Lore:Elden Grove

The UESPWiki – Your source for The Elder Scrolls since 1995
Jump to: navigation, search
Elden Grove
Type Forest
Continent Tamriel
Province Valenwood
Appears in Arena
The Elden Grove (Arena)
The Elden Grove is in western Valenwood
All things to the Tree
From the Tree, all things
— Ayleid prophecy[1]

The Elden Grove (also spelled Eldengrove or Eldenwood)[2] is a legendary forest known among the Bosmer as the birthplace of the sacred First Tree. This First Tree then gave life to all the forests of Tamriel. Its exact location has been a closely guarded secret,[3] but it is known to be somewhere in western Valenwood. It was one of the places where Jagar Tharn hid a piece of the Staff of Chaos.[4] The grove has been described as "misty" and "labyrinthian".[2] It is alternatively known as the Grove of the One Great Tree and the Grove of the Sages.[1]

The Heart of Valenwood in Hectahame is implied to be the home of the sacred First Tree, as it contains the physical embodiment of the soul of Valenwood.[5] The Ayleids at Elden Root built their city of Elden Hollow in and around what is called the Elden Tree or the First Tree, believed by many to be the tree that seeded all of Valenwood.[1][6] The Tree's branches and roots are as hands, reaching at once into the Mundus and Overworld.[1] The city of Falinesti occupies the boughs and bole of a great walking Elden Tree, possibly the original Elden Tree from which all other graht-oaks are derived. The magic involved in the creation of the tree and the city were from before the dawn of recorded history.[7][8]

History[edit]

After splitting it into eight pieces, Jagar Tharn hid a piece of the Staff of Chaos within the Elden Grove. The Eternal Champion would later journey here during the Imperial Simulacrum in the late Third Era to find this piece. After acquiring a jewel containing the Heart of Selene from the depths of the Selene's Web, Queen Ulandra provided them the location of the Grove. The small overgrown entrance to the Elden Grove still stood, guarding secrets forgotten for ages. It had become a hazy forest full of monsters including medusas and wraiths, and the impenetrable haziness forced them to feel their way around. It soon became apparent that the Staff piece was not there, but rather within its misty corridors underneath the Grove. Beneath it was an underground city, mostly reduced to a flooded hole, requiring the use of boats to move around in the sunken ruins. The third piece of the staff was recovered within a trench deep in the ruins, and the Champion managed to safely leave the area.[4] The Elden Grove became a pilgrimage spot for Imperial loyalists that wanted to re-trace the steps of the Eternal Champion.[9]

Notes[edit]

  • According to a file from that stage of development left behind in the final game of Arena, Elden Root is described as the center of the Elden Grove, with Silvenar perched on the [northern] edge of the great grove, and Greenheart lying on the southern edge of the grove.[UOL 1] The finalized description of the Grove's location in Arena contradicts this,[3] yet some mythical books in ESO are more in line with this.[1][6]

See Also[edit]

Gallery[edit]

  • Concept art

  • The Heart of Valenwood (ESO)

  • The possible boughs and bole of the original Elden Tree (ESO)

  • The Elden Tree of Elden Root (ESO)

  • Arena map icon

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e The Book of the Great Tree
  2. ^ a b A Hypothetical Treachery — Anthil Morvir
  3. ^ a b Ria Silmane's dialogue in Arena
  4. ^ a b Events of Arena
  5. ^ Heart of Valenwood
  6. ^ a b Ayleid Cities of Valenwood — the Esteemed Historian Homfrey at the University of Gwylim, 2E 455
  7. ^ The description of Halls of Ichor in ESO
  8. ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Aldmeri Dominion — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
  9. ^ A Minor Maze

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.

  1. ^ Original TES: Arena texts at The Imperial Library
Retrieved from "https://en.uesp.net/w/index.php?title=Lore:Elden_Grove&oldid=3131699"