Is Sithis Really "Evil"?

[ZeroCore]

Sithis, as currently known, is the consciousness of the void and the inverse of Anu, the original life force that birthed the Aedra, Daedra, and consequently Mundus.

 

Now, everyone associates Sithis with death and destruction, and of course the infamous Dark Brotherhood (which, if you made certain choices in Skyrim, no longer exists).

 

Well, I don't exactly like things dying either (and just ignore it in video games since it's not actually a real thing) but looking at this another way, could Sithis actually not mind things living at all, but rather could he/it be in pain from it and the lore about him/it be completely wrong to the extent of what the inhabitants of Mundus know?

 

Well, I was thinking it over for a bit, and here's at least an idea as to what I thought up:

 

Perhaps Sithis and Anu were quite alike in certain ways and perhaps both of them did not dislike life at all, but once the Atherius was formed, they both had to go into a sort of "sleep" or some other similar state to maintain it and keep it going (think something like Azatoth from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos; the only reason why "reality" exists in those stories is because Azatoth is asleep and dreaming it into existence).

 

Well, if Mundus is a dream and Sithis being stuck as one of the dreamers, perhaps eventually he'd like to wake up and go about whatever outer-dimensional business he/it may have.

 

But can't.

 

At first it might not have been so bad, but over time being forced into a coma, and knowing it, might grate a bit on his/its metaphorical nerves (this is of course assuming that Sithis CAN feel at all, but given the fact that other gods and deities in the Elder Scrolls series are quite capable of feeling emotion and having perspectives on the world, and that the Night Mother claims to regularly communicate with Sithis at least gives the idea that Sithis has a mind of sorts and potential emotions). So as a result Sithis tried to destroy the "dream" of Mundus in order to wake up, but so far has failed at every turn, and then had his image sullied and was denounced as a villain perhaps by the dreaming Anu or the things that Anu created.

 

My point being this: is Sithis really a malevolent force, or just a very unfortunate being who's trapped in a coma and desperately wants to wake up?

Edited June 3, 2014 by ZeroCore

[Dudeman325]

My point being this: is Sithis really a malevolent force, or just a very unfortunate being who's trapped in a coma and desperately wants to wake up?

 

Can't it be a little of both?

 

An interesting read. All I really have to add to this subject is that, to me, it seems to be a matter of perspective, with obvious parallels to be drawn with the current Man / Elf situation. To a mortal being who thrives on the order of existing "reality", something that wants to "un-make" that reality would certainly be seen as malevolent and destructive, but in the eyes of one who also doesn't care for the current existence, a "chaotic" force wouldn't be seen as a bad thing, and possibly even a means to an end.

[malisc140]

What attracted to me check out Skyrim again was when I heard or read someone say the lore is actually very metaphysical. The concept of Sithis is some pretty cool out there stuff. The state of existence and non-existence, all sorts of good stuff.

 

From my perspective, Sithis isn't evil.

[madcow12]

Reminds me of the mod SkyMaidens lol.

Anyways, being the inverse of Anu who is the birth force of the Aedra, Daedra, and Mundus, one could directly assume then Sithis would be, as the inverse, the death force of the Aedra, Daedra, and Mundus. Or simpler, Sithis could be sustained by a power that is derived by something dying, in contrast to how living things contribute life energy into Mundus. Then this can tie in with the Dark Brotherhood whose profession is to bring death. A strong urge or wish for a death would initiate the channeling of a death energy to the target individual, which is read by the Night Mother and relayed to the DB people, who perform the task, thereby artificially creating a death. or perhaps it was in the bigger picture for this individual to die of assassination at a certain time to provide Sithis with death energy, as to balance life and death, so that life forces aren't overwhelming death forces, making everything well survive well beyond its natural span, or making already dead things receive overflowing life energy and reemerge from crypts and whatnot.

So i guess you could be right about sithis actually not mind things living; it's just there needs to be death for sithis to be sustained / sithis sustains deaths occuring in mundus and all. but since most would prefer to live than to die, whatever causes death is naturally seen as evil, and sithis being behind it all, is then considered evil.

[Lachdonin]

Sithis isn't a force of death, and Anu isn't a force of life. TOGETHER they create life, but they are Change and Stasis, Chaos and Order. Without each other, their is neither death nor life.

 

That said, Sithis isn't evil. Sithis isn't even a concious force. He/it is the elemental force of change in the universe. Birth and Death are both parts of it's infinite influence because they bring CHANGE.

 

The Sithis worshipped by the Dark Brotherhood is almost certainly just Mephala getting her jollies off. When Vivec usurped control of the Morag Tong, she 'created' the breakaway Dark Brotherhood to maintain her influence. Death, conspiracy and chaos are very much part of HER portfolio.

[MidbossVyers]

Calling any Daedra, Aedra, or nonhuman force good or evil is naive. They are beyond morals defined by humans.