#the aedra

[the-college-of-whispers]

I was wondering if you had any ideas for how one could approach worshipping the Aedra. Since we don't have as much information on them in the lore as the Daedric Princes + they're canonically nerfed because of cosmology stuff, I seem to be having trouble connecting with them despite wanting to incorporate them into my practice.

Do you have any tips or ideas?

First thing's first, *slides my Aedra tag over to you*. Secondly... Man, I dunno. We may not get as much lore on them as we do with the Daedric Princes, but they're worshiped more than the Daedric Princes in-universe. They play key roles in the creation of Nirn/Mundus depending on the religion, and there's so much freaking lore to these guys.

If in-universe research and worship don't appeal to you, perhaps you could look at similar deities in our world's religions? For instance, Mara is a goddess of agriculture, fertility, and love. While a lot of people would look at that last one and take a cue from Aphrodite's worship, I would personally look at Demeter instead. Julianos, meanwhile, might draw from the worship of Athena and Apollo for a base. (I am using Greek gods as an example because my primary background is in the Greek pantheons.) It all depends on how much effort you wanna put in on the ground floor and how willing you are to change on the go.

I don't know how much you usually feel the presence of deities, but I'm a person who struggles with that sort of thing. So instead, I just kind of...trust that the deities I call out to are there. Gotta have a little faith and belief in my beliefs, ya know?

Anyway, I hope this gives you a place to start, anon!

~Jasper

[vaerminasteponme]

The daedra being the Elder Scrolls pagan gods is so funny to me, cause they are part of the same pantheon as the Divines. They are all Original Spirits. They are depicted as evil when like that’s not really what they are about, don’t get it twisted they do some evil stuff, but they also have a capacity for good. They are just the extremes of the ideals they embody, like the divines. The Dibellan arts can be depicted as vulgar and overly sexual but that’s what Dibella is about, she is beauty and sex and desire in its purest form. Some cultures even conflate the deities. The Forsworn see Mara and Namira as the same goddess and in a way they aren’t even far off. Mara is the Goddess of love and Namira is the goddess of revulsion but they both exhibit a desire to embrace those shunned by society. Mara wants them to be changed by love while Namira wants them to be consumed by it. Honestly I don’t even think there is a right answer, at least not if they are looked at figuratively.

Mara wants people to become their best selves from love and views it as transformational, love is something to be projected outward onto others. Namira turns love inwards, an unconditional love for the self. If we take the cult of Namira as a figurative example they represent people who have to ‘wear a mask’ to fit into society. To be themselves would be to face ridicule and even danger. There are a lot of examples of disenfranchised people who fit this role, queer people, nonwhite groups that follow different cultural norms or even express their ties to their native culture and people who are neurodivergent. More than this Namira is excepting of all the wretched and unsightly of the world in Tamriel. She embraces people because of their imperfections and differences.

Tl:dr Mara can be interpreted as radical love and tolerance being externalizer and Namira represents radical love and acceptance of the self. They are two sides of the same coin and equally important.

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

If we’re in trouble, just throw a Dragonborn at the problem and hope for the best.

Akatosh, often, definitely

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Talos

Concept art for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Art by Ray Lederer

[arcturite]

Suggestober 3: Meridia vs Kyne

“One rained forever because he was gone. One said, no I will wait until he comes back”

[shapelytimber]

A Taste of Faith

[PRINT] - [COMMISSIONS]

Ok so the concept for this piece was : historical gay nuns, and 70s lesbian vampire movies meets tes (don't ask me why- I just had a vision at 3 am)

Because I think Serana should have been meaner<3 I love women's wrongs and when vampires do the suck <3

Btw of you want to see more gay Serana art, go check out @gay-of-waterdeep, their art is wonderful, and I can't say this was not a bit inspired by what they do :))

Process (and me rambling about some of my favorite 70s lesbian vampire movies (because I have a problem)) below vvv

Additional details about this drawing ! 1) I used the same Mara design than the one from my tarot deck :)) and 2) the other woman is one of the priestess in the temple in Riften lglggigkglgl her name is *check wiki* Dinya Balu

And now......... Some movies I enjoy because my house my rules, you came this far so why not hear about niche european movies :))))))

Disclaimer for a majority of the films in this genre : the male gaze is very fucking obvious in these movies... they were made by men for men, and the message is often "lesbianism is a dangerous temptation for women". It's a glairing flaw nearly all of them share and that sucks (and frankly it's a flaw Serana's writting kinda has in my opinion, minus the lesbianism part, but let's not dwell on that)- so if you can't get past it, it's completly understandable, be on your way and have a nice day <3

- Daughters of Darkness ! A toxic man is returning to london with his newly wed wife, but they get stuck in Belgium and are forced to stay in a luxurious hotel. Don't worry about the 10/10 smokeshow countess seducing his wife :). Completely unrelated, this movie has, in my opinion, the most beautiful lesbian kiss I've ever seen- but I might not be very objective because Delphine Seyrig is there lglglflflllglm The best one in the list ! So if you want to whatch one, whatch this one <3

