An Altmeri Perspective on Tamrielic Religion:
A Comparison
by Polycarp
The history of Tamriel (or the "Arena") has been largely dictated by the various religions and moral beliefs that have been realized by mortals over time who reached into the divine. These beliefs in turn have affected culture to great degrees and I believe can account for almost all personality differences and events this world has endured. Overtime as a result of the actions of countless spirits and mortals, five basic systems have developed: Daedric, Heart of Lorkhan, Aedric, Shorist, and Anuist.
The Daedra
The Daedra are arguably the most present and powerful of the deities throughout history, their actions perhaps the most noticeable. The "Annotated Anuad" describes them as directly related to the blood of Padomay, the Corrupting Inexpressable Action ("The Monomyth"). Though their motives seem continually obscure, we may derive from various works ("Sithis", "The Monomyth", and the deceiver Vehk's "...the Tower") a general urge that ironically many of their worshippers seem to try to ignore (the Ashlanders for example).
Their soul-father (if I may call him such) Sithis we know is centered on making ideas (and of course beings) "ebb and flow and fade away", creating the image that inevitably Sithis' greatest essence is death and chaos. Also from the book "Sithis" we find that this present universe in it's stability is abhorrant to the Padomaic Soul. The Daedra could hence be seen as nothing more than agents of eventual death and chaos if they did not bear another trait.
"The Monomyth" explains this in greater detail when it says that "it gives the Daedra Lords special pleasure to steal away from Shezarr and the Aedra the greatest and most ambitious mortals." While this accounts for the deceptions of the "Good Daedra" Azura, Mephala, and Boethiah, Molag Bal also does not seem as centered on immediate destruction, instead focusing on the domination and of course rape of mortals. Hence one could correlate that Daedra are sufficiently satisfied to deceive and torture mortals until the alloted time of their doom.
"Man is mortal, and doomed to death and failure and loss.
This lies beyond our comprehension - why do you not despair?"
- Spirit of the Daedra
Daedric Worship
If you will forgive me a bias I will hence divide Daedric Worshippers into two catagories: deluded and less-deluded.
The former of these two would refer to the New Temple of the Dunmer, the Khajiit, and the Ashlanders themselves. Beginning with their departing from Summerset led by the false prophet Veloth and the Daedra Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala, they were led into a "Promised Land" that seemed to be not as unclaimed as they might prefer. At the location of Resdayn developed one of the major culture conflicts in history.
Needless to say the Dunmer elements seem to be nothing more at heart than a perversion of Altmeri ancestor worship. In such a fragile time as the Merethic Era it was a simple thing surely for Boethiah with the voice of Trinimac after having devoured him ("The Changed Ones") to simply convince the Chimer (later Dunmer) that the Daedra were their ancestors and that the aloof Aedra had somehow deceived them. By the time they reached the "Promised Land" under the guidance of Veloth (the lands of the Dwemer) they had become a nomadic, bent, conquest oriented people bent on staking out a claim on another nation. They have little changed over the millennia, cursing the Empire for claiming lands they stole themselves. The Ashlanders being the most true to Dunmeri ancient ideals are in many ways the most violent people of the Northeast Empire, over the centuries becoming little more than raiders. Even today most of them are willing to attack strangers on sight.
The Khajiit under the influence of Azura (from whom they received their appearence) are ironically little different at heart, the desert dwellers again bearing a nomadic raider society. Moon sugar, an element that has enslaved countless mortals in history to its effects, we also owe to them and more specifically the "Good Daedra" Azura who taught them its secret. Their absolute lack of recognition for anyone else's rights to property can also be traced to Daedric teachings. Finally in a necromantic text I have procured in my travels ("On Preparation of the Corpse: The Acquisition of the Corpse") it makes no uncertain mention that in certain areas of Khajiiti lands, "one may purchase anything one desires." Including "fresh corpses". Azura seemingly never taught them not to sell each other's souls for their own profit.
Finally there are the "less-deluded" worshippers: the random Daedric cults under the surface of practically all societies. These cults, while being far flung in various beliefs and systems, have been known to practice human sacrifice and countless other practices sane mortals as a rule find distasteful. One particularly well known cult of this type is the Dark Brotherhood, who for the sake of their god Mehrunes Dagon (and a bit of cash) have been responsible for countless murders in this world's history. A similar and tragically more socially acceptable system is found in worshippers of Mephala, the Morag Tong in the province of Morrowind. These cults seem to, if nothing else, acknowledge their spirits' dark traits more readily and openly.
