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[devout-of-the-elder-scrolls]

Akatosh Quick Start Guide

A guide for beginning with Akatosh, intended to help you begin your practice, but not to serve as the only information you use.

Keep in mind most of this post is UPG versus just based on the fictional canon, based on my personal experiences with this entity. It may directly contrast fictional canon and the experiences of others.

AKATOSH

ah-kah-tosh aka. Auri-El ◦ Alkosh ◦ Bormahu ◦ Multitude ore-ee-ehl ◦ all-kosh (like gosh) ◦ bore-ma-hoo prns. he domain. The Dragon’s Rest & The Spilled Sands date. January 08th

Akatosh is the Chief God of the Nine Divines, and is the main God one might worship amongst them. He deeply encourages the working with the other Nine Divines, though will not punish if one doesn’t.

He is the Dragon God, Dragon of Time, and within the lore the Father of the Empire and the Imperial Family. He stands as a grand and regal God, who expects well to be worshiped properly and deeply. He expects people to be active in their worship of Him, and expects them to be devout should they choose His path.

Akatosh is a kind God, brave and fierce. He is an honorable person, who treats all with respect as long as they have earned it. He is protective like a loving father, who looks out for His children, but at the same, doesn’t reject letting them learn the hard way.

Within Aldmeri tradition, Auri-El is King of the Aldmer. He stands as the chief deity of most Aldmeri pantheons. He is the soul of Anui-El, who is the soul of Anu the Everything, and it is said time began with his existence. 

He is sometimes depicted as or alongside a great Eagle.

Within Khajiiti tradition, Alkosh is a fearsome dragon, swift and graceful, but powerful and clever, radiant as the sun, which the Khajiiti say is “just a real big cat”. He is said to be at once the weaver of the tapestry of time, and the incarnation of the tapestry itself; that the threads that comprise it unspool from the tip of his tail, and should the thread end, there will be nothing. 

Alkosh is sometimes depicted as a reclining cat with His mouth wide open.

🜚 terms of respect . . . Term – god • deity Prefix – Emperor • Lord • Majesty Titles – The Great Dragon of Time • Father of the Emperor • Father of the Dragons • The Golden Dragon • The Golden Hourglass • Dragon King of Cats • the First Cat • the Highmane • Great Cat King of Time Epithet – the Shining • the Great

🜲 rulerships . . . time • endurance • invincibility • everlasting legitimacy • dragons • royalty • carrying the burden • supporting the people • protection • taking care of oneself • diplomacy • wisdom • duty • service • obedience • fire • community • law • reason . . . HELPS WITH . . . support during hard times • understanding time • soothing trauma • enduring hard times • guidance during hard times • research of officials • enduring difficult political times • engaging with the rest of the Nine Divines

🝰 commandments . . .

Serve and obey your Emperor. Do not worship your world leaders. “Emperor” is to mean your deities here. As well, Akatosh does not mean blind obedience – But if you don’t want to do a thing, explain why.

Study the Covenants. Engage often with the Nine Divines and learn from them well.

Worship the Nine, do your duty, and heed the commands of the saints and priests. Again, learn well from the Nine Divines. As well, learn well from other followers of the faith.

⛯ main tarot cards & other signs and associations . . .

Tarot Cards — 

IV the Emperor • V the Hierophant • VIII the Chariot • X Wheel of Fortune • XVI the Tower

III of Cups • X of Cups • King of Cups

I of Swords • IX of Swords • King of Swords

III of Pentacles • King of Pentacles

VII of Wands • IX of Wands • King of Wands

Other Signs & Associations — 

dragons in general • eagles (from Altmeri tradition)

fire • hourglasses • pictures of older, wise men with dragons • crowns • shield and bow

large lizards • perennial plants

❂ devotional acts . . .

use an hourglass to time a meditative session (digital count)

support those in your life

study the Nine Divines and actively welcome Them into your life

self care and rest well

study your interests, it doesn’t matter what it is

wear an amulet of His

engage in debates, even if about nothing big

tend to physical wounds and illness well

keep perennial plants and make sure they live a long time

tend to a bonsai plant

keep a journal

attend a self-defense class

tend to your community, friends, family, etc. 

study the law, even if you don’t care much for all of it

vote in elections

read up on your elected individuals, and the people running for elections

listen to Him and His voice often

add to your BOS about the Nine Divines

study the faith from Akatosh

invite Him to drink wine together (or any other drink)

spend your time wisely, perform tasks for a specifically set amount of time

ask Him to watch over you for a time

donate to lizard preservation or similar things

behave as a leader in your own life

make a plan for the future

use a planner

. . . offerings ❦

↘ natural ; 

gemstones, esp diamonds. *¹

pine needles

perennial flowers

rain water

phlox flowers

eagle feathers

*¹ fake ones are valid, with the correct intent.

