Definition
Argonian is a reptilian humanoid race in The Elder Scrolls fantasy video game series, created by Bethesda Game Studios. Native to the province of Black Marsh (also known as Argonia), Argonians are a race of amphibious, scale-covered humanoids with a cultural and biological connection to the Hist — a race of ancient, sentient trees that produce a sap with psychoactive and mutagenic properties. Argonians are known for their resistance to disease, ability to breathe underwater, and a unique cultural identity that blends reptilian biology with a complex spiritual relationship to the Hist. In gameplay terms, they are often favored by players who want stealth or thieving builds, due to their historical association with the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild. The Argonians’ most significant moment in the lore is the Oblivion Crisis of the Third Era, when the Hist trees collectively enhanced the Argonians’ combat abilities, allowing them to successfully invade the demonic realm of Oblivion — the only province in Tamriel to do so.
Why It Matters
Argonians are the internet’s favorite underdog race in fantasy gaming. They are not the noble elves, the heroic humans, or the fierce orcs. They are swamp-dwelling lizard people who speak in a hissing accent, worship trees, and have a biological adaptation that literally makes them immune to poison. The internet loves them for their weirdness: the “argonian maid” erotic literature that exists in-game as a joke, the “stealth archer” meme that every Skyrim player eventually becomes, and the lore detail that Argonians can regenerate lost limbs if they drink enough Hist sap. Argonians also represent a refreshing departure from fantasy tropes: they are not a “noble savage” race or a “evil horde.” They are alien, pragmatic, and mostly interested in being left alone to tend to their trees. The internet’s embrace of Argonians is a rejection of fantasy racial essentialism: the lizard people are not good or evil. They are just lizard people. And lizard people have better things to do than your war.
Example
“He played every race in Skyrim. He was a Nord warrior. He was an Altmer mage. He was a Khajiit thief. Then he played Argonian. He did not choose the stealth archer build. The stealth archer build chose him. He wandered the swamps. He talked to the Hist. He was not saving the world. He was surviving it. That was the Argonian way. The internet agreed. The internet was full of people surviving, not saving. The Argonian was their spirit animal. Their spirit lizard. Their hissing, swamp-dwelling, tree-worshipping avatar.”
Related Terms
- The Elder Scrolls — The game series where Argonians exist
- Hist — The sentient trees that are central to Argonian culture and biology
- Black Marsh — The province that is the Argonian homeland
- Skyrim — The 2011 game where Argonians became a meme favorite
- Stealth Archer — The build every Skyrim player eventually becomes, regardless of race