The "Heart of Lorkhan" Deities
"Heart of Lorkhan" deities can be divided into two sides that only recently found a forced end to their conflict, the Tribunal and Dagoth Ur. Ironically both of these examples stem from the Dunmer culture, and being heavily influenced by the Daedra and specifically the philosophies of the Psijic Endeavor it is no wonder.
Dagoth Ur has been proposed to be one of the greatest victims in history. According to the recently confirmed (by Vivec himself at his own "Trial") accounts of the Ashlanders on the matter of Red Mountain ("Nerevar at Red Mountain"), Dagoth Ur was left incharge of the tools the Dwemer sorcerer Kagrenac used to manipulate the Heart. By the time the Tribunal came to claim the tools for their own plans naturally the power of the Heart had taken hold of him. His motives when analysed, while radical and some would say insane, seem truly to be patriotic and faithful to his people. However he is now deceased at the hands of Azura's champion the Nerevarine, and what's done is done.
The Tribunal (the previous wife, general, and advisor of Nerevar) are very similar in motives and desires. Particularly previous to the coming of the Nerevarine, their good traits were focused on most, ranging from heroism to mercy, charity to outright love of their people. But underneath all this is a deeper nature that lurks under the "good motives" of both the Tribunal and Dagoth Ur.
To describe the deeper nature of the "Heart of Lorkhan" deities one must first describe the Heart of Lorkhan. The purpose of the Heart according to the "Lunar Lorkhan" is "to impregnate it with the measure of its existence and a reasonable amount of selfishness." I will expound upon this later, but needless to say the inevitable nature of the Heart is perhaps nothing more than to impart a measure of selfishness to creation. This evil can of course account greatly for the Tribunal and Dagoth Ur's darker actions (if it imparts limited selfishness just by being in the mortal realm, how much more if a mortal has direct contact!), which when combined with the influences of the Daedra explains the ancient false gods simply and concisely.
Heart of Lorkhan Worship
"Heart of Lorkhan" worshippers can be divided into two catagories, direct and indirect. A previously unaddressed people fills the catagory of the most direct worshippers of the Heart, quite obviously the extinct Dwemer. Profane and sorcerous, this race's origins are not entire clear, however if you the reader will allow I will speculate slightly. After the pulling out of Lorkhan's Heart by Trinimac with "more than hands" ("The Monomyth"), it was in Altmeri belief shot off by the god Auriel far into the sea. It can be speculated that some of the Altmer broke off to find this "divine spark" and wield its power, hence the formation of the Dwemer.
Nonetheless over time they broke off from Altmeri beliefs and became more and more defiant of the deities ("Ancient Tales of the Dwemer, Part XI: Azura and the Box" being the most famous example). After centuries of "anti-creations" in the attempt to use the Heart much as the "Heart of Lorkhan" deities did later to become spirits themselves, the stage was set for arguably the greatest cultural conflict in the history of Nirn. Needless to say they were the most profane and direct of the "Heart of Lorkhan" cultures.
The Sixth House Cult I could address for some time but in truth they simply picked up where the Dwemer left off. Perhaps more revering of the divine qualities they received out of the Heart (commonly known as "corprus disease"), they nonetheless seemed to simply apply much of the Dwemer's plans (including creating a new god based on the Heart) to the Dunmer specifically. This shift no doubt had innate cultural changes, however the fact the the Sixth House seemed to reject completely their old ancestor worship says volumes for the power the Heart exerts.
Finally the indirect "Heart of Lorkhan" Worshippers are the Old Temple of the Dunmer. For milennia they maintained a generally civil religion. No one can deny how much good the deceiving and in turn deceived Temple did. Their outward morality is so faultless as to be downright amusing. Perhaps the most droll aspect of their beliefs on how the Tribunal acquired their "righteous" powers.
"Temple doctrine claims their divine powers and immortality are ultimately conferred as a communal judgement by the Dunmer ancestors [including, among others, the Good Daedra, the prophet Veloth, and Saint Nerevar]."
- The Progress of Truth
One can easily see how shrewd this doctrine was. Incorporating the old Daedric ancestor worship flawlessly, the Dunmer people had no qualms about putting their absolute faith in the Tribunal. The problem was many times this faith was unfounded.
