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<noinclude>{{Trail|Races}}[[Category:Lore-All Terms]]</noinclude>{{{image|[[File:Lore-race-Bosmer.png|frame|Illustration of a typical Bosmer male.]]}}}
The {{Lore Link|Bosmer}} are the Elven clan-folk of {{Lore Link|Valenwood}}, a forested province in southwestern {{Lore Link|Tamriel}}.{{ref|name=POT|{{Cite book|Provinces of Tamriel}}}} In the {{Lore Link|Empire}}, they are often referred to as '''Wood Elves''', but Bosmer,{{ref|name=PGE1P|{{Cite book|PGE|1|Prologue}}}} '''Boiche''',{{ref|name=TWE|{{Cite book|The Wild Elves}}}} or '''the Tree-Sap people''' is what they call themselves.{{ref|name=Morrowind|Events of [[MW:Morrowind|Morrowind]]}} Bosmer rejected the stiff, formal traditions of {{Lore Link|Aldmer}}i high culture, preferring a more romantic, simple existence in harmony with the land and its wild beauty and creatures. They are relatively nimble and quick in body compared to their more "civilized" {{Lore Link|Altmer}}i cousins (who often look down upon the Bosmer as unruly and naive). Their agility makes them well-suited as scouts and thieves.{{ref|name=VAS|{{Cite book|Valenwood: A Study}}}} However, they are also a quick-witted folk, and many pursue successful careers in scholarly pursuits or trading.{{ref|name=ASGTN|{{Cite book|A Scholar's Guide to Nymphs}}}}{{ref|name=ADIF1|{{Cite book|A Dance in Fire, Chapter 1}}}}{{ref|name=TBG|{{Cite book|The Buying Game}}}} Bosmer live two to three times as long as humans; with a 200-year-old Bosmer being old and a 300-year-old Bosmer being very, very old.{{ref|[http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2013/05/06/ask-us-anything-variety-pack-4 Ask Us Anything Variety Pack 4]}} Though they are considered less influential than some of their Elven brethren, the Bosmer are also relatively prone to producing offspring. As a result, they outnumber all other {{Lore Link|mer}} on Tamriel.{{ref|name=RM3TWE|{{Cite book|Racial Motifs 3: The Wood Elves}}}}
The best archers in all of Tamriel, the Bosmer snatch and fire arrows in one continuous motion; they are even rumored to have invented the bow.{{ref|name=TGROM|{{Cite book|The Gold Ribbon of Merit}}}}{{ref|name=TRG|{{Cite book|The Rear Guard}}}}{{ref|name=TML|{{Cite book|The Marksmanship Lesson}}}}{{ref|name=ADIF3|{{Cite book|A Dance in Fire, Chapter 3}}}} They have many natural and unique abilities; notably, they can command simple-minded creatures and have a nearly chameleon-like ability to hide in forested areas.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald|{{Cite book|PGE|1|Aldmeri Dominion}}}}{{ref|name=PGE1W|{{Cite book|PGE|1|The Wild Region}}}} Many in the forests of Valenwood follow the tenets of the {{Lore Link|Green Pact}}. These "Green Pact Bosmer" are religiously carnivorous and cannibalistic, and do not harm the vegetation of Valenwood, though they are not averse to using wooden or plant-derived products created by others.{{ref|name=ADIF1}}{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=GPBO|{{Cite book|Green Pact Bosmer: Observations}}}}{{FMI|dummy=}}<noinclude>
[[Image:Valenwood map Oblivion.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lore:Valenwood|Valenwood]], the land of the Bosmer.]]
==History==
Aldmer settlers purportedly arrived in Valenwood long before the {{Lore Link|First Era}}. They are remembered as some of the first of the {{Lore Link|Aldmer}} to leave {{Lore Link|Old Ehlnofey}}.{{ref|name=VAS}} These settlers found the forests of Valenwood, or the Green, so dense and so inhabited by beasts that they could not hope to tame it, so they had to fight and adapt just to become predators instead of prey.{{ref|name=PGE3V|{{Cite book|PGE|3|Valenwood}}}} Their adaption to life in Valenwood is believed to have led to the creation of the Bosmer.{{ref|name=VAS}}{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref|name=PGE3All|{{Cite book|PGE|3|All the Eras of Man}}}}
===Origin===
:''The Boiche Elves were of the Earth Bones who most hearkened to Jephre and his greensongs. They did not build a Tower, they grew it, a great graht-oak whose roots sprang from a Perchance Acorn. And this was their Stone. And because the Acorn might perchance have been elsewhere, thus was Green-Sap manifold and several. And each could walk.'' — {{Lore Link|Aurbic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree}}
[[File:ON-place-Heart of Valenwood.jpg|thumb|right|The Heart of Valenwood]]
The earliest days of the Bosmer are lost in legend. Some speak of the Ooze, the shape-shifting formlessness from which they came before the Green Pact with Y'ffre.{{ref|name=TOAF|{{Cite book|The Ooze: A Fable}}}} More obscure legends also suggest that not all Bosmer agreed to the Green Pact. Some wished to stay as the Ooze, to keep their shape-shifting abilities. However, these dissenters were apparently overcome by the other Bosmer, and as punishment, these "Oathbreakers" were buried in {{Lore Link|Ouze}}.{{ref|name=OOO|{{Cite book|Oathbreakers of Ouze}}}} There's some suggestion that early Bosmer were known for intermarrying with humans.{{ref|name=TM|{{Cite book|The Monomyth}}}}
Another legend is that the Bosmer grew the [[Lore:The_Towers#Green-Sap|Tower of Green-Sap]], a great {{Lore Link|graht-oak}} which, in those ancient times, appeared in many different forms. Each one told its own stories of the Green, the forest home of the "Boiche-become-Bosmer".{{ref|name=AU4TET|{{Cite book|Aurbic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree}}}} However, due to the machinations of the Ayleid sorcerer {{Lore Link|Anumaril}} around the time of the {{Lore Link|Alessian Slave Rebellion}} circa {{Year|1E 243}}, the "Doors Equivocal" which were created by the nature of Green-Sap were closed, and Green-Sap was reduced to a single, definite form: the {{Lore Link|Elden Tree}} of {{Lore Link|Elden Root}}.{{ref|name=AU4TET}}
Anumaril was one of many {{Lore Link|Ayleid}} refugees who fled to Valenwood during the "Ayleid Diaspora" which coincided with the slave revolt. However, Ayleids had been migrating to Valenwood even before that. These migrants all agreed to adopt aspects of the Green Pact and to refrain from harming the forest (unlike Anumaril, of course).{{ref|name=ASIV|{{Cite book|Ayleid Survivals in Valenwood}}}} The establishment of the {{Lore Link|White-Gold Tower}} by the {{Lore Link|Ayleids}} in the Middle {{Lore Link|Merethic Era}} brought increased trade to the Bosmer, and cities like {{Lore Link|Woodhearth}}, {{Lore Link|Haven}}, and {{Lore Link|Silvenar}} flourished.{{ref|name=BTAOM|{{Cite book|Before the Ages of Man}}}}{{ref|name=ACOV|{{Cite book|Ayleid Cities of Valenwood}}}} The ancient Ayleid site of {{Lore Link|Hectahame}} is home to the {{Lore Link|Heart of Valenwood}}, a magnificent tree of immense power which stands as the physical symbol of the soul of Valenwood. However, around the time when the Ayleids first came to Valenwood, a {{Lore Link|necromancy|necromancer}} twisted the power of the Heart and used it to raise an undead army, forcing the Ayleids to seal off Hectahame, along with the Heart, in order to contain the horde.{{ref|name=HOV|{{Cite book|Heart of Valenwood}}}} Ayleids and Bosmer during these early days had to fend off numerous savage attacks upon Valenwood by the {{Lore Link|Maormer}}.{{ref|name=ACOV}}
