Let me elaborate. Texts in previous TES games describe Skyrim differently than it’s portrayed in Skyrim. I’m not a huge Elder Scrolls lore nerd, Skyrim is actually the only TES game I’ve played. I hope you’ll bear with my explanation.
The people of Skyrim are described as a druidic or shamanic people, and animal spirits are significant to their culture in some way I forgot(?). They worship a distinct Nordic pantheon. I think I remember reading that they have a violent and animalistic culture too.
These descriptions of Skyrim and its people honestly sound super cool and interesting to me, and I wish it was better represented in game. I am honestly really desperate to get my Skyrim list more in line with this description!
•I wanna see stuff like NPCs wearing more fur
• animal spirits!
•in general a more savage wilderness and people. Remains of the hunted snow whales! Or even real ones haha.
•More of a personal request than a lore one, but mods to make skyrims world more fantastical? The culture of Skyrim conjured to me imagery of a landscape that would be a little more magical.
•Mods that make Dragons more intelligent too! Maybe just battle dialogue for them? They’re described as intelligent, but in game most of them are silent monsters.
Naturally this is justified in universe as Skyrim being under imperial occupation, but I still think there would be greater traces of this, at least. All of my searches have yielded sparse results.
Any ideas for what to look for are highly appreciated as well! I really don’t know where to start and feel like I’m not finding much.
Edit: I’ll be updating this post as I find cool mods. ;) Note that I havent tested these together or anything, nor can I promise a neatly organized or formatted list. I'm just a man feverishly cataloguing cool mods.
Snow whale bones:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/30859
Minotaurs SE:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/48864
Cernunnos:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/52318
Daedric Beasts
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/15831
Karstaag - The Frost King Reborn
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/14328
Cannibal Draugr on Solsteim
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/21238
Andrealletius' Renaming Project
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/159806
***
Ancient Atmoran Remains
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/106153
Snow whales:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/43598
Crows and Ravens (Idk I just associate them with shamans)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/98555
Ancient Nordic Sentinel
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/24549
Snow Rays:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/27493
Barn Owls
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/161267
Giant Aquatic Snakes
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/36548
All five of these mods are from MihailMods, and I highly recommend checking out their whole profile they make some awesome stuff.
https://www.nexusmods.com/profile/MihailMods/mods
Xtudo makes a lot of texture mods to pair with Mihails creatures as well, so check them out too: https://www.nexusmods.com/profile/Xtudo?gameId=1704
***
Nocturnal Moths in Skyrim
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/68288
Snakes in Skyrim (Snakes are part of the nordic pantheon of animals, alongside owls, moths, and some other animals. There are definitely a lot of critters on this list, but I swear it's for a reason!)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/164550?tab=description
***
A few mods to make dragons appear more intelligent and cinematic, because I thought they didn't live up to the stories:
Dovah Names (gives unnamed dragons names)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/74053?tab=files
Dragons Change Weather
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/180179?tab=files
Talkative Dragons + Less Talkative Patch
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/26955
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/54943
Inquisitive Dragons
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/126652
Shouting Provokes Dragons
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/112664
Dragons Use Thu'um
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/87085?tab=files
Dragons Fall Down
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/56317?tab=files
***
Subtleties of Skyrim (does multiple things, primarily here because it adds boats sailing the Ghost Sea!)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/130563
Ancient Falmer Ruins (Snow Elf Dungeons)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/126428?tab=posts
and or
ASER Assorted Snow Elf Ruins (adds a follower too, which I'm not happy about, but primarily this adds snow elf ruin set dressing across Skyrim)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/166115?tab=files
Ryns Standing Stones + the Ancient Atmoran Remains patch
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/64969
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/156014
Ancient Nord Stahlrim (minor consistency change):
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/48756
Nord Tribal Armor - Clothing + SPID distributor
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/62525
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/72893
Pelts 'o' plenty + outfit distributor + the patch to distribute animal pelts across the game.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/120726
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/181328
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/186933
Shrine to Kyne:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/43737
The Old Ways Nordic Religion: (To be honest, I'm sort of wary about using this myself because I use the NGVO wabbajack, and I don't want to touch anything that alters structures too much. This looks very cool though.)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/89771
There exists a wintersun patch, as well as several others:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/185851
Nords' Totemic Religion:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/162240
