Astronomy and Astrology

by Sinder Velvin

Constellations

<History and Depictions of the Constellations>
<General Information on the Stars and Constellations>
<The Mage and Charges: the Apprentice, the Atronach, the Ritual>
<The Thief and Charges: the Lover, the Shadow, the Tower>
<The Warrior and Charges: the Lady, the Lord, the Steed>
<The Serpent and Other>
<Constellations as Birthsigns>

Moons

<General Information on the Moons and Morrowind Depiction>

Planets

<History and Depictions of the Planets>
<General Information on the Planets>

History and Depictions of the Constellations

Number of Constellation Depictions in Given Game.
The Elder Scrolls 1: Arena, The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall	3
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard	29 (28 if you count the Lord and Serpent as just one.)
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind	28
The Elder Scrolls 3: Tribunal	12
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion	14

The Elder Scrolls 1: Arena, The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.

Only three Constellations appear in Arena and Daggerfall: the Mage, the Thief and the Warrior, in the character generation quiz screens. Every question in the quizzes has three answers, one for each class. Giving a class' answers brings the player closer to that class, which leads to the stars associated with that class becoming brighter. The games have identical character generation quiz screens.

The pictures below are with the stars at their brightest.

Depictions.
The Mage
The Thief
The Warrior

The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard.

The game that introduces the rest of the Constellations: the Apprentice, the Atronach, the Lady, the Lord, the Lover, the Ritual, the Serpent, the Shadow, the Steed and the Tower. It has detailed information about them and even a puzzle. Murals of all the Constellations except the Serpent can be found in the game's Dwemer Observatory and all of the Constellations can be observed from the telescope. There is also a book about Constellations with pictures of the Warrior and his Charges: The Firmament.

Book Depictions.
The Lady
The Lord
The Steed
The Warrior

Note that, back in Redguard, the only way to connect the mural and telescope images to Constellations was through guesswork. Before Morrowind was released, some believed that what appears here as the Apprentice was actually the Atronach, also known as the Golem, due to its similarity with the Giant Steam Centurion encountered in the game. A portion of those people believe that Bethesda Softworks intentionally or accidentally switched the two between each other in Morrowind and subsequent installments.

Mural Depictions.
The Apprentice
The Atronach
The Lady
The Lord
The Lover
The Mage
The Ritual
The Shadow
The Steed
The Thief
The Tower
The Warrior

In Redguard, the Lord is the Constellation threatened by the Serpent. Therefore, they are in the same part of the sky. I have separated the two. The original image can be found at the end of the list of telescope images.

Telescope Depictions.
The Apprentice
The Atronach
The Lady
The Lord
The Lover
The Mage
The Ritual
The Serpent
The Shadow
The Steed
The Thief
The Tower
The Warrior
Original Lord With Serpent Image

Redguard even had two star maps, one on the ceiling of the Dwemer Observatory and one on a patch of ground in the Yokudan camp.

Dwemer Star Map.

To help you, here is the correspondence between Dwemer symbols and Constellations. Note that Guardian symbols are blue, Charge symbols are yellow and the Serpent symbol is red.

Correspondence between Dwemer Symbols and Constellations.
The Apprentice
The Atronach
The Lady
The Lord
The Lover
The Mage
The Ritual
The Serpent
The Shadow
The Steed
The Thief
The Tower
The Warrior

On the Yokudan Star Map, the squares represent the Guardians and the circles represent the Charges.

Yokudan Star Map.

In addition, by combining all of the Telescope images, one can create the star map below.

Telescope Star Map.

The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind.

The first game with Birthsigns. Not only does the character generation part of the game contain depictions of all of the Constellations, but there are also tapestries of all of them except for the Serpent. There are two books in the game dealing with the Constellations: The Firmament, which was is different from the one in Redguard and has pictures of the Mage, the Thief and the Warrior, and The Warrior's Charge, a poem about the Warrior and his Charges.

Depictions.
The Apprentice
The Atronach
The Lady
The Lord
The Lover
The Mage
The Ritual
The Serpent
The Shadow
The Steed
The Thief
The Tower
The Warrior

Book Depictions.
The Mage
The Thief
The Warrior

Tapestry Depictions.
The Apprentice
The Atronach
The Lady
The Lord
The Lover
The Mage
The Ritual
The Shadow
The Steed
The Thief
The Tower
The Warrior

The Elder Scrolls 3: Tribunal.

