Do Bosmer eat fruit?

SeaGtGruff

I'm questing through Greenshade on my PC EU main, and while going from Marbruk to Bramblebreach I'm walking by a Khajiit (Hazazi?) and two Bosmer-- a male who is dancing, and a female who is... eating an apple? I stop and speak with her, because I'm trying to explore everything and talk to everyone. She is definitely a Bosmer, and is apparently a resident of Bramblebreach. And she is definitely eating an apple.

I thought that Bosmer refuse to eat plants for "religious" purposes, or something like that? Is fruit not considered to be a plant, or a product of a plant? Is this some kind of out-of-character boo-boo, or is it considered okay for Bosmer to eat apples?

emilyhyoyeon

I would bet it's pretty realistic for not all Valenwood bosmer to follow the Green Pact. Also IIRC bosmer eat fruit if it's already fallen off the plant. In this case it's probably just not bothering to make that NPC do the eatmeat emote instead of the eatapple emote. Or the apple is one that just fell down.

Danikat

If I remember correctly the Green Pact specifically says not to harm The Green (Valenwood). So eating fruit, especially fruit which had already fallen from the tree, would be allowed because it's not harming the plant.

Some bosmer are even ok with using wood and other plant-based materials which come from other parts of Tamriel, but then others stick to the Green Pact even when they're in other areas, so it seems like interpretations do vary.

Jolsyf

They do, its not because one is a bosmer it means it adheres to the Green Pact, in fact most bosmer outside Valenwood do not, they can do whatever they want with the forest as long as they don't pledge themselves, I don't want to spoil you but theres a chain quest in Reaper's March (the zone after Greenshade) that shows that side of the bosmer.

AcadianPaladin

A fellow member of the Mages Guild, upon learning that my elf was a Paladin of Kynareth, asked her, "Do not most Bosmer worship Yffre?"

She smiled and replied, “Some do, Magister. Long ago, Bosmer were wild and feral creatures of the Valenwood with little self-control, even unwillingly shapeshifting into savage beasts. This curse was called the Wild Hunt. Some clans embraced Yffre, who lifted the curse but forbade using Valenwood’s flora in what has become known as the Green Pact. Other clans made their accord with Hircine and embraced lycanthropy in exchange for a measure of control over their shapeshifting. The tribes of my Cloud Dancer Clan turned instead to the Mother of Nirn and Sky Goddess. The two Divines freed us from the Wild Hunt, asking only that we use the forest’s resources wisely and love the mighty graht oaks that provide homes for our tribes.”

Disclaimer: This is headcanon from my elf's fan fiction. Though based in lore, we take significant liberties to suit our purpose.

Salvas_Aren

The Bosmer seem to respect the Green Pact mostly.

However, some might be the exception, meaning that they either do not follow it too strictly in general or even at all, or they might have unpopular opinions, like how to treat apples and branches that already fell off of a tree.

Also, most Bosmer that are residents of Valenwood are fine with using wood and agricultural products that are imported from outside Valenwood. In opposition to that, you can actually find ingame examples where Bosmer follow the Green Pact outside Valenwood, like treating plants with the utmost respect and care when they know that the plant seeds grew in Valenwood.

linuxlady

Pumpkin Breath

Raideen

Is it true that Bosmer are cannibals?

x48rph

Danikat wrote: »

If I remember correctly the Green Pact specifically says not to harm The Green (Valenwood). So eating fruit, especially fruit which had already fallen from the tree, would be allowed because it's not harming the plant.

Some bosmer are even ok with using wood and other plant-based materials which come from other parts of Tamriel, but then others stick to the Green Pact even when they're in other areas, so it seems like interpretations do vary.

The green pact also specifically says eat only meat so even an apple that fell from a tree wouldn't be ok. That being said, much like real world religion, some are much more devout then others and interpret things much more literally.

Also , like someone else mentioned, it could just be an error and the bosmer is doing the wrong emote

Salvas_Aren

Raideen wrote: »

Is it true that Bosmer are cannibals?

Those who follow the Green Pact to the max are. It prohibits the waste of any meat, which includes the meat harvested from dead enemies and even your family.

TwinLamps

If you eat the fruit you stole from others... You surely violate some laws there lmoa

Tryxus

https://elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/1221

The Green Lady says, “Though the Green Pact appears simple on the surface, its doctrinal details can be baffling to outsiders, and indeed, even the wisest of our Spinners disagree on some of its aspects. The first tenet you mention would be better stated as “Harm no living plants,” and this we strive not to do, even when we sing the house-songs to the trees so they will form lodgings for us. But does it harm a living plant to eat its fallen fruit? Indeed not—in fact, in this way the plant’s seeds are spread. The second tenet you mention is better known as the Meat Mandate, but how strictly it is followed varies from tribe to tribe and, indeed, from individual to individual. However, dairy products, honey, mushrooms, and insects are eaten with zest by all but the most ultra-zealous of Pact Bosmer.”

Thormar

Likely ate the apple in order to lift her spirits ....
and drive away feelings of depression and low Elf esteem.

Vevvev

Fruit are how plants reproduce so to eat the seeds is to eat the plant's offspring, which is harming the Green as a whole. I imagine eating fruit, especially the seeds, can violate the Green Pact.

Faiza

You'll run into a few Bosmer alchemists too, who will explain that it does not violate the pact to use anything that had already fallen to the ground

SeaGtGruff

Ah! Thanks, everyone, for jogging my memory.

I'd encountered the quest in the previous zone (Grahtwood) involving a Bosmer alchemist, his wife, and a Khajiit, where you must decide which of them is guilty of breaking the Green Pact, so I knew the part about using things that had fallen from a plant naturally, but it had slipped my mind.

