what are all the races religions?

[notmyhome]

One thing I've always asked myself: How did people notice Talos had become a god after his earthly death?

[Lachdonin]

Well, cults to particularly popular Emperors are not uncommon... Reman was a local god in Cyrodiil for some time (and i've actually been reading some... stuff, about Reman...) and Tiber Septim himself started a cult dedicated to his predecessor, Cuhlecain. We also know that Potema was a devotee to the cults of conquerors like Tiber Septim and Reman Cyrodiil.

 

So, likely, Tiber Septim was a small time god for some time. However, with the Warp in the West, Talos became something else. His status as the 9th Divine seems to start following the Warp in the West, which is when he seems to have done his whole entinamorph thing.

 

At the time of the Oblivion Crisis, however, he still seemed to be a rather minor deity. I like to think that his rise to prominence stems from his Man-centric nature during the rise of the Aldmeri Dominion. He gave the human provinces a divine backbone against the renewed Meri power.

[Lachdonin]

Ok, so, i've been doing some reading, and i think this may be worth talking about here...

 

Creation Myths.

 

There are two primary creation myths in TES. The first, and most accepted one, comes from the Monomyth, Loveletter from the 5th Era, Nu-Mantia intercept and numerous other sources. it basically goes as follows...

 

In the beginning, there was Anu and Padomy, Order and Chaos, Stasis and Change. These two primal forces spread through the void, and where they touched, they combined to create a wide array of spirits known as the Et'Ada (literally Original Spirits). Of these spirits, the most Anu aligned was Auriel, while the most Padomay aligned was Lorkhan.

 

Lorkhan approached his brother Auriel with a plan to create something new, a joining of ideas and spirits where they could experience and understand eachother and themselves. Lorkhan convinced or tricked many other Et'ada into supporting him in this new idea, and they joined with him to create Mundus. Only the Daedra, who dwelt closest to the void of Oblivion, rejected Lorkhan's plan, viewing their brothers as foolish.

 

Magnus was the architect of this new world, though both Auriel and Lorkhan contributed to its design. But soon something became apparent, that Mundus was draining the power away from the Et'Ada, making them weaker. Magnus and many others fled, tearing holes in the barrier between Mundus and Oblivion (the stars and the sun) and some, such as Y'ffre, were forced to give themselves entirely to Mundus to keep it from dying (and taking the spirits with it). Those that remained fought amongst each-other.

 

Lorkhan forged those spirits that joined him into Men, and his armies conquered the continent of Altmora, renaming it Atmora, before perusing the followers of Auriel to Tamriel. On Tamriel, Lorkhan was defeated by Auriel's champion, Trinimac, who tore his heart free and routed the armies of Lorkhan.

 

Assembling at Auriel's bastion/tower/ship, the Adamantium Tower, the remaining Et'ada, now identified as the Aedra, found they could not destroy Lorkhan's heart. Instead, they cast it out, and where it fell a vast volcano formed. Auriel then departed, following though the hole left by his brother Magnus as an example to those who would follow, showing them the way to escape. At this moment, linear time began, and the rest is rather normal history.

 

 

The other creation myth, which is largely discounted, is that contained in the Annuad.

 

http://www.imperial-library.info/content/annotated-anuad

 

It is the story of Anu and Padomay once again, but differs greatly... In this story, their interactions birth Nir, whom they both adore and love. But Nir chooses Anu, and Padomay leaves in jealousy and rage. Anu and Nir conceive 12 children, but before Nir can give birth Padomay returns to profess his love. Nir rejects him, and so he beats her unto death. Anu returns in time to drive his brother off, but not to save Nir, and he retreats into the sun to grieve as their 12 Children(the 12 Worlds of Creation) continue on their own.

 

Sometime later, Padomay returns, and maims the 12 Worlds. Anu awakens and fights with his brother again, defeating him. Anu then combines the remnants of the 12 worlds into one world, Nirn, before grappling with Padomay once more and casting them both from the universe forever.

 

The blood shed by the brothers in their final battle form the gods. Padomay's black blood become the Daedra, Anu's golden blood become the Magne'ge, and the blood that mixes together become the Aedra, who have capacity for both good and evil.

 

Of the inhabitants of the 12 worlds, only 2 races survive. The Ehlnofey and the Hist. The Ehlnofey become divided in the formation of Nirn, with come remaining on their world-fragment, becomming the Old Ehlnofey (the Aldmer) and others falling to the far corners of Nirn to become the Wandering Ehlnofey (Men). Eventually the Wanderers find their lost kin, but the Old Ehlnofey do not trust them and there is war.

