Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 559 (click to see context) from:
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The only servants who genuinely like Molag Bal are those who don't know him very well. Everyone else is either [[ForcedIntoEvil forced to do his bidding]] or [[TheStarscream hoping to usurp him]]. And there's only a matter of time before he betrays the former group and turns them into one of the latter.
to:
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The only servants who genuinely like Molag Bal are those who don't know him very well.well or have become enthralled by the power he's imbued them with. Everyone else is either [[ForcedIntoEvil forced to do his bidding]] or [[TheStarscream hoping to usurp him]]. And there's only a matter of time before he betrays the former group and turns them into one of the latter.
Changed line(s) 586 (click to see context) from:
* ILied: Molag Bal ultimately does not keep his word with his minions. While he may reward individual tasks on his behalf, remaining in his service will ultimately result in the servant only being rewarded with slavery and endless torment.
to:
* ILied: Molag Bal ultimately does not keep his word with his minions. While he may reward individual tasks on his behalf, "Rewards" are given solely for the purpose creating a more useful or obedient slave; remaining in his service will ultimately result in the servant only being rewarded with slavery and endless torment.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 281,282 (click to see context) from:
** While listed as one of the "good" Daedra (both in Morrowind lore and by series fans), Azura is also closely tied to and allied with Molag Bal, [[NamesToRunAwayFrom the King of Rape]]. If the name didn't make it obvious, just about everyone both in and out-of-universe considers him to be a "bad" Daedra. This is possibly a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, as Azura's alliance with Molag Bal was only mentioned in ''Daggerfall''. As mentioned above, Azura, like many other Daedric Princes, was a subject to CharacterizationMarchesOn since then. Despite this, there is in ''Morrowind'' (were Azura's well known characterisation started) [[spoiler: Molag Grunda, daughter of Molag Bal, who looks like a Winged Twilight, a type of Daedra serving Azura, suggesting there may indeed be still a connection between Azura and Molag Bal, and possibly a '''close''' one...]]
to:
** While listed as one of the "good" Daedra (both in Morrowind lore and by series fans), Azura is also closely tied to and allied with Molag Bal, [[NamesToRunAwayFrom the King of Rape]]. If the name didn't make it obvious, just about everyone both in and out-of-universe considers him to be a "bad" Daedra. This is possibly a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, as Azura's alliance with Molag Bal was only mentioned in ''Daggerfall''. As mentioned above, Azura, like many other Daedric Princes, was a subject to CharacterizationMarchesOn since then. Despite this,
** In ''Morrowind'', there isin ''Morrowind'' (were Azura's well known characterisation started) [[spoiler: Molag Grunda, daughter of Molag Bal, who looks like a Winged Twilight, a type of Daedra serving Azura, suggesting there may indeed be still a connection between Azura and Molag Bal, Bal. ''Online'', however, introduces a group of Winged Twilight that serve Molag Bal; one quest in particular introduces one that ''betrayed'' Azura to do so, and possibly a '''close''' one...]]
Azura is none-too-pleased about it.]]
** In ''Morrowind'', there is
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Others had suggested in terms of Lovecraftian lore, Sheogorath's name may be derived from Shoggoth, a name of amorphous, shapeshifting beings in H.P. Lovecraft's writtings.
** Another possibility, is that Sheogorath 's name and characterisation are a refernce to Cegorach from Warhammer40000, with both being trickster god, and noticed as ver similar by fans of both ''Warhammer'' and ''Elder Scrolls''. It helps Cegorach and Sheogorath ([[NoPronunciationGuide may]]) be pronouced the same, or very similary, and that folks at Bethesda are self proclaimed fans of ''Warhammer 40,000''.
** Another, yet the most probable possibility is that Sheogorath was named after ex-developer ''Theodore'' 'Ted' Peterson, who even is active on Official Forums under Sheogorath's name. It's possible though that the name Sheogorath, was created by combining 'Theodore', with one or more of the above options.
** Another possibility, is that Sheogorath 's name and characterisation are a refernce to Cegorach from Warhammer40000, with both being trickster god, and noticed as ver similar by fans of both ''Warhammer'' and ''Elder Scrolls''. It helps Cegorach and Sheogorath ([[NoPronunciationGuide may]]) be pronouced the same, or very similary, and that folks at Bethesda are self proclaimed fans of ''Warhammer 40,000''.
** Another, yet the most probable possibility is that Sheogorath was named after ex-developer ''Theodore'' 'Ted' Peterson, who even is active on Official Forums under Sheogorath's name. It's possible though that the name Sheogorath, was created by combining 'Theodore', with one or more of the above options.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
We don't want examples to contradict themselves
Changed line(s) 281,283 (click to see context) from:
** While listed as one of the "good" Daedra (both in Morrowind lore and by series fans), Azura is also closely tied to and allied with Molag Bal, [[NamesToRunAwayFrom the King of Rape]]. If the name didn't make it obvious, just about everyone both in and out-of-universe considers him to be a "bad" Daedra.
*** On the other hand, Azura's alliance with Molag Bal was only mentioned in ''Daggerfall'', and is probably an example of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, as mentioned above, Azura, like many other Daedric Princes, was a subject to CharacterizationMarchesOn. Although to be fair, there is in ''Morrowind'' (were Azura's well known characterisation started) [[spoiler: Molag Grunda, daughter of Molag Bal, who looks like a Winged Twilight, a type of Daedra serving Azura, suggesting there may indeed be still a connection between Azura and Molag Bal, and possibly a '''close''' one...]]
*** On the other hand, Azura's alliance with Molag Bal was only mentioned in ''Daggerfall'', and is probably an example of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, as mentioned above, Azura, like many other Daedric Princes, was a subject to CharacterizationMarchesOn. Although to be fair, there is in ''Morrowind'' (were Azura's well known characterisation started) [[spoiler: Molag Grunda, daughter of Molag Bal, who looks like a Winged Twilight, a type of Daedra serving Azura, suggesting there may indeed be still a connection between Azura and Molag Bal, and possibly a '''close''' one...]]
to:
** While listed as one of the "good" Daedra (both in Morrowind lore and by series fans), Azura is also closely tied to and allied with Molag Bal, [[NamesToRunAwayFrom the King of Rape]]. If the name didn't make it obvious, just about everyone both in and out-of-universe considers him to be a "bad" Daedra. \n*** On the other hand, This is possibly a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, as Azura's alliance with Molag Bal was only mentioned in ''Daggerfall'', and is probably an example of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, as ''Daggerfall''. As mentioned above, Azura, like many other Daedric Princes, was a subject to CharacterizationMarchesOn. Although to be fair, CharacterizationMarchesOn since then. Despite this, there is in ''Morrowind'' (were Azura's well known characterisation started) [[spoiler: Molag Grunda, daughter of Molag Bal, who looks like a Winged Twilight, a type of Daedra serving Azura, suggesting there may indeed be still a connection between Azura and Molag Bal, and possibly a '''close''' one...]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 282 (click to see context) from:
to:
*** On the other hand, Azura's alliance with Molag Bal was only mentioned in ''Daggerfall'', and is probably an example of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, as mentioned above, Azura, like many other Daedric Princes, was a subject to CharacterizationMarchesOn. Although to be fair, there is in ''Morrowind'' (were Azura's well known characterisation started) [[spoiler: Molag Grunda, daughter of Molag Bal, who looks like a Winged Twilight, a type of Daedra serving Azura, suggesting there may indeed be still a connection between Azura and Molag Bal, and possibly a '''close''' one...]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 558 (click to see context) from:
* ArchEnemy: To Boethiah. He and Arkay also apparently fit, as Bal created the first vampire just to upset Arkay's balance of life and death.
to:
* ArchEnemy: To Boethiah. ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The only servants who genuinely like Molag Bal are those who don't know him very well. Everyone else is either [[ForcedIntoEvil forced to do his bidding]] or [[TheStarscream hoping to usurp him]]. And there's only a matter of time before he betrays the former group and turns them into one of the latter.
* ArchEnemy:
** Boethiah is his most hated rival/enemy. The two are willing to do all sorts of terrible things just to mildly annoy the other.
** He and Arkay also apparently fit, as Bal created the first vampire just to upset Arkay's balance of life anddeath.death.
** He and Meridia hate each other as well, since she finds him utterly disgusting and he considers her a nuisance.
* ArchEnemy:
** Boethiah is his most hated rival/enemy. The two are willing to do all sorts of terrible things just to mildly annoy the other.
** He and Arkay also apparently fit, as Bal created the first vampire just to upset Arkay's balance of life and
** He and Meridia hate each other as well, since she finds him utterly disgusting and he considers her a nuisance.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 20,21 (click to see context) from:
He has some aspects of both the Aedra and the Daedra, but does not seem to qualify as either; he was directly for the creation of Mundus, but is not an ancestor of the Mer.
to:
He has some aspects of both the Aedra and the Daedra, but does not seem to qualify as either; he was directly responsible for the creation of Mundus, but is not an ancestor of the Mer.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* ArchEnemy: Jygalagg, who appears ever era to destroy the Shivering Isles. [[spoiler:Turns out they're the same person. Until the Hero of Kvatch takes over.]]
Changed line(s) 706 (click to see context) from:
* AxCrazy: When he's in a bad mood.
to:
* AxCrazy: When Sheogorath is ''always'' dangerous, because just a passing whim could result in him killing someone in horrific ways [[FateWorseThanDeath...or worse]]. For instance, when a woman wished that mortals could sing like birds, he agreed and plucked out her organs to create musical instruments. And if he's in a bad mood.mood...well, then you're ''really'' screwed.
Added DiffLines:
* BigBad: He is the primary antagonist and obstacle in the Mages Guild questline in ''Online''.
* BigGood: He's the player's main ally, benefactor (and mentor) in the ''Shivering Isles'' expansion.
* BigGood: He's the player's main ally, benefactor (and mentor) in the ''Shivering Isles'' expansion.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Then again, holding off on doing the Sheogorath quest in the core came until after completing the expansion reveals that Haskill is perfectly capable of picking up the phone in Sheogorath's stead, and the dialogue in the ''Morrowind'' does refer to Sheogorath in the third person. It may very well have been Haskill, or another predecessor, giving you the quest.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ButtMonkey: for the other Princes. It may also be why earlier games emphasize "Order" as part of his sphere, prior to the proper introduction of Jyggalag, as SomeoneHasToDoIt.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Both he and Meridia state that defeating him in ''Online'' actually works to his ''advantage''. This is never elaborated upon. Further, at points when the player destroys his Dark Anchors, Bal will be delighted that mortals are rising to meet his challenge with greater strength, as if that were his intention.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 412 (click to see context) from:
* WildWilderness: His realm (Hircine's Hunting Grounds, incase youe wondering what it's called) is an endless plains and forests where the inhabitants forever hunt and are hunted.
to:
* WildWilderness: His realm (Hircine's (The Hunting Grounds, incase youe in case you're wondering what it's called) is an endless world of plains and forests where the inhabitants forever hunt and are hunted.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 583 (click to see context) from:
* TheManBehindTheMan: In Online, he also serves as this to Mannimarco, though you're aware of it from the start.
to:
* TheManBehindTheMan: In Online, ''Online'', he also serves as this to Mannimarco, though you're aware of it from the start.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 281,282 (click to see context) from:
** While listed as one of the "good" Daedra (both in Morrowind lore and by series fans), Azura is also closely tied to and allied with Molag bal, [[NamesToRunAwayFrom the King of Rape]]. If the name didn't make it obvious, just about everyone both in and out-of-universe considers him to be a "bad" Daedra.
to:
** While listed as one of the "good" Daedra (both in Morrowind lore and by series fans), Azura is also closely tied to and allied with Molag bal, Bal, [[NamesToRunAwayFrom the King of Rape]]. If the name didn't make it obvious, just about everyone both in and out-of-universe considers him to be a "bad" Daedra.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
** ''Online'' only uses thinly-veiled inferences to rape, with his actions toward Lamae referred to interchangeably as "ravaged", "defiled" and "mutiliated". ''Skyrim'' also never used the team "rape", but conversations with Serana state that the process of becoming a Vampire Lord is a very humiliating and traumatizing act of "defilement", and also happens to be gender-targeted towards women.
Deleted line(s) 577 (click to see context) :
** ''Online'' only uses thinly-veiled inferences to rape, with his actions toward Lamae referred to interchangeably as "ravaged", "defiled" and "mutiliated". ''Skyrim'' also never used the team "rape", but conversations with Serana state that the process of becoming a Vampire Lord is a very humiliating and traumatizing act of "defilement", and also happens to be gender-targeted towards women.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 574 (click to see context) from:
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The ''36 Lessons of Vivec'' include multiple barely-concealed allegorical descriptions of gay sex between Molag Bal and the Dunmeri PhysicalGod, Vivec. "Biting of spears" and "piercing of the second aperture" indeed.
to:
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** The ''36 Lessons of Vivec'' include multiple barely-concealed allegorical descriptions of gay sex between Molag Bal and the Dunmeri PhysicalGod, Vivec. "Biting of spears" and "piercing of the second aperture" indeed.
** The ''36 Lessons of Vivec'' include multiple barely-concealed allegorical descriptions of gay sex between Molag Bal and the Dunmeri PhysicalGod, Vivec. "Biting of spears" and "piercing of the second aperture" indeed.
** ''Online'' only uses thinly-veiled inferences to rape, with his actions toward Lamae referred to interchangeably as "ravaged", "defiled" and "mutiliated". ''Skyrim'' also never used the team "rape", but conversations with Serana state that the process of becoming a Vampire Lord is a very humiliating and traumatizing act of "defilement", and also happens to be gender-targeted towards women.
* IShallTauntYou: Every sentence out of his mouth is a taunt to remind a person how insignificant they are compared to him. He ''is'' the Lord of Domination, after all.
* IShallTauntYou: Every sentence out of his mouth is a taunt to remind a person how insignificant they are compared to him. He ''is'' the Lord of Domination, after all.
Deleted line(s) 579 (click to see context) :
* IShallTauntYou: Every sentence out of his mouth is a taunt to remind a person how insignificant they are compared to him. He ''is'' the Lord of Domination, after all.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 128 (click to see context) from:
to:
* UngratefulBastard: Lamae Bal, the Nede woman who was "ravaged" by Molag Bal and turned into the first vampire, was a loyal priestess of Arkay both before and after she was turned. After she was, though, Arkay fell silent toward her and she saw this as a terrible betrayal. Further twisting the knife is that Arkay's blessing can undo vampirism in general, but did nothing for Lamae no matter how much she begged him for it. For this reason, Lamae plots against Arkay just as much as she does against Molag Bal.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 568 (click to see context) from:
* DropTheHammer: The Mace of Molag Bal. He even [[spoiler: fights you with it in the climax of Online]].
to:
* DropTheHammer: The Mace of Molag Bal. He even [[spoiler: fights you with it in the climax of Online]].''Online'']].
Changed line(s) 592 (click to see context) from:
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: His statues in ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'' depicts a reptilian humanoid.
to:
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: His statues in ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'' depicts depict a reptilian humanoid.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ManipulativeBitch: After revealing her true identity in ''Online'', the Vestige will call her out for using him/her and Meridia will state that she thinks of them as nothing but a pawn in a grand game and that's up to the Vestige themselves if they make the most of it or not.
Added DiffLines:
* WhatIsOneMansLifeInComparison: Tells the Vestige in ''Online'' that they used him/her to save countless other lives, and that she ultimately doesn't care about one mortal soul.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* {{Precursors}}: His aspect of Auri-El (or Auriel) is believed by the Elven and Breton religions to be their ancestor.
* BadBoss: Working for Molag Bal ''never'' ends well. Any power he offers or tempts a minion with will immediately disappear the moment that Bal realizes they're no longer useful, and sometimes even before that point.
* ColdBloodedTorture: His plane, Coldharbour, is designed to torment a person as horribly and efficiently as possible.
* DefeatMeansRespect: As the lord of Domination, Molag Bal relishes power and strength. Defeating his minions and lieutenants prompts him to commend someone for their strength, but it also means [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt you just earned the spot of the beings you defeated]].
* ILied: Molag Bal ultimately does not keep his word with his minions. While he may reward individual tasks on his behalf, remaining in his service will ultimately result in the servant only being rewarded with slavery and endless torment.
* IShallTauntYou: Every sentence out of his mouth is a taunt to remind a person how insignificant they are compared to him. He ''is'' the Lord of Domination, after all.
* IShallTauntYou: Every sentence out of his mouth is a taunt to remind a person how insignificant they are compared to him. He ''is'' the Lord of Domination, after all.
* MindRape: He can fragment a person's soul or memories, so that if they prove resistant to the torture, he can take away or make them completely forget what gives them strength.
Changed line(s) 575 (click to see context) from:
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Molag Bal, the ''King of Rape''.
to:
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Molag Bal, the ''King of Rape''.Rape'', the ''God of Schemes'', the ''Lord of Brutality'', and just an endless line of equally-horrific titles.
Changed line(s) 586 (click to see context) from:
* TheSocialDarwinist: Molag Bal believes that the strong should kill and dominate the weak. For instance in ''Skyrim'' he tries to tempt the Dragonborn into becoming his champion because he recognizes and respects the Dragonborn's power.
to:
* TheSocialDarwinist: Molag Bal believes that the strong should kill and dominate the weak. For instance in ''Skyrim'' he tries to tempt the Dragonborn into becoming his champion because he recognizes and respects the Dragonborn's power. In ''Online'', he commends he player for defeating his armies and, ultimately, himself.
Added DiffLines:
* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: Defeating his minions means that he now recognizes you as a worthy replacement for them.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 234 (click to see context) from:
* EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: Completely averted. Most of the Princes mortals would call "evil" can't stand each other. Molag Bal and Boethiah have a particularly heated rivalry, and the former doesn't get along with Mehrunes Dagon either. That said, they don't after act directly against one another; but then again, they don't often mention each other, except for Sheogorath, and only when he's trolling the rest of them.
to:
* EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: Completely averted. Most of the Princes mortals would call "evil" can't stand each other. Molag Bal and Boethiah have a particularly heated rivalry, and the former doesn't get along with Mehrunes Dagon either. That said, they don't after often act directly against one another; but then again, they don't often mention each other, except for Sheogorath, and only when he's trolling the rest of them.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 265 (click to see context) from:
* BerserkButton: Don't shirk her in ''any'' way if you have worshiped her. You ''will'' be destroyed. She also doesn't like it when people criticize her or in any way outperform her. She also takes it very, very badly when mortals refuse her requests, as Daggerfall shows.
to:
* BerserkButton: Don't shirk her in ''any'' way if you have worshiped her. You ''will'' be destroyed. She also doesn't like it when people criticize her or in any way outperform her. She also takes it very, very badly when mortals refuse her requests, as Daggerfall ''Daggerfall'' shows.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Changed line(s) 222 (click to see context) from:
* BigBadEnsemble: Most of the {{Big Bad}}s for the games have come from the ranks of the Daedric Princes. Mehrunes Dagon for ''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion'' (and being TheManBehindTheMan for ''Arena''); Hircine for ''Bloodmoon''; Meridia as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Knights of the Nine''; Jyggalag for ''Shivering Isles''; Molag Bal for ''Online'' (and GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dawnguard''); and [[spoiler:Hermaeus Mora as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dragonborn'']].
to:
* BigBadEnsemble: BigBadEnsemble:
** Most of the {{Big Bad}}s for the games have come from the ranks of the Daedric Princes. Mehrunes Dagon for ''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion'' (and being TheManBehindTheMan for ''Arena''); Hircine for ''Bloodmoon''; Meridia as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Knights of the Nine''; Jyggalag for ''Shivering Isles''; Molag Bal for ''Online'' (and GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dawnguard''); and [[spoiler:Hermaeus Mora as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dragonborn'']].