Children of the Sky (also has patches for Shrine to Kyne and Snow Whale Bones):
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/49052?tab=description
Nordic Lore Integration - The Stone of the Snow-Throat:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/21250
Forsworn Gravesingers (adds necromancers to Forsworn, similar to ESO):
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/40143
Forsworn Skinchangers (forsworn can randomly transform into Werewolves!)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/34900
Forsworn Minotaurs (adds minotaurs to Forsworn factions. Requires Minotaurs.)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/49035
Forsworn Dopplegangers:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57631
Immersion and Lore Continuity - Additions and Tweaks
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/38564
Frost Resist Warmth ESPFE (Frost Resistance provides warmth, to make Nord's immune to cold similar to their appearance in [morrowind](https://files.catbox.moe/tcksa5.png)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/136359
***
Mod that swaps Orc and Nord powers to make Nords berserkers, like how they're described by other races literature:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/149716
This mod author has a whole series of mods called the 'Old Holds Series' meant to " give more character and distinction to the Holds"( it refers to these locations I was confused too https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Old_Holds), which I would highly recommend checking out as well, here is a link to their profile: https://www.nexusmods.com/profile/Likenstien
***
Weathered Nordic Body Paints (I wish there were a way to distribute this to NPCs but I don't think there is)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/19594
Book Covers of Skyrim - Lost Library (adds books from prior TES games and gives them covers to match the most popular book cover mod. I was inspired to make this list by the books from old games so I had to add this):
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/902
Imperial Knowledge Lorebook Collection:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/36483
Lore Friendly Wasabi (if you know you know):
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/31876
Relic of Dawnstar:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/97460
Racial Body Morphs Redux SSE AE (not super pertinent to the goal of this list but it's cool and <lore-friendly>):
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/65047
I can't speak to it's lore accuracy, nor have I played TES online, but I've read that 'TES Online Imports' adds Skyrim Locations previously described TES games but unseen in TES5.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/11729
Additionally there's The Elder Scrolls Legends Imports.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/32104
***
Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim (as a commenter pointed out, a plugin in this allows you to worship the traditional nordic pantheon)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22506
Triumvirate adds spells in service of fleshing out Druidic and Shamanic magic playstyles.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/39170
Wintersun and Triumvirate are both part of the Enairim package, so I figure I'll link to their profile as well: https://www.nexusmods.com/profile/EnaiSiaion
***
Have to credit this (https://www.reddit.com/r/skyrimmods/comments/1rramjx/for_the_pretty_princesses_of_skyrim_the_ultimate/) post, as their environment mods capture the epic fantasy vibe I wanted out of Skyrim as a continent. Some of my favorites from this post are:
Traverse the Uvenwald
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57874
Ancient Land (Adds a bunch of ancient looking ruins and structures as set dressing across the map. Haven't tested, but it looks very unobtrusive!):
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22900
Ancient lands also has a variety of patches:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/54140?tab=files
Simply Bigger Trees SE
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/5281
Bent Pines II
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/8306
3 Fog mods:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/13539
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/21436
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/23431
Darker Nights
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/694
Skyrim is Luminous
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/110471
RUGNAROK
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/5436
***
Nordic Runestones + Nordic Runestones Remade
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/32019
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/155378
Nordic Cows
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/172661
Halffaces - Nordic Ruins Pottery
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/115926
Nordic Carving - Wallbaskets SE
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/9799
Kanjs - Nordic Door Puzzle Animated
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/133482
**\*
Mod author JPSteel2 also has a great list of mods:
Realistic Nord Ships SSE
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/43407?tab=files
Bears of the North (makes bears bigger)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/47541
Skyrim Civil War Battle Aftermath
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4742
+ Their Cities of the North series.
https://www.nexusmods.com/games/skyrimspecialedition/collections/xof0vy/mods
***
Utenlands Nordic Tents
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/121203
Dragon Wall Wisdom
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17591
Children of the North
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/147701
Playable Ancient Falmer Crown
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3833
Ancient Culture's Didn't Wear Amulets of the Divines
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/99902
Afterlife
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/55051
Particle Wind
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/174812