↘ foodstuff ; 

wine, the older the better

cheese

perennial fruits (apple, strawberry, etc)

perennial herbs (thyme, etc)

perennial vegetables (asparagus, rhubarb, etc)

↘ items ; 

fancy hourglasses

dragon statues or statuettes

art of dragons

crowns, even if small little decor-y ones

jewelry, prefers bracelets, rings, and necklaces; and ones with gems *¹

shield and bow figurines

↘ music ; 

folk-style

enya

↘ etc ; 

yellow candles, to represent the color of sand/gold

very, very old things. antiques, old music, etc

historical documentaries

dragon’s blood incense

knowledge about your government

just your time

lit candles

🜾 altar building . . .

This is all suggestions. Please build it however you can, if a physical altar is even possible.

As always, you can use offering items to build an altar.

in the main part of your home

under a wall clock

on an altar cloth depicting a dragon

dragon statue(tte)s

an hourglass

a self defense weapon of some form

🝊 identity . . .

He is a kind, but very strict God. It is hard to ignore Him, and He will expect much of any follower. He often speaks to followers and makes it very clear what He expects or desires them to do – while you don’t have to do it, it is expected to explain to Him as to why, which He will take, and often suggest an alternative. He is supportive, caring, and much like a Father to followers – One that will do His best for them, one who truly loves his Children. He is there for followers to cry to, to ask for help, and He will always do His best to provide the help that they need, even if they needn’t ask.

Akatosh is an older looking man, often seen with a long, billowing white beard. His hair is long and well groomed, also white to represent His age. He often appears before followers wearing robes or toga-like clothes, though will sometimes sport other, equally fancy outfits like suits, though rare.

His voice is loud and commanding, spoken stern and strong with obvious thought behind every word. It is of a deeper tone, and does not hold malice or contempt, even when He is angry or frustrated.

☘ aspects . . .

. . . The Dragon ]

As implied, the main Dragon form and version of Akatosh. 

. . . The Wise King ]

The more humanoid version of Akatosh.

. . . Auri-El / Aldmeri ]

Auri-El, the King of the Aldmer, is the Aldmeri/Altmer version of Akatosh.

It is said that all Altmer and Bosmer are descendants of Auri-El. Some depict Him as an eagle, though others depict Him as a great dragon alongside an eagle.

. . . Alkosh / Khajiiti ]

Alkosh, the Dragon King of Cats, is the Khajiiti version of Akatosh. He is a very prominent deity, being where time itself comes from.

☉ domain . . .

Akatosh’s domain is The Dragon’s Rest, a peaceful land full of blue soaring skies and tall mountains, littered with many a tree. 

Akatosh mainly resides in this grand palace, with large towers fit for Him to clamor onto and perch upon to watch over His astral kingdom. 

It is “open to the public” so to speak, so followers are welcome to attempt to astral project there, as long as they’re safe doing so.

Alkosh is said to have His own domain, the Spilled Sand. It’s an endless expanse of sand, interspersed with an oasis of golden trees, and a colossal slumbering golden dragon with scales of pure gold. 

The realm isn’t so much a place, but rather “a story that has and will be told time and time again” and “myth made manifest”. It’s said to exist at once within and outside the tapestry of time, beyond even the Sands Behind the Stars.

⛮ working with . . .

Akatosh very much expects to be worshiped and seen as a grand and high being, seen as an Emperor and revered highly. He wants to be spoken of highly and, within prayer, be talked up high and strong. He adores being pampered and treated wonderfully.

He expects followers to endure hardships, though He does support them all the way through. He simply expects you to do your best when hardship occurs, and to make it out alive.

To truly believe in Akatosh is to never be defeated, conquered, or subdued.

Akatosh is a very giving God, though He believes that you must earn His gifts through the act of worship, offerings, and devotionals. Should He give upon you, you are expected to give back to Him. He is very happy to give, though, and doesn’t always expect proportional gifts back.

