The lore ofThe Elder Scrollsseries is incredibly dense and thorough. This helps make the world of Tamriel feel alive, but can also make it very difficult for fans to piece it all together to get a complete picture ofThe Elder Scrolls' setting. With there being ten distinct playable races, each with its own customs, cultures, and religions there can be a lot going on when trying to decipher what sort of gods are worshipped across the land, as well as what ones actually exist.
FutureElder Scrollstitles will undoubtedly continue to expand and further explain the religions and beliefs of the people of Tamriel, but there is already a lot ofdifferences between the religious beliefs of the Redguard and Skyrim’s Nords. Things get even more complicated when examining the beliefs of the Khajiit or Argonian, but there is one thing that stays rather consistent across all of the religions inThe Elder Scrolls. These are the et’Ada, also known as the Original Spirits. While the et’Ada don’t make an appearance in any of the games in the series, they are consistently referenced throughout and are crucial to understanding the world and lore ofThe Elder Scrolls.
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The Et’Ada in The Elder Scrolls
The origins of the et’Ada are subject to a number of different theories and beliefs raised through the various creation myths that are followed by the people of Thedas. While they are all a bit abstract and weird, they do contribute a lot towhat makesThe Elder Scrollssuch a great setting. However, there are similarities shared between them that contribute to a generally accepted story.
It all starts with the being known as Anu, an all-encompassing static force that is void of personality, compassion, or will. Anu’s power eventually created its opposite, Padomay, also known as the void. Some myths, however, start with both of them coming into existence simultaneously as twins. The battling interplay of their co-existence led to the creation of Aurbis, the universe, as well as the et’Ada.
One of these et’Ada was named Lorkhan. The exact origins of Lorkhan are debated between different belief systems, but they all agree that Lorkhan somehow convinced his fellow et’Ada to create the realm of Mundus, the mortal realm that players know well fromThe Elder Scrollsgames. This caused many of the et’Ada who participated to weaken and eventually recede to the realm known as Aetherius.
Those who did not agree with the creation of Mundus instead created Oblivion and each of them took their own realm within. Lorkhan was also punished for his deceit of the other et’Ada by having his divine spark hurled at the planet in Mundus known as Nirn, which led to the creation of life on the planet. The remains of Lorkhan are believed to be the moons Masser and Secunda, which play a massive role in thereligious beliefs of the Khajiit.
The Aedra vs Daedra
The Aedra are the et’Ada who helped create Mundus and reside in the realm Aetherius. Their name comes from the Aldmeri language and roughly translates to “our ancestors” as most races on Nirn revere the Aedra as their gods. Each Aedra has its own sphere of influence over the realm of Mundus, although their power was greatly weakened by the creation of the realm.
The Aedra are thus worshipped across Tamriel, with many of them making up some of themost interesting characters inThe Elder Scrolls. However, humans and the races of mer worship them very differently, with the mer races worshipping Aedra who are no longer connected to Nirn and have seemingly disappeared.
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The Daedra are the inverse of the Aedra, with the name roughly translating to “not our ancestors.” The Daedra were first created by the et’Ada who did not assist in the creating of Mundus and instead created their own realms in Oblivion. These et’Ada became the original Daedric Princes, each of which ruled their own sphere while also creating the monstrous denizens of Oblivion that are widely referred to as the Daedra. This led to the varioustypes of Daedra that players are familiar with from throughoutThe Elder Scrolls, as the Daedric Princes seek to destroy Mundus as they see it as a realm stolen from them by the other et’Ada.
Other Gods in The Elder Scrolls
While the et’Ada are primarily the original spirits that were created before the beginning of time, there are some mortals that have risen to godhood through what is referred to as CHIM. CHIM is also known as the Secret Syllable of Royalty and allows a mortal to remove all influences of Oblivion on them so that they can return to the state of influence by both Anu and Padomay, resulting in godhood.
The first attempt at CHIM was Lorkhan’s creation of Mundus, which was ultimately a failure. However, two mortals have managed to reach the state: Vivec and Talos. Vivec plays a large role inMorrowindafter he achieved CHIM by marrying and mating with Molag Bal, a powerful Daedric Prince. But, there is still a lot that isnot known about Vivec acrossThe Elder Scrollstitles.
Conversely, quite a lot is known about Tiber Septim, although it is not entirely understood how he achieved CHIM. Tiber Septim was the first Dragonborn from Skyrim that was the first individual to unite all the nations of Tamriel under the Imperial Empire. After doing so Tiber Septim somehow achieved CHIM and the legend says that he used it to remove all jungles from Cyrodiil as a reward to his soldiers who hated fighting and traveling through them.
Upon his death, Tiber Septim became the god known as Talos, who joined the Eight Divines to become the Eight and One. Talos' influence is felt throughoutThe Elder Scrollseven after his worship was prohibited by theWhite-Gold Concordat inSkyrim. It will be very interesting to see the roles that the et’Ada play in futureElder Scrollsgames, and what new information will be revealed to fans throughout the games to help better understand them and the breadth of their power.