Though they found sanctuary in Valenwood, the Ayleids who migrated there seemed to fade from history. For reasons which are still debated by scholars, they apparently had little lasting impact on Bosmeri culture beyond imparting some stonework and masonry techniques.{{ref|name=ASIV}}
===The First Era===
Eventually, the Bosmer would be united under the leadership of {{Lore Link|Eplear|King Eplear}}, whose conquest of the wilderness and founding of the {{Lore Link|Camoran Dynasty}} heralded the start of the First Era. They made a formal trade treaty with the {{Lore Link|Alessian Empire}} in {{Year|1E 340}}, though it would only last for several decades before breaking down into on-and-off border skirmishes with {{Lore Link|Colovia}} for most of the First Era.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
The earliest known Wild Hunt occurred in {{Year|1E 369}}, which ended with the death of the {{Lore Link|Nord}} High King {{Lore Link|Borgas}}.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref|name=AHOD|{{Cite book|A History of Daggerfall}}}} This assassination can be viewed as an act of self-defense, though perhaps proactive, as Borgas had been journeying to {{Lore Link|Cyrodiil}} to rally support for a joint war against Valenwood. Another Wild Hunt would not occur again until the {{Lore Link|Third Era}},{{ref|name=PGE3V}} though whether one or more occurred then is not clear. After the Bosmer were devastated by the {{Lore Link|Thrassian Plague}} in {{Year|1E 2417}}, they were absorbed by the {{Lore Link|Second Empire}}. The Empire, in their usual fashion, divided power in Valenwood amongst several districts to ensure they would not unite against Imperial rule.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
In {{Year|1E 2920}}, the last year of the First Era, on the 19th of Sun's Dawn, {{Lore Link|Molag Bal}} destroyed the town of {{Lore Link|Gilverdale}} in {{Lore Link|Grahtwood}} (eastern Valenwood). This prompted {{Lore Link|Sotha Sil}}, the living wizard-mystic god of the {{Lore Link|Dunmer}}, to negotiate an agreement with several Daedric Princes to forestall further such acts, though the details of this agreement are still unknown.{{ref|name=2920L|{{Cite book|2920, The Last Year of the First Era}}}}
===The Second Era===
In {{Year|2E 406}}, a salacious scandal rocked Valenwood: the sleepy trading post of {{Lore Link|Cormount}} of Grahtwood was likely home to numerous potential heirs of the Camoran Dynasty, as Camoran rulers had evidently been journeying to the secluded town for untold years to engage in extramarital relations. Cormount's population nearly doubled in a week, and weddings became a daily occurrence for months, as many Bosmer sought to sire children with a noble lineage despite the ignoble circumstances. The news even brought many Bosmer who had never lived in Valenwood back to their spiritual home. These migrants, who largely came from Cyrodiil and thus did not follow the Green Pact, were shocking to the established Bosmer of Grahtwood, and tensions brewed for years as a result. Finally, in {{Year|2E 420}}, the migrants' village, {{Lore Link|New Joy}}, was burned to the ground for provocations that have been lost to history. The incident eventually inspired the formation of the Blacksap Movement in {{Year|2E 489}}, a Cormount-based cultural organization which hoped to formalize the Bosmeri approach to the Green Pact and thereby prevent any further tragic misunderstandings.{{ref|name=TROC|{{Cite book|The Rise of Cormount}}}}
With the fall of the Empire in {{Year|2E 430}}, the regional powers went about warring amongst themselves, and {{Lore Link|Maormer}} pirates were able to get a foothold along the coast which they used to harass the Altmer of {{Lore Link|Summerset Isle}}.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
[[File:ON-icon-Aldmeri Dominion.png|thumb|right|The symbol of the Aldmeri Dominion]]
During the {{Lore Link|Alliance War}} circa {{Year|2E 582}}, the Bosmer became part of the {{Lore Link|Aldmeri Dominion}}, along with their allies the Altmer and the {{Lore Link|Khajiit}}. The alliance was rocky, though the {{Lore Link|Thalmor}} Committee on Alliance Relations encouraged tolerance of the Bosmer's cultural eccentricities to help keep the Dominion together.{{ref|name=TH|{{Cite book|Thalmor Handbill}}}}{{ref|name=ASIV}} {{Lore Link|Elden Root}} was made the capital of the Dominion, and drew many new migrants as a result (this also became the impetus for plans to establish a gladiatorial arena in the city).{{ref|name=WMTM|{{Cite book|Want More than Middens?|ns=Online}}}} Many Bosmer saw the Dominion as their only chance at survival.{{ref|name=LTC|{{Cite book|Letter to Calahawn|ns=Online}}}} However, many others remained resentful of the alliance, believing the Dominion had "polluted" Valenwood.{{ref|name=WCN|{{Cite book|What Comes Next|ns=Online}}}} Resentment may have also festered due to the "Massacre at Cormount", wherein the Grahtwood city was apparently razed by Dominion soldiers utilizing particularly offensive tactics.{{ref|name=TMAC|{{Cite book|The Massacre at Cormount}}}}
In {{Year|2E 830}}, to secure their border from attack, the Altmer, using an old treaty and encroachment from Colovia for justification, invaded Valenwood and reestablished the Aldmeri Dominion.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref |name=PGE3Summer|{{Cite book|PGE|3|Summerset Isle}}}} Details on the circumstances leading up to this are disputed,{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}} but they formed the Thalmor and apparently brought peace to Valenwood until the Dominion was absorbed by the {{Lore Link|Third Empire}} of {{Lore Link|Tiber Septim}}.{{ref|name=PGE3V}} During the {{Lore Link|War of Rihad}} in {{Year|2E 862}}, Colovian armies employ the Bosmer as archers, though they proved to be prone to desertion.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}
===The Third Era===
The Camorans, who had managed to survive as a Bosmeri power, were made rulers again and led the Bosmer through 250 years of peace.{{ref|name=PGE3V}} In {{Year|3E 249}}, a pretender to the Camoran throne, the {{Lore Link|Camoran Usurper}}, led an army of undead and mercenaries which brought devastation throughout Valenwood and most of the western coast of {{Lore Link|Tamriel}} until being defeated in {{Year|3E 267}}.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref|name=TFOTU|{{Cite book|The Fall of the Usurper}}}} Since then, the Bosmer have become more isolationist, traditionalist, and distrusting of central authorities, and this political weakness has led to significant losses of territory to their neighbors.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
==Society==
[[File:Lore-Great Ape Sketch.jpg|thumb|right|A sketch of an Imga, the Great Apes of Valenwood.]]
