#skyrim paganism

[mistressofduskanddawn]

Household Worship Of Azura

[IMG ID: A shrine of Azura from Raven Rock in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Dragonborn DLC. The shrine is set upon stone, circular, with candles around an image dedicated to Azura. At the top of the image is a star, with a skull below it, then trailed streaks of black. Before the image are some offerings of gems, a coinpurse, fruits, and vegetation to Azura. It is simple, but beautiful.]

THE DAEDRA, IN SOME ASPECTS OF TESLORE, ARE SPOKEN OF BEING FOUND IN THE DANGEROUS WILDS OF NIRN. Daedra worship within itself is controversial in Tamriel, sometimes inconsistently so, for they are often considered more dangerous than the Aedra. In a way this is true, the Daedra are more present than the Aedra, but the Aedra still may cause harm. My dear Kyne, even if she is a kind mother, rules over the storms that destroy. Eventually, I will cover the cut content that shades the worship of the Aedra in favour of Daedra, instead of the usual anti-Daedric worship that the Aedra-loving lore often proclaims.

Household worship of the Daedra seems to depend on the culture: while there are shrines within some Dnemeri households, outside of the realm of traditional worship, many of the daedra appear to be kept from cities—especially in Skyrim, where nearly all the centres of worship for Daedra are outside the strong-walled holds. She out of all of the Daedra appears to be the closest to cities and the likes, but her temple still stands outside Winterhold in Skyrim. 

On Earth, however, we can hopefully worship our deities within our own homes. Azura integrates herself well into the home, providing all her bounty, especially in liminal protection from the dangers of the beyond. 

MODERN HERETICS ON AZURA

I was inspired by doing my scholarly research on Azura as usual, when I re-read a passage on Daedra worship in lore that provided a much more realistic perspective: that on Daedric cults and their actions, without the usual gore and harm that permeates the discussion of Daedra. A portion of the passage Modern Heretics inspired this post, with it focusing on Azura in the majority of the text: 

I personally have discovered one community worshipping theDaedra LordAzura, Queen of Dawn and Dusk. A researcher curious about Daedra worship might research in several ways: through a study of the literature, through exploration and discovery of ancient daedric shrines, through questioning local informants, and through questioning worshippers themselves. I used all these means to discover the shrine of Azura.

First I read books. References like this one may provide a helpful general background concerning Daedric shrines. For example, my researches led me to understand that, in Cyrodiil, Daedric shrines are generally represented by statues of Daedra Lords, are generally situated in wilderness locations far from settlements, that each shrine generally has associated with it a community of worshippers, often referred to as a ‘coven’, that shrines have associated with them a particular time — often a day of the week — when a Daedra lord might be solicited, that Daedra Lord often will not deign to respond unless they regard a petitioner of sufficient prowess or strength of character, that they will only respond if given the proper offering [the secret of which offering often known only to the community of worshippers], and that, in return for the completion of some task or service, the Daedra Lords will often undertake to offer an artifact of power to a successful quester. Then I questioned locals with an intimate knowledge of the wilderness. Two classes of informants I found especially useful — well-traveled hunters and adventurers [who might come across shrines in their travels], and scholars of the Mages Guild. In the case of the Shrine of Azura, both sources were profitable. I discovered aCheydinhal hunter who had chanced across a strange epic statue in his travels. The statue was of a woman with outstretched arms; in one hand she held a star; in the other hand, she held a crescent moon. He had shunned the statue out of superstitious fear, but had marked the location in memory –far north of Cheydinhal, northwest ofLake Arrius, high in theJerall Mountains. Then, proceeding to the local Mages Guild with a description of the statue, I was able to confirm from its description the identity of the Daedra Lord worshipped. Having discovered the location of the shrine, I visited it, and discovered there the community of worshippers. Because of the strength of opinion against Daedra worship, the worshippers were, at first, reluctant to admit their identity. But once I had won their trust, they were willing to divulge to me the secrets of the times when Azura would hear petitions [from dusk to dawn], and that the offering required by Azura wasglow dust, a substance obtained from thewill-o-the-wisp. I am, of course, nothing more than a chapelman and scholar, so it did not lie within my power to find a will-o-the-wisp to obtain glow dust; nor am I certain that Azura would have found me worthy to make such an offering, even had I proffered it. But I was assured that if I had been able to make such an offering, and if it had been accepted, Azura would have given me some sort of quest, which, if completed, might have earned me the reward of Azura’s Star, a Daedric artifact of legendary magical powers.

—Modern Herctics, Haderus of Gottlesfont in Oblivion and ESO.

