Khajiit

Overview

Khajiit are the feline peoples of Elsweyr, whose different bodily forms are linked in lore to the moons. Some resemble the upright cats familiar from Skyrim, while others are much smaller or larger. Their speech, religious traditions and political loyalties make them a civilization rather than a collection of animal companions.

Khajiiti merchants in Skyrim encounter suspicion that says as much about Nordic society as it does about the traders. Elsweyr gives a broader view of cities, farms and religious life. The recognizable caravan traveller therefore represents only one setting and social role within an unusually varied fictional people. Cultural variety remains essential.

Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi presents a Khajiiti creation account through family relationships among feline-named divine figures. Azurah reshapes forest people into Khajiit of different forms and binds them to the Lunar Lattice; moonlight becoming sugar gives that substance a sacred explanation. The account also separates the Khajiit from the people Y'ffer makes into Bosmer. These are the clan mother's teachings to a daughter, with secrecy, survival and divine protection supplying their meaning, rather than an impartial biological history.

The Moon Cats and their Dance turns an outsider's questions into a story about the limits of his understanding. The clan mother links herself and her daughter to different lunar birth conditions, yet the scholar cannot distinguish their appearance. He also misses the sense in which a motionless cat can participate in the Two Moons Dance. The tale provides a cultural perspective on lunar identity and insider knowledge; its teasing exchanges should not be treated as a precise census of bodily forms.

First appearances & development

Arena provides an early playable appearance in 1994. Morrowind adds the selected clan-mother creation text, while Online develops Elsweyr and supplies the lunar dialogue examined here. These treatments concern a fictional people across different settings and periods; the accessible books preserve particular narrators rather than an exhaustive species history.

Canon & continuity

Both selected book transcriptions were read completely on UESP, a third-party reference preserving primary game text. Ahnissi's creation story and the Moon Cats dialogue are identified as literary voices. The retained Bethesda Elsweyr announcement supplies broader franchise context; no complete game playthrough or census of Khajiiti forms was undertaken.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   The Elder Scrolls: Arena

   Bethesda Softworks · 1994

   Early playable Tamrielic peoples.

2. 02

   The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr

   ZeniMax Online Studios · 2019

   Khajiiti society and dragon storyline.

3. 03

   The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind — Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi

   Bethesda Game Studios · 2002

   Khajiiti creation account, voiced by a fictional clan mother; complete UESP transcription inspected.

4. 04

   The Elder Scrolls Online — The Moon Cats and their Dance

   ZeniMax Online Studios

   Clan-mother dialogue with an outsider; game-text transcription inspected, exact publication date not established.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. OfficialKhajiit — reference guideResearch access: 2026-10-05
2. ReferenceWords of Clan Mother Ahnissi — complete game-text transcriptionResearch access: 2026-10-06
3. ReferenceThe Moon Cats and their Dance — complete game-text transcriptionResearch access: 2026-10-06

Image credits

Khajiit cosplayer performing at Phoenix Comicon 2014

Fan costume, not a game screenshot.