Daedric Princes
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Daedric Princes (sometimes referred to as Daedra Lords) are the most powerful of the Daedra, a fictional fantasy race from the Elder Scrolls universe, and thus most commonly worshipped as gods. Each has a particular sphere, which it is said to govern. The various Daedric Princes and their spheres are listed below. Although Daedric Princes may assume the form of a female, they have no inherent gender, and are all referred to as Princes. In all, there are sixteen known Princes and one which could simply be a powerful daedroth. Not all Daedric princes are necessarily evil, but all are prone to rash action.
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[edit] Azura
Sphere: Dusk and Dawn, the magic in-between realms of twilight.
Aliases: Moonshadow, Mother of the Rose, Goddess of Dusk and Dawn, Queen of the Night Sky.
General Appearance: A woman wearing sleeveless robes, bearing the symbol of the moon in one hand and the star in the other. In Daggerfall, a topless woman.
History and description:
Azura told Nerevar that Dagoth Ur's knowledge of the Heart of Lorkhan was accurate. This caused a war with the Dwemer (whose king denied knowledge of the Heart, although he only denied it due to lack of his own personal knowledge of the subject), from which Nerevar emerged the victor and the Dwemer did not emerge at all. Later, when the Tribunal of Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil used the power of the Heart of Lorkhan to make themselves gods thus breaking their oath to Azura , Azura cursed the Chimer (Caused their skin to become a dark greyish color and eyes red, thus making them Dunmer, or Dark Elves) and claimed that she would cause Nerevar to be reborn and that he would make things right again. Later, Azura aided the Nerevarine in defeating Dagoth Ur and toppling the Tribunal Temple (due to the differing accounts, told by various factions and individuals in Morrowind, that this should be taken with a grain of salt). Though never obviously deceitful, it can be portrayed as disturbing how she always gets what she desires in the end. Azura is most recognized with the artifact, Azura's Star, a reusable soul gem. She is also credited on making the Khajiit out of the Bosmer stock in Elsweyr.
[edit] Boethiah
Sphere: Deceit and conspiracy, the secret plots of murder, assassination, treason, and unlawful overthrow of authority.
Aliases: Prince of Plots.
General Appearance: Great caped male warrior in a stoic pose.
History and description:
It is possible he assisted Jagar Tharn in his temporary procurement of the Imperial throne. In addition to his male appearance in early games, Boethiah assumed a male form in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Boethiah loves competition and battle, and this nature is manifested in his quest in Oblivion, transporting the player to his realm of Oblivion for a tournament to decide who is truly worthy of Goldbrand, an enchanted katana with a gold-colored blade. (Rebuilding his shrine near Khortag Point in Vvardenfell is enough to claim the blade in Morrowind.) He is occasionally known as Boethia, a feminine persona, and the infamous Pillow Book (Tamriel's Kama Sutra) is named in his/her honour.
[edit] Clavicus Vile
Sphere: Granting power and wishes through ritual invocations and pacts.
Aliases: None known.
General Appearance: Jovial light-hearted child, with small horns protruding from his forehead (see satyr). Often depicted with a pet dog as a companion.
History and description:
It is possible he assisted Jagar Tharn in his temporary procurement of the Imperial throne, though by no means certain. In the past, Clavicus Vile has worked through mortal representatives to gain what he desires. In the game Redguard, Vile gambled with the protagonist Cyrus for the soul of Cyrus' sister against Cyrus' own soul. In Morrowind, the player may obtain Clavicus Vile's artifact, the Masque of Clavicus Vile, by defeating a Nord sorcerer who has been terrorizing the village of Dagon Fel. In Oblivion, the Masque can be acquired by finding and returning the sword Umbra to Vile. Another artifact associated with Clavicus Vile is the Bitter Cup, In Morrowind the player is able to trade this with a Clavicus Vile worshiper in order to gain political support. In the Oblivion "Vile Lair" plugin, the book "Manifesto Cyrodiil Vampyrum" states that Molag Bal and Clavicus Vile are the patrons of Cyrodiil's clan of vampires, a deal (the cost unspecified) with Clavicus Vile is one of the two theories on how vampires can walk in daylight.
[edit] Hermaeus Mora
Sphere: Scrying the tides of "fate," the past and future as read in the stars and heavens, and the treasures of knowledge and memory.
Aliases: Hoermius Mora, Hormaius Mora, Herma-Mora.
General Appearance: Lovecraftian; consisting of a round body with multiple eyes, tentacles and claws.