Undoubtedly the outlawing of Daedra worship is what drew these worshippers into hiding, with the daedra often being seen as dangerous and taboo. I cannot help, as others have noted, that this sounds very much so like paganism. Hiding in covens deep within secret locations, petitioning beings outlawed by common society—the Daedra seem to be coded in such a manner, even if the traditional religions of Tamriel are all polytheistic. The usage of coven also draws my eye—almost relating it to this world’s traditional witchcraft circles, in which a figure, often the Witchfather, is petitioned and met with those seeking something. Often power, as those in these covens seem to commonly pursue. 

Living on Earth does afford the ability to not have to necessarily hide my Azura worship, even if it is something I naturally keep on the quieter side. Among other pagans it is acceptable, sometimes even adored, to be following a goddess from Nirn. While it would be fun to pursue a shrine in the woods to her, it is a comfort to invite the Lady of Dusk and Dawn into my home instead. 

HOUSEHOLD WORSHIP OF AZURA

Household worship has become a norm for pagans, as we are often separated by space and time, and often alone. Praying alone in the home is the standard for most of us, even if we can visit the woods and go deep into dredges to find our gods. The Aedra have handmade shrines designated for home usage within Skyrim, but of course, none for the Daedra without mods. While Wintersun provides a way to express devotion to Azura, it does not fulfil every aspect there is to being a worshipper of a deity in Tamriel. 

To worship Azura in the home, it is as easy as a prayer and some offerings. I do prefer to bring my offers outside before Dawn and Dusk, but prayer can be anywhere. Beyond the title however, once again drawing from my background in Mediterranean religion, I believe that there is more to Azura’s household power than simply placing her within the hearth shrine. 

Prayer to Azura For Home Protection 

Azura’s liminality lends well to a protective goddess. Liminal deities such as Hekate are often invoked to remove spirits as much as to bring them forth, and considering her star, Azura has some sway over souls. To keep spirits from the home, speak this prayer:

AZURA of the Crimson Gate, Rose-bound,  she who wards away spirits amore,  kismet in your designs. Let your silver starlight  grace the doors of my home and  let your dawn and dusk appraise the walls.  Ward the dwellings I as your people call home, As once you did before, and shall do, Again into your liminal passages evermore. 

Prayer to Azura To Banish A Malicious Being 

As a goddess who loves her followers dearly, Azura is more than happy to exercise her power over lesser beings from her world and beyond. To ward off entities who would harm your home, place a statue of Azura by the door and or place an image of her symbol to warn. If a malicious being manages to sneak past the wards and locks, speak this prayer to tell Azura of the spirit that evaded every protection placed. 

AZURA, she of OBLIVION beyond, There is a demon who haunts these halls, A trespasser, unwelcome, unfound, within This home of this worshipper yours.  Roses bloom for your love and command, And here comes this foul being to destroy  The buds containing your altar anew. So come, Azura, the warden of the home  Who blesses with silver and beauty untold Banish them with binds of silver and red, Rim of all holes, to the halls beyond the dead. 

Prayer to Azura To Ward Locks 

As the rim of all holes and possibly enemy of Nocturnal, I see no reason why Azura could not ward a lock against thieves and trespassers who would seek to steal and harm the home. Speak this prayer to her to ward locks against such intrusions, less they face her deserved wrath. 

The night invites holy Nocturnal’s surmise   devotee Thieves speech under her blessings, to come  And rid my locks of the silver we both endure.  Transition the path of stars and light, Banish thieves and tricksters from my home goodnight  Let fate be woven ever so, ward these locks untold  So that Nocturnal may dance in another hearth tonight, And we rest under your lilac Twilight delight. Rim of all holds, master of keys and lock-holes, Azura, ward my locks, let no lockpick be turned, Azura, Azura, the mistress of liminality foretold! 

I do wonder what those people in Tamriel would have thought, seeing as I can freely honour our goddess within my own home. She is a wonderful goddess, kind and caring with her love understanding. Foretold or not, she is a rose-hearted gift to any hearth who seeks her name. In order for our popculture religion to survive in this world, it must be met on the terms of our lives and heart, and household worship is the step before even considering the likes of temples or communal ritual.

References

Lore:Modern Heretics – The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP). (n.d.). https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Modern_Heretics

Parker, R. C. (2011). On Greek religion. Cornell University Press.

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

Daedric Princes summoning days

in Daggerfall there is this gameplay element where you can only summon the Daedric Princes on certain days to gain access to their quests and then their artifacts. while the entire concept was removed in the subsequent games, i thought this could be an interesting thing to incorporate into an Elder Scrolls-inspired pop-culture practice. it's ultimately up to you how to choose to perceive and celebrate those days if you do decide to incorporate them as there does not seem to be much lore surrounding these days.

thankfully the Tamriel calendar corresponds exactly to the Gregorian calendar, so i will be mentioning both names of the respective months for your convenience and the entries are sorted alphabetically. i am basing this list entirely on the Holidays page from the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages, which can be found through this link.

Azura's Summoning Day - the 21st of First Seed (March) also called Hogithum. More information can be found in the short text of the book Invocation of Azura.

