What Year Would Skyrim Take Place in Real Life?
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a legendary game, takes place in a fantasy world with its own unique chronology. However, curious gamers often wonder what era or year the game would correspond to in our real world. To answer this question, let’s embark on a journey through history and explore the clues within the game.
Understanding the Elder Scrolls Timeline
Before diving into the actual year, it’s essential to grasp the Elder Scrolls timeline. The Elder Scrolls series is divided into multiple eras, each spanning centuries or even millennia. The timeline is complex, but we’ll focus on the relevant parts for Skyrim.
The First Era to the Third Era
The First Era began around 2,500 years before the events of Morrowind, which is set around 3E 268 (Third Era). The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind takes place around 3E 266. To find the year for Skyrim, we need to travel further back in time. The events of Skyrim unfold during the Fourth Era, which began around 2E 854.
Scandinavia and the Historical Connection
Skyrim is heavily influenced by Scandinavian culture and mythology. The game’s designers drew inspiration from Norse sagas, the mythology of the Vikings, and the geography of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. To match the game’s setting, we can draw parallels with real-world history.
The Merethic Era, which spans from approximately 1E 700 to 1E 1, is the oldest period in the Elder Scrolls timeline. During this time, the earliest recorded Nordic cultures emerged, including the Vikings. The Viking Age (793-1066 AD) saw the rise of Norse seafarers, traders, and raiders who traveled extensively across Europe.
A Chronological Connection
Fast-forward to the Fourth Era. We know that Skyrim’s events take place around 4E 201 (the year is not specified, but we can approximate it). Comparing the Elder Scrolls timeline to the real-world historical timeline, we can draw a rough connection.
The Viking Age, which roughly spans from the 8th to the 11th century, shares a similar time frame with the Merethic Era, which began around 1E 700. To find the year in real life, let’s add the approximate time elapsed since the Merethic Era to the beginning of the Viking Age.
Estimating the Year
Roughly estimating the timeline, we can assume:
- The Merethic Era began around 1E 700.
- The Viking Age started around 793 AD.
- The time gap between these two periods is approximately 1,093 years.
Adding this gap to the beginning of the Viking Age, we get:
793 AD + 1,093 years = 1,886 AD**
A Real-World Equivalent
Now that we have an approximate year, let’s refine our estimate. The Fourth Era in Skyrim begins around 2E 854, which is equivalent to our estimated year 1,886 AD. Taking into account the Morrowind Prophecies, which were written before the events of Skyrim, we can adjust the estimate.
Prophecies and Adjustments
The Morrowind Prophecies predict the destruction of the world in the year 1,500. Assuming this prediction is based on the prophecy’s own internal timeline, we can subtract this amount from our estimated year to get a more accurate value.
1,886 AD – 1,500 = 386 AD**
A Possible Correspondence
With this revised estimate, we can correlate the events of Skyrim with a real-world year: 386 AD. This corresponds to the period when the Western Roman Empire was declining, and Germanic tribes, such as the Goths and Visigoths, were emerging.
In Conclusion
While the Elder Scrolls universe is fictional, the game’s developers drew inspiration from real-world history and mythology. By analyzing the timeline, we can estimate that Skyrim takes place in the real world around 386 AD, during a time of significant cultural and societal changes in Europe.