** Most of the {{Big Bad}}s for the games have come from the ranks of the Daedric Princes. Mehrunes Dagon for ''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion'' (and being TheManBehindTheMan for ''Arena''); Hircine for ''Bloodmoon''; Meridia as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Knights of the Nine''; Jyggalag for ''Shivering Isles''; Molag Bal for ''Online'' (and GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dawnguard''); and [[spoiler:Hermaeus Mora as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dragonborn'']].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 222 (click to see context) from:
* BigBadEnsemble: Most of the {{Big Bad}}s for the games have come from the ranks of the Daedric Princes. Mehrunes Dagon for ''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion'' (and being TheManBehindTheMan for ''Arena''); Hircine for ''Bloodmoon''; Jyggalag for ''Shivering Isles''; Molag Bal for ''Online'' (and GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dawnguard''); and [[spoiler:Hermaeus Mora as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dragonborn'']].
to:
* BigBadEnsemble: Most of the {{Big Bad}}s for the games have come from the ranks of the Daedric Princes. Mehrunes Dagon for ''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion'' (and being TheManBehindTheMan for ''Arena''); Hircine for ''Bloodmoon''; Meridia as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Knights of the Nine''; Jyggalag for ''Shivering Isles''; Molag Bal for ''Online'' (and GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dawnguard''); and [[spoiler:Hermaeus Mora as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dragonborn'']]. ''Dragonborn'']].
** In addition, Azura seems to be a unique hybrid of BigBad, BigGood, and GreaterScopeVillain for Morrowind, [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation with exactly where she falls depending on one's interpretation of her role in the events of Morrowind and its aftermath.]]
** In addition, Azura seems to be a unique hybrid of BigBad, BigGood, and GreaterScopeVillain for Morrowind, [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation with exactly where she falls depending on one's interpretation of her role in the events of Morrowind and its aftermath.]]
Changed line(s) 263 (click to see context) from:
* BerserkButton: Don't shirk her if you worshiped her before.
to:
* BerserkButton: Don't shirk her in ''any'' way if you have worshiped her. You ''will'' be destroyed. She also doesn't like it when people criticize her before.or in any way outperform her. She also takes it very, very badly when mortals refuse her requests, as Daggerfall shows.
--> No! You're supposed to say yes! You're supposed to say: Yes, beautiful Azura, I would gladly murder at the snap of your ivory fingers. Boor! Bigot! Barbarian! Now, I must go before I forget that I am a lady and say something that I'll regret.
--> No! You're supposed to say yes! You're supposed to say: Yes, beautiful Azura, I would gladly murder at the snap of your ivory fingers. Boor! Bigot! Barbarian! Now, I must go before I forget that I am a lady and say something that I'll regret.
Changed line(s) 271 (click to see context) from:
* GreaterScopeVillain: One interpretation of her behavior in ''Morrowind''. While Azura takes a highly on a highly benevolent image of attempting to help free the Dunmer from the threat of Dagoth Ur, the primary reason why the Nereveraine was actually sent to Vvardenfell was to undermine and destroy the Tribunal (who stole her worshippers from her and killed her previous champion, Nerevar), which made killing Dagoth Ur simply killing two birds with one stone. In addition, Azura herself played a highly active role in bringing about the destruction of Morrowind, and she only warned a handful of her followers to leave (allowing for the rest to die horribly as punishment for turning on her). [[TheBadGuyWins She is also the only party in all of Morrowind to end up with ''everything'' she wanted]] (Dead or otherwise indisposed Tribunal, her former worshipers are firmly hers again, those who didn't worship her are enslaved and destroyed, amazing PR...)
to:
* GreaterScopeVillain: One interpretation of her behavior in ''Morrowind''. While Azura takes a highly on a highly benevolent image of attempting to help free the Dunmer from the threat of Dagoth Ur, the primary reason why the Nereveraine was actually sent to Vvardenfell was to undermine and destroy the Tribunal (who stole her worshippers from her and killed her previous champion, Nerevar), which made killing Dagoth Ur simply killing two birds with one stone. In addition, Azura herself played a highly active role in bringing about the destruction of Morrowind, and she only warned a handful of her followers to leave (allowing for the rest to die horribly as punishment for turning on her). [[TheBadGuyWins She is also the only party in all of Morrowind to end up with ''everything'' she wanted]] (Dead or otherwise indisposed Tribunal, her former worshipers are firmly hers again, those who didn't worship her are enslaved and destroyed, amazing PR...)
Changed line(s) 276 (click to see context) from:
to:
** While listed as one of the "good" Daedra (both in Morrowind lore and by series fans), Azura is also closely tied to and allied with Molag bal, [[NamesToRunAwayFrom the King of Rape]]. If the name didn't make it obvious, just about everyone both in and out-of-universe considers him to be a "bad" Daedra.
Changed line(s) 537 (click to see context) from:
* LightIsNotGood: Her association with Light and life makes her one of the few Daedra not considered inherently evil. On the other hand, she, along with the Aurorans, are allies of Umaril, an Ayleid sorceror-king who wants to overthrow the Nine Divines and enslave humanity. Like any Daedric Prince what good she does is going to be for her benefit, not anyone else's.
to:
* LightIsNotGood: Her While her association with Light light and life makes her one living energies seems to imply she might be a "good" Daedric Prince it's important to remember that she was the GreaterScopeVillain of ''Knights of the few Daedra not considered inherently evil. On the other hand, she, Nine''. She, along with the her Aurorans, are allies of allied with the BigBad Umaril, an Ayleid sorceror-king who wants wanted to overthrow the Nine Divines and enslave humanity. Like Meridia is also prone to ''majorly'' lashing out at any mortal being that upsets her (for example, destroying an entire Ayleid city because they were located a little too close to her shrine). Ultimately, like any Daedric Prince Prince, what good she Meridia does is going to be for her benefit, not anyone else's.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 49 (click to see context) from:
* KillTheGod: What the Aedra tried to do after Lorkhan tricked/convinced them into sacrificing their power to create Mundus. After his heart proved indestructible, the cast it down to Nirn. As of the Fourth Era, the Aldmeri Dominion led by the Thalmor is trying to do this all over again by banning Talos worship, which they believe will undo creation.
to:
* KillTheGod: What the Aedra tried to do after Lorkhan tricked/convinced them into sacrificing their power to create Mundus. After his heart proved indestructible, the they cast it down to Nirn. As of the Fourth Era, the Aldmeri Dominion led by the Thalmor is trying to do this all over again by banning Talos worship, which they believe will undo creation.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 20,21 (click to see context) from:
He has some aspects of both the Aedra and the Daedra, but does not seem to qualify as either.
to:
He has some aspects of both the Aedra and the Daedra, but does not seem to qualify as either.
either; he was directly for the creation of Mundus, but is not an ancestor of the Mer.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
'''Note:''' ''Elder Scrolls'' lore is generally not clear-cut. Reasons for this range from [[UnreliableNarrator biased]] in-universe sources intentionally only giving you only one side of a story, to sources [[CriticalResearchFailure lacking critical information]] or working from [[BlatantLies false information]], to the implication that AllMythsAreTrue, despite the contradictions, or that at least all myths are MetaphoricallyTrue. [[WordOfGod Out-of-game developer supplemental texts]] (frequently referred to as "Obscure Texts" by the lore community) are more trustworthy, but are frequently left [[LooseCanon unofficial]] and sometimes later contradicted. Because of this, it is entirely possible for two contradictory statements in the below examples to ''both'' be true. (And due to frequent events in-universe that [[TimeCrash alter the timeline]], both may ''literally'' be true in-universe.)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 869 (click to see context) from:
[[/folder]]
to:
----
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
This is a page for listing tropes related to the various Divine Beings of the ''Series/TheElderScrolls''.
For other characters, see [[Characters/TheElderScrolls The Elder Scrolls Series Character Index]].
For other characters, see [[Characters/TheElderScrolls The Elder Scrolls Series Character Index]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[foldercontrol]]
----
[[folder:Lorkhan]]
!!Lorkhan (a.k.a. Shor, Sep, Shezarr, Lorkhaj, Sheor, the Void Ghost, Doom Drum, LKHAN)
-->''"This Heart is the heart of the world, for one was made to satisfy the other."''
-->-- '''Lorkhan''' in "The Heart of the World."
Also known as the Missing God, Lorkhan is present in some form in the mythic traditions of every religion of Tamriel. Despised by most elves and loved by most humans, Lorkhan is the god who (along with the Aedra) created Mundus. Why he did this depends on the culture, with men (except Redguards) typically thinking it as a good thing while elves (except Dunmer) think it was a malevolent act. (The Redguard and Dunmer both acknowledge him, but without strong feelings either way.)
Following the creation of Mundus, his heart ("divine center") was removed and cast down into the world during the Dawn Era. (Who did it and why varies depending on the culture.) His spirit is said to wander Nirn.
He has some aspects of both the Aedra and the Daedra, but does not seem to qualify as either.
----
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
** In-universe: An evil, manipulative monster who tricked everyone out of being gods (as most Mer religions teach), or a benevolent savior who wishes to bring enlightenment and created Mundus to do so (as most religions of Men teach)?
** Is he an Aedra, for suggesting the creation of Mundus, or a Daedra, due to his Padomaic basis, and his lack of sacrifice?
** Or is his nature as the demiurge that brought the Mundus into existence [[TakeAThirdOption make him neither?]]
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of Sithis, in some religions. The two are heavily associated, with some suggesting that Sithis "begat" Lorkhan and sent him to disrupt the stasis of Anui-El and the spirits that would become the Aedra.
* BaseBreakingCharacter: InUniverse. Prior to the First Era, most races of Men followed the Nordic pantheon, which treated Lorkhan (under the name Shor) as their TopGod and most beloved benefactor. The Elves, on the other hand, ''hated'' Lorkhan to the point that worship of him was out of the question. Even after Alessia conquered the Ayleids, her empire was threatened to be torn apart due to religious in-fighting. Her solution was to group the most important Aedra into the Eight Divines, with Lorkhan only partially acknowledged as the "Missing Ninth God". This kept both the Nords and the Elves happy.
* BeatStillMyHeart: His heart, also referred to as his "Divine Center," was removed and cast down to Nirn in the Dawn Era where it landed in modern day Morrowind, forming Red Mountain. There, it would continue to beat for thousands of years, [[spoiler:until the events of ''Morrowind'']].
* BigGood: Lorkhan is the creator and the protector of the Mundus, and his influence is subtly felt throughout all the games, mostly in the form of Talos. To most of the elves, especially the Altmer, he is instead the BigBad.
* CreationMyth: He is present in some form in the creation stories of all of the religions of Tamriel.
* DeathIsCheap: In Skyrim, the player can travel to Sovngarde, the Nordic afterlife, where the testimony of those present indicates that Shor is alive and well. The reason why he isn't physically present is because his 'mien is too bright for mortal eyes'. Alternatively, given the player character's actions in ''Skyrim'', it is theorized you can't see Shor because [[spoiler: there are no [[GodInHumanForm mirrors]] in Sovngarde. (ie, the Dragonborn ''is'' Shor.)]]
* DivineIntervention: His spirit has been known to take form as the various "Shezzarines" throughout history. Usually, this form is as one of the races of men whenever they are threatened, and then he helps to advance their cause. Often, this is accomplished by killing lots and lots of elves. Pelinal Whitestrake, Wulfharth Ash-King, Tiber Septim, Zurin Arctus, and the Underking are some of the many believed to have been Shezzarines.
* EternalHero: The Shezzarines. Wulfharth Ash-King is perhaps the best example, as he has died and come back to life at least three times.
* FantasyMetals:
** Ebony, an ''ES'' series staple of high quality crafting material, is theorized to be Lorkhan's petrified blood. Small deposits are found across Tamriel where his heart traveled as it fell. The greatest deposits are around Red Mountain, where his heart landed. Ebony also has a number of mystic properties, such as being able to be combined with Daedric souls to forge Daedric materials.
** Another theory states that his blood crystallized instead, and was collected by the Ayleids to create the Chim-el Adabal, better known as the Amulet of Kings.
* GodCouple: With Kyne or Mara, depending on the religion. Sometimes both.
* GodInHumanForm: All the gods can do this, but Lorkhan ''has'' to do it because he is dead. These forms are known as "Shezzarines," and usually appear during times of crisis for the races of men.
* GodIsDead: He was "killed" by the Aedra after he convinced/tricked them into giving up a large portion of their power to create Mundus, with the exact details varying depending on the religion. Hasn't stopped him from continuing to influence the world in various ways, though.
* GodIsEvil: To most elves, especially the Altmer, who consider creation a malevolent act which robbed the pre-creation spirits of their immortality and forced them into the prison of the mortal world where they experience death and suffering.
* GodIsGood: To men, especially Nords, who consider the act of creation a good thing which freed the pre-creation spirits from a prison of nothingness.
* GodIsInept: The Altmer think of him as a "limit", according to their creation myth.
* GoodIsNotNice: Shor is a bloodthirsty warrior king. However, Nords probably think of that as a good thing.
* GreaterScopeParagon: To the races of men. The elves, especially the Altmer, consider him a GreaterScopeVillain instead.
* HeroicSacrifice: Most of Humanity's views of him include this. Some religions indicate that this was his plan all along; to be "killed" and have his spirit "impregnate" Nirn.
* HumansAreSpecial: Lorkhan certainly seems to think so, as he has aided the races of men repeatedly in their struggles against the elves throughout history.
* IHaveManyNames: Lorkhan for most elven pantheons (which translates to "Doom Drum" in old Aldmeris), Shor for the Nords, Sheor for the Bretons, Sep for the Redguards, Shezzar for the Cyrodiils, Lorkhaj for the Khajiit, LKHAN to the Dunmer.
* KillTheGod: What the Aedra tried to do after Lorkhan tricked/convinced them into sacrificing their power to create Mundus. After his heart proved indestructible, the cast it down to Nirn. As of the Fourth Era, the Aldmeri Dominion led by the Thalmor is trying to do this all over again by banning Talos worship, which they believe will undo creation.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: The religion of the Eight (later Nine) Divines was specifically created so that the Eight most agreed-upon entities would be universally worshipped throughout Tamriel. The main point of contention was Lorkhan, aka Shor, who was beloved by the Nords (whose religion most Men followed) but ''despised'' by the Elves. For this reason, he was excluded from the Divines and referred to as the "Missing God".
* NoPronunciationGuide: [[http://michaelkirkbride.tumblr.com/post/88433803343/hey-mk-how-exactly-is-lorkhan-pronounced-like-the According to Micheal Kirkbride]], it's pronounced Lore-Khan.
* OrderVsChaos: He straddles a fine line. He convinced the "Order"-leaning Aedric spirits to create Mundus, but he himself does not seem to be an Aedra, as he made no sacrifice of his own. (Eventual HeroicSacrifice notwithstanding.) Some myths portray him as an agent or aspect of Sithis, the embodiment of Chaos, which would move him closer to the "Chaos"-leaning Daedra. However, he has mutually exclusive traits that would seem to preclude him from being entirely one or the other.
* ThanatosGambit: There are hints that Lorkhan knew that the other et'Ada would "kill" him for his perceived treachery, and planned for this, allowing his soul to become a driving force on the Mundus.
* TopGod: As Shor, to the Nords.
* TricksterArchetype: Even those religions with a highly favorable view of him depict him as a trickster.
* WarGod: The Nordic religion describes him, as Shor, as a 'bloodthirsty warrior king'.
* WeirdMoon: Nirn's two moons, Masser and Secunda, are not typical sub-planetoids but are said to be the decaying remains of Lorkhan. They go through technically impossible phases and the stars are visible behind the dark parts when they aren't full.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Aedra]]
Most of the Gods in the ''Elder Scrolls'' series are et'Ada ("original spirits") who are split into two groups: the Aedra ("Our ancestors") and the Daedra ("Not our ancestors). The Aedra are divine beings that took part in the creation of the world, sacrificing parts of themselves and vast amounts of their powers. They have much less direct power or influence on the world than the Daedra, but still have been known to help mortals in times of need.
The most prominent Aedra are the Eight Divines, who are the primary pantheon worshipped throughout Tamriel. In truth, the "Eight Divines" were a political creation, formed after St. Alessia's First Empire rose to power. The Eight most popular and influential Aedra were chosen to avoid political discontent amongst the diverse races now under the Empire's banner. In particular, Lorkhan was only tangentially recognized by the pantheon due to being despised by the Elves yet beloved by the Nords. Due to the ascension of Tiber Septim (described below) and his transformation into the god Talos, a new pantheon was created: the Nine Divines. All in all, the Divines are well recognized, respected, and worshipped throughout Tamriel.
They typically come from Aetherius, the Immortal Plane, thought to be the origin of all magic. It is a commonly held belief that the souls of the deceased, assuming they aren't tied to the earth or taken by the Daedra, continue to live on in this realm as spirits. It is also believed that the sun and stars are actually portals to Aetherius, and the source of all magic.
!!Tropes applicable to all the Divines
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: The moons and planets in the solar system of Nirn are hinted to actually be the dead forms of many Aedra that didn't escape Mundus in time (or, in some theories, the original Eight Divines, as there are exactly eight planets). As each one is an astral plane onto itself, their spherical shapes and massive sizes are essentially mortal minds struggling as best they can to comprehend their form.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In-universe. Every culture of Tamriel worships or acknowledges the Divines in some fashion, but each mythological tradition gives them different names, personalities, and motivations.
* CrystalDragonJesus: In Cyrodiil, their churches and followers often draw parallels to Christianity.
* DivineIntervention: The few times they actually exert their power on Mundus are usually the last push to save the world. Specific examples are listed under the relevant deity below.
* GodInHumanForm: Very rarely, they may take an unassuming mortal form. Three are encountered in this way during the Imperial Cult questline in ''Morrowind''.
* GodIsInept: The creation of Mundus took most of their power, making them much less influential than the Daedric Princes.
