Why are orcs green? : V - Skyrim

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:32 am

I don't think I've seen a green orc in this game. They are all shades of gray, perhaps with an olive undertone, but green? No.

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:16 am

Because that's the color they are in like every fantasy setting.
Why are elves gold and blue?

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:03 pm

The appearance of the "modern" orc was given by J. R. R. Tolkien.
But the fixation on green instead of grey or black can be credit to the first army paintings in the warhammer community.

Blizzard adopt the warhammer design for Warcraft.... and so on.

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:44 am

Almost correct.
Evolution as on Earth does not exist on Tamriel, there hasnt been enough time. Only about 6500 years have passed since the Dawn era.

In The beginning there were the Ehlnofey and the Hist.
The Ehlnofey wandered and changed, while the Hist are immobile and unchanging.
Everything on Nirn is descendant from the Ehlnofey, men, mer, akaviri, giants, plants etc.

Except for the Hist, and the Argonians, as the Argonians are of the Hist.

However this process is called subgradiation and not evolution. In the Dawn time many spirits had to become smaller and more numerous, to begat children and become mortal, in order to survive.
After the Dawn time many of the changes the lifeforms on Nirn were subject to were magical and/ or divine in nature.
Take for instance the Orsimer, who used to be a subsect of Aldmer who worshiped their god-ancestor Trinimac.
When Trinimac was defeated by Boethiah (some say he was eaten and passed) he turned into Malacath and his followers turned into Orcs.
Or take the Dunmer, who used to be Chimer (an Aldmer subsect who left the Summurset isles due to religous differences) until they were cursed by Azura.

Nirn is a magical and mythical place, not one of physics and mathematics.

http://www.imperial-library.info/content/monomyth
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/ages-man

Now I really do know I've been playing too much TES - this post for some reason gave me goosebumps...

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 7:00 pm

I love how threads like "why you be green orc" get so many responses and a thread that deals with the endgame economy gets mostly trolls.

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:20 pm

They range from many different shades of green =p from Poo-Green to Lime-Green!

How appropriate, given Malacaths history.

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:54 pm

Look there might be evolution on Nirn , but after the Dawn era only 6000 years passed , for evolution much more is needed..

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 5:28 am

Look there might be evolution on Nirn , but after the Dawn era only 6000 years passed , for evolution much more is needed..

Change certainly happens on Nirn, but I doubt if any evolution in the classic sense exists.
Its not a scientific universe, but a mythical one, and things happen not because of laws of nature but because they are fated to, because the gods will it, or because of magic.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Nirnroot_Missive is a good example of this, there seems to be a sort of 'evolution' going on with nirnroot, but it is heavily influenced by magic and seems to be deliberate design by the plant itself.

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:13 pm

To the people saying - 'They're not green, they're olive/grey/brown', this thread obviously still applies to those colours.

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 7:24 pm

Camouflage maybe...

Does this really belong in the Skyrim forums?

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 5:55 am

Change happens in Nirn threw magical and mythical means as with the Orsimer, I will not get into why they are now green that has be answered in this thread akready, fates are altered over the whims of divine beings for pleasure, avarice, or vengeance.

Magic flows from the aetherius and effects all things magic governs everything in this world and thus it can change in an instant and be something completely different or it cab disappear, two good examples on that is the Dunmer and the Dwemer. Another good example is look at what the Falmer have become.

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 1:09 am

Another good example is look at what the Falmer have become.

Yes but havn't the falmer ADAPTED through EVOLUTION to look like that, due to centurys of being stuck in caves and tunnels?

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:05 am

Yes but havn't the falmer ADAPTED through EVOLUTION to look like that, due to centurys of being stuck in caves and tunnels?

They was also twisted and warped by the Dwemer do not forget that.

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:13 am

Its a game and the developers wanted them to be green that's why.

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:15 pm

Dunmer & Orsmer are dark in colouring and lore-wise both seem to resemble Turkic / Hunnic / Mongol type people from north east & central Asia.

Altmer & Bosmer (& Maormer maybe??) are light in colouring and resemble a more complex high society or tropical / rainforest race (perhaps a south east Asian / Pacific influence).

Dunmer & Orsmer side with Empire.

Altmer & Bosmer oppose the Empire.

Interesting divide amongst the Mer

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:59 am

The point I am trying to get at is WHY are they green then? Why would orcs adapt to have green skin, its not like its an advantage or anything? And the only reason things in nature will adapt is for their own benefit. Anyone have any ideas why?

they were not green they were red . but they tried to wipe out the red color with alcohol but that didnt work and their skin turned green .
just a guess .