The elves of Valenwood have always stood ready to defend themselves against aggression, and have done so on many occasions.{{ref|name=MUT|{{Cite book|Mixed Unit Tactics}}}} They often rely on their forest-coupling skills to make use of guerrilla tactics. The title of their most famous poem, the Meh Ayleidion, means "The One Thousand Benefits of Hiding".{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}} However, the Bosmer seem to be the most pacifistic of all the modern races on Tamriel, as they have never instigated war with other nations (leading some more militant cultures to criticize them as cowards),{{ref|name=FWOB|{{Cite book|Fav'te's War Of Betony}}}} though they have been accused of needlessly escalating [[Lore:Five Year War|some conflicts]]. They have never found a tried and true ally in any other Tamrielic nation. Mistrust has been engendered by the ritual cannibalism they practice, and it's often difficult for them to adjust their lifestyles to the expectations of other races and cultures. Nevertheless, the Bosmer are heavily dependent on good relations and trade with other races, as the Green Pact forces them to import the timber needed to make their homes, arrows, and other wooden instruments.{{ref|name=POT}}{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=ADIF2|{{Cite book|A Dance in Fire, Chapter 2}}}} Their own resources for trade include hides, river pearls, and finger-bone charms made from the {{Lore Link|magic}}ally-charged hands of their dead wizards. When they are at odds with Colovia or other trading allies, they are said to rely on piracy or banditry to get what they need.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}} They have attempted to accommodate other races in Valenwood throughout history, though many remained wary of outlander encroachments into their home.{{ref|name=OBRTTD|{{Cite book|One Bosmer's Response to the Dominion|ns=Online}}}} To this day, they have little more than foot paths connecting their tiny settlements in Valenwood's sparsely populated forests.{{ref|name=POT}}{{ref|name=FTJOAHES|{{Cite book|From the journal of Aretille, High Elven scholar}}}} Some primitive bosmers practice cannibalism upon their enemies.{{ref|name=CP|{{Cite book|Corpse Preparation}}}} Some Bosmer have been known to file their teeth to sharp points.{{ref|[[Online:Contraband C|Contraband]] in [[Online:Online|ESO]]}}
The Bosmer greatly value diversity. Their respect for life's many facets is inherent in many of their old sayings, like "One mans miracle is another mans accident".{{ref|name=AOOGAW|{{Cite book|An Overview of Gods And Worship}}}} Other races are ''generally'' welcomed in most of Valenwood, though most foreigners stay in large cities.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref|name=AMGTV|{{Cite book|A Merchant's Guide to Valenwood}}}} Travelers are encouraged to take care when imbibing drinks of fermented milk which are popular amongst the Bosmer, as non-Bosmer may have adverse reactions to them.{{ref|name=ADIF|{{Cite book|A Dance in Fire}}}}{{ref|name=FTNOACC|{{Cite book|From the notes of Ancemion, Ceremony Coordinator}}}}
===Life in Valenwood===
Though the Bosmer first united under the Camoran Dynasty, this form of governance has been called a "loose hegemony".{{ref|name=TWEOV|{{Cite book|The Wood Elves of Valenwood}}}} There are in fact many leaders throughout Valenwood who wield varying degrees of authority, such as the treethanes.{{ref|name=DDTTH|{{Cite book|Diplomacy during the Handfasting}}}} Their territory has sometimes been referred to as the "Valenwood Nations",{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}} perhaps because of the autonomy practiced by various leaders.{{ref|name=TWEOV}}
The Bosmer have adapted to life in the Green in many ingenious ways. For instance, in the heat and humidity of Valenwood, popular Altmeri ink refuses to dry. It is still prized, though, as it is perfect for writing temporary messages on certain types of porous stone found in the Green. But to write words permanently, the Bosmer use an ink which can dry even if a parchment is submerged in water. Ink which glows faintly in the dark, perfect for writing in the shadows of the forest, is also prevalent. Writing on a leaf or a flat stone is common in Valenwood, and often preferable in a place where quality parchment is rare and even paper is uncommon.{{ref|name=TC7|{{Cite book|Tamrielic Calligraphy, Chapter VII}}}} They've also found means to both deter and eradicate {{Lore Link|hoarvor}} infestations.{{ref|name=HF|{{Cite book|Healer's Fieldbook}}}} Though they refrain from smoking plants, many enjoy smoking bugs from bone pipes.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=RM3TWE}} Finding light without resorting to the danger of fire is an issue on the perpetually shadowy forest floor, but as the moons rise, additional light is provided by luminous lichen, molds, and fungal growths at the base of the oaks. Higher up, nocturnal flowers feed from the graht-oaks, attracting {{Lore Link|torchbug}}s, whose hives light the branch platforms.{{ref|name=AA|{{Cite book|Arboreal Architecture}}}}
The Bosmer share Valenwood with the {{Lore Link|Imga}} and so-called "Wood {{Lore Link|Orc}}s", along with the many beasts of the forest, including {{Lore Link|Centaur}}s.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=CAEWO1|{{Cite book|Civility and Etiquette: Wood Orcs I}}}} They have a long history of welcoming those who seek refuge within Valenwood.{{ref|name=VAS}} They accepted slaves fleeing the {{Lore Link|Ayleids}}, and then Ayleids fleeing the slaves, without showing favorites. Around the time of the Alliance War, they also freely welcomed {{Lore Link|Argonian}} refugees who had left their homeland in protest over the formation of the {{Lore Link|Ebonheart Pact}}.{{ref|name=ARD|{{Cite book|Argonian Refugee's Diary}}}} Many foreigners visit {{Lore Link|Falinesti}} at some point, the marvelous traveling city of the Bosmer (though at last report, the city had mysteriously rooted itself).{{ref|name=PGE3V}} Cultural loyalties have tended to divide the Bosmer, such as the rivalry between the {{Lore Link|Blacksap}} and the Camorans, and the schism between followers of the [[#The Green Pact|Green Pact]] and "salad-eaters" who have no qualms about breaking the tenets of the Pact.{{ref|name=OBRTTD}}
[[File:ON-concept-Yfree tree.png|thumb|right|Drawing of Y'ffre as a tree]]
===Religion===
The Bosmer venerate many deities. In fact, few Bosmer outside the Empire accept the limitation of {{Lore Link|Divines}} to a mere eight or nine. Most Bosmer claim direct descent from {{Lore Link|Auri-El}}, though Y'ffre the Storyteller is their most important deity. While the Time Dragon is the king of the gods, they venerate Y'ffre as the spirit of "the now".{{ref|name=VOFTWE|{{Cite book|Varieties of Faith: The Wood Elves}}}} Like the Argonians, the Bosmer seem to prefer to live in the present, or the "Aurbic Now", and show relatively little regard for the ways of the past (besides when it comes to telling old tales or following the Green Pact, that is).{{ref|name=RM11AE|{{Cite book|Racial Motifs 11: Ancient Elves}}}}
The Bosmer also venerate {{Lore Link|Arkay}}, {{Lore Link|Xarxes (god)|Xarxes}}, {{Lore Link|Mara}} (who they consider to be the wife of Auri-El), and {{Lore Link|Stendarr}}. The God of Toil, {{Lore Link|Z'en}}, is the Bosmeri god of payment in kind. His origins are mysterious, as is his place in the cosmic order. The Bosmer are one of the few who worship the trickster {{Lore Link|Baan Dar}}, the trickster spirit of thieves and beggars they apparently borrowed from the Khajiit.{{ref|name=VOFTWE}}
There are many other deities with significant Bosmer cults, such as {{Lore Link|Hircine}}.{{ref|name=VOFTWE}} They also worship the moon gods {{Lore Link|Jone}} and {{Lore Link|Jode}}.{{ref|name=VOFTWE}}{{ref|name=OJ|{{Cite book|Of Jephre}}}} Ancient stories of the supernatural, enigmatic {{Lore Link|Wilderking}} abound in {{Lore Link|Greenshade}}.{{ref|name=TWL|{{Cite book|The Wilderking Legend}}}} Like the Nords, the trickster spirit {{Lore Link|Hermaeus Mora|Herma-Mora}} appears in their legends (and they insist he is not to be confused with the {{Lore Link|Daedra}} {{Lore Link|Hermaeus Mora}}). And, of course, in a culture replete with trickster spirits, they do not forget the greatest trickster of all: {{Lore Link|Lorkhan}}.{{ref|name=VOFTWE}}