* GoodIsNotSoft: After they realized that Lorkhan tricked them out of their power in order to create Nirn, they got even. How? They tore out his heart ("divine center") and tried to destroy it. When it proved indestructible, they cast it down at Nirn where his spirit would be forced to wander.
* GreaterScopeParagon: The Nine Divines are the greatest forces of good in the setting, but because they lost most of their power creating Mundus (and Lorkhan was killed by the other Eight), their role tends to be limited to the final push needed to defeat a BigBad at best.
* HaveYouSeenMyGod: During the Dawn and Merethic Eras, the Divines still had somewhat enough power to take limited manifestations on Nirn, so there are tons of legends of them directly interacting with mortals. However, by the time of the First Age, all of them had vanished except within shrines and temples, where they could perform limited actions. One source attributes this to Akatosh's pact with Alessia and the Dragonfires; this pact, designed to keep Daedra from being able to walk into Mundus with all or most of their power (as Mehrunes Dagon did at the end of ''Oblivion''), also greatly restricts the Divines.
* HumansAreSpecial: The Divines are said to "belove" the races of men in particular, who find "strength-in-weakness" in their mortal forms (as opposed to most of the Elves who feel that the mortal world is a prison) and who live with passion and hope despite always being doomed to death in the end.
* IHaveManyNames: Each of the Divines has multiple names which vary from culture to culture.
* OrderVsChaos: The Aedra are said to be a mix of Anuic (Order) and Padomaic (Chaos) forces. (Versus the Daedra who are said to be strictly Padomaic.) In a more general sense, they tend toward Order while the Daedra tend toward Chaos.
* OurGodsAreDifferent: Originally immortal spirits, they gave up much of their power, including true divinity, in order create the mortal world. Now they use what limited power they have left to safeguard that world in usually subtle ways.
* ThePowerOfCreation: They aided in the creation of the mortal world, but had to give up a significant portion of their power to do so.
* PowersThatBe: They are much less direct in their actions to influence the mortal world than their Daedric cousins, to the point where many mortals question the existence of the Divines at all. Despite their "soft touch," it is implied that they are still active in safeguarding the mortal world, they just prefer to do so subtly. (And this may be due to sheer practicality since their lack of true immortality means that more direct involvement could result in their deaths.)
* SaintlyChurch: The Temples of the Divines are uniformly benevolent so far throughout the series.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When they realized how much the creation of Mundus was taking out of them, some of the et'Ada attempted to flee, with many of them dying in the process. (Others died even before this.) Only Magnus and his followers were actually successful in fleeing in Aetherius, where they were more or less safe, but it still cost them their divinity.
* SplitPersonality: Quite a few of the Aedra have oddly conflicting personality traits or govern over unusual combinations of spheres. Much of this can be traced back to St. Alessia's founding of the religion of the Eight Divines, which stitched together the classic Aldmeri pantheon her Nedic people were used to with the old Nordic pantheon of her Nord allies.
* TimeAbyss: They existed before linear time was even conceived of as a concept.
!!Akatosh, (a.k.a. Aka, Aka-Tusk, Auriel, Tosh'Raka, AKHAT)
->"''"By the Fixed Center and his hand in our lives, we are all made safe. Auri-El, grant me the stability of the Divine. Be always at my side."''
The Dragon God of Time. He is also the father of the dragons[[note]]Whatever that actually means[[/note]].
----
* AnimalMotifs: A dragon as Akatosh to the races of men and an eagle as Auriel to the Altmer.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of Anuiel, the soul of all things and the totality of creation.
* DivineIntervention:
** Pulled the most direct act of intervention by any Divine since the Dawn Era when he struck down Mehrunes Dagon to end the Oblivion Crisis.
** Less direct but no less impactful was his sending the "last Dragonborn" to Skyrim just in time to foil Alduin's premature "eating" of the world.
* DragonsAreDivine: Akatosh is the god of time taking the form of a dragon. His children, the lesser dragons seen in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', would be classified as lesser Aedra, making them divine as well.
* GodIsGood: To most races. The Argonians have no word for time and the Dunmer don't say much.
* IHaveManyNames: Auriel/Auri-El to most elven religions, Alduin to the Nords (if Auri-El counts...), Akatosh to many Man-ish religions, either Satakal or Ruptga "Tall Papa" to the Redguards (perhaps both) Alkosh to the Khajiit, AKHAT to the Dunmer, and Bormahu[[note]]translates to "Our Father", roughly[[/note]] to the Dragons, and is sometimes known as the Aka-Tusk. One theory behind Tosh'Raka of Akavir is the he was a mortal who mantled Akatosh and rules the Ka Po' Tun as their dragon god-king. May also be the All-Maker to the Skaal, unless that's Anu.
* MonsterProgenitor: He's the creator of the dragons, and also of the Dragonborn as seen in ''Skyrim''. Whether they're actually his children or merely fragments of his being is highly debated in-universe.
* RealityIsOutToLunch: In the First Era, A remnant of a once-powerful organization of [[FantasticRacism anti-elf inquisitors]] carried out a ritual in an attempt to purge Akatosh of the elven aspects of the mythological basis that Akatosh was based on - the elven golden eagle god Auri-El. This proceeded to break time and reality for a period of a little over 1000 years. Bizarre and impossible events occurred during this time; people gave birth to their own parents, some sources mention wars and major events which never happened according to other sources, the sun changed color depending on the witness, and the gods either walked among the mortals or they didn't. How could they measure how long that period was? The Khajiit, a cat-like race on Tamriel whose mythology was heavily steeped in the two moons, used those as a basis for time, despite time otherwise being non-linear through this event's duration. (The moons are the "rotting corpse" of Lorkhan, the [[GodIsDead dead creator god]], and were unaffected.)
* SplitPersonality:
** Most of the Aedra, but Akatosh gets it the most. This is taken to the point where Cyrodiilic stained glass and statuary depictions of him show that he has two heads, a dragon head and a human head.
** In-universe speculation is that Alduin is more akin to a fragment of Akatosh's being rather than his son. Depending on who you ask, this might also apply to all dragons, which would include the Dragonborn.
* StockGods: The "Top God" of the traditional Imperial and Altmeri Divines.
* TimeAbyss: According to legend, he was the first being to manifest out of the raw energy of the early universe. Linear time started with him at the end of the Dawn Era, so he is literally as old as time itself.
* TimeCrash: During events know as "Dragon Breaks," with a dash of RealityBreakingParadox. They're known as such because Akatosh is "tampered with" in some way, so to speak, usually by mortals using some sort of divine implements. Several have occurred throughout history, most prominently in the First Era example mentioned above and during the Warp in the West event.
* TimeMaster: More like he ''is'' time.
* TopGod: To Imperials, Bretons, Khajiit and Altmer (as Auriel). Also to Bosmer, but he's not the most ''important''.
!!Arkay (aka Orkey, Tu'whacca, Xarxes, RKHET)
God of Life and Death. His followers are usually found in the Halls of the Dead around Skyrim or other cemeteries and crypts.
----
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: One book claims that, much like Talos, he too ascended to godhood. Ragada myth denies this, claiming that he existed before Mundus, but was unimportant.
* DueToTheDead: Arkay's Law is used on dead bodies to prevent them from being used for Necromancy. Unlike Arkay's Blessing, which can be worked around via Black Soul Gems, Arkay's Law is unmovable.
* EverybodyHatesHades:
** Averted in the Imperial and classic Aldmeri pantheons, due to Arkay being the God of Death ''and'' Life. Most people think of him as a compassionate god who sometimes has to do bad things so that something good will happen elsewhere, or ensuring that the world doesn't become totally static by allowing death so that new life can arise.
** Played straight with his Old Nordic aspect, Orkey, the Old Knocker, who is despised by Nords for giving them shorter lifespans than mer in their mythology.
* TheMedic: Well, his blessing fortifies your hit points for a limited time, anyway.
* RedBaron: Lord of the Wheel of Life.
* StockGods: The God of Death.
!!Dibella
Goddess of Beauty. She is found primarily in Cyrodiilic and Nordic traditions.
----
* GoodBadGirl: Has elements of innocence associated with her, but is also a SexGod.
* HotGod: She ''is'' a goddess of beauty.
* InnocentFlowerGirl: She's always shown holding a delicate white flower. Her followers aren't necessarily so innocent.
* LoveGoddess: Of the sexual/carnal and romantic varieties. Brothels and the like sometimes double as unofficial shrines to Dibella. She's also worshiped by artists.
* MsFanservice: To be expected given her domain. She tends to be depicted as a voluptuous, attractive human female and appeared topless in ''Daggerfall''.
* SexGod: The "Dibellan Arts", a form of lovemaking and sexual practices which are supposedly the primary methods of worshiping her. Supposedly, being versed in them makes one an exceptionally skilled sex partner.
* SlutShaming: Her worshipers are sometimes subjected to this. In ''Skyrim'', one of them has to practice the Dibellan Arts in secret out of fear of being run out of town (though in her case it might be because her manner of practicing the arts involves less-than-consenting partners).
* StockGods: One half of the "Love Goddess" variety.
!!Julianos (a.k.a. Jhunal)
God of Wisdom and Logic. The Cult of the Ancestor Moth and other orders dedicated to knowledge typically see him as their patron deity, and he is believed to govern magic in general as well.
----
* PyramidPower: His symbol is a simple triangle, and his shrines are in the shape of a pyramid.
* TheSmartGuy: Of the Aedric pantheon.
* StockGods: God of Knowledge.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: His followers, the Cult of the Ancestor Moth, were tasked with keeping and using the Elder Scrolls themselves.
* WizardingSchool: He is associated with schools; particularly those that study magic.
!!Kynareth (a.k.a. Kyne, Khenarthi, Tava, KYNRT)
->''"Dark clouds gather in the sky above.''
->''Kyne weeps for joy at the beauty of the world.''
->''Tears warm the ground and blossoms grow.''
->''The sacred stone reveals the flowers of her tears."''
Goddess of Air and Heavens. According to some myths, she was the first et'ada to agree to Lorkhan's plans to create Mundus.
----
* CueTheRain: She is responsible for rain; a phenomenon that is said not to have occurred before the removal of Lorkhan's divine spark. During the Alessian Revolt, she sent rain to cleanse the blood from Ayleid forts and villages after Pelinal came through so that they could be used by Alessia's forces.
* DivineIntervention:
** When the ancient Nords prayed for aid against the Dragons and Dragon Cults, she sent Paarthurnax to teach them the thu'um so they could use the dragons' own weapon against them.
** Was perhaps the most active Aedra in supporting the Alessian Revolt, sending her "son" Morihaus to join the conflict on Alessia's side. Also see the rain example above.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: All ''natural'' things, anyway. Undead need not apply.
* IHaveManyNames: Known as Tava in Yokudan tradition, Kyne to the Nords, Kaan to the Dragons, Khenarthi to Khajiit, and KYNRT to the Dunmer.
* LadyOfWar: Most notable in Old Nordic religion, she's the warrior-wife and widow of Shor. She's also the patron of hunters in that tradition. This was carried over to an extent with the Nordic interpretation of the Nine Divines religion.
* {{Psychopomp}}: According to Khajiiti religious tradition, she guides the spirits of the faithful dead.
* MakeMeWannaShout: Taught the Nords to use the Thu'um, sending Paarthurnax to do so.
* StockGods: God of Nature.
!!Mara (aka Morwha)
->''"Fivefold blessings upon the lost and lovelorn. The Heart pumps the blood that connects us across the aurbis. May her grace always be upon me.''"
Goddess of Love and Patron of the Harvest, Mara is found in almost all Tamrielic religions. She is sometimes associated with Nir, the female entity of the pre-creation cosmos who gave birth to creation with Anu.
----
* LoveGoddess: While Dibella focuses more on the carnal pleasures of love, Mara is about commitment, family, home and matrimony.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Morwha, her Yokudan aspect, has four arms so that she can grab more husbands.
* {{Polyamory}}:
** She's sometimes depicted as ''one'' of Shor's wives, along with Kyne. The old Nord tradition also makes references to her being the handmaiden of Kyne, ''concubine'' of Shor.
** Other traditions have her variously the wife of Akatosh, Lorkhan, or both. Sometimes the concubine of both.
* StockGods: The other half of the "Love Goddess" variety.
!!Stendarr (a.k.a. Stuhn, THENDR)
God of Mercy, Compassion, and Justice; a protector deity. He is known as Stuhn to the Nords, and S'rendarr to the Khajiit.
----
* BadassArmy: Patron of the Imperial Legions.
* BodyguardingABadass: In the old Nordic mythology as Stuhn, he was a shield-thane of Shor with his brother Tsun.
* ChurchMilitant: The Vigilants of Stendarr were founded in his name after the Oblivion Crisis, and seek to rid the world of all manner of supernatural threats.
* GodIsGood: For the races of Men, apparently. He's described as an "apologist of Men" by the Altmer, and he's been known to intervene to protect humans against supernatural threats.
* KnightTemplar: One sect of his worshipers, the Vigilant of Stendarr, claim that they're doing his will by wiping out any and all traces of Daedra, vampires, werewolves, or any other supernatural creatures that prey on mortals. The fact that some of these creatures may not be evil, or may be capable of redemption if shown mercy, never comes up. They also actively attack worshipers of beneficial or neutral Daedric princes like Azura and Meridia, [[MuggingTheMonster as player characters often find out]].
-->"Stendarr's mercy be upon you, for the Vigil has none to spare."
* StockGods: Closest to the "God of Good" variety.
* WeHelpTheHelpless: "Protect the weak" is part of his commandment.
!!Zenithar (a.k.a. Tsun, Z'en)
The God of Commerce and Trade. His province is mercantilism, bartering, labor, communication and the middle class.
----
* AnvilOnHead: His symbol is an anvil, and his shrines are in the shape of an anvil.
* HonestCorporateExecutive: He loves these guys, since he believes in fair play and business.
* InvincibleHero: According to his worshipers, he's "the god who will always win".
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's described as the most in touch with mortal affairs, due to his belief that hard work and fair play is the key to peace and prosperity. He is also depicted as a warrior god, but one who is restrained and reserved in times of peace.
* XanatosGambit: His field of expertise; no matter what, he'll stand to gain from any action.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Daedric Princes]]
The "original spirit" divine beings that did not take part in the creation of the world. As such, they did not sacrifice any of their power during creation and remain truly immortal. Most tend to be seen as evil, often drawing comparisons to demons, though this varies between cultures.
The most powerful and important of the Daedra are the Daedric Princes. Each has a particular sphere, which the are said to govern from their planes of Oblivion which they inhabit and rule. Though most tend to appear consistently in a particular masculine or feminine form, they can change that form however they please and thus, have no inherent gender. They are always referred to as "Princes" regardless of the form the take. Mortals who gain their favor are often gifted with abilities and artifacts of great power, though may be required to pledge their soul to serve their Daedric patron after death.
There are 17 known Daedric Princes following the events of ''Shivering Isles''. 16 appear in ''Daggerfall''; 7 appear in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', and all 17 appear again in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', but only 16 of them appear in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]''.
!!Tropes applicable to all Daedric Princes:
* AboveGoodAndEvil: Though most are considered "evil," scholars in-universe and out among the fandom argue that their actions are above what mortal minds can understand, with none wholly good or evil. The "Good" ones only seem that way because what they seek to accomplish is generally beneficial or benevolent toward mortals, while the "Evil" ones are more likely to harm mortals with their actions. For instance, Mehrunes Dagon is the Daedric Prince of Destruction, but can be considered no more "evil" than a tidal wave or an earthquake.
* AngelsDevilsAndSquid: They are a diverse group, ranging from the angel-like, generally "good" ([[GoodIsNotNice if not always nice]]) ones like Azura and Meridia to the very devil-like ones like Mehrunes Dagon and Molag Bal to the "squid"-like Hermaeus Mora.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of the spheres over which they govern.
* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: Most are treated as "evil" and they are almost impossible to truly destroy. Since they are manifestations of the primal forces of reality, even if their avatar is somehow destroyed, a new avatar would form to take their place. The best anyone can do is shatter their link to the mortal realm and banish them back into Oblivion.
* BigBadEnsemble: Most of the {{Big Bad}}s for the games have come from the ranks of the Daedric Princes. Mehrunes Dagon for ''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion'' (and being TheManBehindTheMan for ''Arena''); Hircine for ''Bloodmoon''; Jyggalag for ''Shivering Isles''; Molag Bal for ''Online'' (and GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dawnguard''); and [[spoiler:Hermaeus Mora as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dragonborn'']].
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Mortals tend to see them as evil or good (mostly evil), but scholars and the Princes themselves insist they are far beyond these limits. Even the "good" Daedra would point out that applying human morality to beings like the Daedra operates on certain flawed assumptions.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: The personalities of many of the Princes are ''very'' different in ''Daggerfall'' than they would go on to be depicted in later games.
* CompleteImmortality: Princes can be battered, beaten, defeated and even fundamentally changed, but nothing in the setting has ever been able to actually ''kill'' one. This includes Princes that ascended to their position, like Mehrunes Dagon, Malacath, and [[spoiler:the new Sheogorath]].
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Further complicating the BlueAndOrangeMorality issue is that many of the princes are seen differently through different cultural lenses. Boethiah is considered a "good" daedra by the Dunmer. Meanwhile, Malacath is considered a "bad" daedra by the Dunmer, but most of the Orsimer consider him their hero and divine ancestor.
* DevilButNoGod: How some in Tamriel view the situation. Most of the Princes are near-universally reviled as "evil", and their worshipers are considered misguided at best, and dangerous lunatics at worst. They are, however, very much present in the world. They speak directly to their worshipers, sometimes even appearing in a physical form, and are perfectly willing to offer immediate, tangible rewards for those that choose to do their work.
* DimensionLord: Each rules over one or more realms in Oblivion.
* EldritchAbomination: The Daedric Princes are alien beyond human understanding, though they can take any form they like, and so will often take a humanoid form to deal with mortals. They operate on BlueAndOrangeMorality above mortal understanding. How they feel about the mortal races varies from prince to prince; many enjoy being worshiped, some just enjoy toying with mortals' lives for their own amusement, but all of them have demonstrated a willingness to reward mortals they find particularly helpful, loyal, or amusing.
* EldritchLocation: Their planes of Oblivion. These are spaces within the infinite Oblivion surrounding the mortal realm where the Princes have total reign. They can vary from beautiful places, like Azura's Moonshadow, which is so beautiful that it is said to "half blind" mortals who lay eyes up on it, to Fire and Brimstone Hell places like Mehrunes Dagon's Deadlands. And then there are the places that Cthulhu himself would find cozy, like Hermaeus Mora's Apocrypha.
* EvilCounterpart: Though they're usually seen as this to the Divines, most of them benefit from having Mundus and mortals exist. In fact, there was no distinction between the Divines and Princes before Mundus.
* EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: Completely averted. Most of the Princes mortals would call "evil" can't stand each other. Molag Bal and Boethiah have a particularly heated rivalry, and the former doesn't get along with Mehrunes Dagon either. That said, they don't after act directly against one another; but then again, they don't often mention each other, except for Sheogorath, and only when he's trolling the rest of them.
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: All of them to some extent, except perhaps for Hermaeus Mora. Because of this, it is speculated that YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm.
* GeniusLoci: One interpretation of the Princes is that their home realm or realms ''are'' the Prince, with the forms you see in the games being the personification of that realm of Oblivion.
* IKnowYourTrueName: All Daedra have both a neonymic and a protonymic. The neonymic is their name that they can change. It holds a certain amount of power, but is hard to use against them because they can change it at any time. However, the protonymic is their true name that they cannot change. It is heavily implied that through use of the protonymic, mortals can do horrible things to even the most powerful of Daedric Princes. The player character in ''Battlespire'' managed to banish Mehrunes Dagon by using them both.
* IncrediblyInconvenientDeity: Given their frequent meddling in the mortal world and the generally unsavory effects it has, they can very easily come off this way. The quests they give to their mortal follows are frequently either incredibly arduous or incredibly silly, with the Princes giving flimsy or no justification as to why they want the task accomplished.
* JerkassGods: Most of them spend their time screwing over mortals for flimsy reasons.
* KickTheDog: Due to their BlueAndOrangeMorality, they can do either this or PetTheDog, and probably don't see much difference between the two. For example, Sheogorath's quest in ''Oblivion'' has you convincing a village that the world is about to end, driving them to mass hysteria. But in ''Skyrim'', you need to treat an insane emperor of his (many) psychological issues in order to convince Sheogorath to end his "vacation" and return to repair the Shivering Isles. Meanwhile, Clavicus Vile's ''Skyrim'' quest has you barge into his shrine and fight past scores of vampires. When you eventually talk to him, he mentions that the vampires were trying to rid themselves of their affliction and had made a bargain with him to do so. Clavicus gleefully points out that he considers having you slaughter them all count as upholding his side of the deal.
* OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous: Being pure spirits, this applies to all of them, and several of them are known to appear as differing genders at certain times. Others will only present themselves as a single gender (Azura and Nocturnal as female, Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, and Sheogorath as male), and Hermaeus Mora forgoes even trying to resemble anything with a gender (although generally speaks with a male voice).
* OrderVsChaos: Are generally the "Chaos" to the Aedra's "Order." They are Padomaic aligned as opposed to Anuic aligned, though Jyggalag and Peryite may be exceptions since they represent forms of Order.
* OurGodsAreDifferent: Pre-creation spirits who refused to take part in the creation of Mundus and are manifestations of the primal forces of reality. They are truly immortal, and if their physical form is killed on Mundus, their spirit simply returns to their plane of Oblivion to reform.
* PhysicalGod: They can physically manifest in Nirn if they so choose, though are usually content with mere projections.
* ThePowerOfCreation:
** They are said to lack this power within Mundus due to refusing to take part in the creation of Mundus and, as a result, can only alter what already exists. The truth ambiguous at best, with cited examples of Daedric beings involved in creation of all sorts throughout history.
** The definitely have it within their planes of Oblivion, where they can and do create, change, and alter at will.
* ReligionOfEvil: Daedric worship is often hit with this in-universe, though given that most of the Daedric Princes are JerkassGods, this is understandable. Boethiah, Mehrunes Dagon, and Molag Bal, being the most malevolent of the Princes, invoke this more than most, as their worship frequently involves a HumanSacrifice. Taken to a new extreme in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', where after [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion the Oblivion Crisis]], Daedric worship was all but outlawed outside of the Dunmer, and groups like the Vigilants of Stendarr were formed to wipe out Daedric worshipers before they could cause another Oblivion Crisis like the Mythic Dawn. The Vigilants don't bother to discriminate between the worshippers of any particular Prince either, so even the worshippers of the generally "good" ones can be attacked.
* ScaryAmoralReligion: The various Daedric Cults are seen as this to the worshipers of the Nine Divines. This is likely because so many of the Daedra represent rather disturbing concepts, like Destruction, Madness, and Corruption.
* SheIsTheKing: Even the female-identifying Daedra are still referred to as "Princes", though historically [[ShownTheirWork the term "prince" could be applied to rulers, regardless of sex]][[note]]It comes from ''princeps'', a Latin word meaning "first," which fits since the Daedric Princes are the most powerful of the Daedra[[/note]]. Also, see NoBiologicalSex above.
* TimeAbyss: Like the Aedra above, they were pre-creation spirits who have existed since before time itself.
!!Azura
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/azura_morrowind.jpg]]
--> Sphere: Dawn and Dusk, Twilight
--> Artifacts: Azura's Star, Moon and Star Ring of Nerevar
The Daedra Prince of Dusk and Dawn, Lady of Prophecy. The fact that she actively strives to bring those prophecies to fruition is something she would rather you ignore. While often considered one of the most benevolent of the Daedra Lords, she has shown a very cruel and petty side on numerous occasions, from cursing an entire race (the Dunmer) to the betrayal of one Ezhmaar Sul. Her most common symbols are a moon and a star.
In ''Daggerfall'', she asks you to kill a priest. In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', she asks you to destroy the Daedra sent by Sheogorath to disturb her priestess and helps to guide the hero through the main quest. In ''Oblivion'', she asks you to MercyKill five of her followers who were infected with Porphyric Hemophilia (vampirism). In ''Skyrim'', she asks you to find and purge one of her artifacts, Azura's Star.
----
* AbsoluteCleavage: Her statue in ''Skyrim''. Her appearance in ''Daggerfall'' is actually topless, as are her statues in ''Oblivion'' and ''Morrowind'' ([[BarbieDollAnatomy they just aren't detailed enough]] [[NippleAndDimed to show her nipples]]), while her appearance in Morrowind is more modest.
* BenevolentBoss: If you worship her and stay loyal, she'll watch out for you. A book in ''Skyrim'' written by one of her followers notes that Azura wants the love of her followers.
* BerserkButton: Don't shirk her if you worshiped her before.
* DarkIsNotEvil: None of the Daedric Princes are strictly evil, but Azura is one of the nicer Princes (for a given definition of "nice"), despite her association with darkness.
* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: In ''Skyrim'', [[spoiler:if you choose to purify Azura's Star on your own, it becomes a re-usable ''black'' soul gem called the Black Star.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: Toward the Chimer/Dunmer, as a result of the actions of the Tribunal (and really, even the very ''existence'' of the Tribunal to begin with). While everyone involved has their [[TheRashomon own version]] of exactly what happened at Red Mountain all those years ago, we do know that Nerevar, faithful servant of Azura, ended up dead and the Tribunal (and Dagoth Ur) ascended to godhood. Neither of which Azura was happy about. She then (possibly) cursed them with the dark skin and red eyes of the modern Dunmer. Years later, she (definitely) played a prominent role in guiding the Nerevarine to unbind the Heart of Lorkhan, and with it, the Tribunal's divinity. They all end up dead or disappeared, plunging Morrowind into chaos and indirectly leading toward its destruction with the subsequent Oblivion Crisis, Red Mountain eruption, and Argonian invasion.
* EldritchLocation: The realm of Moonshadow, said to be so extremely beautiful that the viewer is half-blinded by it, where Azura resides in a Rose Palace in a city made of silver.
* EvilPaysBetter: The ([[BlueAndOrangeMorality mostly]]) good end of her ''Skyrim'' questline is to [[spoiler:purify Azura's Star, receiving it as a reusable white Soul Gem and gaining Aranea Ienith as a potential follower. On the other hand, you can complete the corruption and transform it into the Black Star which can hold all types of soul including human -- keep in mind Black Soul Gems are rather rare and humanoid souls are the best for enchanting]].
** [[spoiler:This is apparently a glitch. Originally the Black Star was supposed to hold ''only'' black souls and not white souls.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: Generally considered of the "good" Daedra, and usually one of the more benevolent Princes toward mortals. However, has no compunction against expressing her displeasure in very nasty ways. Additionally, there is some evidence that she may be more of a TrueNeutral, concerned with maintaining a sort of metaphysical balance, and doing so just happens to benefit the mortal races more often than not.
* GreaterScopeVillain: One interpretation of her behavior in ''Morrowind''. While Azura takes a highly on a highly benevolent image of attempting to help free the Dunmer from the threat of Dagoth Ur, the primary reason why the Nereveraine was actually sent to Vvardenfell was to undermine and destroy the Tribunal (who stole her worshippers from her and killed her previous champion, Nerevar), which made killing Dagoth Ur simply killing two birds with one stone. In addition, Azura herself played a highly active role in bringing about the destruction of Morrowind, and she only warned a handful of her followers to leave (allowing for the rest to die horribly as punishment for turning on her). [[TheBadGuyWins She is also the only party in all of Morrowind to end up with ''everything'' she wanted]] (Dead or otherwise indisposed Tribunal, her former worshipers are firmly hers again, those who didn't worship her are enslaved and destroyed, amazing PR...)
* RedBaron: Queen of the Night Sky, Mother of the Rose.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity:
** Despite playing an active role in the events that would eventually lead to the destruction of the Dunmer homeland, the Dunmer religion still highly reveres Azura.
** In fact, the destruction of the Dunmer homeland has made Azura ''more'' revered in the Dunmer religion and was what ultimately ended worship of the Tribunal. (her greatest enemies)
!!Boethiah
--> Sphere: Deceit, Conspiracy, Betrayal
--> Artifacts: Goldbrand, Eltonbrand, Ebony Mail, Fearstruck
The Daedric Prince of Plots. Has an intense love of trickery and combat. [[CaptainObvious Not a nice prince]], [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation although Dunmer tradition disagrees on that]]. Boethiah is one of two Daedric Princes who has not chosen a definitive gender (gender being a mortal construct). Boethiah appears as a man in ''Daggerfall'', ''Morrowind'', and ''Oblivion'', and appears as a woman in ''Skyrim'' and ''Online''.
In ''Daggerfall'', they ask you to kill a spellsword. In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', they ask you to build a statue of them. In ''Oblivion'', they ask you to participate in his Tournament of Ten Bloods. In ''Skyrim'', they ask you to kill all of their followers, and later kill their previous champion. In ''Online,'' she is the patron of the Dragonstar Arena.
----
* AmbiguousGender: While a few of the Daedric Princes get this, it occurs to Boethiah the most to their GenderBender tendencies. In ''Oblivion'', he has a male voice and is referred to as 'he', while in ''Skyrim'', she has a female voice and her statue is feminine but is referred to as both he and she by her cultists. [[PronounTrouble Sometimes in the same sentence]].
* ArchEnemy: To Molag Bal.
* BadBoss: If you worship them, be prepared to have to murder other people if you want to live. They demand their followers independently follow their own desires... just as long as those desires are completely in line with their own. The minute a follower fails that balancing act, things turn ''ugly''.
* BlackKnight: Their usual appearance, though this may be the original appearance of Trinimac (now Malacath) that they swallowed/corrupted and took.
* BloodKnight: Their quest in ''Oblivion'' is basically a tournament on their Oblivion Plane. What's the tournament's purpose? None. They're just bored.
* CardCarryingVillain: Is very open about the fact that they represent a number of typically evil attributes including assassination, betrayal, deceit, and specifically the ''unlawful'' overthrow of authority.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: They exist to cause and exacerbate the condition in mortals. In a way, they embody it.
* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: If you want Boethiah's attention or support, you are very likely going to have to commit some form of cruelty in order to gain it.
* DemonicPossession: By way of HumanSacrifice in ''Skyrim''. Boethiah apparently finds mortal flesh distasteful.
* ForTheEvulz: Delights in making mortals kill each other simply because they can.
* GodNeedsPrayerBadly: In ''Morrowind'' they're not getting so much worship anymore since their shrine collapsed and their statue fell into the sea. Their quest to you is to build a new shrine.
* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: Summoning Boethiah in ''Skyrim'' requires you to prove that you're treacherous enough to work for them. To do that, you need to find someone who trusts you enough to follow you, take them to Boethiah's altar, and sacrifice them.
* IHaveManyNames: Prince of Plots, Deceiver of Nations, Queen of Shadows, and Goddess of Destruction among them.
* InTheHood: Boethiah's gargantuan statue in the Dragonstar Arena appears as a woman wearing a hood, and wielding a katana of sorts.
* LetsYouAndHimFight: Their quests usually involve fighting (and killing) someone, often a former champion of Boethiah.
* ManipulativeBastard: Deceit, betrayal, conspiracy, assassination, treason, unlawful overthrow of authority...all are within his sphere.
* TricksterGod: A very nasty version. One one case, Boethiah "ate" the Aldmeri god Trinimac and took on his form in order to convince Veloth to lead the Chimer people to Morrowind.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Having read all of the above, this trope comes into effect when one learns that the Dunmer consider them one of the ''good'' Daedric Princes and the anticipation of Almalexia.
* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: In ''Online'', [[spoiler:they decide that their current Champion must fight ''you'' ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation and your party]]) in the Dragonstar Arena in order to keep his title as Boethiah's Champion. Naturally, you win.]]
!!Clavicus Vile
--> Sphere: Wishes, Pacts
--> Artifacts: Masque of Clavicus Vile, Umbra, Bitter Cup, The Rueful Axe
The Daedric Prince of Granting Power and Fulfilling Wishes. He typically appears as a jovial, very short man or young boy. He has a dog companion named Barbas who frequently likes to contradict him, due to being Vile's external conscience.
----
* DealWithTheDevil: He has a particular liking for doing this, and making those who make the deals regret it.
* ForTheEvulz: He enjoys seeing mortals regret the deals they've made with him, and is said to collect souls simply for the sake of having them.
* HellHound: Subverted; Barbas may ''look'' intimidating in the statues, but he actually serves as his master's conscience. When we finally see his real body with decent graphical quality in Skyrim, he's [[BigFriendlyDog not even scary]].
* HornedHumanoid: Typically depicted with small horns protruding from his head.
* JackassGenie: Acts like this when Barbas isn't around to stop him - more specifically, Clavicus grants wishes in such a way that will kill a large number of people, including his petitioner or leaving them directly responsible and full of regret. Good thing he can't ditch Barbas without losing most of his power... Even with Barbas around, he tends toward LiteralGenie territory.
* KnightsAndKnaves: Poses this riddle to Cyrus in ''Redguard''.
* MoralityPet: Literally; Barbas is his external conscience.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Seemingly believes that all the wishes can be granted by death. Vampires asking for a cure for vampirism? Have a hero come in and slaughter them all. A man whose daughter has been turned into a werewolf? Give him an axe to finish the job. Asking for peace in Skyrim? Do nothing and let the dragons kill everyone. A village asking for immunity from the Knahaten plague? Turn them undead.
* PetTheDog: If the Dragonborn reunites him with Barbas in ''Skyrim'', he (reluctantly) decides not to flay them in the most gruesomely manner possible for disobeying his order to kill Barbas instead, with the implication that [[MoralityPet Barbas]] reminded him that this allowed him to return to full strength and not be [[SealedEvilInACan stuck in a cave]] anymore.
* SealedEvilInACan: After splitting from Barbas, he found himself severely weakened and was forced to spend several decades trapped within a cave, high in the mountains of Skyrim. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Oops]].
!!Hermaeus Mora
[[quoteright:346:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hmora_6446.jpg]]
--> Sphere: Fate, Knowledge, Destiny, Memory
--> Artifacts: Oghma Infinium, The Black Books
The Daedric Prince of Knowledge. Unlike most, never bothers with a humanoid form, preferring a many-tentacled one in depictions and incarnation.
Known as Herma-Mora, the Demon of Knowledge, to the Skaal of Solstheim, whose hidden knowledge he has long sought to steal, and in ancient legends (to traditional Nords) where he is the sworn enemy of Ysgramor.
----
* AffablyEvil: While categorizing the Aedra and Daedra of the Elder Scrolls with conventional human moralities operates on certain... flawed assumptions, Herma-Mora's basic method of seducing the Dragonborn to his service consists of, essentially, bribing him/her with gifts. Said gifts include the powerful enhancements of his Black Books and he even offers you some of the most potent Words of Power in the game, such as the final word of ''Bend Will''. He gives you absolute freedom to leave and enter his realm as you wish, ultimately believing the lure of the power he offers you will bring you to him itself. He's also unfailingly polite to you and even offers you free unlimited respecs at the end of the main quest.
* ArchEnemy: Of Ysgramor and the Skaal of Solstheim. [[spoiler: His Daedric quest in ''Skyrim,'' and the plot of the ''Dragonborn DLC'' especially, set him up as one of the most dangerous and personal foes that the Dragonborn faces, as well as the only one that remains undefeated at the end.]]
* BerserkButton: Don't let his politeness fool you, he DOES have one: thinking you can plot against him without him knowing it. [[spoiler: When he finally calls Miraak out on this in ''Dragonborn'', it's one of the few times Mora raises his voice in anger.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Hermaeus Mora:''' "Did you think to escape me, Miraak?! You can hide ''nothing'' from me here!"]]
* ButThouMust: Invokes it on the player. [[spoiler:He could give the player the third word of Bend Will any time he wants, but refuses to do it until the player finds out the secrets of the Skaal, because that's Mora's ''real'' interest. And the player has no choice in the matter, because while Mora could certainly set up a confrontation with Miraak any time he likes, this won't get him what he wants.]]
* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:By the end of ''Dragonborn'', Mora has gotten all that he wanted and more. Meanwhile, Miraak is dead and you are now the newest servant of Mora... at least, according to him.]]
* CombatTentacles: Which he uses in ''Dragonborn'' to kill [[spoiler:Miraak and Storn by [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling them]] ]]. The book ''Boneless Limbs'' has this to say:
--> A writhing mass of heaped appendage
--> Slipping grasp the squirming slick
--> Extend the reach to touch the face
--> Burn the mind, reveal the quick
* DoNotTauntCthulhu: [[spoiler:Miraak is foolish enough to learn this lesson the hard way.]]
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu:
** You can outright tell him to go to hell several times throughout ''Skyrim'', especially in ''Dragonborn'', and venomously refer to him as a 'demon'. The only time he even slightly gets back at you for it is when you tell him you don't need his help to find the last word of Bend Will from his realm, to which he politely explains that you would be searching for all eternity without his aid.
** Old king Ysgramor also outwitted him regularly, according to Nordic legends.
** The Ancient Skaal were able to keep their secrets safely hidden from him, [[spoiler: leading to the whole of ''Dragonborn'' being revealed to have been part of an elaborate plot to obtain them]].
* EldritchAbomination: All of the Daedra and even the Aedra probably qualify as this, but Hermaeus Mora is the only one who routinely appears as a Lovecraftian mass of tentacles, eyes and claws. As a nod to his [[Creator/HPLovecraft inspiration]], in ''Skyrim'', one of his Black Books is a play named ''[[Literature/TheKingInYellow The Sallow Regent]]'', written by '''H'''awfi'''p''' the '''Crafter'''.
