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Z'en

Varieties of Faith: The Wood Elves

Author: 
Brother Mikhael Karkuxor of the Imperial College

The Eight
(though few Bosmer outside the Empire accept the limitation of Divines to eight):

Auri-El (King of the Aldmer):
The Elven Akatosh is Auri-El. Auri-El is the soul of Anui-El, who, in turn, is the soul of Anu the Everything. He is the chief of most Aldmeri pantheons. Most Altmeri and Bosmeri claim direct descent from Auri-El. In his only known moment of weakness, he agreed to take his part in the creation of the mortal plane, that act which forever sundered the Elves from the spirit worlds of eternity. To make up for it, Auri-El led the original Aldmer against the armies of Lorkhan in mythic times, vanquishing that tyrant and establishing the first kingdoms of the Aldmer, Aldmeris and Old Ehlnofey. He then ascended to heaven in full observance of his followers so that they might learn the steps needed to escape the mortal plane.

Y'ffre (God of the Forest):
Most important deity of the Bosmeri pantheon. While Auri-El the Time Dragon might be the king of the gods, the Bosmer revere Y'ffre as the spirit of "the now." According to the Wood Elves, after the creation of the mortal plane everything was in chaos. The first mortals were turning into plants and animals and back again. Then Y'ffre transformed himself into the first of the Ehlnofey, or "Earth Bones." After these laws of nature were established, mortals had a semblance of safety in the new world, because they could finally understand it. Y'ffre is sometimes called the Storyteller, for the lessons he taught the first Bosmer. Some Bosmer still possess the knowledge of the chaos times, which they can use to great effect (the Wild Hunt).

Arkay (God of the Cycle of Life and Death):
Arkay is the god of burials and funeral rites, and is sometimes associated with the seasons. His priests are staunch opponents of necromancy and all forms of the undead. It is said that Arkay did not exist before the world was created by the gods under Lorkhan's supervision/urging/trickery. Therefore, he is sometimes called the Mortals' God.

Xarxes:
Xarxes is the god of ancestry and secret knowledge. He began as a scribe to Auri-El, and has kept track of all Aldmeri accomplishments, large and small, since the beginning of time. He created his wife, Oghma, from his favorite moments in history.

Mara (Goddess of Love):
Nearly universal goddess. Origins started in mythic times as a fertility goddess. She is sometimes associated with Nir of the "Anuad," the female principle of the cosmos that gave birth to creation. For the Bosmer, she is the wife of Auri-El.

Stendarr (God of Mercy):
God of compassion and righteous rule. In early Aldmeri legends, Stendarr is the apologist of Men.

Z'en (God of Toil):
Bosmeri god of payment in kind, which includes both just remuneration and retribution. Studies indicate origins in both Argonian and Akaviri mythologies, perhaps introduced into Valenwood by Kothringi sailors. Ostensibly an agriculture deity, Z'en sometimes proves to be an entity of a much higher cosmic order.

Baan Dar (The Bandit God):
Trickster spirit of thieves and beggars borrowed from the Khajiit.

Additional Deities with Significant Bosmeri Cults:

Herma-Mora (The Woodland Man):
Malicious trickster spirit (another one!) whose Bosmeri cultists say is not to be confused with the Daedra Hermaeus Mora. (Others deride this assertion.)

Jone and Jode (Little Moon God and Big Moon God):
Aldmeri gods of the Moons, they are spirits of fortune, both good and bad.

Hircine (The Huntsman, Father of Manbeasts):
Master of the Great Hunt and lord of all lycanthropes. Worshipers of Hircine are not as ruthless as those who worship other Daedra; they always give their prey at least a small chance to escape.

Lorkhan (The Missing God):
This Creator-Trickster-Tester deity is in every Tamrielic mythic tradition. His most popular name is the Aldmeri "Lorkhan," or Doom Drum. He convinced or contrived the Original Spirits to bring about the creation of the mortal plane, upsetting the status quo—much like his father Padomay had introduced instability into the universe in the Beginning Place. After the world is materialized, Lorkhan is separated from his divine center, sometimes involuntarily, and wanders the creation of the et'Ada. He and his metaphysical placement in the "scheme of things" is interpreted a variety of ways. To the Elves, he is the most unholy of all higher powers, as he forever broke their connection to the spirit plane. In the legends, he is almost always an enemy of the Aldmer and, therefore, a hero of early Mankind.

Zenithar

Author: 
B

Oblivion Description

Zenithar Window

Zenithar

Zenithar Oblivion Symbol

God of Work and Commerce

Description Wayshrine Locations

Zenithar is the deity of wealth, labor, commerce, and communication. His priests have shown that the way to peace and prosperity is through earnest work and honest profit, not through war and bloodshed. Zenithar is understandably associated with Z'en. In the Empire, however, he is a far more cultivated god of merchants and middle nobility. His worshippers say, despite his mysterious origins, Zenithar is the god 'that will always win'.

  1. Along the Gold Road southwest of Kvatch and just southeast of the Gottshaw Inn
  2. South of the Faregyl Inn, just off the Green Road, south of the Imperial City
  3. Just north of the Flooded Mine, which is itself just north of Bravil
Blessing Chapel Location
Luck Leyawiin
Statue of Zenithar

Morrowind Description

Zenithar Morrowind Symbol

Zenithar

God of Work and Commerce

Zenithar is the deity of wealth, labor, commerce, and communication. His priests have shown that the way to peace and prosperity is through earnest work and honest profit, not through war and bloodshed. Zenithar is understandably associated with Z'en. In the Empire, however, he is a far more cultivated god of merchants and middle nobility. His worshippers say, despite his mysterious origins, Zenithar is the god 'that will always win'.

In Morrowind, Zenithar manifests as Jon Hawker.

Zenithar Morrowind Symbol

Daggerfall Temple Descriptions

Zenithar
Zenithar Daggerfall Symbol
Temple Description by Outsiders Temple Descripton by Members
Any temple dedicated to Zenithar, the God of Work and Commerce, is called a Resolution of Zenithar or a Resolution of Zen. Zenithar is the God of Work and Commerce. A no-nonsense kind of diety, and His temples are so headstrong, they're called Resolutions. We are a temple devoted to Zenithar, the God of Commerce and Patron of Merchants and Mercenaries. Long ago, in our movement's birth, our forefathers made us a temple like no other: one meant to be adaptable, but resilient to the storm of time. We are thus called Resolutions, a far more descriptive term than temples. The Resolution of Zenithar favors those who favor us -- we do not choose to hide behind words like donations, gifts, indulgences. In proportion to your payment to the Resolution, your skill in haggling with other merchants will increase, but temporarily. If you wish to increase your skill permanently, you may wish to join the Resolution and meet with our trainers. The invitation to join the Resolution of Zenithar is not open. Only those already possessing a few minimum skills will even be considered. It does not reward us to waste our time with neophytes. If nothing else, we are professionals.
Blessing
You will find that for the next few days Zenithar has blessed your mercantile skill.
Knightly Order Description by Outsiders Knightly Order Description by Members
The Knights of Iron are dedicated to the God of Commerce, Zenithar. They protect the members of His Resolution from those who would disrupt their trade. We of the Knights of Iron are in charge of the military excursions of the Resolution of Zenithar. Zenithar is not merely the God of Merchants and Commerce, He is also a warrior god. We represent that side of Him. Obviously, it does not behoove us to take any new initiates who are less than excellent fighters and completely devoted to our cause.