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In order to make the characters in my Fanfic OF DOOM realistic, I need some authentic exclamations and swear words. Modern English swear words do not fit with their dialogue at all, and I'd prefer to avoid them. Unfortunately, in terms of things in the games, all I can think of is:

• "By the Nine!"
• taking the name of your god in vain
• use of "Oblivion" where we would say "hell"
• the Nordic exclamation of "Ysmir's beard!"

That's not very helpful! Especially as my main characters are a Breton and an Imperial.

I've read this thread about Morrowind and Favourite ES Insult?. But I'm looking for things which are more like swear words about a situation in general than insults aimed at a specific person. You know, the kind of thing you'd say if you dropped a hammer on your toe. Or if you were walking through the countryside minding your own business and suddenly an Oblivion gate opened in front of you and a herd of daedra came charging through.

Any ideas? Thanks .

N'wah is a 'curse' word used on outsiders (from morrowind) (Dunmer Language)
Kaoc, Waxhuthi, Xuth (Not sure probably found in Oblivion) (Argonian Language)
Fetcher is a word meaning something like jerk (from morrowind) (maybe Dunmer, most likely just in english)
S'wit probably meaning jerk again (first heard in morrowind along will oblivion and skyrim) (don't know)

That's all I know off.

Snowback and milkdrinker.

[&@%!] is used in Skyrim, and Oblivion aswell I believe.

"Stoopid!"-used in Morrowind

Pretty sure I've heard "God's blood!" used in Skyrim, and the wiki indicates an Oblivion NPC used it as well.

"A Hypothetical Treachery" uses the term "smoothskin", which is usually how ghouls in Fallout refer to regular people.

If you read the OP you would see she is looking for random exclamations, not necessarily insults.

As you've already said, the only one I can think of is "by the Nine (eight in Skyrim)!" and "Talos save us" type of things. Hmm. Must do some "research" when I get home.

Some oaths from Daggerfall, thanks to ABG.

Nords
By Thorig's Beard
By Olfor's Hammer
By the White Wolf
By the Frozen Wastes
By the Hoarfather
Mother of the Ice
Frostfire
By the Cliffs of Solitude
By the Northern Sea
By the Beard of Thorig

Khajiits
By the Rat-god
Wh*re of Alizahad
Dust of Orcrest
By the Sands of Elsweyr
By the Blessed Water
By the Hand of Ibrahad
Desert Sun
By the Dry Heart
By the Water of Life
Devil of the Sands

Redguards
By the Dragon's Teeth
Dragon's Teeth
Cursed Darvak
By My Father's Name
By Rourken
By the Great Hammer
By the Dwarf-King
Beard of the Dwarf-King
By the Guardian's Blood
By the First Wyrm
Spirit Sword
By the Blade
By Divad
By Katrica
By The Maiden
By Frandar
Stendarr Preserve Us
By The Sun

Bretons ?
By Starfall's Waters
Bless My Lord
By the Crypt
Death Be Damned
By My Lady
By the Mists
By the Wolf
By the Dark Lord
Spirits of High Rock
By the ArchDruid
By Pelagius
Madness

Argonians
Swamp Devil
Mire of Murkwood
By the Gods
By the Throne of Aphicles
By the Blades of Fate
By the Lonely One
Host of Stormhold
By the Swamp Spirit
By the Mother-goddess
Bogfire

Bosmers
By the Elden Grove
By the Timber Spirits
By the Lore of Wood
By Mistria's Curse
Spirits of the Wood
Faeries of the Grove
By Caliron's Heart
By the Root
Fire of Eldenroot
By the Fire

Dunmers
By the Black Isle
By the Dark Ones
By the Fires of Dagoth-Ur
By the Mad Queen
By the Black Maw
Dark Goddess Protect Us
By the Night
Soul of the Black Knight
By the Soulless One
Fireblood

Altmers
By the Highest One
By the White Crystal
By the Wood of Elborn
By the Blue Divide
Faerielight
By the Otherworld
First Spirit of Tamriel
Blade of Cassimoran
Crystals of Sumurset
By the First Spirit

I read the OP, I just prefer insults, smoothskin.