* EldritchLocation: Apocrypha, home to all forbidden knowledge, filled with invisible ghosts floating among endless, shadowy bookshelves. Many scholars seek it out to search the shelves and wind up remaining there forever, lost and forgotten.
* EvilIsPetty: He has long desired to know the secrets of the Skaal, even though the secrets are relatively benign knowledge about how the Skaal commune with the forces of nature. And he totally wants them anyway, for as the Demon of Knowledge, it is simply in his nature to hoard secrets, regardless of their true value to him.
* EvilSoundsDeep: His voice is always characterized as this. In ''Oblivion'' it is a menacing kind of deep, while in ''Skyrim'' it has a soothing, grandfatherly tone.
* GenuineHumanHide: The Oghma Infinium appears to be bound in it, and the Skyrim version is bound in various ''elven'' hides.
* GiantEnemyCrab: Frequently depicted as having giant crab-like pincers. Even ''Skyrim'' has statues that depict him like this, although his actual appearance is very different. The book ''Delving Pincers'' has this to say:
--> Crushing razors, hollow shells
--> That snap, that twitch, that cinch and rend
--> To hold the subject, bodily,
--> 'Til mind blows soft and life meets end
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: His artifact, the Oghma Infinium. Reading it will give the Player Character a stat boost, and then it will vanish, presumably before you [[GoMadFromTheRevelation read too much]].
* GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: Mora's Oblivion realm, Apocrypha. Mora's main motivation seems to be to collect the secrets still kept hidden from him, and in ''Dragonborn'' you help him gain the secret knowledge of the Skaal; however, since he is the Daedra of Fate and keeps books that have not yet been written, it is possible that Apocrypha [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble already]] holds all the knowledge there is.
** While it is not certain, there is strong evidence to believe that Hermaeus Mora is not omniscient, or that fate is definite in TES. For one, a dragon and a powerful vampire state that the Elder Scrolls (pretty much the closest thing to absolute truthful records) only predict what may be, not what will be. Furthermore, the scrolls themselves may change until the events predicted at a given time come to pass, at which point the words are absolutely fixed forevermore. So, what does this have to do with Hermaeus Mora? It undermines his claim to know all things, a claim implicitly undermined when he needs the player's help to obtain the knowledge of the Skaal. Why would an omniscient being need help to obtain knowledge? The answer: he only wants you to think he is omniscient. Mora is capable of lying, or at the very least, misleading people. He led Septimus to think the Heart of Lorkhan was behind that locked door (it was actually holding the Oghma Infinium), so his claims to knowing all could be part of a similar deception.
* GreaterScopeVillain : [[spoiler:Of the ''Dragonborn'' [=DLC=] for ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''.]]
* KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge: Hermaeus Mora trades knowledge in return for knowledge.
* MagicalLibrary: Apocrypha counts as this as well due to the fact that it contains all manner of supernatural knowledge as well as containing spell tomes in general.
* MindScrew: The [[http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Black_Book Black Books]].
* RedBaron: The Golden Eye, Demon of Knowledge, Prince of Fate, Lord of Secrets, the Woodland-Man, and the Gardener of Men.
* ScaryLibrarian: Well, he rules a giant library-dimension, and he's scary...
* SuddenlyShouting: When he confronts [[spoiler:Miraak]] at the end of ''Dragonborn'', he starts yelling at [[spoiler:Miraak]] in disgust for his betrayal before calming down.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: At least in ''Daggerfall''.
* SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome: In the first four games, he was always a neutral entity, even if his quests tended to be a bit ruthless. Then comes ''Skyrim'', where [[spoiler:he orchestrates everything that happens in ''Dragonborn'', putting millions of innocent lives at risk, just to obtain the "secrets" of the Skaal.]]
* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: Hermaeus Mora is the keeper of all of this.
** Some of the lore says he ''is''/arose from knowledge ''that cannot exist'' (detritus concepts ejected from reality, that sort of thing), rendering him not only the keeper of things man was not meant to know, but also making him something man ''cannot'' know, not even if they are on Sheogorath's Golden Path.
* TimeMaster: Well, kinda. Just like Akatosh ''is'' time, Mora exists outside of linear time, which allows him to interact with it in unusual ways. Some of his Black Books are believed to come from the future, and he has direct (but subtle) influence over fate and destiny.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: His IconicItem, the Oghma Infinium, and in ''Dragonborn'', the Black Books.
* VerbalTic: In ''Skyrim'', and especially in ''Dragonborn'', he yawns while talking regularly.
* VillainTakesAnInterest: He's apparently ''very'' interested in those who are Dragonborn, leading him to offer Miraak power in exchange for serving as his champion. [[spoiler: He later makes the same offer to the Dragonborn after Miraak's death]].
** [[spoiler: At the end of both his Daedric quest and ''Dragonborn'', he [[UnreliableExpositor claims]] that he's been watching them for some time and subtly grooming them into becoming his champion. Even if you [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu defiantly refuse]] both times, he tells you that you ''already are'' [[UnwittingPawn his pawn]], even if you don't know it yet]].
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offered the Dragon Priest, Miraak, the knowledge to control his former masters, in exchange for agreeing to serve as his [[TheDragon Dragon]]. [[spoiler: After Miraak's failed attempt at rebelling against ''[[TheStarscream him]]'' was thwarted by the Dragonborn, he informs them that they've just [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt inherited the position.]]]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Mora has no compunctions with killing off those that are of no further use for him. However, he generally makes it quick and painless for loyal servants such as Septimus (who largely just appeared to AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence), while instead treating followers that try to betray him with a hefty dose of ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice.
!!Hircine
[[quoteright:196:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hircine_5948.jpg]]
--> Sphere: The Hunt
--> Artifacts: Hircine's Ring, Spear of Bitter Mercy, Saviour's Hide
The Daedric Prince of the Hunt. He is known as the Father of Manbeasts and lives solely for the hunt. He basically fulfills most, if not all, of the BigTropeHunting tropes.
----
* AffablyEvil: He's always very polite to those who summon him, even to his opponents when he judges them worthy, and he watches out for his followers. In ''Skyrim'', as noted below, he will reward and compliment the Dragonborn who completes his quest regardless of which way they elect to do it.
* BadMoonRising: The event known as the Bloodmoon signals that it is time for his hunt on Mundus.
* BigBad: Of the ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Bloodmoon]]'' expansion.
* BloodKnight: ''The'' BloodKnight of the Elder Scrolls series. The plot of ''Bloodmoon'' is him seeking the most worthy opponent.
* CursedWithAwesome: His werebeast followers are granted the ability to transform into powerful monsters. However, Hircine claims their souls upon death to hunt and/or be hunted in his Hunting Grounds realm, regardless of what afterlife they may have preferred.
* DefeatMeansRespect: To start his quest in Skyrim, you have to kill him in the form of a white stag, after which he will greet you fondly.
--> "Well met, Hunter!"
* EgomaniacHunter: He lives for the glory of the hunt, and has no reason to do so beyond his own vanity. He hunts solely for the sport, including having his own pack of hunting dogs (read: werewolves).
* HornedHumanoid: He most often appears with deer antlers, even in his humanoid form.
* TheHunterBecomesTheHunted: In Hircine's realm, everyone is either Hunter or Prey. However, Prey and Hunter can reverse roles at any time, and for the most part, Hircine finds these role reversals to be amusing. [[spoiler: Unless he's the one who became the Prey.]]
* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: It's why he likes werewolves; they hunt mortals by night, but are hunted ''by'' them during the day.
* TheMarvelousDeer: A white stag acts as his avatar during his quest in ''Skyrim''.
* MeaningfulName: The word "hircine" means "goat-like" in the Latin, although Hircine's forms tend to resemble a deer.
* OurWerebeastsAreDifferent: He is the creator of werebeasts, which include werelions, werecrocodiles, werebears, werewolves, and wereboars. Only the last three have been seen in the games.
* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: He communicates to his werebeast followers in this fashion.
* RedBaron: The Huntsman of the Princes, the Father of Manbeasts.
* ShapeShifter: He has several different forms he uses to present himself to mortals, each of which represents a different aspect of his.
* TheWildHunt: He views the entirety of existence as an unending hunt. Events involving he or his minions hunting have been referred to by this exact name.
* WildWilderness: His realm (Hircine's Hunting Grounds, incase youe wondering what it's called) is an endless plains and forests where the inhabitants forever hunt and are hunted.
* WorthyOpponent: His whole purpose for being is finding, creating, testing and watching these, whether they win or lose. Hircine generally rewards those that survive his hunts; the Savior's Hide was created for the first mortal to ever escape his hunting grounds. Although he directs the Dragonborn in ''Skyrim'' to hunt down and kill a specific werewolf, a player who decides to instead hunt the other hunters will indeed be rewarded by Hircine for [[TheHunterBecomesTheHunted completing the hunt]] [[TakeAThirdOption a different way]].
* YourSoulIsMine: He gets the souls of all werebeasts, usually whether or not they worship other entities or want to go to other afterlives. In the case of the Dragonborn, however (who can also have a contract with other Princes and an invitation to Sovngarde from Shor himself), there's no word on which deity (if any) the Dragonborn belongs to.
!!Jyggalag
[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jyggalag_969.png]]
--> Sphere: Order
--> Artifacts: Sword of Jyggalag
The Daedric Lord of Order, who grew too powerful, causing the other Princes to trap him. He is the most elusive of the Daedric Princes, only appearing once for a short time every one thousand years. Thus far he has been in only one of the games in the series.
----
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The other Daedric Princes really don't like him; even Malacath, the god of pariahs and outcasts, who is considered by most of the others to not even be a true Daedra, is more highly regarded by them than Jyggalag is.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: [[spoiler:The reason he was cursed into becoming Sheogorath is because he had grown so powerful, the other Princes saw him as a threat.]]
* {{BFS}}: His weapon of choice, the sword of Jyggalag, is roughly the size of a claymore, and is wielded as such by any mortal fortunate enough to obtain it. [[OneHandedZweihander Jyggalag himself is big enough to wield it as though it were a one-handed longsword.]]
* BigBad: Of ''The Shivering Isles''.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Despite ''The Shivering Isles'' ending with Jyggalag [[spoiler:freed from the curse that forced him to become Sheogorath]], he is not mentioned or referenced even once in ''Skyrim''.
* ControlFreak: He takes order very seriously.
* CreativeSterility: Sheogorath accuses him of "never having had an original thought in his existence".
* EarlyBirdCameo: The in game book ''On Oblivion'' mentioned a Daedric Prince named Jyggalag as early as ''Daggerfall''.
* FisherKing: He longs to overthrow Sheogorath and claim the madgod's plane, The Shivering Isles, as his own. Whenever he grows powerful enough to do so, life in the Isles begins to die off and crystal spires grow out of the ground, signalling the beginning of the Greymarch.
* GracefulLoser: He treats the player rather politely upon defeat.
* IronicHell: His existence as [[spoiler:Sheogorath in the Shivering Isles]] was basically this.
* KarmicTransformation: [[spoiler:Cursed to become Sheogorath, Prince of Madness and the antithesis of everything he stood for, as punishment for angering the other Daedric Princes.]]
* KnightTemplar: The Daedra under him are even called Knights of Order.
* LightIsNotGood: He and his knights are pretty much every "holy evil crusader" stereotype seen in video games mixed together.
* OneOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: Is very Anuic (static, orderly) in nature compared to the other generally more padomaic-inclined (chaotic, disorderly) Daedric Princes. It is quite likely that this is one of the reasons the others despise him so much.
* SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan: He was sealed in the form of [[spoiler:Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness]].
* TinTyrant: He and his Knights of Order appear to be clad head to toe in metallic armour.
!!Malacath
--> Sphere: The Ostracized
--> Artifacts: Scourge, Volendrung
Daedric Prince of the Spurned and Ostracized, Keeper of the Sworn Oath and Bloody Curse. He was once the Aldmeri god known as Trinimac, but was "eaten" and excreted by Boethiah, becoming Malacath. His followers as Trinimac were transformed into the modern Orcs (Orsimer).
----
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The rest of the Daedric pantheon doesn't consider him a real Prince. Given that he's the patron of pariahs, this is rather appropriate. As Sheogorath puts while talking about Jyggalag, "Malacath is more popular at parties! And Malacath is ''not'' popular at parties!"
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Big believer in this. He places a curse on an Orc stronghold (ie has it attacked by ''giants'') because their chief is a weak, scheming DirtyCoward and the rest of the stronghold hasn't done anything about it.
* ButtMonkey: Is subject to frequent mockery and ridicule by the other Daedric Princes, as well as most of the non-Orc mortals on Tamriel. Part of his teaching is "[[IronButtMonkey strength through adversity]]" though.
* DeathWorld: His realm, known as the Ashpit, will kill you in minutes unless you're magically protected due to being made up entirely of choking soot (even the buildings). Levitation magic is a requirement at all times.
* DropTheHammer: His signature weapon is his warhammer, Volendrung...
* KatanasAreJustBetter: ... but statues of him frequently depict him wielding a dai-katana.
* OffingTheOffspring: According to the 16 Accords of Madness, Sheogorath once tricked Malacath into killing his own son, a noble orc who would have otherwise been destined to be a great hero.
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: He is the patron of the Orcs, who were formerly the Aldmeri followers of Trinimac. When Trinimac was "eaten" by Boethiah, the excreted remains became Malacath and his followers were changed as well.
* PapaWolf: Do ''not'' mess with his followers.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives a short, but scathing one to Yamarz in ''Skyrim''.
* WasOnceAMan: He used to be an Aldmeri god, Trinimac, until Boethiah ate him. The remains became Malacath. [[FisherKing As a result]], his followers became the Orcs.
!!Mehrunes Dagon
[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mehrunes_dagon_9293.png]]
--> Sphere: Destruction, Change, Revolution, Energy, and Ambition
--> Artifacts: Mehrune's Razor, Mysterium Xarxes, Daedric Crescent
The Daedric Prince of Destruction. Ambition, Change, and Revolution also fall within his sphere. He is also associated with natural disasters like fires, floods, and earthquakes. He has repeatedly tried to invade and take over Mundus, including spending two whole games (''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion'') trying to TakeOverTheWorld.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: Ambition is one of his spheres of influence and he is considered one of the most "evil" Daedra alongside Molag Bal.
* BigBad: For ''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion''.
* BigRedDevil: His typical form.
* BloodKnight: To the point where he sends Dremora to kill his own followers.
* CardCarryingVillain: He exists to ''destroy''. Hell, he is the ''embodiment'' of Destruction. And he doesn't try to hide it at all.
* CatsAreMean: Khajiiti religion interprets Dagon as a [[FluffyTheTerrible kitten]], "for what is more destructive than a young cat?"
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Happens to him every time he tries to invade Mundus. Almalexia does it in the backstory, then the Hero of Battlespire does it in the eponymous game. Finally, Martin/Akatosh do this to him in ''Oblivion''.
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Despite their [[FireAndBrimstoneHell appearance]], the Deadlands are actually surprisingly cold. For once, an actual [[JustifiedTrope justification]] for ConvectionSchmonvection.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Always has a deep, booming voice.
* ExcaliburInTheRust: The ''Morrowind'' version of his razor is first found as "a rusty dagger".
* {{Expy}} He is basically a GenderFlipped version of [[Myth/HinduMythology Kali]]
* FaceHeelTurn: According to a LooseCanon [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/seven-fights-aldudagga text]] written by former series developer/writer Michael Kirkbride, he was once a kindly demon who attempted to protect parts of Mundus from being eaten by Alduin at the end of every kalpa, until Alduin banished and cursed him into his current state.
* FireAndBrimstoneHell: His realm, the [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Deadlands]].
* ForTheEvulz: Especially in ''Skyrim''.
* GodOfEvil: Considered as such by the people of Tamriel along with Molag Bal, though unlike Bal, Dagon actually has some redeeming qualities. For example, ideas like ambition and ''change'' that a functioning world requires fall within his sphere.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Was the ManBehindTheMan who helped Jagar Tharn procure the Imperial throne in ''Arena.''
* HornedHumanoid: Of the BigRedDevil variety.
* IronicHell: Imagine you were a being whose entire existence is based around destruction and change. Now imagine you were stuck in a realm where nothing can ever be killed or destroyed without eventually coming back, effectively negating your purpose. That's Dagon. No wonder he wants to take over and destroy Nirn; it would be stress relief for him.
* LegionsOfHell: He and his Dremora army whenever he tries to invade Mundus.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: His typical form has four arms.
* OmnicidalManiac: He's the Daedric Prince of Destruction. Kinda comes with the territory.
* OneHitKill: His artifact, the Razor, can sever the link between its victim's body and their soul, killing them instantly.
* PathOfInspiration: The cult dedicated to him, the Mythic Dawn.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Being the Daedric Prince of Destruction. And definitely how he was in ''Oblivion''.
* RedSkyTakeWarning: His Deadlands plane, as well as the areas in Mundus near the gates to his plane.
* TakeOverTheWorld: So that he can then destroy it.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: The Mysterium Xarxes. The ''Oblivion'' script notes actually call for Martin, the most knowledgeable major character on the subject, to react as if given "a handful of glowing plutonium" when he receives the Xarxes. It's just that sort of book.
* UnwittingPawn: Is described by Haskill in an [[http://www.imperial-library.info/node/2234 obscure text]] to be "The pawn of every Prince of true power, the dupe of every schemer in the Nineteen Voids." Essentially, whenever one of the other PowersThatBe wants to accomplish something that involves the destruction of something, they get Dagon to do it.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In ''Skyrim'', he tells you to kill Silus, the Mythic Dawn cultist who helped you find the pieces of Mehrunes' Razor. Once that's done, he sends some Dremora to kill ''you''.
* YourSoulIsMine: Whenever a creature is killed with the Mehrunes' Razor, their soul is delivered to Dagon's plane of Oblivion, where they become his property.
!!Mephala
--> Sphere: The Unknown, Manipulation
--> Artifacts: Ebony Blade, Ring of Khajiit (''Morrowind'' only)
Also known as the Webspinner and the Lady of Whispers, her true sphere is unknown to mortals. Her Plane of Oblivion is known as the Spiral Skein.
----
* AmbiguousGender: Although generally depicted as female, Mephala will appear as either male or female.
* ArachnidAppearanceAndAttire: At least in her ''Daggerfall'' incarnation.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In traditional Dunmer religion, she is one of the "good" Daedra and the anticipation of Vivec.
* BlackSwordsAreBetter: The Ebony Blade, her Daedric Artifact. It's fueled by the blood of people you trust, meaning she openly promotes ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.
* TheChessmaster: She's generally characterized by complex, long-reaching plans, likened to spider webs.
