, he deactivated the White-Gold Tower.

The Crystal Tower fell during the same invasion.

If the Thalmor manage to destroy or deactivate enough Towers, they believe reality itself will unravel.

This would return existence to the state it was in before Lorkhan tricked the divine spirits into creating Mundus.

The Altmer would theoretically shed their mortal forms and regain their divine status.

If true, this makes the Thalmor an existential threat to everything.

They don’t just want to rule Tamriel—they want to erase it, along with everyone in it who isn’t part of their plan to achieve divinity.

This eschatological vision helps explain their willingness to commit atrocities.

If you believe the current world is a degraded state that must be destroyed, then any amount of suffering inflicted on other races becomes justifiable—even virtuous.

Thalmor Operations and Tactics

Propaganda and Political Assassination

The Thalmor’s rise to power showcased their skill at information control.

Their claims about saving Summerset during the Oblivion Crisis were likely exaggerated, but they eliminated anyone who challenged the narrative.

They don’t just kill political opponents—they destroy reputations first.

When Rynandor the Bold questioned their role in ending the Crisis, they spread rumors to discredit him, then had him exiled, then assassinated him aboard a ship bound for Anvil.

The Night of Green Fire shows just how ruthless they can be.

Early in the Fourth Era, Thalmor agents infiltrated Sentinel in Hammerfell and used huge magical explosions to slaughter an entire district populated by Altmer refugees who’d fled persecution.

Imperial Legate Fasendil arrived to find no survivors.

They murdered their own people—fellow Altmer—to send a message: opposition will not be tolerated, even in exile.

Infiltration and Advisors

The Thalmor excel at placing agents in positions where they can gather intelligence and influence policy.

They position “advisors” and representatives in organizations across Tamriel.

Ancano’s placement at the College of Winterhold is a prime example.

Under the guise of academic cooperation, he gained access to the College’s most powerful magical artifacts and secrets.

Similar Thalmor advisors can be found at Jarls’ courts and other institutions throughout Imperial territories.

These agents report back to Thalmor command while subtly steering their host organizations toward decisions that benefit the Dominion.

The strategy works because it appears cooperative rather than hostile.

Many institutions accept Thalmor advisors without realizing they’re granting potential enemies access to sensitive information and resources.

The Justiciars: Enforcing the Talos Ban

The White-Gold Concordat gave the Thalmor legal authority to operate throughout Imperial territory.

They sent justiciars—enforcement agents—to root out Talos worship.

These justiciars exercise broad powers: investigating suspected worship, arresting Imperial citizens, conducting interrogations (often involving torture), all with Imperial approval.

You’ll encounter Thalmor patrols along Skyrim’s major roads.

They typically consist of three justiciars with two bodyguards and a mage.

If they catch you wearing an Amulet of Talos, they’ll attack.

Locations like Northwatch Keep serve as detention and interrogation facilities.

The Thalmor care nothing for Imperial law or Nord sensibilities.

They operate with impunity, and the Empire feels powerless to stop them without violating the Concordat.

This presence serves multiple purposes: enforcing the ban, gathering intelligence, and constantly reminding Imperial citizens of their defeat and submission.

Espionage and Intelligence Gathering

The Thalmor maintain vast spy networks throughout Tamriel.

Their embassy near Solitude in Skyrim works as a diplomatic mission, intelligence center, and detention facility.

They keep detailed dossiers on individuals of interest—both allies and enemies.

These files reveal the depth of their surveillance capabilities and their commitment to staying informed about anyone relevant to their plans.

During the Great War, they pulled off impressive strategic planning.

The initial invasions of Cyrodiil and Hammerfell launched from hidden forward bases they’d secretly established during years of supposed peace.

This capacity for long-term covert preparation allowed them to achieve devastating surprise attacks.

They also employ informants and collaborators.

Gissur, found at the Thalmor Embassy, provides information about the Blades.

Shavari and J’datharr, both Khajiit, work as assassins tasked with eliminating threats to Thalmor interests.

Their intelligence apparatus provides them with a huge advantage.

They know what’s happening throughout Imperial territories while maintaining operational security about their own activities.

Manipulating the Skyrim Civil War

The Thalmor’s approach to Skyrim’s civil war reveals their strategic thinking.

Publicly, they support the Empire through the White-Gold Concordat.

Privately? They want the war to continue indefinitely.

Documents found at the Thalmor Embassy reveal they consider Ulfric Stormcloak an “asset.”

They captured him during the Great War, and First Emissary Elenwen interrogated him personally.

The Thalmor manipulated him into believing he was responsible for the fall of the Imperial City, then let him escape.

After the war, Ulfric and the Thalmor established “direct and cooperative contact.”

But when the Markarth Incident led to his imprisonment, he turned uncooperative.