Morrowind's expansion pack contains Dwemer murals identical to the ones in Redguard, but in poorer condition. The Ritual, however, is missing, yet the Serpent is not.

Mural Depictions.
The Apprentice
The Atronach
The Lady
The Lord
The Lover
The Mage
The Serpent
The Shadow
The Steed
The Thief
The Tower
The Warrior

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.

Just like in Morrowind, there are Birthsigns in Oblivion. Unlike in Morrowind, in Oblivion there are also Birthstone Doomstones. Oblivion is the first game in the series in which all of the 13 major Elder Scrolls constellations are visible to the player. The number of Constellation depictions is much smaller than in Morrowind: while there are character generation depictions of all of the Constellations, there is only one tapestry, of the Mage, and the new version of The Firmament contains just the character generation depictions. The book The Warrior's Charge also appears in this game.

Differences between Oblivion's The Firmament and Morrowind's The Firmament: besides having pictures of all the Constellations, the beginnings of Oblivion's Constellation descriptions lack the definite article.

The only difference between Oblivion's The Firmament and Morrowind's The Firmament is the absence of one word in the Oblivion version: the "and" in the first paragraph.

Depictions.
The Apprentice
The Atronach
The Lady
The Lord
The Lover
The Mage
The Ritual
The Serpent
The Shadow
The Steed
The Thief
The Tower
The Warrior

Tapestry Depiction.
The Mage

In Redguard, a conversation with Coyle leads to information about the Constellations:

Cyrus: I never paid much attention in astronomy class. Guardians and charges?

Coyle: Gosh Cyrus, everyone knows the three Guardians each protect three Charges in their own circle of heaven. Didn't you learn the rhyme? Strong Warrior charges... Wise Mage orders... Clever Thief watches.

Another Redguard conversation, this time with Erasmo, also leads to information:

Cyrus: How does the Orrery work?

Erasmo: Erasmo doesn't know! But it watches the sky! Dwarves knew the power of the stars, watched all the Constellations and who they protected!

Cyrus: Constellations? Who do the Constellations protect?

Erasmo: Flash!! Each other! Didn't your parents teach you about the stars of Tamriel? The 3 Guardians each protect 3 Charges from the Snake!

Cyrus: What - What are the Guardian Constellations?

Erasmo: Every schoolboy knows of the Warrior, the Thief, and the Wizard. Of course, the Dwarves didn't believe in magic, so the Wizard is the Mechanist to them.

Cyrus: What do you mean, Charges?

Erasmo: Damn! You never read as a child! The Guardians each protect the 3 Charges of their circle. Flash!! The Thief watches the lover and Shadow. Warrior the Steed, and on and on. You Redguards are slow!

This unofficial document posted by former Developer Michael Kirkbride may help:

The stars are the bridges to Aetherius, the magic plane. They are perceived as holes on the inside surface of space. Because they are on the inside of a sphere, all stars are equidistant from Nirn. Larger stars, therefore, are not closer to the mortal plane, they are just larger tears in Oblivion. The largest tear in Oblivion is Magnus, the Sun.

[...]

Constellations are collections of stars. Since each star is a bridge to magic, Constellations are very powerful phenomena, and are revered. There are generally accepted to be thirteen Constellations. Nine of these are made up completely of stars. Three others are called Guardian Constellations, as they are each governed by a Dominion Planet. The Dominion Planets are Akatosh (eye of the Warrior), Julianos (eye of the Sage), and Arkay (eye of the Thief). The last Constellation is made up of unstars, and is called the Snake.

Morrowind and Oblivion's The Firmament has a nice introduction:

The Stars of Tamriel are divided into thirteen Constellations. Three of them are the major Constellations, known as the Guardians. These are the Warrior, the Mage, and the Thief. Each of the Guardians protects its three Charges from the thirteenth Constellation, the Serpent.

When the sun rises near one of the Constellations, it is that Constellation's season. Each Constellation has a Season of approximately one month. The Serpent has no season, for it moves about in the heavens, usually threatening one of the other Constellations.

The following quote from the A Brief History of Cyrodiil Team Diary on the The Elder Scrolls Website is fascinating:

In more ancient times, it was common for people to turn to the heavens in times of spiritual need. The thinking being, that there above lies the answers otherwise unobtainable here on the ground. I believe it’s fair to say the general populace of Tamriel collectively thinks along similar pathways – For good reason. It is well known there, that special powers are derived from the synergistic energies related to celestial gatherings and patterns. Even the mysterious, ancestral denizens of Tamriel, the Dwarves, were all too aware of the impact of the night sky on their daily lives and went to great lengths to study and understand their place in it all.