To be honest, ESO is the first TES game where I've run into this side of Bosmer culture. If it was mentioned in any of the other TES games, I must have skipped past it without really noticing or paying attention to it-- partly because I don't think I've ever played a Bosmer character or researched Bosmer culture and racial effects (natural plus and minus adjustments to starting stats, free magical spells or skill abilities, etc.), but mostly because I tend to just glance quickly at the in-game books rather than thoroughly reading them from beginning to end.

Also, I've done all of these quests before-- but only once, on my PC NA main, and that was 3 years ago while he was running around Tamriel in no particular order, doing quests from all three alliances and the various DLCs at the same time. Back when I created my first character on PC EU when Summerset came out, I swore that he and my various alts would quest through the alliances and zones in proper order, although I've been taking my sweet time about it. It's been very interesting to revisit the quests that I'd previously rushed willy-nilly through, and go through them leisurely in the correct sequence.

Anyway, as my Redguard character was noticing the young Bosmer lady eating an apple, he did a double-take to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing.

Jaraal

So many Bosmer were sneaking fruit from the trees that Y'ffre took away their divinely granted stealth and forced them to become sentries in Cyrodiil.

zaria

Faiza wrote: »

You'll run into a few Bosmer alchemists too, who will explain that it does not violate the pact to use anything that had already fallen to the ground

While shaking the tree.

Dagoth_Rac

Fruit is meant to be eaten. A tree does not drop fruit at its base with intention of having dozens of trees grow right on top of it. The idea is: animal eats fruit, seeds are non-digestible, animal [bleeps] out the seeds at a later point in time and at a further distance from tree. This allows apple tree to reproduce without having the trees all bunched together and stealing resources from each other. It is part of the circle of life and seems like it should be Green Pact friendly.

However, I don't know Bosmer [bleeping] habits. I assume they don't [bleep] randomly on the ground like a wolf or a bear. So a Bosmer eating a fruit may not benefit the tree's reproductive cycle in the intended way. Unless the Bosmer affinity for stealth has always been a secret way to [bleep] in the woods with no embarrassment of being seen.

NotaDaedraWorshipper

Dagoth_Rac wrote: »

Fruit is meant to be eaten. A tree does not drop fruit at its base with intention of having dozens of trees grow right on top of it. The idea is: animal eats fruit, seeds are non-digestible, animal [bleeps] out the seeds at a later point in time and at a further distance from tree. This allows apple tree to reproduce without having the trees all bunched together and stealing resources from each other. It is part of the circle of life and seems like it should be Green Pact friendly.

However, I don't know Bosmer [bleeping] habits. I assume they don't [bleep] randomly on the ground like a wolf or a bear. So a Bosmer eating a fruit may not benefit the tree's reproductive cycle in the intended way. Unless the Bosmer affinity for stealth has always been a secret way to [bleep] in the woods with no embarrassment of being seen.

You can write poop you know. Or defecate to sound more serious.

Fruit is meant to be eaten yes, by animals, animals who are in turn eaten by bosmer. The bosmer who follow the Green Pact aren't supposed to eat them, unless it has fallen by itself, which many who follows the Pact still wouldn't do. Better leave it to some other creature to eat.

ShawnLaRock

It’s the age-old Bosmer debate: do you eat Pineapple on PEOPLE?

S.

Starlight_Whisper

emilyhyoyeon wrote: »

I would bet it's pretty realistic for not all Valenwood bosmer to follow the Green Pact. Also IIRC bosmer eat fruit if it's already fallen off the plant. In this case it's probably just not bothering to make that NPC do the eatmeat emote instead of the eatapple emote. Or the apple is one that just fell down.

This makes sense

RaddlemanNumber7

This is the future Silvenar explaining about how Bosmer get trapped in the Ouze for breaking the green pact...

Ackwalan

Only if that fruit has been deep-fried in the fat of an Altmer.

Athan1

No @OP

Lephrel

EATING FRUIT IS MURDER!!!

bmnoble

Clearly just trying to save on medical bills.

kargen27

Vevvev wrote: »

Fruit are how plants reproduce so to eat the seeds is to eat the plant's offspring, which is harming the Green as a whole. I imagine eating fruit, especially the seeds, can violate the Green Pact.

If the Bosmer eats an apple like I do the seeds are not consumed. They are put in a compost mound with the core.

Kwoung

[quote="SeaGtGruff;d-557022"[/quote]

SeaGtGruff wrote: »

I'm questing through Greenshade on my PC EU main, and while going from Marbruk to Bramblebreach I'm walking by a Khajiit (Hazazi?) and two Bosmer-- a male who is dancing, and a female who is... eating an apple? I stop and speak with her, because I'm trying to explore everything and talk to everyone. She is definitely a Bosmer, and is apparently a resident of Bramblebreach. And she is definitely eating an apple.

I thought that Bosmer refuse to eat plants for "religious" purposes, or something like that? Is fruit not considered to be a plant, or a product of a plant? Is this some kind of out-of-character boo-boo, or is it considered okay for Bosmer to eat apples?

It was a piece of meat that looked like an apple. It was probably some high elf's heart.

Michae

I doubt the fruit is allowed in the Green Pact per se. Bosmer even make meat alcohol beverage, rotmeth. I doubt they'd bother if fruiut, even just the fruit that has fallen from a tree, was allowed.

Regardless of that there are Valenwood Bosmer who eat plants, one of the Vinedusk Raiders bragged about eating a salad for example. But maybe she ate it outside of Valenwood, I think Bosmer aren't allowed to eat only the Valenwood plants. And there are some loopholes to the Green Pact, like buying wooden bows from other races for example. So maybe the the Bosmer OP mentioned found some loophole, or maybe she just didn't care about the Green.

barney2525

Bosmer are anti-vegetarian/vegan?

So they eat meat aaaand ... nothing else? Maybe some cheese I suppose.