Here’s the thing: The Thalmor don’t want either side to win decisively.

A Stormcloak victory would remove Skyrim from Imperial control, further weakening the Empire.

But an independent Skyrim might become strong enough to resist future Thalmor expansion.

The best outcome for them? Prolonged civil war that exhausts both sides, leaving Skyrim weakened and divided regardless of who eventually prevails.

They interfere just enough to keep the conflict going, such as during Ulfric’s capture and near-execution at Helgen.

Presence and Influence in Skyrim

The Thalmor Embassy and Northwatch Keep

The Thalmor Embassy, located in the mountains near Solitude, serves as their primary base in Skyrim.

First Emissary Elenwen runs operations from there, regularly interacting with Imperial officials and prominent Jarls.

The embassy works as far more than a diplomatic mission.

It’s an intelligence center where they maintain files on persons of interest.

It’s also a detention facility—prisoners suspected of Talos worship are held and interrogated there.

During the quest “Diplomatic Immunity,” you infiltrate the embassy undercover and discover documents revealing the Thalmor’s involvement in various plots, including their manipulation of the civil war.

Northwatch Keep serves as another facility.

Located on Skyrim’s northern coast, it works primarily as an interrogation center.

Thalmor agents torture prisoners there, employing harsh methods to extract information about Talos worship networks.

Both locations show the extent of Thalmor presence in Skyrim.

Despite the province technically remaining under Imperial control, the Thalmor operate with considerable autonomy, maintaining facilities and conducting operations with minimal oversight.

The Hunt for the Blades

The Thalmor are actively hunting the surviving Blades members who escaped eradication after the Great War.

The White-Gold Concordat formally disbanded the organization, but scattered members remain.

Delphine, hiding at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, is one of their primary targets.

Her dossier at the embassy notes she was involved in several damaging operations within the Dominion before the war.

She evaded three assassination attempts during the conflict, killing one assassination team sent after her.

Esbern, hiding in Riften’s Ratway, is another high-priority target.

The Thalmor believe he was behind some of the Blades’ most damaging operations, including the Falinesti Incident and the breach of Blue River Prison.

When you help Esbern escape from the Ratway during “A Cornered Rat,” Thalmor agents ambush you.

After you bring him to Delphine, the two Blades begin working to stop the dragon crisis while evading continued Thalmor pursuit.

But the Blades aren’t just running.

They see the Dragonborn as the ultimate weapon against the Thalmor.

Delphine and Esbern actively work to rebuild the Blades and position themselves to resist the Dominion.

They believe that if they can help the Dragonborn defeat Alduin, they’ll have proven that a mortal hero—not elven supremacy—is Tamriel’s best hope.

The Thalmor’s determination to eliminate the Blades reveals their long-term thinking.

They’re not just enforcing the Concordat—they’re eliminating anyone with the knowledge and skills to oppose them in future conflicts.

Ancano and the Eye of Magnus

Ancano was sent to the College of Winterhold as an advisor to “oversee its studies.”

His real objective? Gaining access to powerful magical artifacts for the Thalmor.

During the College questline, Ancano attempts to harness the power of the Eye of Magnus—an artifact of immense and poorly understood magical power.

His actions kill Arch-Mage Savos Aren and threaten to unleash uncontrolled magical forces that could devastate the region.

You ultimately stop him using the Staff of Magnus.

But the incident reveals important information about Thalmor operations:

They’re actively seeking sources of magical power that could provide advantages in future conflicts.

Ancano was willing to risk catastrophic consequences to acquire this power for the Thalmor.

Individual agents operate with considerable autonomy.

Ancano made decisions that could have destroyed Winterhold without apparent direct authorization from his superiors.

They infiltrate organizations throughout Tamriel.

The College of Winterhold accepted a Thalmor advisor, granting him access to their most powerful artifacts and secrets.

Resistance Against the Thalmor

The Redguards of Hammerfell

Hammerfell provides the clearest example of beating the Thalmor.

When the White-Gold Concordat ceded southern portions of their province to the Aldmeri Dominion, the Redguards refused to accept it.

This created a split with the Empire.

Hammerfell continued fighting even after the official end of the Great War.

The Empire, bound by the Concordat, officially withdrew support.

The Redguards won.

Despite facing the Aldmeri Dominion alone, they forced the Thalmor to abandon territorial claims in Hammerfell.

This proved that Thalmor military power, while formidable, wasn’t unlimited and could be defeated by determined opposition.

The Redguard resistance provided hope to others suffering under Thalmor oppression.

It proved the Dominion could be challenged and beaten despite their considerable advantages.

Nord Uprising and the Stormcloak Rebellion

Ulfric Stormcloak’s rebellion draws much of its popular support from opposition to the White-Gold Concordat and the Talos ban the Thalmor imposed.