===The Green Pact===
[[File:ON-icon-Bosmer.png|thumb|right|The symbol of the Green Pact]]
{{Lore:Green Pact}}
===The Silvenar===
{{Lore:The Silvenar}}
===The Wild Hunt===
{{Lore:Wild Hunt}}
===Weaponry===
Due to the proscriptions of the Green Pact, forges are rare in Valenwood, and metal weapons have never been widespread amongst the Bosmer. They typically utilize bone clubs, or else axes and spears with blades of stone or obsidian. Their composite horn bows are arguably the finest in Tamriel. In coastal towns, imported metal weapons are more common, and Altmeri tutelage in these areas has benefited many Bosmeri swordsmen. However, Altmer who are schooled in "Proper Conflict", as they call their system of swordsmanship, typically refuse to adapt their techniques to the needs of their shorter cousins, and Bosmer students are typically less attentive to the finer philosophical points of the lessons, thus the experience has often proven to be mutually exasperating.{{ref|name=CAOV|{{Cite book|Common Arms of Valenwood}}}}
By the age of fourteen, Bosmer youth are typically proficient enough with the bow to accompany hunting parties.{{ref|name=CAOV}} Long-distance archers are known as Jaqspurs.{{ref|name=CAOV}}{{ref|name=WAP|{{Cite book|Words and Philosophy}}}} It is their style of draw, "snatching and releasing in one continuous motion", which has made the Bosmer famous as archers. Their traditional bows are crafted from horn and sinew. Strings are also made of sinew; Khajiiti gut is said to work best, and is thus prized among Valenwood archers. Bosmeri arrows are carved from bone, and fletched with the feathers of various bird species. They believe the source of bone used influences the characteristics of the arrow. {{Lore Link|Mammoth}} bone arrows are thought to strike with enough force to knock down a target. Bird bone arrows fly faster and more accurately. {{Lore Link|Senche-Tiger|Senche-tiger}} bone arrows deal extra damage. Trials by Imperial observers have been unable to replicate these alleged effects. Upon hearing this, the Bosmer merely cluck their tongues and smile.{{ref|name=CAOV}}
===Art and Architecture===
[[File:ON-concept-Skull decorations.png|thumb|right|Depictions of Bosmeri skull and bone decorations]]
The Green Pact has had an enormous impact on Bosmeri artwork. Their walls are often decorated with skulls and bones.{{ref|name=CWS|{{Cite book|Conversation with Shamunur}}}} It forces their architects to take great care in their work, apparently strengthening their craftsmanship. Inside tree hollows and residences, hides are stretched out over frames of bones to form partitions. Traditional wooden homes can be found close to rivers and the coast, where imported lumber is easy to find and cheap to purchase. More of these types of buildings can be found on the forest floor of cities like Elden Root or Silvenar, typically to house foreigners like the Altmer, but Bosmer cities in the Green are more well-known for the many homes scattered throughout the canopy of the trees.{{ref|name=AA}}
Many "citified tree-folk" favor a life among the branches, and have woven them together to form limbed pathways without harming the trees. Trails of thick, living vines anchor dozens of platforms that carry goods and people among the graht-oaks. These platforms are hoisted by strong, often foreign laborers. Bone, resin, and sinew are employed by the Bosmer in a plethora of ways, including bridge design. A secondary market in such scraps allows the tree-dwellers to recycle their animal waste by simply tossing it to the ground below, where it is scavenged and reworked into a variety of items.{{ref|name=AA}} What is not scavenged is absorbed by the roots of the trees and used to keep the settlement healthy. These cities are grown by Bosmer Greenspeakers, who use rituals of speech or song to grow entire villages in just a few days.{{ref|name=ONGloo|[[Online:Glooredel|Glooredel's]] dialogue in [[Online:Online|ESO]]}}{{ref|name=LMAGwaering|[[Lore:Gwaering Answers Your Questions|Loremaster's Archive: Y'ffre's Beckoning]]}} This magic can also be used to fashion wooden items, presumably without violating the Green Pact.{{ref|[[Online:Contraband W|Contraband]] in [[Online:Online|ESO]]}} Below ground, the trees share a common root system which delivers hot sap into each hut to keep them warm.{{ref|name=ONGloo}}
Like the Nords, the Bosmer rely heavily on stylized, often interlocking natural motifs in their architecture, crafts, and clothing. However, while the Nords emphasize animals, Bosmeri designs are mainly floral.{{ref|name=RM4TN|{{Cite book|Racial Motifs 4: The Nords}}}} Since the Bosmer believe that a species' form is a sacred gift from Y'ffre, each species is depicted by a particular, idealized motif which represents the ur-form it was given by Y'ffre. Thus, while there a great plethora of designs in Bosmeri artwork, there is very little room for variation in these designs. Seemingly inconsequential details are rigidly scrutinized, and those which deviate from the norm are looked down upon as plain "wrong".{{ref|name=RM3TWE}}
===The Mourning Wars===
Nearly everywhere outside the cities of Valenwood, Bosmeri tribes in the wilds of Valenwood still practice the tradition of the "Mourning War". When a tribe member is slain, he or she is symbolically replaced via a hostage-taking raid on a neighboring tribe. If the deceased was an especially powerful or prestigious member of the tribe, multiple captives may be taken to replace them. The captive or captives undergo a period of physical torture, supposedly to test their worthiness, and then are joyously welcomed into the clan. Traditionally, the victim was given the deceased tribe member's position, possessions, and family, though this practice may be rarely honored in modern ages.{{ref|name=WCOTTB|{{Cite book|War Customs of the Tribal Bosmer}}}} Mourning wars are an ancient tradition; scholarly references to them date back to the First Era,{{ref|name=VOTGPB|{{Cite book|Visions of the Green Pact Bosmer}}}} though when they actually started is not known.
===The Rite of Theft===
The Rite of Theft is a cherished Bosmeri custom, though one which outsiders have trouble appreciating.{{ref|name=TGPATD|{{Cite book|The Green Pact and the Dominion}}}} The Bosmer steal from each other, and upon return of the stolen item, they demand a boon commensurate to the item's worth.{{ref|name=HOTS|{{Cite book|Heroes of the Sanctuary}}}} In ancient times, the Bosmer {{Lore Link|Vanirion the Thief}} was renowned for demanding over two hundred payments after invoking the Rite.{{ref|name=VOTGPB}} In more modern times, the Bosmer of Greenshade are particularly infamous for their thievery.{{ref|name=AMGTV}}
Outsiders who understand the Rite of Theft may use it to their own advantage. Three Altmer, the so-called "Heroes of the Sanctuary", once used the Rite of Theft to secure a safe port of Summerset ships. They successfully stole from various treethanes while keeping their own treasure secure, earning the right to build their own settlement, known as {{Lore Link|Seaside Sanctuary}}, on the shores of Valenwood.{{ref|name=HOTS}}
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:AR-Race-Wood Elf Male.jpg|Arena
File:DF-Br'itsa Face.png|Daggerfall
File:RG-npc-Falicia.gif|Redguard
File:MW-npc-Fargoth.jpg|Morrowind
File:SK-icon-race-WoodElfM.png|Shadowkey
File:OB-npc-Gwinas.jpg|Oblivion
File:SR-npc-Brelas.jpg|Skyrim
File:ON-npc-Enthonor.jpg|ESO
</gallery>
==Notes==
* At the end of the Third Era, rumors surfaced that a prophet called the Precursor has emerged among the Bosmer promising new gifts from Y'ffre to reward their devotion.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
==See Also==
* For Bosmer names, see [[Lore:Bosmer Names|here]].
* For game-specific information, see the [[Online:Bosmer|ESO]], [[Skyrim:Bosmer|Skyrim]], [[Oblivion:Bosmer|Oblivion]], [[Morrowind:Bosmer|Morrowind]], [[Daggerfall:Wood Elf|Daggerfall]], and [[Arena:Wood Elf|Arena]] articles.