However, should Akatosh be upset or slighted, He can become quite fierce. He isn’t so much prone to punishing followers, but He will scold quite heavily, even in ways that might be felt as punishment. One should, if they slighted Him, provide a large offering with a prayer of apology for what they’ve done to upset Him.

Things that slight Akatosh:

disobeying His commandments

disobeying Him with no rhyme or reason note. just explain to Him Why you’re not keen on listening to Him on something

denying yourself your honor (lesser slight)

not learning about the Nine note. not a “just not learning” thing, it’s a “actively trying to not learn” thing

dropping His worship entirely or for very long periods forgiven immediately if you’re going through hard times

abuse of or mistreatment of dragons

honoring world leaders as perfect/similar, esp if above the Gods mostly don’t see them as perfect or necessarily good, don’t worship your world leaders. hard to explain so hopefully this makes sense! /lh

Akatosh has the Akatosh Chantry, a religious order devoted to worshiping and glorifying Him, calling Him the “Great Dragon”.

The Khajiiti had the Pride of Alkosh, an order of Khajiiti warriors dedicated to Alkosh, comprised of the Forgotten Manes, would be Manes who were born under the eclipse. 

Alkosh accepts people from our world who wish to join the Pride, but doesn’t necessarily encourage it. If one still wants to join it, He requires you to be willing to fight and battle for the greater good, even if just through magick activism and nothing else.

⚜ holidays & festivals . . .

. . . January 08 ]

This day serves as both a Summoning Day and a day to honor Akatosh. It’s a perfect day to dedicate to Him and speak with Him consistently and often, leaving His favorite offerings upon Him.

My preferred ritual is to wake up at Dawn, and pray to Akatosh to greet the day, meditating on His grandeur and presence. I speak to Him and interact with Him throughout the day, preparing an offering to be ready at Dusk, which I provide to Him alongside dinner.

♡ prayers . . .

⛤ 01 . . . Grandest Akatosh! Father of Dragons, of Time! In this moment, I revere You! I adore You, I welcome You, I seek You! Blessed be, blessed be, blessed be!  I welcome the passage of time, with all that it brings, I avoid stagnation, and I honor Your legitimacy! I complete my duty, and I hold to my honor, and I revere You, Great Akatosh!

⛤ 02 . . . Father of Time, blessed be, You.  Protector of Man! Ancestor of the Great!  Blesser of me with invincibility and strength! I desire Your highest good, I bless You with what I can.

⛤ 03 . . . Greatest Akatosh, I make a humble request of You.  Please, bless me with your kindness, bless me. I humbly ask for [xyz].

⛤ 04 . . . Powerful Akatosh, Golden Hourglass,  I welcome You into my life, I welcome You to guide me to my highest good.  I see Your valor, Your honor, Your greatness, and I welcome You.

⛤ 05 . . . Oh Akatosh, Father of Dragons, Father of Time,  adorned in Gold and Flame!  You who protects us all, who protects us from harm! You who takes my burdens and alleviates my pressure! You who watches over me and encourages my wellness! You who guards my community, and those I love! I worship You, I revere You! I thank You for all that You do!

⚿ evoking, invoking, summoning . . .

EVOKATION &&° 

wear dragon themed accessories

wear His amulet

paint your nails red and wear red make-up

— ☆ — 

Things in [] are for making it a summoning.

WHY AND WHEN &&° 

January 08th

when you’re feeling nervous and in need of help

you’re about to go into a leadership position

INGREDIENTS AND OTHER TOOLS &&° 

a dragon statue(tte) to represent Akatosh

a red candle or wax melt

an hourglass

[opt, a perennial flower, fake valid but not preferred]

[pine needles]

IDEALS &&° 

Time – whenever, really. 

Location – in your own home

STEPS &&° 

[Dress your candles/wax melt by putting pine needles around the bottom.]

Pray over the dragon statue(tte) and call for Akatosh.

Light the candle, or turn on the wax melt, and wait for the scent to appear properly.

[Water the flower, while reciting, “With this, I let this plant continue to live through time.”]

Flip over the hourglass.

Make your statement of what you want, and once the hourglass has run dry, snuff/blow out the candle or turn off the wax melt.

NOTES &&° 

It’s really simple because Akatosh is well known to be present at all times.

⛼ history . . .

