Okay, first post.

Well, first of all, I apologize is this is a silly question, since I'm not an expert in The Elder Scrolls lore just yet, but since our characters have both magic and combat abilities I was wondering if this was true for everyone in Nirn. I don't think I ever saw a bandit using both spells and melee abilities in Skyrim. And mages wear robes and use almost solely magic (I think they fight with a dagger if they run out of mana?).

Is magic in Nirn something that one can learn? Or does everyone has inborn abilities? Or there are people that are born with magical abilities and others that aren't, and the magic that our PCs have is solely for gameplay purpouses?

I wasn't sure if to post this here on in the lore forums, I don't think this is a lore-ish enough to be a lore question exactly...

Everyone has the potential for magic. For instance, High Elves have Highborn ability, and are born with 50 extra magicka, so they have more potential to become mages than say, a Khaajiit. A Khaajit has to try way harder to become a magenthan an Altmer, because Altmer have more perks to begin with that help them become a mage. To answer your question, yes, everyone is born with magicka, but you have to learn spells and practice them to "harness" your ability.

First off, have a Fishy Stick!

http://images.uesp.net/c/c4/Fishystick.jpg

In Skyrim, it would seem that everyone does everything. Checking the NPC classes:

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Barbarian#Barbarian

there are some that have no magic skill 'weighted' so I guess it's possible those don't get any default spells either.

Note that in the prior games race meant a lot more as some leaned toward magic while others toward thieving or fighting. Skyrim put all the races on a much more level playing field as far as abilities go. I can't say I'm happy about it as to me it really hurts role-playing.

Everyone has the potential to be or do just about anything. Most just don't explore as many avenues as a player can.