Under the Tribunal's pure cover and hidden in the Apographa were motives and actions less than benevolent. When someone defied the temple they simply disappeared. The power of the "Ordinators" became simply too great for the priests to even control. The greatest examples of the despotism that ruled Morrowind during the reign of the three false gods are of course the persecutions of the Nerevarines, for no other reason than to guarantee their continuing power over Morrowind.
All three cultures have since either been reformed or destroyed. At the time of this writing this variety of faith in Tamriel is dying out, and I think it will be for the best.
The Aedra
Though there are two varities of Aedric worship in history, in this section I will address the more modern and Mannish variety. The Aedra are definitely the most "mortal" of all the gods (except for of course the "Heart of Lorkhan" deities). There has been misinformation in the past that has lead people to believe the Aedra are infact made from Anu, however according to the Anuad "the mingled blood of both (Anu and Padomay) became the Aedra (hence their capacity for good and evil, and their greater affinity for earthly affairs than the Daedra, who have no connection to Creation)." This has made them in action (and, if they will forgive me to say this, personality) much akin to mortals. One can take this conclusion one step further with a certain scholar's opinion that the Marukhati Selective infact became the Aedra (Nazz's work, "The Maruhkati Are The Aedra").
Despite their innate relation to the mortal's world reaching back to even its creation and modern maintenance (the Earthbones, thought to at least be pieces of the Aedra), they consistently seem very aloof and distant. This ties directly into their practices of their worshippers and the systems of moderation and religious tolerance seen so widely in the Cyrodillic Empire.
The Aedric Worshippers: The Imperial Cult
The Imperial Cult is a respectable and charitable economic organization. It is little else. While well meaning and compassionate I have found the Imperial Cult of today to be incredibly unreligious. The veneration of the Aedra seems almost more of a dutiful respect of the Empire of Man itself than homage to actual deities. The addition of Tiber Septim (a respectable man but certainly not a god) to the present Cult's worship shows just how mortal and truly pointless the Aedric worshippers have made their cult.
Prayers for protection from Stendarr or wisdom from Julianos are common, however they are vague and are not as faith-filled as say the worshippers of the Tribunal's prayers. The worshippers have become as aloof as their gods, and to this Altmer the Imperial Cult seems nothing more than a economic and social organization. From "For My Gods and Emperor" comes a statement that I believe summarizes the current state of the Cult well: "But the simplest statement of our doctrines is -- help and protect one another. The stronger one is, the wealthier one is, the more one bears responsibility for helping and protecting others. One's first duty, of course, is to one's fellow members of the Imperial Cult. But after that, one should help and protect any needy persons." The doctrines of the Imperial Cult above all else seem to continually put human society above divine worship. To summarize using the Cyrodillic Empire's own gift of free speech, I can't help feeling the Cult has become "mush-minded" (indeed as much so as the Daedra refer to the Cult's gods in "The Monomyth").
Shor/Lorkhan
Lorkhan is perhaps the most famous/infamous deity in the history of Tamriel, being in some form in every pantheon. His role in the creation of the mortal realm is indisputable, indeed "Padhome's Firstborn" ("...The Tower" by Vehk) used creation as an attempt at CHIM. Lorkhan as opposed to all other children of Padomay "could not bear to lose his identity" ("...the Tower") Destruction and Chaos came naturally to the Daedra, but for the first time was a spirit that did not simply desire the destruction of order, he wanted to be an "Order", a self-sufficient world within himself. Instead of simple chaos-worship Lorkhan embodied self-worship, perhaps the most core aspect of mortal religion and psychology.
After the tearing out of his Heart by Trinimac it is not fully agreed upon what entirely happened to him. He is seen at the battle of Red Mountain in the "Five Songs of King Wulfharth" attempting to reclaim his Heart, and we see other aspects at various points in history, but his motives and present purpose remains shrouded. However the words of Vehk must be remembered and their implication truly must cause mortals to tremble: "He saw the Tower, for a circle turned sideways is an "I". This was the first word of Lorkhan and he would never, ever forget it." No doubt he has not.
