Lore:Bestiary

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Some of the different creatures of Tamriel (and beyond)

The Bestiary of Mundus and Oblivion includes widely varied and often dangerous creatures. Many examples of creatures such as the skittish deer or the clever wolf, beasts such as the dreaded werewolf or the puny dragonling, and the damned undead — including the lowly zombie and the powerful lich — are included in this guide; this clearly demonstrates the extent and variety of the creatures that inhabit the universe. This overview serves to describe how animals and monsters affect the world, how the environments they live in have affected them, and their roles in the world in general.

Creatures in General

The cliff racer, an invasive species, a method of disease propagation, and a deadly pest

Creatures serve many uses throughout Mundus and Oblivion. While a creature may serve one primary purpose, it does not mean its role is set in stone. Some animals can have multiple purposes, such as the horse and the guar, which can serve as beasts of burden for carrying people and cargo, or be used as mounts for war. Daedra such as the clannfear are often used as summoned creatures to defend mages or as soldiers in Daedric armies. It is common for animals and monsters to be hunted as food or for their fur, bones, or alchemical properties. In some cases they are even used as building supplies, most notably in the case of the Redoran city of Ald'ruhn where the Redoran Council maintains a Manor District under the shell of an Emperor crab. Some animals can also serve as pets, an obvious case being the dog. In some cases they are used as a work force; the goblin is often used by the Altmer as a work force, and in some cases certain other creatures such as the ogre are enslaved and made to live a life of forced labor. Death doesn't always mean the finality of a creature, as creatures are sometimes raised by necromancers to serve as guards or as experiment subjects.

The island of Vvardenfell provides many examples on how creatures and their environments interact with each other. The Ash Blight wiped out Cliff Striders, Nix-Oxen, and Vvardvarks from Vvardenfell by the late Third Era. The Ghostfence was created with the intended purpose of stopping the spread of the blight, but was undermined in several ways. One notable way the blight spread out of containment on Red Mountain was the cliff racers living around the mountain; the cliff racer's ability to fly made the Ghostfence an almost laughable measure of containment as they could fly above the gate at will, which helped spread the blight throughout the island. This is not the extent of the cliff racer's effects on Vvardenfell; it was first an invasive species. It migrated into Vvardenfell from parts unknown and attacked and slowly overwhelmed the native dragon population. Eventually the dragons were fully driven out of Vvardenfell and their home there, Red Mountain. The cliff racers remained a dangerous threat to anyone who would travel to the already dangerous mountain until they were rumored to be driven out of Vvardenfell by Saint Jiub. The creatures known as Silt Striders were once used in great number by the Dunmer as transportation, but the Red Year caused their numbers to dwindle as the eruption of Red Mountain killed most of them and destroyed their native habitat.

Though an animal or monster can alter or even damage its environment and ecosystem, its chosen ecosystem is often necessary for its survival. A creature chooses to live where it can survive, which means that its environment must complement their abilities or lifestyles. Slaughterfish and the dreugh can be found underwater, while creatures like Wolves and Durzogs can be found on land.

Many creatures have become domesticated by other races. Farms will often raise creatures and animals such as the sheep and cow which are rarely found outside of domestic environments due to their inability to survive wilderness areas.

Some creatures such as the rat can be found in many different environments. Rats can be found in sewers, ruins, caves, the wilderness, goblin run farms as food, and even in homes as pets! Like the rat, some other creatures can be found in a variety of locations serving a variety of roles. Dogs, for example, are kept as a pets but can also be found serving as guards for camps or in some ruins.

See Also

• Game-specific bestiaries: Arena • Daggerfall • Battlespire • Redguard • Morrowind • Tribunal • Bloodmoon • Stormhold • Dawnstar • Shadowkey • Oblivion • Oblivion Mobile • Shivering Isles • Skyrim • Skyrim Pinball • Skyrim Very Special Edition • ESO • Legends • Blades
• For creatures mentioned in The Infernal City and Lord of Souls, see this article.

Specific Creature Classifications

• Birds — A full listing of birds
• Fish — A full listing of fish
• Fabricants
• Faeries
• Golems
  • Dwemer Animunculi
  • Factotums
• Lesser Daedra
  • Elemental Daedra
• Nature Spirits
• Undead
• Obscure Fauna — A general resource article covering obscure creatures appearing only in lore or otherwise unnamed creatures.

Books

• Anequina Animal Identification and Tasting by Hrodkir Mincemeat — A book describing how to capture Northern Elsweyr creatures and their taste
• Bolga's Guide to Galen Beasts by Bolga gra-Bur, Huntswoman of Mistral — A hunter's description of some creatures found on Galen and how to eat them
• Bolga's Guide to Island Beasts by Bolga gra-Bur, Huntswoman of Mistral — A brief summary of the creatures found on Khenarthi's Roost
• Brenus Astis' Journal by Brenus Astis — Fragments of a scholar's notes on the fauna of Cyrodiil
• A Child's Tamriel Bestiary by Shane gro-Orath (Clever, no? Ha, ha!) — A children's rhyming alphabet book
• Denizens of Apocrypha by Cipher Plautis — A guide to the Daedra and others found in Apocrypha
• The Fabricated Fauna of Clockwork by Endilaril, Naturalist — A naturalist's research notes on the Clockwork City's artificial wildlife
• Fishing Mastery by Swims-In-Deep-Water — A fish-loving Argonian's guide to fishing
• A Gold Coast Children's Bestiary — A rhyming children's book about frightening creatures
• A Guide to Fishing Tamriel by "The Old Slaughterfish" — An old angler's advice on his profession
• Herbane's Bestiary by Herbane — A guide to some of the creatures you may encounter while exploring Skyrim
• Morrowind Fauna, Part One by Holia Asellio — A fragment of a larger text covering the bestiary of Morrowind
• The Shivering Bestiary by Namlir Esprink — A catalogue of the characteristics and combat skills of the creatures that reside in the Shivering Isles
• Vvardenfell Flora and Fauna by Tilenra Sildreth, Telvanni Naturalist — An examination of Vvardenfell's Second Era flora and fauna