- The blood spattered bride ! This is more of... an aquired taste let's say- but I really like it ! A quite effective horror movie, with goofy ass scenes (shoutout to the vampire lady buried in the sand naked with only a diving mask that is not the screenshot because tits), and emasculation being a recuring theme <3 (but if you want to watch it, please check the content warnings beforehand, it has a lot of very shocking and frontal scenes, and it's the 70s so it's not done very tactfully. Also pretty intense flashing lights)

- The vampire lovers ! Ok so this one is a lot less fun compared to the other two because it's made by the Hammer BUT... 1) Ingrid Pitt hello and 2) it's such a intriging thing to see a very christian/conservative studio make a film like that. I know a lot of people don't like the Hammer movies from the 70s, because the studio had a lot less money, and were making wild decisions. But I love them, because they tend to be much more fun bloody and sexy ! I'm a simple woman mjllkklhkhlhlho case in point with the vampire lovers (although if you want a fun vampire hammer movie from the 70s, Dracula ad 1972 is way better). And Peter Cushing is there (i love this man so much-) !

And now I shall resume my quest to find Vampire Lesbos by Jésus Franco and have a probably mid experience watching it xoxo

[iamnotshazam]

Dipping my toes into Elder Scrolls lore for the first time: we know about Meridia and the Magna-Ge, yeah, but I feel like Azura has - or had - something to do with Akatosh/Auri-El.

He's literally Time incarnate. Azura gives prophecies. She's also Lady of Dawn and Dusk, and her symbols are a moon and star. The star - and her literal Star item - has pointed rays that could just as easily be a sun design. The Snow Elves worshipped Auri-El in Skyrim with a heavy sun theme. In Morrowind, the Nine Divines are implied to be cool with her major goals at that point, or at least cool with the idea of a Nerevarine enough to show up in person (?) along the way in side quests.

Then I just looked up her role in the Khajiit religion, in which she literally has Auri-El's role cutting the heart from Lorkhan.

Does anyone know . . . what her deal is?

[a5tr0n0m1cal]

Just trying to admire my new character and then I got possessed 😔🙏

[helga-ackerman]

💒 Mara is a goddess of the Nine Divines. She is also known as Mother-Goddess and Goddess of Love.

Mara says: Live soberly and peacefully. Honor your parents, and preserve the peace and security of home and family.

[coyote-ralyn]

Dibella❤

[the-college-of-whispers]

Daedra, Divine, and Undeath

by Palel Jorian, Necromancy Master of the College of Whispers and Fasti Silver-Tongue, Scholar of the College of Whispers

It is very much worth noting that being undead is generally frowned upon in wider Tamriellic society, regardless of whether you’re a shambling zombie, a flesh-less skeleton, or a suave vampire. There are a rare few post-expired persons who have been able to blend more seamlessly into society.

Having said that, most of the Eight Divines are very anti-undead – or, in some cases, more specific in their detestation. There are also many fascinating notes about the undead when compared to different Daedric Princes. This paper hopes to shine light on such a dark topic.

Molag Bal, as the originator of vampirism, is naturally noted as very pro-undead. Beyond being the Daedric Prince of Domination and Rape and the Father of Vampires, he is also the patron of the Order of the Black Worm, an order that wields necromancy in his name. This cult was once led by the Aldmer lich known as Mannimarco, who has also been worshiped as a god (though whether or not he was is a matter of great debate).

An unexpected entry is the Daedric Prince Sheogorath. Despite not being traditionally associated with necromancy, it has been documented that his Gatekeeper of the Fringe – a series of gigantic guardians that protect the Gates of Madness in Sheogorath’s realm of the Shivering Isles – is a powerful undead known as a Flesh Atronach.

The Daedric Prince Sanguine appears in this list of pro-undead Daedra, but only in the form of the Khajiiti god Sangiin. The Blood Cat, as he is known, was the one that gave vampirism to the Khajiit as a form of temptation. Khajiiti vampire clans worship Sanguine as the giver of their dark natures.

Namira, Daedric Prince of Ancient Darkness and the Lady of Decay, has been historically known to favor vampires. It’s unknown if she has any further connection to the undead of Nirn beyond that.

Clavicus Vile is the Daedric Prince of Trickery and Bargains. It is said that he fulfilled a deal with vampires to help them blend into society better. There is also a story of him turning a tribe of Kothringi into undead and has “cured” vampire worshipers (with death). It’s pretty ambiguous about whether or not he cares about the undead just because they’re undead – rather, the interest seems to be in the usual thing he worries about, that being how he can make a deal that he wins in the end.