Boethiah's Summoning Day - 2nd of Sun's Dusk (November)

Clavicus Vile's Summoning Day - the 1st of Morning Star (January)

Hermaeus Mora's Summoning Day - 5th of First Seed (March)

Hircine's Summoning Day - 5th of Midyear (June)

Malacath's Summoning Day - 8th of Frost Fall (October)

Mehrunes Dagon's Summoning Day - 20th of Sun's Dusk (November)

Mephala's Summoning Day - 13th of Frost Fall (October)

Meridia's Summoning Day - 13th of Morning Star (January)

Molag Bal's Summoning Day - 20th of Evening Star (December)

Namira's Summoning Day - 9th of Second Seed (May)

Nocturnal's Summoning Day - 3rd of Hearthfire (September)

Peryite's Summoning Day - 9th of Rain's Hand (April)

Sanguine's Summoning Day - 16th of Sun's Dawn (February)

Sheogorath's Summoning Day - 2nd of Sun's Dawn (February)

Vaermina's Summoning Day - 10th of Sun's Heights (July)

[thewolfparadox-things]

Hircine Hunter's Moon prayer

Hircine, Lord of the Hunt,

We gather on this Hunter's Moon to give thanks for all that you provide. We thank you for the beasts that roam the forests, for they challenge us and teach us to be better Hounds. We thank you for the wild places, for they give us a place to come together and commune with nature. We thank you for the thrill of the chase, for it fills our hearts with excitement and makes us feel alive. On this Hunter's Moon, we ask for your blessing. Help us to be skilled and successful in our hunts. Help us to be safe and respectful of the beasts we take. And help us to use the gifts of the hunt to provide for our families and our communities.

Hircine, we honor you.

We praise you.

We thank you.

We are your Hounds.

[plane-of-oblivion]

Plane of Oblivion

I am Craig, a lycanthrope and daedric worshipper. I’m 20, and have been studying this religion since, let’s say, 2020.

I am also the main host of a system, but will likely be the only one posting. The only reason I’m mentioning this unrelated info is to explain any gaps in activity.

I unsurprisingly worship Hircine and have pretty much since I formed in 2020. More recently, in the last year, I’ve begun to work with Hermaeus Mora. On top of that, I honor all the rest of the Daedric Princes, and acknowledge the Divines.

Despite studying and partaking in Daedra worship for 4 years now, I still see myself as a beginner. Honestly, I still see myself as a beginner in TES lore, too. It’s just so expansive. Don’t be too harsh on me LOL.

[gloryfore]

Magical pathways 🌲🦌

[unusual-suspects]

iceland, may 2024

[vikings-til-valhalla]

So I find it hilarious. I began my Asatru journey working with just Odin. He's the first that I was drawn to, and Odin has worked with me ever since.

But when I came out as trans, I started feeling drawn to Loki. Of course. Because, y'know, god of change, shapeshifter, and being trans you essentially shapeshift. But I was hesitant, tried to work just with Odin.

Loki wouldn't have it.

I'm a vivid dreamer, and dreams inspire plenty of my writing. And soon enough if I ever dreamt of Odin, Loki was there. They'd often interfere with Odin and I, cause some stupid prank and make me laugh to no end, and a few times I even spoke to them directly, and Loki praised me for my determination in being myself despite what hate I get.

Ever since, if I'm working with Odin, Loki is there inevitably. They're always causing mayhem in some way.

And uhh... I kinda have proof of this IRL now.

So I was playing Skyrim (Anniversary Edition), and made myself in game. Outright just me. I'm a tiny Dwemer/Dwarf, same hair and stubble, same face, the only difference is the pointed ears, and otherworldly eye color.

In Anniversary Edition, there is a mod for horses that lets you find them in the wild, tame them, and give them a name.

The names are COMPLETELY RANDOM chosen from a list, but you as a player don't control which name you get. You can choose another later on that's also random, but it's not like you type in one to give the horse.

So recently I took my game self out to Riften, and grabbed the majestic unicorn from the wild. Gave it some Dwarven armor, then went to give it a name.

What's the first name that my unicorn fucking got?????

Yeah. Uhh.

Loki if you're watching me rn, which it seems you always are, I love ya, my dude (gender neutral). Thanks sincerely for always giving me a good laugh and smile. :) Life is way too short to be miserable and mopey.

[kleptic-cryptid]

I found an etsy store called Statuecrafts, and they are full of horseshit.

This motherfucker is selling a $130 statue claiming it's of the Greek Goddess Hekate, but I've played enough Skyrim to know that that is the Daedric Prince Azura. Look! She's even holding Azura's Star, a daedric artifact that can be used as a reusable Soul Gem. They probably stole the design off of another artist who was selling statues of the Daedric Princes. Smh.