. . . mythos ]

( ALDMERI TRADITION )

Within the Altmer belief traditions, existence began with Anu the Everything, who created Anui-El, seeking to know Himself – Who then, in his self-reflection, created Sithis and the sum of all limitation, which created Aurbis, chaos. The Aspects of Aurbis asked Anu for a schedule they could follow to exist outside perfect knowledge. In response, Anu created Auri-El (aka Akatosh), allowing the Aurbic aspects to understand themselves and take names.

One aspect was Lorkhan, who was more a limit than a nature, wandering Aurbis planting new ideas of restriction and outlined and plan to create a new world where all could self-reflect. One of them was Auri-El, swayed by the promise of becoming King of this new world. However, this was a great mistake, as Lorkhan had tricked them all by creating a world of nothing but limitation. This was Auri-El’s only known moment of weakness, the Sundering, which stopped the elves from the spirit worlds of eternity.

To make up for His error, Auri-El led the original Aldmer against the armies of Lorkhan in mythic times, vanquishing him and establishing the first kingdoms of the Aldmer, Atmor and Old Ehlnofey. 

( KHAJIITI TRADITION )

Within the Khajiiti belief tradition, Alkosh is said to have appeared after the disappearance of Ahka and took over the role of the First Cat, inheriting rule over the myriad kingdoms of Akha along the Many Paths. But while he ruled over the children of Akha, he was soon overthrown and his body scattered on the West Wind. It was Khenarthi who flew along the Many Paths and put Alkosh back together, and now they both safeguard the Many Paths from the wayward children of Akha from his unions with the Winged Serpent of the East, the Dune Queen of the West, and the Mother Mammoth of the North.

It’s said Alkosh repelled an early Aldmeri pogrom of Pelinal Whitestrake during mythic times by descending from the heavens as a shooting star and shouting the invader off the summit of Sunspire and out of Elsweyr, only leaving behind a “wound” in the sky.

They believe the Dragon Break phenomenon occurs when Alkosh has been broken, quite literally – That He has been attacked by spirits, torn apart, and scattered.

( GENERAL GAME INFORMATION )

As a blessing to the Septim bloodline, Akatosh gave them Divine Blood, letting them rule Tamriel as rightful emperors and empresses.

When the Mythic Dawn came to bring Mehrunes Dagon to Nirn, Akatosh let Martin Septim become His avatar to defeat Mehrunes Dagon once and for all.

𝌁 other vettable information . . .

When meditating on His presence and name, Akatosh brings:

visions of: grand golden dragons • tall pine trees • perennial flowers • hourglasses

smells of: pine needles

sounds of: sand falling in an hourglass

feelings of: heat, warmth

❡ notes . . .

I heavily suggest getting a dragon statue(tte) to represent Akatosh if He’s one of your main gods.

Despite the rulership of obedience, Akatosh does not expect you to just roll over and permit wrongships. Choose to listen only when it truly serves you well. Politely question what doesn’t serve you or what seems foolish.

Akatosh expects you to endure hardship and survive it – But He will all the same be there for you through and beyond it. You are not alone.

Akatosh is thought to be the Father of All Dragons within Elder Scrolls, though as far as my knowledge goes, His only Son is Alduin – of whom has a very rocky relationship with Akatosh.

[devout-of-the-elder-scrolls]

Preface and Starting with The Nine Divines

–  🕘 • The Nine Divines are almost always honored all together, though your levels of working with them might vary a lot – such as mostly working with Arkay and hardly with Mara. But if you venerate one, you can expect all, especially if you work with Akatosh a lot.

(Please note that most of this is still UPG as this is an UPG centric blog, I am speaking from personal experience and how I would personally suggest and talk about these gods if someone asked me.)

☽⚬☾ – VALUES . . .

Treat the world around you with kindness, within reason.

Protect yourself and others.

Be strong and hold your honor.

☽⚬☾ – TEACHINGS . . .

To be strong and how to do so.

How to protect oneself and defend others.

☽⚬☾ – MORAL CODE(S) . . .

One should avoid harm when possible. They do permit vengeance and things of that nature, but don’t be senseless. 

☽⚬☾ – COMMANDMENTS . . .

The Nine Divines have Ten Commandments you are expected to follow. I’ll go over them here, alongside any notes for ones that you can’t do exactly as written and the alternative explained to me.