Similarly, Hircine has been known to use undeath as a revenge curse. The Daedric Prince of the Hunt is believed to be connected to the Noxiphilic Sanguivora strain of vampirism, but this theory originates from a piece of fiction known as “Seventeen Tastes of Infamy” and was popularized by Cinna Scholasticus, who is infamous for his sensationalism.

Finally among the ambiguous Daedric Princes is Peryite, the Daedric Prince of Natural Order and Pestilence. A recipe for summoning incense includes vampire dust. It’s unknown if this is because he favors vampires as the spreaders of disease or dislikes them for another reason.

Continuing the theme of Daedric Princes but pivoting into the list of gods that detest the undead, we have Meridia, the Prince of Life and Lady of Light. She has a well-documented hatred of the undead and is known to give the Daedric Artifact Dawnbreaker to mortals to vanquish the undead in her name. She is also the patron of the Purified, immortals (or undead, it’s very unclear) who serve her unquestioningly to carry out her will.

Azura, Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn and the Goddess of Twilight, has historically had her vampirism-afflicted followers killed to bring them the peace of death.

Finally, Vaermina (the Prince of Dreams and Nightmares) has ordered liches killed and is rumored to have a cure for vampirism. Admittedly this report comes from barely-preserved records of the Nerevarine in 3E 427 and is severely lacking in detail.

None of the Eight Divines are known to favor the undead, and four specifically detest the undead: Arkay, Dibella, Stendarr, and Zenithar.

Arkay is the God of the Cycle of Brith and Death whose priests are staunch opponents of necromancy and the undead alike. The teachings of Dibella, Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Affection, agree with the teachings of Arkay that vampires have impure spirits, and discourages love between the living and the undead.

Stendarr’s faithful are known to hunt down four Abominations defined by Vinicius Imbrex, Archbishop of Chorrol between 1E 1051 and 1E 1087. These four Abominations are the Daedra, lycanthropes, the undead, and vampires (despite vampires already being covered by the category of “undead”). The history of Stendarr’s faithful and their battles with these four Abominations is as long and bloody as the rest of Tamriel’s history.

To a far lesser extent than the other Divines, the God of Work and Commerce, Zenithar, is also put in the position of being anti-undead. He is attributed the Mace of the Crusader (also known as the Mace of Zenithar). This Crusader’s Relic is known to turn the undead and make them flee battle for a short period of time. No further information about Zenithar’s teachings on the undead are available to the College of Whispers at this time.

While we here at the College of Whispers do not outlaw the study of necromancy or the act of being undead, it’s very important to choose a patron wisely, if you must deal with the Daedric Princes and the Eight Divines.

Sources

UESP Lore pages on the following Daedric Princes:

Azura

Clavicus Vile

Hircine

Meridia

Molag Bal

Namira

Peryite

Sanguine

Vaermina

UESP Lore pages on the following Divines:

Arkay

Dibella

Stendarr

Zenithar

Other UESP Lore pages:

Crusader's Relics

Gatekeeper of the Fringe

Mannimarco

Necromancy

Order of the Black Worm

The Four Abominations

[mywitchcultblr]

Akatosh when his other children *breathe*

Akatosh when the last dragonborn wreck havoc

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

Alduin: How can you find what you make annoying? You made it.

The Last Dragonborn: Akatosh made you and he finds you annoying.

Paarthurnax: *chokes on his mushrooms*

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Remember, TES religion isn't like reality.

There are very very real tangible dangers of pleasing aedra/daedra and there are very real *benefits* as well.

Essentially, this isn't a popularity poll! Please consider your answer honestly and carefully!

Winner of this poll will influence the next poll topic.

[spooky-donut-ghost-house]

Lucien: "That's NOT how fucking dialectics work, you stupid cuck! I didn't study Xarxes plus continental philosophy in general at The Arcane University for SEVEN FUCKING YEARS for some LOW LIFE KNOW IT ALL who's CLEARLY never fucking read Xarxes as he would KNOW that XARXES has NEVER FUCKING EVER use the terms “thesis, antithesis, synthesis” to start perpetuating these LIES at EVERY SINGLE FUCKING OPPORTUNITY! This isn't Xarxes, my friend, no, no, no. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis was thought up by Sotha Sil and it's clearly inferior to Xarxes' dialectical method of imminent critique. Yes, it's called imminent critique. And dialectics is only ONE PART of Xarxes' full method. Which again is called imminent critique which you would know if you had ACTUALLY BOTHERED TO READ XARXES, IT'S LITERALLY IN THE SCIENCE OF LOGIC, YOU DUMB FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! I honestly cannot believe the fucking arrogance to come out here, spouting that anti Xarxes garbage. Where did you get your fucking info on dialectics? Fucking Calcelmo? By The Divines, I cannot deal with this bullshit right now. I'm sorry, I'm leaving, I'm fucking leaving."

[mothermara]

mara visits orsinium