#lonia

despite their visual differences, imperials and minotaurs are, in truth, both of the exact same race, imperials (or cyrods). everything about them is the same— the only thing that is different between them is their observable gene expression.

therefore, minotaur imperials fall under the 'man race' category rather than 'betmer' category. this also means 'man imperials' can very possibly give birth to 'minotaur imperial' offspring, and vice versa. all it takes is the gene.

in-universe, this is a widely known and accepted fact of life.

being a minotaur (grammatically this is being used in the same vein as "being a redhead") is no more than an observable genetic characteristic amongst imperials, bestowed upon them in times of the nedes by kynareth—this is believed to be one of the first traits that differentiated cyrods from nords, as nords are believed to have received her blessings in other ways. the relative rarity of minotaurs can be attributed to the fact it is a recessive trait. therefore, an imperial can carry the allele for being a minotaur but may not express it; both parents would need to be carriers to have a chance to give birth to a minotaur.

although imperials who expressed the minotaur gene were persecuted by the most ironically named alessian order as a knee-jerk reaction to being associated with cattle by the ayleids (the reason alessia was sometimes called a "cattle-queen" despite being 'man imperial'), in more modern times their reputation has considerably improved. being a minotaur ensures a special connection to the divine kynareth herself, which contributes to the perceived beauty of being a minotaur. imperials with descendants from morihaus and st. alessia's union are believed to, in times of crisis, be able to sprout wings and embody a bull-form; this was regarded as mostly a myth until it happened to a woman named miradane during the oblivion crisis.