* TheCorrupter: She loves to see how she can fray the "web" of human relationships, and takes a particular joy in the betrayal of trust or minor slights tearing entire towns apart.
* EvilIsSexy: In-universe example: Sexuality falls under Mephala's purview.
* GreaterScopeVillain: In the plots of at least two of the [[HarderThanHard Veteran Dungeons]] in ''Online.'' In one, a Priestess of Mephala you helped in the non-veteran mode of the dungeon starts going nuts and poses a threat, so you need to put her and her ArtifactOfDoom down. In the other, Mephala personally {{Mind Rape}}d a man into [[spoiler:becoming a Lich, who went on to murder his students and his wife. It turns out it was because he was being influenced by ''the Ebony Blade''. And yep, you guessed it, he uses it on you during the fight.]]
* ItAmusedMe: Why she corrupts mortals.
* ManipulativeBastard: Pretty much the trope's Patron Daedra.
* RedBaron: The Webspinner, Lady of Whispers.
* SealedEvilInACan: Her artifact in ''Skyrim''.
* ShoutOut: Her plane of Oblivion, the Spiral Skein, is described as circular, with partitions similar to the spokes of a wheel separating each individual realm, each of which represent a different sin. At the center is her citadel, with each area branching out from the center like a spider's web. Aside from a few minor differences, this is a pretty clear reference to ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante's Inferno]].''
* SpidersAreScary: They sure are, when it comes to her. The Spider Daedra are closely associated with her, and look like - you guessed it - mutated {{Giant Spider}}s.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Possibly. In the province of Morrowind, she's considered one of the "Good Daedra", in no small part because of her association with Vivec. She has yet to demonstrate any benevolence in-game as mortals would understand it - including her association with Vivec.
!!Meridia
--> Sphere: Life Energy
--> Artifacts: Ring of Khajiiti, Dawnbreaker
Meridia's sphere is obscured to mortals, but is often associated with the energy of living things. Her plane is known as the "Colored Rooms" and she has an extreme hatred for anything undead.
----
* BerserkButton: Undead and Necromancy seem to be the only reasons she ever interacts with mortal affairs, usually to have them wiped out. Also, don't mess with her shrines.
* BigGood: [[spoiler:Is this in Online]].
* CoolSword: Her artifact Dawnbreaker, a shining golden sword that glows when close to the undead, sets them on fire, and makes them explode.
* DisproportionateRetribution: A group of Ayleid built a city above one of her shrines. She responded by destroying it with roots, burying it and all who lived there beneath the ground.
* DivinelyAppearingDemons: She maintains the most "angelic" appearance out of any of the Daedric Princes.
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: Closely associated with rainbow imagery and the color spectrum. Her sphere is even called the "Colored Rooms."
---> ''"... thus does Merid-Nunda [ride? slide?] across the rainbow road from end to end, at one end stretching the dragon, at the other end compressing him ...."''
* FaceHeelRevolvingDoor: From the perspective of mortals, at least. In one instance, she'll be acting as the BigGood in defending mortal lives from hostile takeover by supernatural forces. Then in another, she'll be giving aid to a being who seeks to overthrow the Nine Divines and enslave the races of Men.
* FallenAngel: While not exactly "angelic" in nature, some sources say that she was once one of the Magna Ge, but was cast out to Oblivion for consorting with "illicit spectra." Her statue at Kilkreath Ruins in Skyrim gives her this appearance, being humanoid with a pair of large feathered wings.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Heavy emphasis on the ''Living'' part. If you're Undead or a Necromancer, she ''will'' destroy you.
* GoodIsNotSoft: She's generally considered one of the "good" Daedra, but she's still a Daedric Prince. Anger her at your own peril.
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: On the other hand, is the main Daedra behind Umaril the Unfeathered from ''Oblivion'', and is supplying him with most of his forces.]]
* HeroicWillpower: She brought her realm into Mundus through the ''sheer power of her will''.
* LightIsNotGood: Her association with Light and life makes her one of the few Daedra not considered inherently evil. On the other hand, she, along with the Aurorans, are allies of Umaril, an Ayleid sorceror-king who wants to overthrow the Nine Divines and enslave humanity. Like any Daedric Prince what good she does is going to be for her benefit, not anyone else's.
* RedBaron: The Solar Daughter, Lady of Infinite Energy
* ShowSomeLeg: Every depiction of Meridia gives attention to her bare legs. That is, [[spoiler: until her appearance as "The Groundskeeper"]].
* WingedHumanoid: Her statue in ''Skyrim''.
!!Molag Bal
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/molag_bal_5478.png]]
--> Sphere: Domination, Enslavement, Rape
--> Artifacts: Mace of Molag Bal
The Daedric Prince of Domination, Molag Bal is perhaps the most malevolent of the Daedric Princes, actively seeking and enjoying the corruption of mortals. He committed the first rape, upon a Nede[[note]]the ancient Cyrodiils[[/note]] woman, from which was born the first vampire, leading to his most infamous title, the King of Rape.
----
* ArchEnemy: To Boethiah. He and Arkay also apparently fit, as Bal created the first vampire just to upset Arkay's balance of life and death.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The lesser denizens of Oblivion usually just nod and agree with everything he says. Those that disagree tend to stop... doing anything.
* BigBad: For ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline''.
* BloodyBowelsOfHell: Molag Bal's Daedric Plane of Coldharbour. It's a ruined parody of Tamriel, with every surface covered in bloody excrement. He ''is'' the Lord of Violation, so...
%% * BondageIsBad
* TheCorrupter: One of his favourite things - seeing a good and noble person snap, fall, or break.
* CreepyMonotone: His tone doesn't change much while talking. This is dropped completely when he becomes entertained, however.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He perpetrated the first rape, turning the innocent woman into the first vampire, who proceeded to rape and kill the nomads who cared for her, bringing undeath into Mundus -- simply as a "Screw you!" gesture to Arkay.
* DropTheHammer: The Mace of Molag Bal. He even [[spoiler: fights you with it in the climax of Online]].
* EldritchLocation: Coldharbour is said to look like [[AfterTheEnd a future Nirn devastated by centuries of warfare and filled with nothing but suffering]].
* EvilLaugh: Has a pretty nasty one.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Molag Bal can act pleasant and polite, but he is ''not'' nice ''at all.''
* ForTheEvulz: It's the only motivation he has.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The ''36 Lessons of Vivec'' include multiple barely-concealed allegorical descriptions of gay sex between Molag Bal and the Dunmeri PhysicalGod, Vivec. "Biting of spears" and "piercing of the second aperture" indeed.
* GodOfEvil: Most of the Daedra are JerkassGods to some degree or another, but still have redeeming qualities, even Mehrunes Dagon. Not Molag Bal. He basically is TheDevil to the Dunmer, as they see him as the creator of obstacles trying to threaten the "purity" of the Great Houses. He is not much better regarded by any other race on Tamriel either.
* GreaterScopeVillain: He serves as this in ''Dawnguard'', as the creator of vampirism, and thus the ultimate progenitor of all the conflict in ''Dawnguard's'' storyline. It was he who turned [[BigBad Lord Harkon]] into a pureblood vampire along with the rest of his family, thus giving rise to the Volkihar Clan in the first place. Being the progenitor of all vampires, it also makes him indirectly responsible for [[spoiler:Arch-Curate Vyrthur]]'s corruption, which results in him [[spoiler:creating the Prophecy of the Tyranny of the Sun which sets the plot of ''Dawnguard'' into motion.]] Essentially, he is the GreaterScopeVillain behind the GreaterScopeVillain.
* HornedHumanoid: In statues and shrines.
* LargeHam: He repeatedly shows this in his quest in Skyrim. Even moreso in his [[BigBad appearance in Online]].
* TheManBehindTheMan: In Online, he also serves as this to Mannimarco, though you're aware of it from the start.
* ManipulativeBastard: Loves manipulating people so that he can take their souls.
* MonsterProgenitor: Created the first vampire. It is believed that all Vampires descend from her, upsetting the balance of death and rebirth normally administered by the Aedric God Arkay.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Molag Bal, the ''King of Rape''.
* NeverLiveItDown: In-universe, he's only been recorded as having raped ''one'' person, but this does not prevent his most infamous title being that of the "King of Rape".
** In ''Dawnguard'' however, it's implied that this is one of the ways that Molag Bal chooses to confer the abilities of a [[MonsterLord Vampire Lord]] upon his most devout followers. While his male followers are asked to perform a large human sacrifice in his name, women are subjected to a far more degrading ritual at his hands, with the implication being further reinforced by Serana ''refusing'' to elaborate further on the matter.
* ObviouslyEvil: While morality is a highly debated topic with the Daedra, there's none with Molag Bal.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: His most infamous act was the very first rape which created vampires, and all pureblood vampire lines can trace their origins back to a Daughter of Coldharbour being raped by Molag Bal.
* RapePillageAndBurn: He loves doing all three.
* RedBaron: The King of Corruption, Father of Vampires, the Harvester of Souls, the Hated One, the King of Rape.
* RedSkyTakeWarning: Coldharbour is described as having a burning sky as well as being [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin extremely cold]].
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: His statues in ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'' depicts a reptilian humanoid.
* SatanicArchetype: He's probably the closest thing the ''Elder Scrolls'' universe has to {{Satan}}, seeing as his ''modus operandi'' is corrupting people into doing evil deeds so he can claim their souls.
* SerialEscalation: Don't ask us how, but Molag [[TookALevelInJerkass gets worse]] with each game.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Molag Bal believes that the strong should kill and dominate the weak. For instance in ''Skyrim'' he tries to tempt the Dragonborn into becoming his champion because he recognizes and respects the Dragonborn's power.
* TheUndead: By siring the first vampire he created the undead, apparently just to rub it in Arkay's face.
* YourSoulIsMine:
** He loves corrupting people and taking their souls, and the Mace of Molag Bal has that as its specialty.
** Molag Bal taking people's souls serves as the plot for ''Online''.
!!Namira
--> Sphere: The Ancient Darkness, the Grotesque
--> Artifacts: Namira's Ring
Daedric Prince of the Grotesque, Decay, and things which cause humans [[{{Squick}} revulsion]]. She is also associated with beggars and disease.
----
* AbsoluteCleavage: She is always depicted in statues wearing outfits showing off all of her cleavage.
* BlessedWithSuck: According to the book "Beggar Prince", she did this to the beggars, by cursing them to always have diseases that made them repulsive, and to invoke pity and disregard in others. This made them the perfect spies and sources of information, because they could watch and listen to what others did, but never be noticed doing so.
* BodyHorror: She favors this, especially in the form of disfiguring diseases.
* DarkIsEvil: Her sphere encompasses the Ancient Darkness.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Most of what falls within her sphere is perfectly natural. Further, she counts "Pity" within her sphere.
* EldritchLocation: Her realm is called the "[[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Scuttling Void]]", of which nothing is known.
* GrotesqueCute: She usually associated with things most would consider disgusting or repulsive, such as slugs, spiders, or disfiguring diseases. In fact she only allows those considered ugly to summon her; she hates attractive people.
* ImAHumanitarian: At least in ''Skyrim'', where she is the patron of a cult of cannibals. This makes sense given her ''modus operandi'', since cannibalism ''is'' typically frowned upon in most civilised societies.
* NatureIsNotNice: Happens to also represent the nastier aspects of nature.
* NightmareFetishist: To put it mildly.
!!Nocturnal
[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nocturnal_8869.png]]
--> Sphere: Night, Darkness, Thieves, Luck
--> Artifacts: Skeleton Key, Eye of Nocturnal, Bow of Shadows, The Gray Cowl
The Daedric Prince of Night and Darkness. Also known as "The Night Mistress" and "Lady Luck", and is regarded as the patron of the ThievesGuild.
----
* AbsoluteCleavage: In ''Skyrim''.
* AlwaysNight: Her realm, Evergloam, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin if it's anything like its name]].
* DarkIsNotEvil: Her sphere of influence includes darkness and the night and she falls under the standard Daedric "neither good nor evil" clause. She's one of the more ambiguous Daedric Princes, but it's safe to say she's no Molag Bal.
* DealWithTheDevil: The patron of thieves, and said to be the source of "scoundrel's luck" that aids them and the shadows that hide them... but it's a contract, not a blessing. [[spoiler:Three champions known as the Nightingales swear absolute loyalty to her, pledging their souls to guard her conduit to the mortal realms even after they die. After serving their term as spectral guardians, they become the shadows and the luck that aids all living thieves. These champions receive special armour, powers, privileges and the freedom to do as they wish with all three with the condition that they always guard the conduit - fail and they will lose all their gifts, and ''all'' thieves will have a sudden run of supernaturally bad luck, until it's reconsecrated.]]
* InTheHood: All of her appearances have her wearing a hooded cloak.
* MeaningfulName: Pretty obvious, she's associated with the night.
* RedBaron: The Night Mistress, Lady Luck.
* TheSacredDarkness: Kinda. The darkness that Nocturnal represents is for the most part treated as more protective than anything, and beautiful, welcoming, and awe-inspiring to those who appreciate it. However, Nocturnal is quick to withdraw her favour if she is displeased, and those who appreciate the darkness more often than not tend to be thieves and criminals.
* ScamReligion: According to Karliah, the Priests of Nocturnal were merely a cult created to prey on the gullible. While their members set up shop in the Twilight Sepulcher and conducted all sorts of bogus rituals and practices to supposedly gain Nocturnal's favour, she didn't actually pay them ''any'' attention or care ''what'' they did, as long as they didn't interfere with the Nightingales or threaten the Ebonmere.
* SemanticSuperpower: Her Daedric artifact, the SkeletonKey. It unlocks things. In fact, it unlocks ''anything''. Including [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower the limits of human potential]]. [[StoryAndGameplaySegregation In the hands of the player however]], it's simply an unbreakable lockpick.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: Her relationship with the Nightingales.
* WellDoneSonGuy: How Karliah describes Nocturnal in ''Skyrim'', as a mother that offers little praise but always pushes you to do better.
!!Peryite
--> Sphere: Pestilence, the Natural Order, Tasks
--> Artifacts: The Spell Breaker
Also known as The Taskmaster, Peryite keeps the lower levels of Oblivion ordered and controls plagues. He is considered to be the weakest of the Princes.
----
* AffablyEvil: Despite being referred to in-game as one of the most loathsome of the Daedric Princes, he's consistently polite to the player characters in all of his appearances, and the quest he gives the player in ''Oblivion'' is one of the least morally suspect Daedric quests, as it involves ''saving'' the lives of his followers.
* BlessedWithSuck: His "blessings" seem to take the form of various diseases, [[LovecraftianSuperpower complete with weaponized projectile vomiting]].
* DivergentCharacterEvolution: His quest in ''Skyrim'' emphasises his role as Lord of Pestilence rather than his role of maintaining order, likely because the previous game's DLC questline had introduced Jyggalag as the Daedric Prince of Order, leaving the exact distinction of the "order" Peryite resides over somewhat uncertain.
* HypercompetentSidekick: While he's supposed to be the weakest Daedric Prince, he also keeps the lower planes of Oblivion running and the lesser Daedra in line.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: His artifact, the Spell Breaker, is a Dwarven tower shield with a ward that blocks most forms of magic.
* MysticalPlague: His followers in ''Skyrim'' are afflicted with one of these.
* OnlySaneMan: One of the few Daedra in ''Daggerfall'' who takes being turned down for a quest well.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: He normally appears as a green dragon to those who summon him. It's worth noting that he is depicted with four legs instead of two, unlike Alduin and the other Dragons in ''Skyrim'', as he isn't really a dragon. He just [[ShapeshifterDefaultForm likes manifesting as one]]. Some sources suggest he does it in order to mock Akatosh.
* ThePlague: He controls these, and ''Skyrim'' hints he may be preparing one to try to wipe out Tamriel, thereby also making him a...
* {{Plaguemaster}}: Has power over all sorts of diseases.
* RedBaron: The Taskmaster.
* YouDirtyRat: In ''Skyrim'' he manifests in the form of a swarm of ghostly skeevers.
!!Sanguine
[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sanguine_6008.png]]
--> Sphere Debauchery, Hedonism
--> Artifacts: Sanguine's Rose, The 27 Threads of the Webspinner (Created for Mephala)
Daedric Prince of debauchery and hedonism, encompassing the light and dark sides of both. He also has domain over the darker natures of man, such as lust, sin, sloth, gluttony, and greed.
----
* AffablyEvil: While it's not a good idea to attach human morality to Daedra, he does tend to be one of the nicer Princes.
* TheAlcoholic: Often seen with some form of drink in his hand. In Skyrim, his quest even begins with [[spoiler:a drinking contest at an inn.]]
* BigRedDevil: A common depiction of him. [[spoiler:When revealing his true nature to the Dovahkiin, he opts for a Dremora variant.]]
* DarkIsNotEvil: Okay, "not evil" might be a bit of a stretch since he ''is'' a Daedric Prince who enjoys causing mischief, but he isn't nearly as evil as his satanic-looking appearance would suggest, especially by Daedra standards. His quests usually don't involve killing things, causing lasting harm or spreading suffering in any way, only annoying folks. In other words, Sanguine's pretty much a demonic frat boy. On the other hand, his personal artifact the Sanguine Rose is one of the more dangerous ones, since it summons a random Daedra that is ''not'' under the summoner's control. Martin Septim's reaction to the Rose in ''Oblivion'' implies that toying around with it in his youth got a bunch of his friends killed and soured him on Daedra worship forever.
* FunPersonified: Literally, being the god of hedonism in both the good and bad sense. His quest in ''Skyrim'' [[spoiler:is to get the player drunk and lead them around the world to trick them into marrying a hagraven]], and what realms of his the player visits in the series are shown to be party venues.
* GargleBlaster: [[spoiler:The Daedric Prince's special brew will get the better of you in ''Skyrim''.]]
* GodInHumanForm: [[spoiler:In ''Skyrim''.]]
* GottaCatchEmAll: His 27 threads of the Webspinner, which he created for Mephala and the Morag Tong. There are 27 pieces of clothing or jewelry.
* GreatGazoo: He mostly plays with and, at worst, annoys mortals. He is definitely one of the less serious Princes.
* TheHedonist: The Daedric Prince of it.
* HornedHumanoid: His preferred form in ''Skyrim'' is that of a Dremora.
* ItAmusedMe: The motivation for everything he does.
-->"Let's be honest, here. I don't always think my decisions through."
* LouisCypher: [[spoiler: Sam Guevenne]] in ''Skyrim.''
* MeaningfulName: The word "sanguine" can refer to a lively character as well as blood, which fits his patronage over both the light and dark side of pleasure.
* {{Troll}}: As the Prince of debauchery and merriment, he tends to tempt or trick mortals into doing crazy things for the sake of doing it.