History and description:
He may be the "Woodland Man" of Nedic myth who catches villagers lost in the woods; the secondary set of his name, Mora, is one word for "wood", "woodland" or "tree(s)" in Elvish. Speaks with a deep, disgusting and almost-convoluted voice. Mora's item, the Oghma Infinium, is an ultimate skill book that selectively improves character traits. Hermaeus Mora is surely a powerful Daedric Prince to hold domain over whole aspects of the past, present, and future.
[edit] Hircine
Sphere: The Hunt, the Sport of Daedra, the Great Game, the Chase.
Aliases: Huntsman, the Father of Manbeasts, the Lycanthrope Deity.
General Appearance: Physically-fit man wearing a deer skull over his head and bearing a great spear. Often depicted with a companion wolf.
History and description:
Hircine created the various therianthropic diseases which transform mortals into beasts. They reflect his sphere admirably, hunting at night and being hunted by day. Hircine is a sportsman who enjoys giving his prey a chance for victory, however small.
In Battlespire, the protagonist was forced to endure a hunt in his realm, and in Bloodmoon the Nerevarine was forced to defeat an aspect of Hircine (Strength, speed or guile). Hircine's typical lackeys on the mortal realm Nirn are werewolves, which he directly talks to, gives tasks and rewards with additional powers. In Oblivion, he sends the protagonist on a hunt for a unicorn.
[edit] Jyggalag
Sphere: Unknown.
Aliases: None known.
General Appearance: Unknown.
History and description:
Jyggalag is mentioned in the in-game book "On Oblivion" and has yet to appear in any games. Many fans theorized he would play a part in the now-released Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, though the Daedra never appeared. Some quotes seem to indicate Jyggalag is not actually considered a full Prince, but merely a powerful Dremora.
[edit] Malacath
Sphere: Patronage of the spurned and ostracized, the keeper of the Sworn Oath, and the Bloody Curse.
Aliases: God of Curses.
General Appearance: Very muscular orc, often shown with a big and heavy weapon.
History and description:
Malacath was created when Boethiah ate the Aedroth Trinimac. The Orsimer ("Pariah Folk" in Elvish) or Orcs were also created, as they were Trinimac's devout followers. Malacath is not recognized as a Daedric Prince by his peers, which fits his sphere perfectly. Malacath is also called Malauch by Orcs and Orkey or the Old Knocker by Nords, who blame him for stealing mankind's long lifespans. Malacath spurns physical weakness, hence the above-average strength of the creatures associated with him.
In Morrowind, Malacath's quest is one of revenge for an orc. In Oblivion a player can visit Malacath's shrine, his quest is one of freeing enslaved ogres. Malacath's statue is a muscular orc ready to strike with a heavy weapon. Malacath's item is a strong war hammer called the Volendrung.
[edit] Mehrunes Dagon
Sphere: Destruction, Change, Revolution, Energy, and Ambition.
Aliases: Prince of Destruction.
General Appearance: Gigantic four-armed humanoid armed with a variety of weapons.
History and description:
Seems to have the most animosity towards Nirn's species of all Daedric Princes. He positively assisted Jagar Tharn in his temporary procurement of the Imperial throne, probably because of the decade of deliberate warfare and strife under Tharn. He invaded and seized control of the Battlespire in contravention of the Daedric pact preventing unchecked meddling in mortal affairs by divine beings; the purpose of this was to cripple the capacity of the Imperial College of Battlemages which presented a threat to Tharn's power as Emperor. Mehrunes Dagon was also responsible for the destruction of Mournhold at the end of the First Era and apparently destroyed Ald Sotha, home of House Sotha and Sotha Sil's birthplace. Dagon also allegedly created the Daedric Crescent. In Oblivion, the plot centers around Dagon's plot to destroy the Septim bloodline and Tamriel in general. In Michael Kirkbride's "The Aldadugga", a glimpse is given to the Aedric origins of the prince of Destruction. He, like the Daedea Prince Meridia, is said to have been banished from Aetherius. He tricked Akatosh, and was made into the Daedric Prince of Destruction after a short (by divine standards) happy life as a jumping demon. At the end of Oblivion, a Dragon (unconfirmed but often thought to be Akatosh) banishes him from Nirn to Oblivion, possibly a repeat of Akatosh sending him there the first time.
His name may be a reference to Father Dagon from the Cthulu Mythos
[edit] Mephala
Sphere: Obscured to mortals.
Aliases: Webspinner, Androgyne, Plotweaver, Spinner, and Spider.
General Appearance: Four-armed hermaphrodite, switches between male and female forms as needs dictate.