Shor Worshippers
The worship of Shor seems to be as old as mortality itself, and understandably so. Men in particular feel a connection to the god who made them, and have faithfully served him in their religious traditions for their entire existence. One modern example is the Skaal of Solstheim, a particularly pious group of Shor worshippers who indeed speak of their "All-Maker" quite lovingly. While the Temple of the One has always been a more formal establishment and is indeed watered down by the Alessian Reforms, overall it must be said that the worship of Lorkhan as a sort of Father is a very passionate affair.
That being said, Lorkhan's nature must not be forgotten. This has been easily passed down to his followers in many forms, from the outright racism toward mer and fanatical enforcement of the Temple of the One's policies in the times even the Cyrodiil consider dark ages, for in the depths of Shor worship is a deep hatred of everything magical (the persecution of mages at the time seen in the book "The Final Lesson") and Merish (the wiping out of nearly all Aldmeri works). We also know that Lorkhan's oldest followers completely forbid "trafficke with daimons" ("On Oblivon"). Perhaps the greatest miracle (that Alessia brought about) is that the Temple of the One even allowed the co-worship of the Aedra at all, and even in this case the Marukhati Selective (an order of the Temple of the One) attempted the Dragon Break to purge the Merish elements of the Aedra. One can certainly see how the worship of the One (Shezarr/Lorkhan) has declined in this age when religion has become more of a social and economic affair. Lorkhan seems to abide absolutely no resistence to his rule of the universe, and his followers have carried this creed with them into every aspect, even today the Nords are arguably the most violent people on Tamriel.
Anu, Everlasting and Absolute
One other major religious system has yet to be covered, a system I have termed "Anuism." Perhaps the most readily available example of Anuist beliefs is found in "The Monomyth", however there are other references that can also be found (even the Anuad itself is an ancient Altmeri text). As men all begun in the worship of Lorkhan/Shezarr/Shor, mer begun in the worship of Anu, and I am pleased to say that my people have kept to this faith continually throughout history. The book "Sithis" would say that Anu is nothing, however much as Vehk describes CHIM as "everywhere and therefore nowhere, and realizing that it means the total dissolution of your individuality into boundless being," the writer of Sithis' gross oversimplification fails to capture the truth of it.
The massive differences between Manish Shor worship and Merish Anu worship spill over into their entire view on the Mundus. While men see the initial brushing of Anu and Padomay as more of a coincidence than anything, mer see the development of other spirits as a purposeful goal of Anu to "know himself." While men see Padomay as another entity, the corrupt darkness, mer see Padomay and specifically Sithis as "the sum of all the limitations Anuiel would utilize to ponder himself." While men see Padomay as the doer and the "intellect" (if you will forgive me the expression) behind the spirits, mer see Anu as the everlasting mind and Father behind everything. Lorkhan's actions of attempting to take CHIM in Aldmeri thought hence is not just an action of ambition and selfishness, but a direct rebellion against the will of Anu. In essence it was the first real act of "free will," an action directly opposing Anu.
If the Anuist view is correct, than Anu seems to have a Divine Will of it's own. Why would the taking of the Tower be referred to as the Thief?
"The Thief is another metaphorical absolute; in this case, he represents the "taking of the Tower" or, and sometimes more importantly, the "taking" of the Tower’s secret."
- ...the Tower
Taking from who? This is a concept not usually addressed but what if the Tower is occupied? And if Anu is the ultimate will of the universe as the Altmer believe, how does that relate to the usurping of absoluteness that is the Tower? Nonetheless most Altmer these days have rejected such thoughts in favor of, as an Ashlander once said, "sorcery and big buildings."
Anuist Worshippers
The affects of Anuism of course are demonstrated in Altmeri culture, which is responsible for nearly all of the great arts and sciences of the present Empire. The simple ideal that we are decended from the divine instead of created by the divine has also made us give a inordinate importance to bloodline, to the point that at the worst times in their history I am ashamed to say we have killed nine out of ten of their children in our search for purity. The focus on Anu and hence perfection has also made many individual Altmer self-righteous and conceited. However on the other side we have developed an orderly society with much wisdom and beauty, and Summerset Isle is truly a wonder to behold.
Ending Remarks
There are of course other religous systems yet unaddressed such as the Psijic Order, perhaps the mystical beliefs of the Argonians, and some others. However these five have had the greatest affect on Tamrielic history, so here they stand. I will also say that in all my studies I, like Trinimac before me, believe at least for the time being the only logical and yet emotional reaction to the Sundering is Tears.
And lament I do.
--Polycarp
Altmeri Pilgrim
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