Lore:Dwemeris

Dwemeris, also known as Old Dwarvish or the Dwemer language, is the language once spoken by the Dwemer. This article is an attempt to summarize all that is known about it.

The Dwemer language is largely untranslatable, though the alphabet is known, and short inscriptions can often be deciphered from context. Many Dwemer documents, especially records dating from after the founding of Resdayn, were written in Aldmeris, which is very close to modern Elven languages and makes them accessible to modern scholars. Pronunciation of Dwemer words is not agreed upon by "learned" scholars. The letters in the written language have been characterized as "fierce strokes".

As the books and other artifacts in Dwemer ruins rarely show signs of wear or age, it is thought that the Dwemer knew of a preservative effect, or an ancient device that continues to function, which denies or controls the Earth Bones governing time and decay. Imperial scholars sought to translate it through books written in Aldmeris, and Divayth Fyr worked on negotiating with the council to release the Dwemer speech to the public.

Overview

In comparison to the language of the Ayleids, very little is known about the language of the Dwemer. Most of it survives as names of various Dwemer ruins, often constructed from a limited number of roots connected together (for example Arkng-thand, Irkng-thand, Arkng-thamz). The trademark features of Dwemeris are compound words, often quite long, and consonant clusters containing as many as five consonants.

Dwemer texts are written in the Dwemer Alphabet. For more information, see the main article on the Dwemer Alphabet.

The only known consistent piece of Dwemeris is present on Calcelmo's Stone, which features a text written both in the Falmer language (which is very similar or even identical to Ayleidoon) and the Dwemer language, acting as the Elder Scrolls equivalent of the Rosetta Stone. Even so, the somewhat limited knowledge of Ayleidoon was not initially enough to translate the Falmeri text accurately enough to use it to analyze the Dwemer text, but this changed when the official translation was published by Bethesda.

The Dwemer language has a possessive form similar to that seen in other elven languages. For example, "Dwemeri" means "of the Dwemer", while "Arkthzandi" means "of [the stronghold of] Arkthzand".

Dwemer Settlements

Dwemer Endonym — Translation (when available) — Exonyms (when available)

Aldunz Aleft Alftand Arkngthamz Arkngthamz-Phng — Fang Lair Arkngthand — Garden of Grace Arkngthunch-Sturdumz — Graveyard of the Ghost Invaders Arkthzand Avanchnzel — City of (?) Bamz-Amschend — Mournhold, Almalexia Bethamez Bthanual Bthalft Bthang Bthanchend — (?) Path/Passage Bthar-Zel — Allied City — Deepfolk Crossing, the Hissing Maze Bthardamz Bthuand Bthungthumz — Perhaps Belief-Pylon — Ald Carac Bthunzel — City of Knowledge Bthzark Fahlbtharz Fal'Zhardum Din — Blackest Kingdom Reaches — Blackreach Hendor-Stardumz

Irkngthand — Garden of Darkness Kagrenzel — City of Music Kagalthar Kagnthamz Kagrumez — Tone (?) Kemel-Ze — Cliff City Kherakah Klathzgar Kthendral Leftunch Mtharnaz Mudan Mzahnch Mzanchend — (?) Path/Passage Mzark Mzeneldt Mzinchaleft Mzindyne Mzithumz Mzuleft — Dagon Fel Mzulft Mzumz Mzund

Nchardahrk — Stone (?) Nchardak — Stone (?) Nchardumz — Ghost Stone Nchuand-Zel — Radiant City — Markarth Nchu Duabthar — Symbol of our bond Nchuleft — Perhaps Orchard ("Nchul" meaning Fruit) Nchuleftingth — New Nchuleft Nchuthnkarst Raldbthar Ragnthar Raled-Makai Rkhardahrk Rkindaleft Rkugamz — Darkshade Caverns Rkulftzel — City of (?) Rkund Rkundzelft Santaki Vardnknd Vvardenfell — City of the Strong Shield — Red Mountain, Dagoth Ur Volenfell — City of the Hammer Yldzuun Zthenganaz

Places currently without Dwemer endonyms:

Bronze Water Cave Darkhollow Deeping Drome Derelict Pumphouse Druscashti (now ruled by the vampires of Clan Quarra) Earth Forge Endusal (now a Sixth House Citadel ruled by Dagoth Endus) Farm Overseer's House Galom Daeus (now ruled by the vampires of Clan Berne) Ghost City of Dwarfhome

Graven Deep Hall of Rumination Infernium Forge Nyzchaleft Falls ("Nyzchaleft" is actually the name of the centurion found at this place, not the name of the ruins) Odrosal (now a Sixth House Citadel ruled by Dagoth Odros) Pumping Station Razak's Wheel Reeking Tower Scraps

Silent City Silent Ruin Sinderion's Field Laboratory Tolvald's Crossing Tureynulal Vault of Mhuvnak Vemynal (now a Sixth House Citadel ruled by Dagoth Vemyn) Vile Laboratory War Quarters

Words and Phrases

The list contains words explicitly mentioned and translated in various sources, as well as the word roots from Calcelmo's Stone which appear on it at least twice or can be found in at least one additional source.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

A

Abak Only Abakch Only by Ahrk[anch] were broken, had perished (shared idea of something being fallen, whether materially or spiritually)

Aka King Arkng[d] Give, gift, grace

Arkngthunch Graveyard (literally, affection/grace-fear) Avatheled Fifteen-and-One (can perhaps be broken into "Ava-th-Eled", Fifteen-and-One)

B

Bcharn Machine, "Witch" (in the only example we have, actually referring to a giant machine, not a person) Bthar Allied, bound, bond