===Books===
* {{Book Link|Arboreal Architecture}}
* {{Book Link|Aurbic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree}}
* {{Book Link|The Blessings of Hircine}}
* {{Book Link|A Bosmeri Sleeping-song}}
* {{Book Link|Elders of Bramblebreach}}
* {{Book Link|The Eldest: A Pilgrim's Tale}}
* {{Book Link|The Green Ladies' Abode|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|Green Pact Bosmer: Observations}}
* {{Book Link|The Humor of Wood Elves}}
* {{Book Link|A Merchant's Guide to Valenwood}}
* {{Book Link|Oathbreakers of Ouze}}
* {{Book Link|Oathbreakers' Rest}}
* {{Book Link|One Bosmer's Response to the Dominion|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|The Ooze: A Fable}}
* {{Book Link|Pact Magic Examined}}
* '''{{Cite book|PGE|1|Aldmeri Dominion}}'''
* '''{{Cite book|PGE|3|Valenwood}}'''
* {{Book Link|Reward for Information: Silvenar|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|The Source of the Bone}}
* {{Book Link|Thalmor Diplomatic Corps Notice|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|Thalmor Handbill|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|Valenwood: A Study}}
* {{Book Link|Varieties of Faith: The Wood Elves}}
* {{Book Link|The Voice of the People}}
* {{Book Link|Visions of the Green Pact Bosmer}}
* {{Book Link|War Customs of the Tribal Bosmer}}
* {{Book Link|Why We Farm}}
* {{Book Link|The Wood Elves of Valenwood}}
* {{Book Link|Words and Philosophy}}
==References==
<references/>
{{Races}}</noinclude>
The {{Lore Link|Bosmer}} are the Elven clan-folk of {{Lore Link|Valenwood}}, a forested province in southwestern {{Lore Link|Tamriel}}.{{ref|name=POT|{{Cite book|Provinces of Tamriel}}}} In the {{Lore Link|Empire}}, they are often referred to as '''Wood Elves''', but Bosmer,{{ref|name=PGE1P|{{Cite book|PGE|1|Prologue}}}} '''Boiche''',{{ref|name=TWE|{{Cite book|The Wild Elves}}}} or '''the Tree-Sap people''' is what they call themselves.{{ref|name=Morrowind|Events of [[MW:Morrowind|Morrowind]]}} Bosmer rejected the stiff, formal traditions of {{Lore Link|Aldmer}}i high culture, preferring a more romantic, simple existence in harmony with the land and its wild beauty and creatures. They are relatively nimble and quick in body compared to their more "civilized" {{Lore Link|Altmer}}i cousins (who often look down upon the Bosmer as unruly and naive). Their agility makes them well-suited as scouts and thieves.{{ref|name=VAS|{{Cite book|Valenwood: A Study}}}} However, they are also a quick-witted folk, and many pursue successful careers in scholarly pursuits or trading.{{ref|name=ASGTN|{{Cite book|A Scholar's Guide to Nymphs}}}}{{ref|name=ADIF1|{{Cite book|A Dance in Fire, Chapter 1}}}}{{ref|name=TBG|{{Cite book|The Buying Game}}}} Bosmer live two to three times as long as humans; with a 200-year-old Bosmer being old and a 300-year-old Bosmer being very, very old.{{ref|[http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2013/05/06/ask-us-anything-variety-pack-4 Ask Us Anything Variety Pack 4]}} Though they are considered less influential than some of their Elven brethren, the Bosmer are also relatively prone to producing offspring. As a result, they outnumber all other {{Lore Link|mer}} on Tamriel.{{ref|name=RM3TWE|{{Cite book|Racial Motifs 3: The Wood Elves}}}}
The best archers in all of Tamriel, the Bosmer snatch and fire arrows in one continuous motion; they are even rumored to have invented the bow.{{ref|name=TGROM|{{Cite book|The Gold Ribbon of Merit}}}}{{ref|name=TRG|{{Cite book|The Rear Guard}}}}{{ref|name=TML|{{Cite book|The Marksmanship Lesson}}}}{{ref|name=ADIF3|{{Cite book|A Dance in Fire, Chapter 3}}}} They have many natural and unique abilities; notably, they can command simple-minded creatures and have a nearly chameleon-like ability to hide in forested areas.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald|{{Cite book|PGE|1|Aldmeri Dominion}}}}{{ref|name=PGE1W|{{Cite book|PGE|1|The Wild Region}}}} Many in the forests of Valenwood follow the tenets of the {{Lore Link|Green Pact}}. These "Green Pact Bosmer" are religiously carnivorous and cannibalistic, and do not harm the vegetation of Valenwood, though they are not averse to using wooden or plant-derived products created by others.{{ref|name=ADIF1}}{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=GPBO|{{Cite book|Green Pact Bosmer: Observations}}}}{{FMI|dummy=}}<noinclude>
[[Image:Valenwood map Oblivion.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lore:Valenwood|Valenwood]], the land of the Bosmer.]]
==History==
Aldmer settlers purportedly arrived in Valenwood long before the {{Lore Link|First Era}}. They are remembered as some of the first of the {{Lore Link|Aldmer}} to leave {{Lore Link|Old Ehlnofey}}.{{ref|name=VAS}} These settlers found the forests of Valenwood, or the Green, so dense and so inhabited by beasts that they could not hope to tame it, so they had to fight and adapt just to become predators instead of prey.{{ref|name=PGE3V|{{Cite book|PGE|3|Valenwood}}}} Their adaption to life in Valenwood is believed to have led to the creation of the Bosmer.{{ref|name=VAS}}{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref|name=PGE3All|{{Cite book|PGE|3|All the Eras of Man}}}}
===Origin===
:''The Boiche Elves were of the Earth Bones who most hearkened to Jephre and his greensongs. They did not build a Tower, they grew it, a great graht-oak whose roots sprang from a Perchance Acorn. And this was their Stone. And because the Acorn might perchance have been elsewhere, thus was Green-Sap manifold and several. And each could walk.'' — {{Lore Link|Aurbic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree}}
[[File:ON-place-Heart of Valenwood.jpg|thumb|right|The Heart of Valenwood]]
The earliest days of the Bosmer are lost in legend. Some speak of the Ooze, the shape-shifting formlessness from which they came before the Green Pact with Y'ffre.{{ref|name=TOAF|{{Cite book|The Ooze: A Fable}}}} More obscure legends also suggest that not all Bosmer agreed to the Green Pact. Some wished to stay as the Ooze, to keep their shape-shifting abilities. However, these dissenters were apparently overcome by the other Bosmer, and as punishment, these "Oathbreakers" were buried in {{Lore Link|Ouze}}.{{ref|name=OOO|{{Cite book|Oathbreakers of Ouze}}}} There's some suggestion that early Bosmer were known for intermarrying with humans.{{ref|name=TM|{{Cite book|The Monomyth}}}}
Another legend is that the Bosmer grew the [[Lore:The_Towers#Green-Sap|Tower of Green-Sap]], a great {{Lore Link|graht-oak}} which, in those ancient times, appeared in many different forms. Each one told its own stories of the Green, the forest home of the "Boiche-become-Bosmer".{{ref|name=AU4TET|{{Cite book|Aurbic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree}}}} However, due to the machinations of the Ayleid sorcerer {{Lore Link|Anumaril}} around the time of the {{Lore Link|Alessian Slave Rebellion}} circa {{Year|1E 243}}, the "Doors Equivocal" which were created by the nature of Green-Sap were closed, and Green-Sap was reduced to a single, definite form: the {{Lore Link|Elden Tree}} of {{Lore Link|Elden Root}}.{{ref|name=AU4TET}}