* VillainsOutShopping: When the Dragonborn finally tracks him down [[spoiler:after their little drinking contest leaves them passed out on the other side of Skyrim]], he seems to be in the middle of hosting a party with some of his followers. Then again, his job is pretty much partying and playing pranks, so maybe this would count as normal work for him.
!!Sheogorath
[[quoteright:307:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sheog_666.jpeg]]
--> Sphere: Madness, Creativity, Cheese
--> Artifacts: Wabbajack, Fork of Horripilation, Staff of Everscamp, Gambolpuddy
The Daedric Prince of Madness. He is one of the more prominent of the Daedric Princes and appears as a seemingly harmless, well-dressed male.
----
* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:Until the player becomes Sheogorath in The Shivering Isles.]]
* AffablyEvil: His domains also include creativity and music, and he always has a smile on his face. He loves his worshipers and will always reward a mortal helper... but since he's the Prince of Madness, the blessings he offers may not be entirely, ah, traditional. Or healthy.
** According to legend, he gifted humanity music one day when he was travelling the mortal plane and decided it was boring, and a woman commented on the beauty of a songbird's song. Sheogorath agreed and thought it was a pity that humans couldn't make such lovely noises with their voices, so he gave them music by way of crafting them drums, flutes and lutes... from the bones, tendons and other body parts of that same woman, killing her on the spot to get the materials.
* AnimalEyes: Often depicted as a human with cat's eyes. Either the inspiration for, or adopted in honor of, the Khajiit's nickname for him, "The Skooma Cat".
* ArtificialHuman: [[spoiler:The original Sheogorath was created by the rest of the Daedric Princes in order to stop Jyggalag from growing any more powerful. The second Sheogorath, however, ascended to the position.]]
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: He, as Jyggalag, is ultimately killed for good and leaves joyfully to wander the streams of Oblivion, which he sees as this. This also coincides with the player character, who ascends to godhood.]]
* AxCrazy: When he's in a bad mood.
* BadassBeard: In fact, beards more badass than his are outlawed in the Shivering Isles on [[DisproportionateRetribution pain of death]].
* BalefulPolymorph: Cats can be bats can be rats can be hats can be gnats can be thats can be thises. And doors can be boars can be snores can be floors can be roars can be spores can be yours can be mine.
* BatmanGambit: Despite his status as a MadGod and his insistence that it's impossible to tell exactly what any and all beings will do, he's pretty good at them. The series ''16 Accords of Madness'' volumes ''VI'', ''IX'' and ''XII'' involve the humiliation of Hircine, Vaermina, and Malacath, respectively. In each of the stories, he basically has the other Princes defeat themselves. It's even brought up in volume ''IX'', where Vaermina accuses him of doing nothing. And since there are 17 Princes, it can be assumed that the remaining 13 volumes chronicle the humiliation of the rest of the Princes.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: This almost goes without saying. In ''Shivering Isles'', attacking him will cause him to teleport the Champion of Cyrodiil high above the Shivering Isles, letting gravity do the rest. Some fans have jokingly theorized that ''you'' actually remained stationary and Sheogorath hurled the ''[[ImprobableWeaponUser planet]]'' at you.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: His brief vocal appearance in ''Morrowind'' sounds and acts absolutely nothing like he does in later games. Rather than the unpredictable, unruly LargeHam he becomes in ''The Shivering Isles'', he's quite calm, formal and collected; acting more like Haskill -- and in fact, he's voiced by Jeff Baker, who would later voice Haskill.
* CloudCuckoolander: When he's in a good mood.
* CoolButInefficient: His artifacts tend to fall under this category.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Just because he's insane doesn't mean he's stupid.
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Shivering Isles'', the Champion of Cyrodiil takes on the mantle of Sheogorath.]]
* FisherKing: The state of his realm, The Shivering Isles, is directly tied to both his own power, and that of his nemesis Jyggalag, who wants to rule the Isles himself. Whenever Jyggalag grows in power and Sheogorath's power wanes, the Isles become a monochrome wasteland dotted with crystal spires.
* GreatGazoo: He's a madman with incredible power.
* GroundhogDayLoop: [[spoiler:He's only able to become his true self during the Greymarch, once in a thousand years during which he destroys the land his mad self made and then has to witness the mad half rebuilding it.]]
* HailfirePeaks: His realm, The Shivering Isles, is split down the middle to represent the dual nature of madness. The northern half of the Isles, Mania, represents to positive aspects of madness, and is [[GhibliHills full of exotic plant life and brightly coloured monsters]]. The southern half, Dementia, embodies the negative aspects of madness, and consists mostly of [[SwampsAreEvil dreary swampland]].
* ImAHumanitarian: "Mmm... brain pie... ''care to donate''?"
* ItAmusedMe: Rains of flaming dogs, the heinous crime of beards, making the player flail around trying to kill a harmless airborne jellyfish with a dinner fork - none of these are really all that helpful, but they sure are funny! To him, at least.
* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: His idea of vacation is to take one of these within the mind of former Emperor Pelagius the Mad.
* KickTheDog: Most notably in the 16 Accords of Madness. Poor Malacath...
* LargeHam: "''CHEEEESE''! For everyone!"
* MadGod: It's even one of his titles.
* TheMadHatter: He's insane and loves every moment of it.
* MadnessMantra: Wabbajack. Wabbajack. Wabbajack. Wabbajack.
* MagicStaff: The Wabbajack, which transforms things into other things.
* ManipulativeBastard: Pulls shenanigans revolving around this for the lolz in [[spoiler: Online]], much to the detriment of [[spoiler: Archmage Shalidor]].
* MoodSwinger: "Since you're standing here, I assume you've succeeded. ''Or you're terribly confused.'' '''[[SuddenlyShouting OR REALLY LACKING IN GOOD JUDGMENT!]]'''"
* TheMuse: Creativity and the arts fall under his domain. According to legend, he gifted music to the mortals.
* NoodleImplements: The ritual to summon him requires a soul gem, a head of lettuce, and a spool of yarn.
* ObfuscatingInsanity:
** He's insane, that's a ''given'', but since he consistently seems to be [[XanatosSpeedChess ten steps ahead]] of ''everyone'', it's likely that Sheogorath plays up his madness to hide the fact he's far more on the ball than he lets on.
** [[spoiler:Since the second Sheogorath is implied to be the Champion of Cyrodiil, it [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation begs the question]] of how much of their behaviour in ''Skyrim'' is due to [[BecomingTheMask inheriting the mantle]] of Sheogorath, or if it's [[BeneathTheMask merely an affectation]] for when they deal with mortals.]] [invoked]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler:Sheogorath stops all joking, overreacting and non-sequiturs just before his transformation into Jyggalag near the end of ''Shivering Isles''. He's not yet under the orderly influence of Jyggalag, though, meaning that his despair over the fate of the Isles and his apparent failure to save them is genuine.]]
* PetTheDog: His quest in ''Skyrim'' is this for Pelagius the Mad.
* PimpDuds: Including a [[AnachronismStew pocket watch]] and a cane.
* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: [[spoiler:The Sheogorath depicted in ''Skyrim'' is implied to be the former Champion of Cyrodiil]].
* ProphetEyes: In ''Skyrim''.
* RedBaron: The Prince of Madness.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Is revealed in The Shivering Isles to actually be the Daedric Prince of Order, Jyggalag.]]
* RogueProtagonist: [[spoiler: ''Skyrim'' Sheogorath is actually the protagonist of Oblivion. Subverted in that he implies that he was, canonically, a VillainProtagonist]].
* ScrewDestiny: Prominent in the Shivering Isles expansion. Sheogorath attempts to avert the Greymarch. At first, it seems his attempt fails, as he turns into Jyggalag again, but then, the PC stops the Greymarch, thus breaking the cycle of fate. The fact that Jyggalag and his old chamberlain keep talking about how everything is preordained makes screwing destiny all the more satisfying. Also, while Sheogorath is a multifaceted being, a large part of what he stands for is free will and the spark of creativity. It would be utterly against the character of the lord of madness to suppose there was a preordained, predictable order.
* SeinfeldianConversation: "Cat's out of the bag on that one, isn't it? Who puts cats in bags, anyway? Cats hate bags!"
* ShoutOut:
** Given his eldritch nature, Sheogorath's name is probably a reference to Shub-Niggurath of the [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Cthulhu Mythos]]. In fact, his name [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shub-Niggurath#Robert_M._Price.27s_interpretation may be a reference to a 'Sheol-Niggurath']] briefly mentioned in a story by one of Lovecraft's inspirations [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Dunsany Lord Dunsany]]. '''Sheo'''l-Nig'''gurath''' = '''Sheogurath''' = '''Sheogorath'''.
** In the Cthulhu Mythos the Outer God Nyarlathotep is said to often walk the Earth in the form of a tall, slim, joyous man, and was described by Lovecraft himself as "horrible beyond anything you can imagine — but wonderful." In the Elder Scrolls mythology one of Sheogorath's most favored forms is "Gentleman With a Cane", and he is both reviled as the source of madness and revered as the inspiration for (and original creator of) art, literature, and music.
* TalkativeLoon: "Wonderful! Time for a celebration! Cheese for everyone! Wait, scratch that! Cheese for no one! That could be just as much of a celebration if you don't like cheese, true?"
* TookALevelInKindness: It's vaguely suggested in ''Skyrim'' that [[spoiler:the second Sheogorath (the Champion of Cyrodil) may be much more benevolent then his predecessor.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Cheese. His Daedric quest in ''Oblivion'' requires it, he constantly speaks about it, including several memorable lines involving "cheese for everyone!" quickly followed by "cheese for no one!" and in his ''Skyrim'' appearance he has cheeses set out on a banquet table before him. Given his overt madness and godlike status, this isn't a fondness for eating cheese, but more like a surreal, platonic affection for the stuff.
* TricksterArchetype: One of his favorite games is making mortals or even other daedra look like idiots. The lesson is usually "don't underestimate/bargain with/upset/stand near/shirk worship of Sheogorath", but it can be kinder ("there's always room for creativity") or more cruel ("there's madness within us all"), depending on his whims...
* TricksterGod: Well, yeah.
* {{Troll}}: Sometimes, it seems he just likes to point and laugh. One story of his has him challenging fellow prince Hircine to combat-by-champion. Hircine fielded a huge, saw-toothed, dagger-clawed, vicious werebeast. Sheogorath revealed his champion to be... a songbird. The tiny bird then proceeded to goad the werebeast into tearing ''itself'' apart by perching on it, singing and then flitting away, over and over. The bird won. Sheogorath's sole reason for any of this was, apparently, that he found Hircine's fury hilarious.
* VillainProtagonist: In ''Skyrim'', [[spoiler: his dialogue implies that the Champion of Cyrodil was a member of the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood]].
* WasOnceAMan: In Skyrim, it's heavily implied that the being now known as Sheogorath, who looks and acts exactly like Sheogorath always has, is actually [[LegacyCharacter the second Sheogorath]], and was once [[spoiler:the Champion of Cyrodiil]].
* WithThisHerring: A frequent feature of his quests, probably for his own amusement. One famous implement is the Fork of Horripilation. "Horripilation" is the anatomical word for... goosebumps.
!!Vaermina
--> Sphere: Nightmares, Fear
--> Artifacts: Skull of Corruption
The Daedric Prince of Nightmares and Terror. Normal dreams also fall within her realm. The is also known as "the Gifter."
----
* ColdBloodedTorture: Some theorize that this falls within her sphere as well.
* CoolMask: In ''Online'', she is often depicted as wearing one of these. Indeed, her emblem consists of her mask, and a [[SnakesAreEvil snake]].
* CuteIsEvil:
** Her voice in ''Skyrim''. When she finally speaks to the player at one point, it's with the sweetest, most adorable voice you could ever hear... while she orders you to murder Erandur, a priest of Mara trying to rescue a village.
** Taken UpToEleven in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'', where she has even more dialogue. Her voice is still adorable, and almost childlike... [[spoiler:while [[CuteAndPsycho gleefully describing how]] she is going to spend the next century or so [[MindRape Mind Raping]] you for killing her Champion. Whom she was apparently in love with.]]
* DarkIsEvil: She's definitely one of the more brutal Daedric Princes, to the point that she may second only to ''Molag Bal'' in some ways.
* DreamStealer: They may be a source of power for her.
* EldritchLocation: Her realm of Quagmire, which changes for the viewer every few moments in a flash of lightning to something even more horrific than before.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In ''Online'', she is stated to actually be in love with her champion. [[spoiler:Her reaction to his death would seem to back this up.]]
* FriendOrIdolDecision: Either kill [[spoiler:Erandur]] and keep the Skull of Corruption, or spare [[spoiler:him]] and gain a companion at the loss of the artifact in ''Skyrim''.
* MindRape: Can cause this.
* NightmareFetishist: ''Literally.'' She often kept her champion in Quagmire in ''Online,'' seeming not to care of the fact that simply ''being'' there can cause MindRape, or perhaps, actually seeing that as a ''show of affection''.
* NightmareSequence: Pretty much her entire shtick.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Statues of her often depict her with a snake draped across her shoulders. In ''Online,'' her emblem consists of her CoolMask with a snake wrapped around it.
* UnholyMatrimony: Her champion in ''Online'' is said to also be her lover.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Is sometimes depicted with white hair, and happens to be one of the more brutal Daedric Princes.
* YourWorstNightmare: Her specialty.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Other Gods]]
Aside from the Aedra and Daedra, other varieties of divine beings are present in the ''Elder Scrolls'' universe. Below is a list of the remaining "Gods" who do not fit neatly in with the Aedra or the Daedra.
!! Ebonarm (aka Reymon Ebonarm, The Black Knight)
A god of war worshiped in the Iliac Bay region as the companion and guardian of all warriors. He is the arch enemy of most of the Daedric Princes. He is held in particularly special regard by the Redguard who keep shrines to Ebonarm in their homes.
----
* ArchEnemy: To all Daedra (save Sheogorath), the Temple of Stendarr, and The Cabal.
* BadassBeard: Is said to have flowing reddish-blonde hair and a beard.
* BlackKnight: His preferred form, constantly outfitted in dark ebony armor.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Has an ebony sword for an arm, hence the name.
* CoolHorse: His golden stallion War Master.
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: He supposedly is one and can create others, such as Sai, the God of Luck.
* SomethingAboutARose: His symbol is a red rose, which is said to bloom on battlefields where he appears.
* TechnicalPacifist: He is a god of war, but he won't fight in any war that started for petty reasons. When he appears on the battlefield, it is usually to ''prevent'' bloodshed and reconcile the opposing sides.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Hasn't been mentioned in any form since ''Daggerfall.''
!![=HoonDing=] (aka The Yokudan Make Way God)
The Yokudan spirit of perseverance over infidels and "Make Way" god, the [=HoonDing=] has manifested whenever the Reguards needed to "make way" for their people.
----
* CoolVersusAwesome: In the [[LooseCanon Obscure Text]] ''[[https://www.imperial-library.info/content/lord-vivecs-sword-meeting-cyrus-restless Lord Vivec's Sword-Meeting with Cyrus the Restless]]'', [=HoonDing=] in his most famous form as Cyrus the Restless, has a battle with the Dunmeri PhysicalGod Vivec. In it, after being badly defeated once, Cyrus returns and claims he can use the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Pankratosword]] in order to get Vivec to hand over a valuable treasure. (It's a bluff, but it works.)
* GodInHumanForm: Manifests itself using human avatars.
** Frandar Hunding was one form. As Frandar, he led an army of "sword singers" to victory over Emperor Hira of Yokuda. He later led the Redguard people to Hammerfell.
** Diagna, "God of the Sideways Blade," was another. As Diagna, he defeated the Left Handed Elves of Yokuda and later, defeated the Orcs of Orsinium at the height of its ancient power.
** Cyrus the Restless, hero of the ''Redguard'' game, was his most famous. Through the events of that game, he forced the Septim Empire into a treaty with better terms for Hammerfell.
* TheJuggernaut: Is totally unstoppable once it gets going. It is said to be able to make its way "through anything."
* MasterSwordsman: Each of the mortals known to be its manifestations excelled in swordsmanship.
* OddJobGods: Manifests whenever the Redguards need to "make way" for their people.
!!The Ideal Masters
The Ideal Masters rule over a portion of Oblivion known as the 'Soul Cairn,' where souls trapped in Soul Gems ultimate end up to [[AndIMustScream wander its bleak, desolate plains for eternity]]. They view this state as peace from the torments of life, but those under their purview, obviously, don't quite see it that way. They commonly make deals with Necromancers, granting them power in exchange for souls. [[JackassGenie They rarely work out.]]
----
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Despite ruling over a plane of Oblivion, they are not Daedra. Actually, nobody is quite sure ''what'' they are, though it is known that they were [[WasOnceAMan once mortal]].
* AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: They are stated to have been mortal at one point, though it is still currently unknown how they became what they are now.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Believe that by dooming souls to eternal undeath, they are giving them eternal peace. Terrifyingly, ''there is some evidence to support this''.
* DealWithTheDevil: The Ideal Masters specialize in these, making deals with necromancers to summon powerful spirits in order to ensnare ''their'' souls eventually.
* EldritchAbomination: ''Very'' much so. They don't even ''have'' a true form, from what anyone knows.
* EldritchLocation: Their plane of Oblivion, the Soul Cairn, which competes with [[FireAndBrimstoneHell the Deadlands]] and [[DarkWorld Coldharbour]] for the most hellish realm of Oblivion. The Ideal Masters are up there with [[OmnicidalManiac Mehrunes Dagon]] and [[GodOfEvil Molag Bal]].
* EnemyMine: Due to their displeasure with Mehrunes Dagon's forces using the Soul Cairn as a waystation while destroying their undead and plundering their treasure, they allied with the Hero of Battlespire and helped him escape the Soul Cairn.
* ExactWords: They'll promise you great power, but they'll word it so as to get the maximum benefit for themselves while screwing the one who made the deal over as much as possible. [[spoiler: Durnehviir learned that the hard way by promising to guard Valerica until she died... unaware she was a Vampire, and as such immortal.]]
* HorrorHunger: Implied. They are desperate to fill the Soul Cairn up with more souls, and as mentioned below in YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm, they drain the souls of anyone who gets too close to their giant Soul Gem forms.
* JackassGenie: Their deals with Necromancers tend to invoke this. In Durnehviir's case, it was a case of YouDidntAsk and ExactWords; they ordered him to guard [[spoiler:Valerica]] in the Soul Cairn until her death, while failing to mention the fact that, since she's a [[spoiler:vampire]], she'll ''never'' die, meaning he was doomed to their service forever.
* {{Manipulative Bastard}}s: Very much so. In addition to the ExactWords example above, they pulled something similar with Valerica. She wanted to stay in the Soul Cairn for safety, and struck a deal with the Masters: safety for souls. What they didn't tell her is that they wanted ''her'' soul.