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:21 am

Still , to make an actual evolution change you need , more or less millions of years , and not 6000 as I said earlier.

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:36 am

Because if they were any other color, it'd be weird.

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:54 pm

It's not easy being green...

If you want a real mind twister- try explaining http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Khajiit#Morphology.

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:47 pm

they get stoned ? :turtle:

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:41 pm

They get sick alot.

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:29 am

I gotta ask this: why are you trying to apply science to a fantasy game?

Last time people try to say "guys, it's just a game!", gamers cried at how unrealistic things are. Even going so far as discussing how a looking-good armor is vastly inferior to "unisix" armor, completely ignoring the fact that you can't break your bones in this game (and you have inter-dimensional inventory bag)

It's not easy being green...

If you want a real mind twister- try explaining http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Khajiit#Morphology.

The Khajiiti are crazy bunch with superstitions that actually works :shrug:

I heard Koreans name their children with a standardized naming convention based on when they're born, so perhaps you can try asking a Korean, they may have a more related answer. I don't know what Kim Jong-Il means though

Orcs are either green or gray. Nobody buys an orc with human skin or anything other than gray/green. See Shrek for reference. Bethesda can call cat-fetishists' wetdream Khajiiti, but even they need a just reason to call something "Orc"

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:54 pm

Lets start this off by stating that all creatures in Tamriel have clearly developed from just one single celled ancestor, like us on Earth. You can tell this by just looking at various of the races - alot of them are humanoid, which suggests that orcs, elfs, humans, khajit and whatnot all came from 1 common ancestor.

Anyhow, I think I am right in saying that the Orcs come from a mountainous, rocky region do they not? I think its the dragontail mountains or something. The point I am trying to get at is WHY are they green then? Why would orcs adapt to have green skin, its not like its an advantage or anything? And the only reason things in nature will adapt is for their own benefit. Anyone have any ideas why?

Read your lore: You are incorrect

Mer and Man came from a common ancestor called the Ehlnofey ("Earth Bones" or something). The Ehlnofey supposedly came from the Gods via the Throat of the World, where some then traveled to Atmora and became Nords and some stayed on the mainland and became Aldmer. Only two species of life survived a cataclysmic event: The Ehlnofey and the Hist (I think the Ehlnofey simpley weren't there for it, as they came from the Throat of the World allegedly). The Hist is the tree that from which the Argonian race sprang forth.

The Atmoran Ehlnofey over time became Nords.
Nords came back to Tamriel to escape the political struggle of Atmora and took Skyrim as their home.
Imperials are Nordic descendants that settled Cyrodiil and eventually bacame an altogether different race of Man.
Bretons are the product of Nord/Aldmer sixual unions.

Redguards are human, but have a completely different lineage from the other human races.

Aldmer of Tamriel became Ayleids of Cyrodiil, Altmer of Summerset Isle, Bosmer of Valenwood, Dwemer of Morrowind/Skyrim, Falmer of Skyrim, and Chimer, who were Aldmer "heretics" that wanted to find their own faith. The Chimer became Dunmer when Dagoth Ur betrayed Nerevar and a section of Aldmer became Orsimer when Boethiah ate Trinimac, turning him into Malacath and all of his followers into Orcs. Maomer are unknown about whether or not they are descendants of Altmer.
Each of the races of Mer developed according to their province's habitat.

As said above, Argonians came from the Hist, not the ManMer ancestor.
Khajiit were found living in central cyrodiil, but were driven to Elswehr by Man. There is no explanation from where they came from aside from legends that they are a cursed sect of Bosmer whos form depends on the location of the moons at birth.

To answer your question though, Orsimer are green for the same reason Dunmer are blue-gray: They were turned that way by gods from being corrupted.

» Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:24 pm

One word: Lore.

(Exept for the reason above I think they're green because they were cursed by the gods [for something I don't remember] so they may have changed they're skin color to show that they are cursed).

Or...

Mabye Malacath is green?

» Fri Jun 22, 2012 1:57 am

One word: Lore.

(Exept for the reason above I think they're green because they were cursed by the gods [for something I don't remember] so they may have changed they're skin color to show that they are cursed).

Or...

Mabye Malacath is green?

Orcs were created when Malacath got tricked/eaten/whateveritisIforgot by some other Daedra that I forgot who, and he was turned into an Orc. Sort of like how Arthas turned Sylvanas into the first Banshee

And I don't think anybody ever question "why is Orsimer green?". Actually, the answer is that somebody turned 'em green, the very first Orc was green I guess. A better question would be "Why green?"