Anumaril was one of many {{Lore Link|Ayleid}} refugees who fled to Valenwood during the "Ayleid Diaspora" which coincided with the slave revolt. However, Ayleids had been migrating to Valenwood even before that. These migrants all agreed to adopt aspects of the Green Pact and to refrain from harming the forest (unlike Anumaril, of course).{{ref|name=ASIV|{{Cite book|Ayleid Survivals in Valenwood}}}} The establishment of the {{Lore Link|White-Gold Tower}} by the {{Lore Link|Ayleids}} in the Middle {{Lore Link|Merethic Era}} brought increased trade to the Bosmer, and cities like {{Lore Link|Woodhearth}}, {{Lore Link|Haven}}, and {{Lore Link|Silvenar}} flourished.{{ref|name=BTAOM|{{Cite book|Before the Ages of Man}}}}{{ref|name=ACOV|{{Cite book|Ayleid Cities of Valenwood}}}} The ancient Ayleid site of {{Lore Link|Hectahame}} is home to the {{Lore Link|Heart of Valenwood}}, a magnificent tree of immense power which stands as the physical symbol of the soul of Valenwood. However, around the time when the Ayleids first came to Valenwood, a {{Lore Link|necromancy|necromancer}} twisted the power of the Heart and used it to raise an undead army, forcing the Ayleids to seal off Hectahame, along with the Heart, in order to contain the horde.{{ref|name=HOV|{{Cite book|Heart of Valenwood}}}} Ayleids and Bosmer during these early days had to fend off numerous savage attacks upon Valenwood by the {{Lore Link|Maormer}}.{{ref|name=ACOV}}
Though they found sanctuary in Valenwood, the Ayleids who migrated there seemed to fade from history. For reasons which are still debated by scholars, they apparently had little lasting impact on Bosmeri culture beyond imparting some stonework and masonry techniques.{{ref|name=ASIV}}
===The First Era===
Eventually, the Bosmer would be united under the leadership of {{Lore Link|Eplear|King Eplear}}, whose conquest of the wilderness and founding of the {{Lore Link|Camoran Dynasty}} heralded the start of the First Era. They made a formal trade treaty with the {{Lore Link|Alessian Empire}} in {{Year|1E 340}}, though it would only last for several decades before breaking down into on-and-off border skirmishes with {{Lore Link|Colovia}} for most of the First Era.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
The earliest known Wild Hunt occurred in {{Year|1E 369}}, which ended with the death of the {{Lore Link|Nord}} High King {{Lore Link|Borgas}}.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref|name=AHOD|{{Cite book|A History of Daggerfall}}}} This assassination can be viewed as an act of self-defense, though perhaps proactive, as Borgas had been journeying to {{Lore Link|Cyrodiil}} to rally support for a joint war against Valenwood. Another Wild Hunt would not occur again until the {{Lore Link|Third Era}},{{ref|name=PGE3V}} though whether one or more occurred then is not clear. After the Bosmer were devastated by the {{Lore Link|Thrassian Plague}} in {{Year|1E 2417}}, they were absorbed by the {{Lore Link|Second Empire}}. The Empire, in their usual fashion, divided power in Valenwood amongst several districts to ensure they would not unite against Imperial rule.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
In {{Year|1E 2920}}, the last year of the First Era, on the 19th of Sun's Dawn, {{Lore Link|Molag Bal}} destroyed the town of {{Lore Link|Gilverdale}} in {{Lore Link|Grahtwood}} (eastern Valenwood). This prompted {{Lore Link|Sotha Sil}}, the living wizard-mystic god of the {{Lore Link|Dunmer}}, to negotiate an agreement with several Daedric Princes to forestall further such acts, though the details of this agreement are still unknown.{{ref|name=2920L|{{Cite book|2920, The Last Year of the First Era}}}}
===The Second Era===
In {{Year|2E 406}}, a salacious scandal rocked Valenwood: the sleepy trading post of {{Lore Link|Cormount}} of Grahtwood was likely home to numerous potential heirs of the Camoran Dynasty, as Camoran rulers had evidently been journeying to the secluded town for untold years to engage in extramarital relations. Cormount's population nearly doubled in a week, and weddings became a daily occurrence for months, as many Bosmer sought to sire children with a noble lineage despite the ignoble circumstances. The news even brought many Bosmer who had never lived in Valenwood back to their spiritual home. These migrants, who largely came from Cyrodiil and thus did not follow the Green Pact, were shocking to the established Bosmer of Grahtwood, and tensions brewed for years as a result. Finally, in {{Year|2E 420}}, the migrants' village, {{Lore Link|New Joy}}, was burned to the ground for provocations that have been lost to history. The incident eventually inspired the formation of the Blacksap Movement in {{Year|2E 489}}, a Cormount-based cultural organization which hoped to formalize the Bosmeri approach to the Green Pact and thereby prevent any further tragic misunderstandings.{{ref|name=TROC|{{Cite book|The Rise of Cormount}}}}
With the fall of the Empire in {{Year|2E 430}}, the regional powers went about warring amongst themselves, and {{Lore Link|Maormer}} pirates were able to get a foothold along the coast which they used to harass the Altmer of {{Lore Link|Summerset Isle}}.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
[[File:ON-icon-Aldmeri Dominion.png|thumb|right|The symbol of the Aldmeri Dominion]]
During the {{Lore Link|Alliance War}} circa {{Year|2E 582}}, the Bosmer became part of the {{Lore Link|Aldmeri Dominion}}, along with their allies the Altmer and the {{Lore Link|Khajiit}}. The alliance was rocky, though the {{Lore Link|Thalmor}} Committee on Alliance Relations encouraged tolerance of the Bosmer's cultural eccentricities to help keep the Dominion together.{{ref|name=TH|{{Cite book|Thalmor Handbill}}}}{{ref|name=ASIV}} {{Lore Link|Elden Root}} was made the capital of the Dominion, and drew many new migrants as a result (this also became the impetus for plans to establish a gladiatorial arena in the city).{{ref|name=WMTM|{{Cite book|Want More than Middens?|ns=Online}}}} Many Bosmer saw the Dominion as their only chance at survival.{{ref|name=LTC|{{Cite book|Letter to Calahawn|ns=Online}}}} However, many others remained resentful of the alliance, believing the Dominion had "polluted" Valenwood.{{ref|name=WCN|{{Cite book|What Comes Next|ns=Online}}}} Resentment may have also festered due to the "Massacre at Cormount", wherein the Grahtwood city was apparently razed by Dominion soldiers utilizing particularly offensive tactics.{{ref|name=TMAC|{{Cite book|The Massacre at Cormount}}}}
In {{Year|2E 830}}, to secure their border from attack, the Altmer, using an old treaty and encroachment from Colovia for justification, invaded Valenwood and reestablished the Aldmeri Dominion.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref |name=PGE3Summer|{{Cite book|PGE|3|Summerset Isle}}}} Details on the circumstances leading up to this are disputed,{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}} but they formed the Thalmor and apparently brought peace to Valenwood until the Dominion was absorbed by the {{Lore Link|Third Empire}} of {{Lore Link|Tiber Septim}}.{{ref|name=PGE3V}} During the {{Lore Link|War of Rihad}} in {{Year|2E 862}}, Colovian armies employ the Bosmer as archers, though they proved to be prone to desertion.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}
===The Third Era===
The Camorans, who had managed to survive as a Bosmeri power, were made rulers again and led the Bosmer through 250 years of peace.{{ref|name=PGE3V}} In {{Year|3E 249}}, a pretender to the Camoran throne, the {{Lore Link|Camoran Usurper}}, led an army of undead and mercenaries which brought devastation throughout Valenwood and most of the western coast of {{Lore Link|Tamriel}} until being defeated in {{Year|3E 267}}.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref|name=TFOTU|{{Cite book|The Fall of the Usurper}}}} Since then, the Bosmer have become more isolationist, traditionalist, and distrusting of central authorities, and this political weakness has led to significant losses of territory to their neighbors.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
==Society==
[[File:Lore-Great Ape Sketch.jpg|thumb|right|A sketch of an Imga, the Great Apes of Valenwood.]]