Ralof says "Shor's blood!" during the Skyrim opening.

I think it was Jauffre who says it when you hand him the Amulet of Kings. Some other Imperial npc might have used it as well, I keep imagining it being uttered in that manly voice of their's when I think about it.

"By the Eight!" is fairly common in Skyrim since the ban of Talos worship.

This is interesting; I was on a lore binge the other day and came across this. It's not entirely lore-friendly but it was written by a past ES designer, who I should think knows what does and doesn't fit in the universe. It contains some rather more colourful language than I've encountered in the Elder Scrolls series before now, but somehow it doesn't seem out of place.

At the very least, it's entertaining.

That's kinda epic, Tsapoliton. I'm really after things that Imperials would say, but the list is useful nonetheless: since you can simply swap out "By the [whatever]" with a more appropriate god or placename. It's a shame that I'm not writing about Nords, since they have the best swear words; and you know every time they say "Shor's beard" in the game, they could actually be saying "By Shor's great hairy balls!" .

The Tom: That is, indeed, "more colourful language" . Some of it sounds okay, other parts are definitely far too modern - I mean, "holy crap"? That's something I say!

I think I may have to do some research on Ye Olde Anglo-Saxon swear words, since I'm fairly sure that some four-letter words really are that old. . Hmm.

However, be careful if you want to implement some of those oaths in a fiction. Some of them are only used around the Illiac Bay, and are a bit outdated. But as you said, you can easily create your proper swear sword or exclamations!

That is indeed an excellent post, Tsapoliton! Amazing that you found that!

You know, I also think you can afford a certain type of creativity when creating your own exclamations. For instance, something as simple as "Stendarr's whiskers!" could probably be legit (and hilarious). If all else fails:

Never fails.

This one's better.

From Mazoga the Orc. "God's Ghoulies!"

Actually, it's the Altmer when you go to Khvatch.

Azura curse you!

A common imprecation used by the Dunmer in Skyrim.

I would also suggest the term "[&@%!]"

As in, "I'm going to [&@%!] you!"

No-one in TES actually says it, but it's implied all the time.

Faendal: "Sven! I'm going to [&@%!] you!"

Sven: "There once was a hero named Ragnar the Red.."

Actually...

Someone says something very similar.

If you're still looking for some more curses, I came across the Argonian words Xhuth and Kaoc' from The Infernal City. I've heard the Argonian who helps out at the inn in Riften say 'Xhuth' a couple of times, so it seems it's legit and not the crazy invention of that guy what wrote the novels.

(*cough* there's a character in them named Colin *cough*)

Greg Keyes got the basic plot outline from Bethesda's top secret internal Tamrielic Lore codex, and he had all the names approved. Anything involving Jel language or other esoteric lore from those books he may have written in his own style, but it was from the same documents the games are based on. He didn't just pull stuff out of his ass. Also, not all Imperial names have to sound "Roman". I don't personally see Colin as nearly as cringeworthy as some people make it out to be. It's a perfectly acceptable name for a guy from Anvil. It's a port city. He could have mixed ancestry and Breton grandparents or something. Colin sounds like a perfectly passable human name, considering an Imperial named Lucien Lachance exists in TES IV and that name doesn't get nearly as much hate.

I'f im not mistaken i've heard both bi tch and sh it used in the Skyrim.

The first one I now for a fact was said by Jarl Idgrod in Morthal during that Vampire quest.

As for the second I could've sworn some one said it some where.

You know that we can say [&@%!]. The censor's on and is optional, now. Also I have never seen [&@%!] used.

Is there another s-word curse or war cry said in battle with other people because that's where I heard it some one just yelled "Oh (S----?)!"