Bthar-Zel Allied City

Bthun Believe, know

C

Chal Ask, request, desire Che For

Chend Path, passage Chun So [it was], which

Chun Abakch Executioner (literally So only by, probably a euphemism to refer to an inescapable fate)

D

Du We Dua- Our

[D?]umz Ghost (from "Sturdumz", Ghost Invaders, and "Stur", Enemy)

Duum The Dwemer

F

Fahl[z] No, not

Fal'Zhardum Din Blackest Kingdom Reaches

Fell City

I

Ingth New (suffix placed at the end of a word)

Irknd [to] cloud (probably literally, [to] darken)

Irkng Darkness (the root word "Irkn" in general seems related to the dark)

K

Kemel Cliff

Kagr, Kagren Tone, Music

Karstangz-Bcharn / Karstanghz-Beharn Weather Witch, a weather machine

M

Mer People

N

Nchard[ch] Stones, Bones (the two concepts are often related on Tamriel because of the Earth Bones)

Nchmarthurnidamz

Nchuan[d] Radiance, Radiant

R

Razak Precision engineer or tonal modulator

S

Stur Enemy

Sturdumz Ghost Invaders (compare "Stur", enemy)

T

Th And Thand Translated as "Steam Gardens" ("Molagnenseli", fire-water-halls in the Falmer text), but probably only means "Garden", "Home" or "Domain"

Thu You Thua- Your

Thunch [to] fear (compare with "Arkngthunch", Graveyard, and "Arkng", affection or grace) Tuathumz Culture, Central pylon

V

Vamidium Mount (noun) Volen Hammer

Volenfell City of the Hammer Vvarden Strong Shield (compare ahvardn "protection")

Vvardenfell City of the Strong Shield

Y

Yldzuun Either "Mechanized Paradise" or "Steam Closet"

Z

Ze, Zel City, underground, domain of the Dwemer?

Analysis of Calcelmo's Stone

Below is an attempt to decipher the Dwemer text from Calcelmo's Stone - based on the official translation given by Kurt Kuhlmann. Note that due to the lack of knowledge of Dwemer grammar or how exactly the compound words are constructed, it might not be very accurate.

Chun	thuamer	arkngd	chend	duathand,	th	ahvardn	btham.
And so it was that	your people	were given	passage	to our steam gardens,	and	the protections	of our power [or "mathematics"].

Amz	thuamer	ahrkanch	kemelmzulchond	aka	Mora,
Many of	your people	had perished	under the roaring, snow-throated	kings	of Mora,

th	thuangz	ahrk,	th	duum	melz	thuabtharng,	th	kanthaln	duabcharn	mzin	thuastur,	btharumz	thua mer	zel.
and	your wills	were broken,	and	we (the Dwemer)	heard	you, [your (bond-something)?]	and	sent	our machines	against	your enemies,	to thereby take	you [your people]	under.

Abakch	duumarkng	tuathumz	amakai,	th	abakch	avatheled	kagr	tuamkingth	mzan.
Only by	the grace of the Dwemer did	your culture	survive,	and	only by	the fifteen-and-one	tones did	your new lives	begin.

Du	chal fahl	ngark,	che	du	fahl bthun	ur.
We	do not desire	thanks,	for	we	do not believe	in it.

Du	chal fahl	ngalft,	che	du	[fahl?] bthun	ur.
We	do not ask for	gratitude,	for	we	do not believe	in it.

Du	abak	chal	thu	abazun	nchur	duabthar,	nchul	duanchard.
We	only	request	you	partake	of the symbol	of our bond,	the fruit	of the stones around us. [our stones]

Th	ur	thuanchuth	irknd,	ur	irkngth	eftardn,	thunch	fahlz.
And	as	your vision	clouds,	as	the darkness	sets in,	fear	not.

Bthun	abak	dua	mzual	th	nchuan	duarkng,	chun	fahlbthar	thuanchardch	anum	ralz,	th	eftar	thuachendraldch	kagren	thua	vanchningth.
Know	only	our	mercy	and	the radiance	of our affection,	which	unbinds	your bones	to the earth	before,	and	sets	your final path	to the music	of your	new eternity.

It can be seen that the possessive pronouns are usually written together with nouns (thua-mer for "your people", dua-bthar for "our bond"). Another noticeable feature is the lack of prepositions. There also doesn't seem to be any consistent inflection.

When combined with other sources, the meanings of many words seem to be rather vague, with the actual meaning depending on the context. For example zel is said to mean "city" but on Calcelmo's Stone it's translated as "under" in "...to take your people under" (which could be interpreted as "to take your people to our cities, to our domain"). In both cases the word seems to generally mean the domain of the Dwemer, or a Dwemer-inhabited area.

Similarly arkng[d] appears three times as "were given" (arkngd), "grace" (duum-arkng, "the grace of us" or "the grace of the Dwemer"), and "affection" (dua-arkng, "our affection"). It seems obvious that the word in general means giving, granting something, or the act of doing so.

Fahlbthar is translated as "unbind". This is more or less consistent with the word bthar also being translated as "allied" or "bond" (dua-bthar, "our bond") while fahl generally seems to denote a negation ("no", "not", "un-"). Thus, bthar may generally mean "allied" or "bound". Compare the names of the Dwemer ruins Fahlbtharz ("not allied"? "unbound"?) on Solstheim and Nchu Duabthar ("symbol of our bond"?) in High Rock.

Similarly, the name of the ruins of Nchuand-Zel could mean "radiant city". A similar analysis could be performed for many more ruin names.

References

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.