 

The war shapes the world, carved the seas and leaves both the Old Ehlnofey and the Wanderers bitter and divided. Much of the domains of the Hist are destroyed as the Ehlnofey wage their war, but eventually the Wanderers are driven to the furthers corners of the world to become the Yokudans, the Atmorans and the Tsaesci. The Old Ehlnofey become the Mer, dividing amongst their recognisable lines. After many ages, the descendants of the Wanderers return to Tamriel.

 

 

Now... these two stories have some commonalities, particularly in regards to the war between primal men and primal elves, and of the importance of Anu and Padomay, but beyond that, they seem rather different. Which is true, which is false? Or... are both true?

 

I'll come back to this idea later if there's any interest in it... But as far as religions of Tamriel go, the creation myths remain important as they are.

[notmyhome]

I think you should mention that according to the first creation theory, the world periodically resets itself to the point of time where Auriel leaves.

I'm not sure, does the annuad even mention kelpas?

[Lachdonin]

Indeed, though none of the main sources of the Heart of the World (the Altmer creation myth cited in the Monomyth) really mention the Kalpas. Those come instead from the Comentaries on the Mysterium Xerxes, the Mysterim Xerxes it's self, the 7 Fights of the Aluag-something and so on...

In these, we are given a basic continuation of the Heart of the World myth, which states that the moment Lorkhan's heart is removed (or cast from the Adamantium Tower) becomes am event known as The Convention. Other sources also stated that this Convention was a trial for Lorkhan, after he was captured in battle rather than killed.

Anyway, at 'the eighth toll of the All Maker's Bell' Alduin descends upon the world to consume it wholly. He literally EATS Nirn. He then retreats back to wherever he waits, and time resets to the moment of Convention, with the world rolling on until Alduin once again devours it. Each of these life-spans is a single Kalpa, and they never play out the same.

The Mysterium Xerxes tells us of a few... One was ruled by Story-Spinners and talking trees for instance. In several, a mischievous spirit known as the Leaper Demon King conspired with the Greedy Man to hide parts of the world's from Alduin, then stick them on the new ones allowing life to continue from past Kalpas. They were caught by Alduin, and the Leaper Demon Ling was named Dagon and cursed to not leap again until he had destroyed all the hidden fragments of the old world's.

In another Kalpa, Molag Bal ruled over the Cephlimer (the Dreugh) and sunk Tamriel beneath the seas. Unable to shine her light on the World, Meridia turned to Lyg (sort of a parallel Tamriel, more Sci Fi-fantasy than Fantasy-Sci Fi) where she had Dagon forged into Mehrunes the Razor (thus creating Mehrunes Dagon).

Anyway, a contributor on /r/TESlore by the name of IcwFireWarden believes to have found a reconciliation of the 2 myths, which I find both heavy and absolutely fascinating... I'll come back to that when I have an actual keyboard...

Edited October 10, 2014 by Lachdonin

[Lachdonin]

Out of a degree of boredom, i'm going to continue this little series... In order to reconcile the competing creation myths, we first need a basis on a few complicated ideas... The Godhead, CHIM and the Amaranth...

 

The Godhead

 

The Godhead is the source of the Elder Scrolls universe. A schizophrenic entity that exists in sensory deprivation, the entirety of the multiverse exists within its imagination. It is the source of the 'Dream'. No one is entirely clear about it's origins, or why it functions the way it does (though i am working on a piece where i hope to explain exactly that) but it is essentially the top-tier 'divinity' in TES.

 

CHIM

 

CHIM is an Ehlnofex word which means Royalty. In this universe it describes a particular form of enlightenment in which an individual uncovers the true nature of reality. It requires two components, Will and Love.

 

Will is the expression of the self, the absolute and unshakable determination that you are real despite the fact that reality is a lie. In a way, it's suborn pig-headed acceptance of WHO you are.

 

Love is the acceptance of the Dream and everything in it. It is the total and absolute unity of all things. You understand that everything is an extension of the Dream, that you are one with all creation, and you embrace that.

 

Those who achieve CHIM are able to do wondrous things. Vivec could visit past Kalpas, and reshape his own history. Talos turned Cyrodiil from a jungle into what we saw in Oblivion (dick should have left well enough alone, Oblivion sucked).

 

But CHIM is only the first step...

 

Amaranth

 

Amaranth is the new Dream. It is caused when one who has reached CHIM begins to dwell in its own mind, creating their own Dream within a Dream (within a dream within a dream etc. straight back to the original Godhead). It is, basically, Inception, starting the process all over again.