The elves of Valenwood have always stood ready to defend themselves against aggression, and have done so on many occasions.{{ref|name=MUT|{{Cite book|Mixed Unit Tactics}}}} They often rely on their forest-coupling skills to make use of guerrilla tactics. The title of their most famous poem, the Meh Ayleidion, means "The One Thousand Benefits of Hiding".{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}} However, the Bosmer seem to be the most pacifistic of all the modern races on Tamriel, as they have never instigated war with other nations (leading some more militant cultures to criticize them as cowards),{{ref|name=FWOB|{{Cite book|Fav'te's War Of Betony}}}} though they have been accused of needlessly escalating [[Lore:Five Year War|some conflicts]]. They have never found a tried and true ally in any other Tamrielic nation. Mistrust has been engendered by the ritual cannibalism they practice, and it's often difficult for them to adjust their lifestyles to the expectations of other races and cultures. Nevertheless, the Bosmer are heavily dependent on good relations and trade with other races, as the Green Pact forces them to import the timber needed to make their homes, arrows, and other wooden instruments.{{ref|name=POT}}{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=ADIF2|{{Cite book|A Dance in Fire, Chapter 2}}}} Their own resources for trade include hides, river pearls, and finger-bone charms made from the {{Lore Link|magic}}ally-charged hands of their dead wizards. When they are at odds with Colovia or other trading allies, they are said to rely on piracy or banditry to get what they need.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}} They have attempted to accommodate other races in Valenwood throughout history, though many remained wary of outlander encroachments into their home.{{ref|name=OBRTTD|{{Cite book|One Bosmer's Response to the Dominion|ns=Online}}}} To this day, they have little more than foot paths connecting their tiny settlements in Valenwood's sparsely populated forests.{{ref|name=POT}}{{ref|name=FTJOAHES|{{Cite book|From the journal of Aretille, High Elven scholar}}}} Some primitive bosmers practice cannibalism upon their enemies.{{ref|name=CP|{{Cite book|Corpse Preparation}}}} Some Bosmer have been known to file their teeth to sharp points.{{ref|[[Online:Contraband C|Contraband]] in [[Online:Online|ESO]]}}
The Bosmer greatly value diversity. Their respect for life's many facets is inherent in many of their old sayings, like "One mans miracle is another mans accident".{{ref|name=AOOGAW|{{Cite book|An Overview of Gods And Worship}}}} Other races are ''generally'' welcomed in most of Valenwood, though most foreigners stay in large cities.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=PGE3V}}{{ref|name=AMGTV|{{Cite book|A Merchant's Guide to Valenwood}}}} Travelers are encouraged to take care when imbibing drinks of fermented milk which are popular amongst the Bosmer, as non-Bosmer may have adverse reactions to them.{{ref|name=ADIF|{{Cite book|A Dance in Fire}}}}{{ref|name=FTNOACC|{{Cite book|From the notes of Ancemion, Ceremony Coordinator}}}}
===Life in Valenwood===
Though the Bosmer first united under the Camoran Dynasty, this form of governance has been called a "loose hegemony".{{ref|name=TWEOV|{{Cite book|The Wood Elves of Valenwood}}}} There are in fact many leaders throughout Valenwood who wield varying degrees of authority, such as the treethanes.{{ref|name=DDTTH|{{Cite book|Diplomacy during the Handfasting}}}} Their territory has sometimes been referred to as the "Valenwood Nations",{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}} perhaps because of the autonomy practiced by various leaders.{{ref|name=TWEOV}}
The Bosmer have adapted to life in the Green in many ingenious ways. For instance, in the heat and humidity of Valenwood, popular Altmeri ink refuses to dry. It is still prized, though, as it is perfect for writing temporary messages on certain types of porous stone found in the Green. But to write words permanently, the Bosmer use an ink which can dry even if a parchment is submerged in water. Ink which glows faintly in the dark, perfect for writing in the shadows of the forest, is also prevalent. Writing on a leaf or a flat stone is common in Valenwood, and often preferable in a place where quality parchment is rare and even paper is uncommon.{{ref|name=TC7|{{Cite book|Tamrielic Calligraphy, Chapter VII}}}} They've also found means to both deter and eradicate {{Lore Link|hoarvor}} infestations.{{ref|name=HF|{{Cite book|Healer's Fieldbook}}}} Though they refrain from smoking plants, many enjoy smoking bugs from bone pipes.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=RM3TWE}} Finding light without resorting to the danger of fire is an issue on the perpetually shadowy forest floor, but as the moons rise, additional light is provided by luminous lichen, molds, and fungal growths at the base of the oaks. Higher up, nocturnal flowers feed from the graht-oaks, attracting {{Lore Link|torchbug}}s, whose hives light the branch platforms.{{ref|name=AA|{{Cite book|Arboreal Architecture}}}}
The Bosmer share Valenwood with the {{Lore Link|Imga}} and so-called "Wood {{Lore Link|Orc}}s", along with the many beasts of the forest, including {{Lore Link|Centaur}}s.{{ref|name=PGE1Ald}}{{ref|name=CAEWO1|{{Cite book|Civility and Etiquette: Wood Orcs I}}}} They have a long history of welcoming those who seek refuge within Valenwood.{{ref|name=VAS}} They accepted slaves fleeing the {{Lore Link|Ayleids}}, and then Ayleids fleeing the slaves, without showing favorites. Around the time of the Alliance War, they also freely welcomed {{Lore Link|Argonian}} refugees who had left their homeland in protest over the formation of the {{Lore Link|Ebonheart Pact}}.{{ref|name=ARD|{{Cite book|Argonian Refugee's Diary}}}} Many foreigners visit {{Lore Link|Falinesti}} at some point, the marvelous traveling city of the Bosmer (though at last report, the city had mysteriously rooted itself).{{ref|name=PGE3V}} Cultural loyalties have tended to divide the Bosmer, such as the rivalry between the {{Lore Link|Blacksap}} and the Camorans, and the schism between followers of the [[#The Green Pact|Green Pact]] and "salad-eaters" who have no qualms about breaking the tenets of the Pact.{{ref|name=OBRTTD}}
[[File:ON-concept-Yfree tree.png|thumb|right|Drawing of Y'ffre as a tree]]
===Religion===
The Bosmer venerate many deities. In fact, few Bosmer outside the Empire accept the limitation of {{Lore Link|Divines}} to a mere eight or nine. Most Bosmer claim direct descent from {{Lore Link|Auri-El}}, though Y'ffre the Storyteller is their most important deity. While the Time Dragon is the king of the gods, they venerate Y'ffre as the spirit of "the now".{{ref|name=VOFTWE|{{Cite book|Varieties of Faith: The Wood Elves}}}} Like the Argonians, the Bosmer seem to prefer to live in the present, or the "Aurbic Now", and show relatively little regard for the ways of the past (besides when it comes to telling old tales or following the Green Pact, that is).{{ref|name=RM11AE|{{Cite book|Racial Motifs 11: Ancient Elves}}}}
The Bosmer also venerate {{Lore Link|Arkay}}, {{Lore Link|Xarxes (god)|Xarxes}}, {{Lore Link|Mara}} (who they consider to be the wife of Auri-El), and {{Lore Link|Stendarr}}. The God of Toil, {{Lore Link|Z'en}}, is the Bosmeri god of payment in kind. His origins are mysterious, as is his place in the cosmic order. The Bosmer are one of the few who worship the trickster {{Lore Link|Baan Dar}}, the trickster spirit of thieves and beggars they apparently borrowed from the Khajiit.{{ref|name=VOFTWE}}
There are many other deities with significant Bosmer cults, such as {{Lore Link|Hircine}}.{{ref|name=VOFTWE}} They also worship the moon gods {{Lore Link|Jone}} and {{Lore Link|Jode}}.{{ref|name=VOFTWE}}{{ref|name=OJ|{{Cite book|Of Jephre}}}} Ancient stories of the supernatural, enigmatic {{Lore Link|Wilderking}} abound in {{Lore Link|Greenshade}}.{{ref|name=TWL|{{Cite book|The Wilderking Legend}}}} Like the Nords, the trickster spirit {{Lore Link|Hermaeus Mora|Herma-Mora}} appears in their legends (and they insist he is not to be confused with the {{Lore Link|Daedra}} {{Lore Link|Hermaeus Mora}}). And, of course, in a culture replete with trickster spirits, they do not forget the greatest trickster of all: {{Lore Link|Lorkhan}}.{{ref|name=VOFTWE}}
===The Green Pact===
[[File:ON-icon-Bosmer.png|thumb|right|The symbol of the Green Pact]]
{{Lore:Green Pact}}
===The Silvenar===
{{Lore:The Silvenar}}
===The Wild Hunt===
{{Lore:Wild Hunt}}
===Weaponry===