In Oblivion, Uriel Septim VII says the following about stars:

Emperor Uriel Septim: I've served the Nine all my days, and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens. The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one a sign. I know these stars well, and I wonder... Which sign marked your birth?

The Oblivion book Magic from the Sky is certainly interesting:

The stars are our links to the plane of Aetherius, the source of all magical power, and therefore, light from the stars is the most potent and exalted of all magical powers.

The verse recited by Coyle in Redguard is fairly interesting:

Wise Mage orders
Apprentice learning
Ritual turning
Golem burning
Through the night.

Morrowind and Oblivion's The Firmament also has detailed information about the Mage and its Charges:

The Mage is a Guardian Constellation whose Season is Rain's Hand when magicka was first used by men. His Charges are the Apprentice, the Golem, and the Ritual. Those born under the Mage have more magicka and talent for all kinds of spellcasting, but are often arrogant and absent-minded.

[...]

The Apprentice's Season is Sun's Height. Those born under the sign of the Apprentice have a special affinity for magick of all kinds, but are more vulnerable to magick as well.

The Atronach (often called the Golem) is one of the Mage's Charges. Its season is Sun's Dusk. Those born under this sign are natural sorcerers with deep reserves of magicka, but they cannot generate magicka of their own.

The Ritual is one of the Mage's Charges and its Season is Morning Star. Those born under this sign have a variety of abilities depending on the aspects of the moons and the Divines.

The verse recited by Coyle in Redguard is fairly interesting:

Clever Thief watches
Lover sighing
Shadow lying
Tow'r defying
Through the night.

Morrowind and Oblivion's The Firmament also has detailed information about the Thief and its Charges:

The Thief is the last Guardian Constellation, and her Season is the darkest month of Evening Star. Her Charges are the Lover, the Shadow, and the Tower. Those born under the sign of the Thief are not typically thieves, though they take risks more often and only rarely come to harm. They will run out of luck eventually, however, and rarely live as long as those born under other signs.

[...]

The Lover is one of the Thief's Charges and her season is Sun's Dawn. Those born under the sign of the Lover are graceful and passionate.

The Shadow's Season is Second Seed. The Shadow grants those born under her sign the ability to hide in shadows.

The Tower is one of the Thief's Charges and its Season is Frostfall. Those born under the sign of the Tower have a knack for finding gold and can open locks of all kinds.

Redguard's version of The Firmament contains information about the Warrior and its Charges:

The Warrior is a Guardian Constellation, and thus protects his Charges from the Serpent during his Season. His Charges are the Lady, the Steed, and the Lord, Minor Constellations which share his Quadrant of the Heavens. The Serpent threatens Different Charges during Different Seasons, and the Warrior's Very Aspect will Change according to the Times. If, for Example, His Lady is being threatened the Warrior will seem as if he is looking to His Left, Eyes blazing towards that Part of the Sky wherein she resides. Thus, to find the Serpent during the Warrior's Season look to where he looks, for that is where the Coiled Beast is active.

The verse recited by Coyle in Redguard is fairly interesting, as well:

Strong Warrior charges
Steed prancing
Lady dancing
Lord advancing
Through the night.

Morrowind and Oblivion's The Firmament also has detailed information about the Warrior and its Charges:

The Warrior is the first Guardian Constellation and he protects his charges during their Seasons. The Warrior's own season is Last Seed when his Strength is needed for the harvest. His Charges are the Lady, the Steed, and the Lord. Those born under the sign of the Warrior are skilled with weapons of all kinds, but prone to short tempers.

[...]

The Lady is one of the Warrior's Charges and her Season is Heartfire. Those born under the sign of the Lady are kind and tolerant.

The Steed is one of the Warrior's Charges, and her Season is Mid Year. Those born under the sign of the Steed are impatient and always hurrying from one place to another.

The Lord's Season is First Seed and he oversees all of Tamriel during the planting. Those born under the sign of the Lord are stronger and healthier than those born under other signs.

Morrowind and Oblivion's The Warrior's Charge is all about the Warrior and its Charges:

And the star sung far-flung tales
Wreathed in the silver of Yokuda fair,
Of a Warrior who, arrayed in hue sails
His charges through the Serpent's snare.