History and description:
Only consistent theme seems to be interference in the affairs of mortals for his/her amusement. He also helped directly to found the infamous cult/society of the Morag Tong. His sphere seems to indicate a careful plan carried out through executions, each life a portion of a massive web. Mephala sees the affairs of mortals as a weave; pull but one thread and the whole thing unravels. Her quest in Oblivion involves inciting a peaceful town into anarchy.
[edit] Meridia
Sphere: Obscured to mortals.
Aliases: Prince of Living Energies.
General Appearance: Beautiful female wearing simple medieval clothing and a loincloth, with no footwear. Hands often clasped together forward and away from the body.
History and description:
Associated with the energies of living things, and bears a special hatred for the undead. In Oblivion, she presents the player with a quest to destroy Necromancers who are raising an army of the undead. Meridia is rumored to be Aedric in origin, but banished for a misuse of magic, unofficially thought to be the ability of Cyrodiilic vampires to walk without harm in the day if well fed.
In the "Knights of the Nine" plugin, the Ayleid sorcerer king Umaril was revealed to have made a pact with Meridia. This pact allowed Umaril to cheat death after his defeat at the hands of Pelinal Whitestrake.
[edit] Molag Bal
Sphere: Domination, corruption and enslavement of mortals.
Aliases: God of Schemes, King of Rape, Father of Vampires.
General Appearance: Humanoid, with dragon-like features such as horns and a foward-elongated face.
History and description:
Desire is to harvest the souls of mortals and to bring mortals souls within his sway by spreading seeds of strife and discord in the mortal realms. He is also the god of rape and is said to be the father (along with Vivec, whom he seduced) of a population of mutant degenerates living in the region of Morrowind bearing his name, who may have been the first eventual vampires, a corruption of Vivec's ties to the Heart of Lorkhan transmitted to mortals. However, all other cultures disagree with that story, claiming the creation of vampires to be in Skyrim. It is possible he assisted Jagar Tharn in his temporary procurement of the Imperial throne.
He was also responsible for the destruction of a city at the end of the First Era. It should be noted, however, that Molag Bal helps the player cure his vampirism (if it has been contracted) in Morrowind. In exchange, the player must track down Molag Bal's daughter and kill her. Note on the game there is also another Molag Bal mission, at a shrine on an island east off the coast of Vvardenfall. The player must kill his lazy servant Menta Na in his lair east of Kogoruhn in the Ashlands region. If the player completes it they are awarded the unique mace of Molag bal.
In a book from the Oblivion "Vile Lair" plugin, one of the other vampire creation myths is given. Molag Bal, in a rage against Arkay, the god of life and death, set out to disrupt the cycle. He ravaged a Nedic virgin named Lamae in Skyrim, and her screams became the winds. He pricked his finger and left a drop of his corrupting blood on the center of her forehead. She awoke as the mother of vampires as she was about to be burnt on a pyre. She slaughtered them, and her "unholy" progeny spread to every corner of Tamriel, much to the dispair of Arkay, incapacitated by the creation of Nirn.
[edit] Namira
Sphere: The ancient darkness.
Aliases: Spirit Daedra, ruler of sundry dark and shadowy spirits.
General Appearance: Tall woman wearing a long, flowing robe. Hands often together and near to the body.
History and description:
Associated with spiders, insects, slugs, and other repulsive creatures which inspire mortals with an instinctive revulsion. Namira's followers keep to themselves and prefer living peacefully in dark and squalid conditions, but will react violently at any attempts to "save" them from their abysmal, minimalistic lifestyles.
[edit] Nocturnal
Sphere: Night and darkness.
Aliases: The Night Mistress.
General Appearance: Cloaked, barefoot, and hooded woman, with dark-coloured birds resting on her outstretched hands.
History and description:
The Cyrodiilic Thieves Guild leader, The Gray Fox, has the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal, which truly represents the sphere's darkness quality; it permanently removes the wearer's specific identity from all history. According to an account of a Blind Moth Priest, this is to prevent anyone from remembering the face of Nocturnal, for to do so would be to go insane. Regardless, the Cyrodiil Thieves' Guild venerates Nocturnal by ending talks with the saying "Shadow hide you." Another item of hers is the Skeleton Key, an unbreakeable lockpick which allows even unskilled users to pick the most complicated locks.
[edit] Peryite
Sphere: Ordering of the lowest orders of Oblivion, Pestilence (claimed).
Aliases: Taskmaster.
General Appearance: A dragon.