Due to the proscriptions of the Green Pact, forges are rare in Valenwood, and metal weapons have never been widespread amongst the Bosmer. They typically utilize bone clubs, or else axes and spears with blades of stone or obsidian. Their composite horn bows are arguably the finest in Tamriel. In coastal towns, imported metal weapons are more common, and Altmeri tutelage in these areas has benefited many Bosmeri swordsmen. However, Altmer who are schooled in "Proper Conflict", as they call their system of swordsmanship, typically refuse to adapt their techniques to the needs of their shorter cousins, and Bosmer students are typically less attentive to the finer philosophical points of the lessons, thus the experience has often proven to be mutually exasperating.{{ref|name=CAOV|{{Cite book|Common Arms of Valenwood}}}}
By the age of fourteen, Bosmer youth are typically proficient enough with the bow to accompany hunting parties.{{ref|name=CAOV}} Long-distance archers are known as Jaqspurs.{{ref|name=CAOV}}{{ref|name=WAP|{{Cite book|Words and Philosophy}}}} It is their style of draw, "snatching and releasing in one continuous motion", which has made the Bosmer famous as archers. Their traditional bows are crafted from horn and sinew. Strings are also made of sinew; Khajiiti gut is said to work best, and is thus prized among Valenwood archers. Bosmeri arrows are carved from bone, and fletched with the feathers of various bird species. They believe the source of bone used influences the characteristics of the arrow. {{Lore Link|Mammoth}} bone arrows are thought to strike with enough force to knock down a target. Bird bone arrows fly faster and more accurately. {{Lore Link|Senche-Tiger|Senche-tiger}} bone arrows deal extra damage. Trials by Imperial observers have been unable to replicate these alleged effects. Upon hearing this, the Bosmer merely cluck their tongues and smile.{{ref|name=CAOV}}
===Art and Architecture===
[[File:ON-concept-Skull decorations.png|thumb|right|Depictions of Bosmeri skull and bone decorations]]
The Green Pact has had an enormous impact on Bosmeri artwork. Their walls are often decorated with skulls and bones.{{ref|name=CWS|{{Cite book|Conversation with Shamunur}}}} It forces their architects to take great care in their work, apparently strengthening their craftsmanship. Inside tree hollows and residences, hides are stretched out over frames of bones to form partitions. Traditional wooden homes can be found close to rivers and the coast, where imported lumber is easy to find and cheap to purchase. More of these types of buildings can be found on the forest floor of cities like Elden Root or Silvenar, typically to house foreigners like the Altmer, but Bosmer cities in the Green are more well-known for the many homes scattered throughout the canopy of the trees.{{ref|name=AA}}
Many "citified tree-folk" favor a life among the branches, and have woven them together to form limbed pathways without harming the trees. Trails of thick, living vines anchor dozens of platforms that carry goods and people among the graht-oaks. These platforms are hoisted by strong, often foreign laborers. Bone, resin, and sinew are employed by the Bosmer in a plethora of ways, including bridge design. A secondary market in such scraps allows the tree-dwellers to recycle their animal waste by simply tossing it to the ground below, where it is scavenged and reworked into a variety of items.{{ref|name=AA}} What is not scavenged is absorbed by the roots of the trees and used to keep the settlement healthy. These cities are grown by Bosmer Greenspeakers, who use rituals of speech or song to grow entire villages in just a few days.{{ref|name=ONGloo|[[Online:Glooredel|Glooredel's]] dialogue in [[Online:Online|ESO]]}}{{ref|name=LMAGwaering|[[Lore:Gwaering Answers Your Questions|Loremaster's Archive: Y'ffre's Beckoning]]}} This magic can also be used to fashion wooden items, presumably without violating the Green Pact.{{ref|[[Online:Contraband W|Contraband]] in [[Online:Online|ESO]]}} Below ground, the trees share a common root system which delivers hot sap into each hut to keep them warm.{{ref|name=ONGloo}}
Like the Nords, the Bosmer rely heavily on stylized, often interlocking natural motifs in their architecture, crafts, and clothing. However, while the Nords emphasize animals, Bosmeri designs are mainly floral.{{ref|name=RM4TN|{{Cite book|Racial Motifs 4: The Nords}}}} Since the Bosmer believe that a species' form is a sacred gift from Y'ffre, each species is depicted by a particular, idealized motif which represents the ur-form it was given by Y'ffre. Thus, while there a great plethora of designs in Bosmeri artwork, there is very little room for variation in these designs. Seemingly inconsequential details are rigidly scrutinized, and those which deviate from the norm are looked down upon as plain "wrong".{{ref|name=RM3TWE}}
===The Mourning Wars===
Nearly everywhere outside the cities of Valenwood, Bosmeri tribes in the wilds of Valenwood still practice the tradition of the "Mourning War". When a tribe member is slain, he or she is symbolically replaced via a hostage-taking raid on a neighboring tribe. If the deceased was an especially powerful or prestigious member of the tribe, multiple captives may be taken to replace them. The captive or captives undergo a period of physical torture, supposedly to test their worthiness, and then are joyously welcomed into the clan. Traditionally, the victim was given the deceased tribe member's position, possessions, and family, though this practice may be rarely honored in modern ages.{{ref|name=WCOTTB|{{Cite book|War Customs of the Tribal Bosmer}}}} Mourning wars are an ancient tradition; scholarly references to them date back to the First Era,{{ref|name=VOTGPB|{{Cite book|Visions of the Green Pact Bosmer}}}} though when they actually started is not known.
===The Rite of Theft===
The Rite of Theft is a cherished Bosmeri custom, though one which outsiders have trouble appreciating.{{ref|name=TGPATD|{{Cite book|The Green Pact and the Dominion}}}} The Bosmer steal from each other, and upon return of the stolen item, they demand a boon commensurate to the item's worth.{{ref|name=HOTS|{{Cite book|Heroes of the Sanctuary}}}} In ancient times, the Bosmer {{Lore Link|Vanirion the Thief}} was renowned for demanding over two hundred payments after invoking the Rite.{{ref|name=VOTGPB}} In more modern times, the Bosmer of Greenshade are particularly infamous for their thievery.{{ref|name=AMGTV}}
Outsiders who understand the Rite of Theft may use it to their own advantage. Three Altmer, the so-called "Heroes of the Sanctuary", once used the Rite of Theft to secure a safe port of Summerset ships. They successfully stole from various treethanes while keeping their own treasure secure, earning the right to build their own settlement, known as {{Lore Link|Seaside Sanctuary}}, on the shores of Valenwood.{{ref|name=HOTS}}
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:AR-Race-Wood Elf Male.jpg|Arena
File:DF-Br'itsa Face.png|Daggerfall
File:RG-npc-Falicia.gif|Redguard
File:MW-npc-Fargoth.jpg|Morrowind
File:SK-icon-race-WoodElfM.png|Shadowkey
File:OB-npc-Gwinas.jpg|Oblivion
File:SR-npc-Brelas.jpg|Skyrim
File:ON-npc-Enthonor.jpg|ESO
</gallery>
==Notes==
* At the end of the Third Era, rumors surfaced that a prophet called the Precursor has emerged among the Bosmer promising new gifts from Y'ffre to reward their devotion.{{ref|name=PGE3V}}
==See Also==
* For Bosmer names, see [[Lore:Bosmer Names|here]].
* For game-specific information, see the [[Online:Bosmer|ESO]], [[Skyrim:Bosmer|Skyrim]], [[Oblivion:Bosmer|Oblivion]], [[Morrowind:Bosmer|Morrowind]], [[Daggerfall:Wood Elf|Daggerfall]], and [[Arena:Wood Elf|Arena]] articles.
===Books===
* {{Book Link|Arboreal Architecture}}
* {{Book Link|Aurbic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree}}
* {{Book Link|The Blessings of Hircine}}
* {{Book Link|A Bosmeri Sleeping-song}}
* {{Book Link|Elders of Bramblebreach}}
* {{Book Link|The Eldest: A Pilgrim's Tale}}
* {{Book Link|The Green Ladies' Abode|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|Green Pact Bosmer: Observations}}
* {{Book Link|The Humor of Wood Elves}}
* {{Book Link|A Merchant's Guide to Valenwood}}
* {{Book Link|Oathbreakers of Ouze}}
* {{Book Link|Oathbreakers' Rest}}
* {{Book Link|One Bosmer's Response to the Dominion|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|The Ooze: A Fable}}
* {{Book Link|Pact Magic Examined}}
* '''{{Cite book|PGE|1|Aldmeri Dominion}}'''
* '''{{Cite book|PGE|3|Valenwood}}'''
* {{Book Link|Reward for Information: Silvenar|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|The Source of the Bone}}
* {{Book Link|Thalmor Diplomatic Corps Notice|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|Thalmor Handbill|namesp=Online}}
* {{Book Link|Valenwood: A Study}}
* {{Book Link|Varieties of Faith: The Wood Elves}}
* {{Book Link|The Voice of the People}}
* {{Book Link|Visions of the Green Pact Bosmer}}
* {{Book Link|War Customs of the Tribal Bosmer}}
* {{Book Link|Why We Farm}}
* {{Book Link|The Wood Elves of Valenwood}}
* {{Book Link|Words and Philosophy}}
==References==
<references/>
{{Races}}</noinclude>