The Markarth Incident sparked the current crisis.

After Ulfric helped retake Markarth from the Forsworn, he demanded the right to worship Talos freely as payment.

When the Empire capitulated to Thalmor pressure and arrested him for this violation of the Concordat, it lit the fuse for civil war.

Nord resentment runs deep.

Talos is important to Nord religious identity.

The Thalmor presence in Skyrim—justiciars arresting people, conducting interrogations, operating detention facilities—serves as a constant reminder of Imperial weakness and submission.

The widespread sympathy for Stormcloak’s cause, even among many who don’t actively join his rebellion, shows the reservoir of anger the Thalmor have created.

This resentment could be mobilized against them in any future conflict.

Altmeri Dissidents and Refugees

Not all High Elves accept Thalmor ideology or their right to rule.

Altmer dissidents fled persecution in their homeland, seeking refuge in provinces like Hammerfell and Cyrodiil.

These refugees represent a threat to Thalmor claims of representing all Altmer.

They provide evidence that the organization’s supremacist ideology isn’t universally accepted, even among High Elves.

The Thalmor respond with extreme violence.

The Night of Green Fire in Sentinel saw them slaughter an entire district of Altmer refugees—their own people.

This willingness to murder fellow Altmer who oppose them reveals both the threat they perceive from dissidents and the depths to which they’ll sink to suppress opposition.

Imperial Legate Fasendil, stationed in Sentinel searching for his own relatives who’d fled the Summerset Isles, arrived to find no survivors.

His account provides firsthand testimony of Thalmor violence against their own race.

These dissidents potentially represent a valuable resource for future anti-Thalmor coalitions.

They possess knowledge of Dominion operations, magical expertise, and the moral authority to challenge Thalmor claims.

Notable Thalmor Members

Elenwen, First Emissary

Elenwen runs Thalmor operations in Skyrim from the embassy near Solitude.

As First Emissary, she wields considerable influence over provincial affairs.

She regularly interacts with both Imperial officials and Stormcloak leadership, attempting to position the Thalmor as mediators in the civil war while secretly working to prolong the conflict.

During the Great War, she conducted Ulfric Stormcloak’s interrogation during the Aldmeri campaign for the Imperial City.

She convinced him that information he provided led to the city’s fall, then orchestrated his release.

Her role reveals the Thalmor’s diplomatic skill.

She maintains a veneer of civility while conducting intelligence operations, manipulating events, and overseeing enforcement of the Talos ban.

Ancano, Advisor to the College of Winterhold

Ancano served as the Thalmor’s representative at the College of Winterhold.

His official role involved “overseeing studies,” but his real objective was gaining access to powerful magical artifacts.

His attempt to harness the Eye of Magnus killed Arch-Mage Savos Aren and nearly unleashed catastrophic magical forces before you stopped him.

Ancano represents the danger of Thalmor infiltration.

Organizations that accept Thalmor advisors or observers grant them access to sensitive information and powerful resources that can be exploited.

Ondolemar and Rulindil, The Enforcers

Ondolemar serves as the head justiciar in The Reach, enforcing the ban on Talos worship from his base in Markarth.

He attempts to recruit you to help expose Talos worshippers, offering the quest “The Book of Love.”

He represents the public face of Thalmor enforcement—coldly efficient, utterly committed to rooting out Talos worship, and willing to use Imperial citizens as informants against their neighbors.

Rulindil serves as head interrogator in Skyrim and Third Emissary.

He oversees interrogation operations at the embassy and Northwatch Keep, employing torture to extract information from suspected Talos worshippers.

Both represent different aspects of Thalmor operations.

Ondolemar handles public-facing enforcement work in cities.

Rulindil conducts the harsh interrogations away from public view.

Together, they represent the combination of legal authority and raw coercion the Thalmor employ to maintain control.

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The Thalmor represent one of the most dangerous threats facing Tamriel in the Fourth Era.

Their transformation from fringe extremists to the ruling power of a resurgent Aldmeri Dominion has changed the balance of power across the continent.

Their supremacist ideology, combined with vast spy networks and willingness to employ extreme violence, makes them dangerous opponents.

The White-Gold Concordat gave them legal authority to operate throughout Imperial territories while keeping the Empire weak and divided.

But they face challenges.

The Redguards proved they could be defeated.

Nord resistance in Skyrim shows the depth of opposition to their rule.

Altmer dissidents undermine their claims to represent all High Elves.

Whether the Thalmor represent a temporary ascendancy destined to collapse or the beginning of a new elven age remains an open question.

But understanding who they are, what they want, and how they operate is necessary for anyone seeking to oppose them—or simply survive in the world they’re trying to reshape.