History and description:
Peryite is ostensibly concerned with ensuring all things are accounted for, neat, tidy and in their right order. Peryite's artifact is an enchanted shield, the Spellbreaker, which has a strong reflection ability; magick that is cast at the bearer of the shield might be turned back upon the caster.
[edit] Sanguine
Sphere: Hedonistic revelry and debauchery, passionate indulgences of darker natures.
Aliases: None known.
General Appearance: Portly man with a demon-like horned head, always holding a bottle or tankard, with one foot on a skull and sometimes holding a nude woman by the wrists. see satyr
History and description:
Often appears on the seals and signs of brothels and whore-houses. Sanguine gives the Sanguine Rose as a reward to his quest. In "Morrowind", it is revealed by the Grandmaster of the Morag Tong, Eno Hlaalu, that Sanguine crafted 27 items for Mephala collectively termed "Threads of the Webspinner"; if the character collects all 27 items and returns them to Hlaalu, they receive the Mephala's Blessing spell. In "Oblivion", if the player visits his shrine and gives him a bottle of Cyrodiilic Brandy, he will send the player on a quest to play a prank on a noble and her guests at a party; if successful, Sanguine will grant the player the Sanguine Rose, a staff that can summon a random Daedra on a target.
[edit] Sheogorath
Sphere: Madness.
Aliases: The Mad God
General Appearance: Happily-grinning banker or financier with a pocket watch which does not always appear to tell the time as one would expect; even more unusual considering pocket watches do not yet exist in The Elder Scrolls.
History and description:
Motives unknowable. He savors the act of driving mortals insane or making them perform actions obviously insane. Most amusing of all is his favored weapon for mortals, the staff Wabbajack which can transform any living creature (Not NPC's) into something wildly different. There is also a region in Morrowind named after him, Sheogorad. There are many Daedric shrines there, many of which are shrines built specificially for his followers to worship him. According to Sheogorath himself, he considers madness to be a form of mercy for those who would otherwise not function in the world. "A bitter mercy but a mercy nonetheless" as he put it right before giving the player the Spear of Bitter Mercy (which was used in The Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire to kill an invincible Daedric Hunter) - better to be seen as mad than hopelessly despondent. His creation was not with the other princes, and his fellow princes do not consider him a "true" Daedra. He was actully a byproduct of the creation of Nirn.
There is a considerable amount of debate as to whether Sheogorath is related in any way to the Lovecraftian god Azathoth. Both seem to cause random dementia, but Sheogorath is not insane himself, and seems less obviously malevolent. The names are somewhat similar, but it is a coincidence. Sheogorath is a word jumble of a Bethesda employee's name.
[edit] Vaermina
Sphere: Dreams and nightmares, issues forth evil omens. Torture (claimed).
Aliases: None known.
General Appearance: Terrifying gaunt-bodied woman dressed like an evil sorceress.
History and description:
In Oblivion the player is tasked with retrieving an orb of Vaermina's that was stolen by a powerful warlock held up in a remote tower. Vaermina's statue depicts her as female, and the reward item granted to the protagonist in Oblivion is the Skull of Corruption, a staff imbued with the power to create a temporary evil clone of an NPC that lasts for half a minute. She is the holder of the cure for Vampirism in Morrowind, leading many to question if Molag Bal is the true father of vampires.
[edit] Daedric Artifacts
In Oblivion, when the protagonist finds a Daedric shrine and speaks to it, a quest is offered by the God which the shrine represents. If the protagonist completes it, they are rewarded with a unique powerful item. These items are:
- Azura: Azura's Star
- Boethiah: Goldbrand
- Clavicus Vile: Masque of Clavicus Vile
- Hermaeus Mora: Oghma Infinitium
- Hircine: Savior's Hide
- Malacath: Volendrung
- Mehrunes Dagon: Mehrunes Razor
- Mephala: Ebony Blade
- Meridia: Ring of Khajiiti
- Molag Bal: Mace of Molag Bal
- Namira: Ring of Namira
- Nocturnal: Skeleton Key
- Peryite: Spell Breaker
- Sanguine: Sanguine Rose
- Sheogorath: Wabbajack
- Vaermina: Skull of Corruption
Only fifteen of the sixteen existing Daedra Princes offer quests; the sixteenth, Mehrunes Dagon, is not represented. This is appropriate, as Dagon is the chief antagonist of Oblivion, and therefore the player character's chief enemy. His unique weapon, Mehrunes' Razor, though not present in the game by default, can be added to the campaign through the official add-on of the same name.