And the Lord of runes, so bored so soon,
Leaves the ship for an evening's dare,
Perchance to wake, the coiled snake,
To take its shirt of scales to wear

And the Lady East, who e'ery beast,
Asleep or a'prowl can rouse a scare,
Screams as her eye, alight in the sky
A worm no goodly sight can bear

And the mailed Steed, ajoins the deed
Not to be undone from his worthy share,
Rides the night, towards scale bright,
Leaving the seasoned Warrior's care

Then the serpent rose, and made stead to close,
The targets lay plain and there,
But the Warrior's blade the Snake unmade,
And the charges wander no more, they swear

In Redguard, a conversation with Coyle leads to information about the Serpent:

Cyrus: This Serpent - One of the Constellations?

Coyle: Yes. The other twelve follow the circles of heaven, Guardians and Charges, but the Serpent respects no master. It moves across the heavens, threatening the other Constellations in its path.

Also in Redguard, a conversation with Erasmo leads to information about the Serpent:

Cyrus: What - What does the Snake Constellation do?

Erasmo: He slithers through the sky, ever changing with the stars. The Dwarves... Smart to watch him, just as each Guardian watches their Charges.

Morrowind and Oblivion's The Firmament has detailed information about the Serpent:

The Serpent wanders about in the sky and has no Season, though its motions are predictable to a degree. No characteristics are common to all who are born under the sign of the Serpent. Those born under this sign are the most blessed and the most cursed.

The A Brief History of Cyrodiil Team Diary on the The Elder Scrolls site clarifies the minor and major Constellations issue:

Here, for the first time, all of the 13 major Elder Scrolls constellations are visible to the player.

There are hints that there may be other Birthsigns in other cultures. For example:

Birthstone Doomstones bear red runes, appear with stone circles, and are associated with the classic Birthsigns like the Apprentice and the Atronach.

If they do exist, nothing is known about them at this time.

Not much is known about the Moons. Some of our information comes from this unofficial document posted by former Developer Michael Kirkbride:

Masser and Secunda ('Jone' and 'Jode' in the Ehlnofex), the moons of Nirn, are the attendant spirits of the mortal plane. They are like the mortal plane in that they are temporal and subject to the bounds of mortality; in fact of this, the moons are dead and died long ago. The moons used to be pure white and featureless, but today their 'skin' is decaying and withering away. Their planes are likewise dying. Mortals perceive this as the moons being spheres with patches of their 'surfaces' completely eaten away; as the moons spin, they seem to become slivers or ragged crescents. These are not caused by shadows, because you can see stars through the black patches of the lunar spheres.

And some comes from the Morrowind book The Lunar Lorkhan:

In short, the Moons were and are the two halves of Lorkhan's 'flesh-divinity'. Like the rest of the Gods, Lorkhan was a plane(t) that participated in the Great Construction... except where the Eight lent portions of their heavenly bodies to create the mortal plane(t), Lorkhan's was cracked asunder and his divine spark fell to Nirn as a shooting star "to impregnate it with the measure of its existence and a reasonable amount of selfishness."

Masser and Secunda therefore are the personifications of the dichotomy-- the "Cloven Duality," according to Artaeum-- that Lorkhan legends often rail against: ideas of the anima/animus, good/evil, being/nothingness, the poetry of the body, throat, and moan/silence-as-the-abortive, and so on -- set in the night sky as Lorkhan's constant reminder to his mortal issue of their duty.

Click on the image below to watch a 5,49 MB video of the movement of the moons with time sped up, taken in Morrowind.

History and Depictions of the Planets

The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard.

Redguard's Orrery was breathtaking back in 1998. Even now, many years later, it is still beautiful.

Click on the image to view a 1,07 MB video of the Redguard Orrery.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.

Although there are not any Orreries in Oblivion itself, there is an official plugin that adds an Orrery to the game.

To not reduce the sales of the plugin, I have decided to provide a 7,69 MB video of the Orrery with the ingame settings set to very low. Click on the image to view it.

Extremely little is known about the Planets. And it all comes from this unofficial document posted by former Developer Michael Kirkbride:

The Planets are the Gods and the planes of the Gods, which is the same thing. That they appear as spherical heavenly bodies is a visual phenomena caused by mortal mental stress. Since each plane(t) is an infinite mass of infinite size, as yet surrounded by the Void of Oblivion, the mortal eye registers them as bubbles within a space. Planets are magical and impossible. The eight planets correspond to the Eight Divines. They are all present on the Dwarven Orrery, along with the mortal planet, Nirn.