(Edit: the model comes from a mod made by a Skyrim modder called Mandragorasprouts, you can see in the last two images, its the exact same)

[froggydelicious]

infinitely fucked up that skyrim is the best werewolf sim of all time

[psych0billy]

☣︎ im vinny :3 ☣︎ 19 ☣︎ skullet wearing freak ☣︎

i enjoy :

[mistressofduskanddawn]

Wines for the Daedric Princes

Azura: Light rose and sweetened whites, especially gewürztraminer, for its lovely rose scent and taste.

Boethiah: red light bodied wines that remind one of spilled blood; cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir.

Clavius Vile: wines of deeper nature and deception, a buttery chardonnay or meaty sweet port, complex blends and vintages unseen yet a deal for what they may be.

Hermaeus Mora: natural wines in which their secrets are hidden, you will never know how the wine went through its fermentation.

Hircine: natural wines, made from wild undomesticated grapes within the wilderness. The hunt for them alone is one of his pursuits.

Ithelia: obscure, indigenous wines that fathered the modern wine world yet remain locked and lost to time. Gouais blanc and other such forgotten yet vital varieties.

Jyggalag: traditional wines, bordeauxs and such, that invoke the order and tradition of old world wines.

Malacath: Table wines, those of the lower class, longstanding for their value. Wines enjoyed with food, considered weak yet have been a table of human culture for ages.

Mehrunes Dagon: Syrah and burnt wines, wines made from the regional smoke that lingers within the bottle and upon the tongue.

Mephala: Wines of controversy and disguise, such as a purple pinot noir or the market-changing jackson Chardonnay. Cold-hardy hybrid wines as well, such as Chambourcin, that seek to change the market itself.

Meridia: Bright wines, light and full of life, such as a cold region chardonnay or vigonier. Sparkling wines as well, brimming with light and air, such as prosecco,

Molag Baal: brutal, tannic wines, such as Cabernet Franc, the colour of blood and barely drinkable, begetting suffering for the drinker.

Namira: Old wines, sherries and noble rot wines, filled with age and decay.

Nocturnal: blueberry wines that invoke the night sky, full bodied reds made to invoke mystery such as petite syrah.

Peryite: noble rot wines, saturnes and such, made from the botrytis bunch rot in such a way that a wine become dried of water and therefore sweet.

Sanguine: All wines, truly, but especially those of higher ABV meant to draw in indulgence.

Sheogorath: wines of chaos. peeps wine and other such creatures.

Vaermina: Muscats and sweet wines, to lure one into a drink yet end up blacked out due to overindulgence, the slow draw into more until sleep.

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

ideas for Vaermina worship

in my reinterpreting Vaermina post i suggested an alternate way of looking at Vaermina rather than just seeing her as an "evil" Daedric Prince. i am drawing on that understanding of mine in this post and so if you're confused, refer back to that post for clarification.

Vaermina's spheres

dreams and nightmares

divination

memory

below this everything is UPG

sleep

concentration and inspiration

creativity and storytelling

energy and exhaustion

Symbols and themes associated with Vaermina

snakes

the colour purple

a pointy mask (seen below)

staves

orbs

Vaermina could be invoked for

help with sleep issues or fixing your sleep schedule

when you're attempting to lucid dream or astral travel

if you are trying to remember your dreams

getting rid of a scary or recurring nightmare

if you need a boost of energy during the day

for help with memory and/or concentration

to boost creativity and improve your storytelling abilities

Offering and devotional activity ideas

notes written in the Daedric alphabet (applicable for any Daedric Prince)

notes describing dreams you're had

sleep and naps

stimulating substances such as coffee or energy drinks

purple objects such as crystals or flowers

lavender - is purple and also traditionally has associations with sleep

sleep related items such as sleep teas or small pillows

relaxing or dreamy music

keeping a dream journal

lucid dreaming or astral travel

writing stories or being otherwise creative

resting or taking a mental health day

[thewolfparadox-things]

I write out my prayers and spells in Daedric script

[fru1t--bat]

Some things I'm interested in because I need relatable mutuals..

Reminder, I also am like a minor, so if you're an adult please be careful 😇😇

Cowboys

RDR1 & RDR2

Arthur Morgan

The wild west

The Victorian era

Pretty much the whole 19th century

Appalachian folklore

LOTR, and like all of the Tolkien universe

Skyrim

Music, folk, bluegrass, country, Appalachian mountain music

Writing

Art

I love learning about occult and witchy stuff

Banjo, guitar and bass

Elves

Vampires

Bg3

The phantom of the opera

Like anything fantasy or mystical

Books

[gloryfore]

Rune stone magick

ᚹ ᛘ ᛖ

[dovahsonaak]

Look I’m not gonna get involved in community drama cuz that’s not what my blog is about but I am gonna say I was super let down by Kaidan’s daedric quest

But that’s why god invented fanfiction