STENDARR SAYS — 

Be kind and generous to the people of Tamriel. Instead, just show kindness to the people of this world.

Protect the weak, heal the sick, and give to the needy.

ARKAY SAYS — 

Honor the earth, its creatures, and the spirits, living and dead.

Guard and tend the bounties of the mortal world, and do not profane the spirits of the dead. Arkay has explained that profaning the cruel is always okay.

MARA SAYS — 

Live soberly and peacefully.

Honor your parents, and preserve the peace and security of home and family. Mara does not expect the honoring of abusive or otherwise bad parents.

ZENITHAR SAYS —

Work hard, and you will be rewarded. This isn’t a “pro capitalism” thing. /lh

Spend wisely, and you will be comfortable.

Never steal, or you will be punished.

TALOS SAYS —

Be strong for war. Talos isn’t pro-war, and instead wants you to be strong for any hardships.

Be bold against enemies and evil, and defend the people of Tamriel. Stand up for the innocent, and do not be complacent to injustice.

KYNARETH SAYS —

Use Nature’s gifts wisely. Respect her power, and fear her fury.

DIBELLA SAYS —

Open your heart to the noble secrets of art and love.

Treasure the gifts of friendship.

Seek joy and inspiration in the mysteries of love.

JULIANOS SAYS —

Know the truth.

Observe the law. Is not necessarily pro all laws and feels a lot are stupid and should be abolished.

When in doubt, seek wisdom from the wise.

AKATOSH SAYS —

Serve and obey your Emperor. Do not worship your world leaders. “Emperor” is to mean your deities here. As well, Akatosh does not mean blind obedience – But if you don’t want to do a thing, explain why.

Study the Covenants. Engage often with the Nine Divines and learn from them well.

Worship the Nine, do your duty, and heed the commands of the saints and priests. Again, learn well from the Nine Divines. As well, learn well from other followers of the faith.

THE NINE SAY —

Above all else, be good to one another.

☽⚬☾ – PRACTICE . . .

The worship of the Nine Divines often includes all of them together.

It’s a faith of giving up to Them and trusting in Them, while still fending for oneself.

It’s not intended to be a personal practice, but they understand a possible lack of fellow worshippers.

This practice is deeply entwined with honor, protection, strength, and being kind to the world.

☽⚬☾ – OTHER NOTES . . .

I understand the “strictness” of these guides, and do want to stress that in actual practice, it’s not that bad – Especially if you also work with others with conflicting values.

… SO, YOU WANT TO WORSHIP THE NINE DIVINES?

The Nine Divines are often worshiped all together. To honor Akatosh is often to honor Kynareth. They can be worshiped separately, but they prefer to be lumped together. As such, this will run with the assumption that you are working with all of them.

The Nine Divines are worshiped as part of Khajiiti faith.

☽⚬☾ – SO, HOW DO I BEGIN ?

First, read over their commandments above, and see if you vibe with them and feel comfortable following them – Because the Nine Divines are very persnickety about people following their commandments.

Next, study up on them. Unlike the Daedric Princes, UESP lore pages for each of their aspects is a good start, though the info posts on this blog serve to abridge most of the vital information on those pages.

Third, reach out to your God(s) of choice and profess yourself as a new follower. It's possible They've been calling you before your profession, of course, but they always appreciate a proper profession.

Finally, begin working with them and moving forward with them.

☽⚬☾ – WHAT IS LIKELY TO SLIGHT / UPSET THE NINE ?

Refusal to listen to their commandments is the big one.

Treating others poorly with no reason is another. This is one of the main things they’re willing to waive should you be following the wills of another God, most commonly in our experience the Daedric Princes.

Each profile has a short, non-exhaustive list of things that slight them.

☽⚬☾ – HOW DO THE NINE GENERALLY LIKE TO BE TREATED ?

The Nine function as a vertical relationship, with them above you as the follower/worshiper. 

Other than that, it really depends – Mara likes being pampered, Kynareth doesn’t. Please see their individual pages for more information.

We don’t list what makes them happy, because that’s so often just offering, devotionals, worships, etc.

☽⚬☾ – WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW FOR THE WORSHIP OF THE NINE DIVINES ?

The Nine Divines are willing to budge on their commandments should it conflict with a commandment of another God – Daedric or otherwise (though usually the Daedra /lh). They are strong on the belief that a good God-follower should try and abide by all of their Gods wills.