* NonindicativeName: Malicious, double-crossing jerkasses, nobody thinks of them as ideal masters.
* WasOnceAMan: The Ideal Masters are said to all have been mortals at one point.
* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: They never take a 'physical' form in the Soul Cairn. The closest thing they to do taking a physical form is taking the form of a giant Soul Gem that [[YourSoulIsMine drains the souls of anyone who gets too close.]]
* YourSoulIsMine: Every soul that gets Soul Trapped ends up under their control. They also tend to do this to those who make a DealWithTheDevil with them.
* TheUnseen: The Ideal Masters have never been actually seen, and use gems to communicate with other species (as well as capture their souls), so it has been theorized that they may actually have no physical form and are completely incorporeal.
!!Magnus
->''"Penitent, the lives of all living are touched by Magnus, He Who Abstained. Lord Magnus drew up the schematics for our world, intricately sketching the diagrams of Creation. Magnus is with us always, in the magics of Mages and the warming breath of the sun."''
The God of Magic among the Altmer and Bretons. Though he participated in the creation of the Mundus, Magnus isn't normally counted among the standard Aedra; he rules the Magna-Ge, or "Star Orphans," that left midway through creation. While Lorkhan was the one who came up with the idea of Mundus, Magnus was the chief architect of Mundus. However, he soon became disgusted with creation and fled with the rest of the Magna-Ge to Aetherius.
----
* TheArchMage: As the God of Magic.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The Eye of Magnus. While it's unclear exactly ''what'' it does, it clearly possesses enough raw magical power to potentially destroy the entire world if mishandled.
** Indirectly, the Eye of Magnus led to the downfall of the Snow Elves. Due to both the Ancient Nords and the Snow Elves vying for control of the Eye, it led to a war in which Saarthal and the Eye were lost. The Ancient Nords drove the Snow Elves underground into the arms of the Dwemer, who betrayed them and twisted them into a slave race which has since evolved into the sightless, merciless creatures known as the Falmer.
* LightTheWay: He was known as the god of Sight, Light and Insight among the Ayleids, and created the sun which shares his name by punching through to Aetherius.
* MagicStaff: The Staff of Magnus, held to be able to absorb massive amounts of magical energy. You end up using it a lot in ''Skyrim'' if you complete the College of Winterhold questline.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Left Mundus due to being disgusted with Lorkhan's trickery.
!!Sai
The God of Luck celebrated in the Iliac Bay region.
----
* BabiesEverAfter: Settled down with a Nord woman Josea with whom he had a daughter. After his physical form faded away entirely, his decedents are said to be able to "feel" his presence once a year.
* BornLucky: Even as a mortal, he had the uncanny ability to bring good luck to others.
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: Originally a mortal man with the uncanny ability to spread good luck to others, but not to himself. When he died in battle, Ebonarm granted him immortality so that he may continue to spread his luck and help "balance" the world.
* NobleWolf: Traveled with a gray wolf named Grellan after his resurrection. Some time after settling down, his physical body began to fade, leaving him as a spirit and unable to interact with his loved ones. He begged Mara for a body, and she allowed him to take the form of a wolf.
* TheGambler: "Sai's Disease" is essentially gambling addiction. Those afflicted are driven to incessant gambling, seeking proof of the god's favor.
* WalkingTheEarth: What he did for a time after he was brought back.
!!Sithis
-->''"All Tamrielic religions begin the same. Man or mer, things begin with the dualism of Anu and His Other. These twin forces go by many names: Anu-Padomay, Anuiel-Sithis, Ak-El, Satak-Akel, Is-Is Not. Anuiel is the Everlasting Ineffable Light, Sithis is the Corrupting Inexpressible Action. In the middle is the Gray Maybe ('Nirn' in the Ehlnofex)."''
-->-- '''''The Monomyth'''''
Sithis is a force that represents void, change, chaos, and limitation. Lorkhan may be a AnthropomorphicPersonification of Sithis, and Sithis is the patron "deity" of the Dark Brotherhood who know him as the Dread Father. Sithis is venerated by most cultures throughout Tamriel as a force of change, though outright worship is rare.
----
* BrotherhoodOfEvil: The Dark Brotherhood, an illegal [[MurderInc assassins guild]], worships Sithis.
* CreationMyth: The Hist - a race of ancient, sentient, possibly omniscient trees native to Black Marsh - "acknowledge" Sithis as the true creator of the universe. It also helps to explain the Argonian Shadowscales who are sent to the Dark Brotherhood.
* DarkIsEvil: "The Dread Father" does not sound very benevolent at all.
* EldritchAbomination: He is related to (or may even ''be'') Padomay, the personification of the primordial state of chaos, and is typically represented as a "great void."
* GodCouple: With the Night Mother in the religion of the Dark Brotherhood. There is evidence that the Night Mother may be an aspect of the Daedric Prince Mephala, who has strong connections to Sithis in the religion of the Dunmer. (The Morag Tong, off of whom the Brotherhood originally split, has Mephala as a patron deity while also having special reverence for Sithis.)
* MindScrew: The primal "Is Not" according to the Dark Brotherhood.
* TheNothingAfterDeath: Those who have pledged their soul to Sithis enter "the Void" for all eternity. Apparently, according to the Dark Brotherhood, they serve him there in some capacity and can have their spirits summoned back to the world of the living to serve the Brotherhood.
* PowerOfTheVoid: Sithis represents the primordial state of chaos and is referred to as the "great void."
* PowersThatBe: Much more subtly affects the universe than most of the other divine beings on this page. It is said that he "begat" Lorkhan to disrupt the imperfect stasis of Anuiel and the spirits that would later become the Aedra.
* TheAntiGod: Sithis, the deity the Dark Brotherhood worships, is what's left of Padomay/is Padomay, who was the original Anti-God, dark twin of the progenitor GodOfGods Anu and the progenitor of the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Daedra]].
!!Y'ffre
-->''"Feel the solidity of the ground under your feet, and taste the wind. By his will is our world manifest, and the rocks, and the trees, and the birds in the sky. Y'ffre is with you at every turn, in every moment."''
-->-- '''''Bones of the Forest'''''
Y'ffre, the God of the Forest and the Spirit of the Now, is the most important god in the Bosmer religion and also present in the religions of the Altmer, Bretons, and Falmer. He (sometimes she) was one of the strongest pre-creation spirits and was the first transform into the Ehlnofey, the "Earth Bones," which allowed for the laws of physics, nature, and life on Nirn. Also heavily associated with story telling.
----
* TheBeastmaster: As the god of nature. A power he passed on to his Bosmeri followers.
* NatureSpirit: Essentially brought nature into existence in the early world.
* {{Precursors}}: As one of the Ehlnofey, who are the ancestors to all of the mortal races on Nirn (save for possibly the Argonians).
* {{Veganopia}}: Inverted. Bound the Bosmer to the "Green Pact," which prevents them from consuming any plant matter in their homeland of Valenwood, which leaves them on a purely carnivorous diet. (This seems to be relaxed for Bosmer outside of Valenwood.)
[[/folder]]
----
[[folder:Lorkhan]]
!!Lorkhan (a.k.a. Shor, Sep, Shezarr, Lorkhaj, Sheor, the Void Ghost, Doom Drum, LKHAN)
-->''"This Heart is the heart of the world, for one was made to satisfy the other."''
-->-- '''Lorkhan''' in "The Heart of the World."
Also known as the Missing God, Lorkhan is present in some form in the mythic traditions of every religion of Tamriel. Despised by most elves and loved by most humans, Lorkhan is the god who (along with the Aedra) created Mundus. Why he did this depends on the culture, with men (except Redguards) typically thinking it as a good thing while elves (except Dunmer) think it was a malevolent act. (The Redguard and Dunmer both acknowledge him, but without strong feelings either way.)
Following the creation of Mundus, his heart ("divine center") was removed and cast down into the world during the Dawn Era. (Who did it and why varies depending on the culture.) His spirit is said to wander Nirn.
He has some aspects of both the Aedra and the Daedra, but does not seem to qualify as either.
----
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
** In-universe: An evil, manipulative monster who tricked everyone out of being gods (as most Mer religions teach), or a benevolent savior who wishes to bring enlightenment and created Mundus to do so (as most religions of Men teach)?
** Is he an Aedra, for suggesting the creation of Mundus, or a Daedra, due to his Padomaic basis, and his lack of sacrifice?
** Or is his nature as the demiurge that brought the Mundus into existence [[TakeAThirdOption make him neither?]]
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of Sithis, in some religions. The two are heavily associated, with some suggesting that Sithis "begat" Lorkhan and sent him to disrupt the stasis of Anui-El and the spirits that would become the Aedra.
* BaseBreakingCharacter: InUniverse. Prior to the First Era, most races of Men followed the Nordic pantheon, which treated Lorkhan (under the name Shor) as their TopGod and most beloved benefactor. The Elves, on the other hand, ''hated'' Lorkhan to the point that worship of him was out of the question. Even after Alessia conquered the Ayleids, her empire was threatened to be torn apart due to religious in-fighting. Her solution was to group the most important Aedra into the Eight Divines, with Lorkhan only partially acknowledged as the "Missing Ninth God". This kept both the Nords and the Elves happy.
* BeatStillMyHeart: His heart, also referred to as his "Divine Center," was removed and cast down to Nirn in the Dawn Era where it landed in modern day Morrowind, forming Red Mountain. There, it would continue to beat for thousands of years, [[spoiler:until the events of ''Morrowind'']].
* BigGood: Lorkhan is the creator and the protector of the Mundus, and his influence is subtly felt throughout all the games, mostly in the form of Talos. To most of the elves, especially the Altmer, he is instead the BigBad.
* CreationMyth: He is present in some form in the creation stories of all of the religions of Tamriel.
* DeathIsCheap: In Skyrim, the player can travel to Sovngarde, the Nordic afterlife, where the testimony of those present indicates that Shor is alive and well. The reason why he isn't physically present is because his 'mien is too bright for mortal eyes'. Alternatively, given the player character's actions in ''Skyrim'', it is theorized you can't see Shor because [[spoiler: there are no [[GodInHumanForm mirrors]] in Sovngarde. (ie, the Dragonborn ''is'' Shor.)]]
* DivineIntervention: His spirit has been known to take form as the various "Shezzarines" throughout history. Usually, this form is as one of the races of men whenever they are threatened, and then he helps to advance their cause. Often, this is accomplished by killing lots and lots of elves. Pelinal Whitestrake, Wulfharth Ash-King, Tiber Septim, Zurin Arctus, and the Underking are some of the many believed to have been Shezzarines.
* EternalHero: The Shezzarines. Wulfharth Ash-King is perhaps the best example, as he has died and come back to life at least three times.
* FantasyMetals:
** Ebony, an ''ES'' series staple of high quality crafting material, is theorized to be Lorkhan's petrified blood. Small deposits are found across Tamriel where his heart traveled as it fell. The greatest deposits are around Red Mountain, where his heart landed. Ebony also has a number of mystic properties, such as being able to be combined with Daedric souls to forge Daedric materials.
** Another theory states that his blood crystallized instead, and was collected by the Ayleids to create the Chim-el Adabal, better known as the Amulet of Kings.
* GodCouple: With Kyne or Mara, depending on the religion. Sometimes both.
* GodInHumanForm: All the gods can do this, but Lorkhan ''has'' to do it because he is dead. These forms are known as "Shezzarines," and usually appear during times of crisis for the races of men.
* GodIsDead: He was "killed" by the Aedra after he convinced/tricked them into giving up a large portion of their power to create Mundus, with the exact details varying depending on the religion. Hasn't stopped him from continuing to influence the world in various ways, though.
* GodIsEvil: To most elves, especially the Altmer, who consider creation a malevolent act which robbed the pre-creation spirits of their immortality and forced them into the prison of the mortal world where they experience death and suffering.
* GodIsGood: To men, especially Nords, who consider the act of creation a good thing which freed the pre-creation spirits from a prison of nothingness.
* GodIsInept: The Altmer think of him as a "limit", according to their creation myth.
* GoodIsNotNice: Shor is a bloodthirsty warrior king. However, Nords probably think of that as a good thing.
* GreaterScopeParagon: To the races of men. The elves, especially the Altmer, consider him a GreaterScopeVillain instead.
* HeroicSacrifice: Most of Humanity's views of him include this. Some religions indicate that this was his plan all along; to be "killed" and have his spirit "impregnate" Nirn.
* HumansAreSpecial: Lorkhan certainly seems to think so, as he has aided the races of men repeatedly in their struggles against the elves throughout history.
* IHaveManyNames: Lorkhan for most elven pantheons (which translates to "Doom Drum" in old Aldmeris), Shor for the Nords, Sheor for the Bretons, Sep for the Redguards, Shezzar for the Cyrodiils, Lorkhaj for the Khajiit, LKHAN to the Dunmer.
* KillTheGod: What the Aedra tried to do after Lorkhan tricked/convinced them into sacrificing their power to create Mundus. After his heart proved indestructible, the cast it down to Nirn. As of the Fourth Era, the Aldmeri Dominion led by the Thalmor is trying to do this all over again by banning Talos worship, which they believe will undo creation.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: The religion of the Eight (later Nine) Divines was specifically created so that the Eight most agreed-upon entities would be universally worshipped throughout Tamriel. The main point of contention was Lorkhan, aka Shor, who was beloved by the Nords (whose religion most Men followed) but ''despised'' by the Elves. For this reason, he was excluded from the Divines and referred to as the "Missing God".
* NoPronunciationGuide: [[http://michaelkirkbride.tumblr.com/post/88433803343/hey-mk-how-exactly-is-lorkhan-pronounced-like-the According to Micheal Kirkbride]], it's pronounced Lore-Khan.
* OrderVsChaos: He straddles a fine line. He convinced the "Order"-leaning Aedric spirits to create Mundus, but he himself does not seem to be an Aedra, as he made no sacrifice of his own. (Eventual HeroicSacrifice notwithstanding.) Some myths portray him as an agent or aspect of Sithis, the embodiment of Chaos, which would move him closer to the "Chaos"-leaning Daedra. However, he has mutually exclusive traits that would seem to preclude him from being entirely one or the other.
* ThanatosGambit: There are hints that Lorkhan knew that the other et'Ada would "kill" him for his perceived treachery, and planned for this, allowing his soul to become a driving force on the Mundus.
* TopGod: As Shor, to the Nords.
* TricksterArchetype: Even those religions with a highly favorable view of him depict him as a trickster.
* WarGod: The Nordic religion describes him, as Shor, as a 'bloodthirsty warrior king'.
* WeirdMoon: Nirn's two moons, Masser and Secunda, are not typical sub-planetoids but are said to be the decaying remains of Lorkhan. They go through technically impossible phases and the stars are visible behind the dark parts when they aren't full.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Aedra]]
Most of the Gods in the ''Elder Scrolls'' series are et'Ada ("original spirits") who are split into two groups: the Aedra ("Our ancestors") and the Daedra ("Not our ancestors). The Aedra are divine beings that took part in the creation of the world, sacrificing parts of themselves and vast amounts of their powers. They have much less direct power or influence on the world than the Daedra, but still have been known to help mortals in times of need.
The most prominent Aedra are the Eight Divines, who are the primary pantheon worshipped throughout Tamriel. In truth, the "Eight Divines" were a political creation, formed after St. Alessia's First Empire rose to power. The Eight most popular and influential Aedra were chosen to avoid political discontent amongst the diverse races now under the Empire's banner. In particular, Lorkhan was only tangentially recognized by the pantheon due to being despised by the Elves yet beloved by the Nords. Due to the ascension of Tiber Septim (described below) and his transformation into the god Talos, a new pantheon was created: the Nine Divines. All in all, the Divines are well recognized, respected, and worshipped throughout Tamriel.
They typically come from Aetherius, the Immortal Plane, thought to be the origin of all magic. It is a commonly held belief that the souls of the deceased, assuming they aren't tied to the earth or taken by the Daedra, continue to live on in this realm as spirits. It is also believed that the sun and stars are actually portals to Aetherius, and the source of all magic.
!!Tropes applicable to all the Divines
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: The moons and planets in the solar system of Nirn are hinted to actually be the dead forms of many Aedra that didn't escape Mundus in time (or, in some theories, the original Eight Divines, as there are exactly eight planets). As each one is an astral plane onto itself, their spherical shapes and massive sizes are essentially mortal minds struggling as best they can to comprehend their form.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In-universe. Every culture of Tamriel worships or acknowledges the Divines in some fashion, but each mythological tradition gives them different names, personalities, and motivations.
* CrystalDragonJesus: In Cyrodiil, their churches and followers often draw parallels to Christianity.
* DivineIntervention: The few times they actually exert their power on Mundus are usually the last push to save the world. Specific examples are listed under the relevant deity below.
* GodInHumanForm: Very rarely, they may take an unassuming mortal form. Three are encountered in this way during the Imperial Cult questline in ''Morrowind''.
* GodIsInept: The creation of Mundus took most of their power, making them much less influential than the Daedric Princes.
* GoodIsNotSoft: After they realized that Lorkhan tricked them out of their power in order to create Nirn, they got even. How? They tore out his heart ("divine center") and tried to destroy it. When it proved indestructible, they cast it down at Nirn where his spirit would be forced to wander.
* GreaterScopeParagon: The Nine Divines are the greatest forces of good in the setting, but because they lost most of their power creating Mundus (and Lorkhan was killed by the other Eight), their role tends to be limited to the final push needed to defeat a BigBad at best.
* HaveYouSeenMyGod: During the Dawn and Merethic Eras, the Divines still had somewhat enough power to take limited manifestations on Nirn, so there are tons of legends of them directly interacting with mortals. However, by the time of the First Age, all of them had vanished except within shrines and temples, where they could perform limited actions. One source attributes this to Akatosh's pact with Alessia and the Dragonfires; this pact, designed to keep Daedra from being able to walk into Mundus with all or most of their power (as Mehrunes Dagon did at the end of ''Oblivion''), also greatly restricts the Divines.
* HumansAreSpecial: The Divines are said to "belove" the races of men in particular, who find "strength-in-weakness" in their mortal forms (as opposed to most of the Elves who feel that the mortal world is a prison) and who live with passion and hope despite always being doomed to death in the end.
* IHaveManyNames: Each of the Divines has multiple names which vary from culture to culture.
* OrderVsChaos: The Aedra are said to be a mix of Anuic (Order) and Padomaic (Chaos) forces. (Versus the Daedra who are said to be strictly Padomaic.) In a more general sense, they tend toward Order while the Daedra tend toward Chaos.
* OurGodsAreDifferent: Originally immortal spirits, they gave up much of their power, including true divinity, in order create the mortal world. Now they use what limited power they have left to safeguard that world in usually subtle ways.
* ThePowerOfCreation: They aided in the creation of the mortal world, but had to give up a significant portion of their power to do so.
* PowersThatBe: They are much less direct in their actions to influence the mortal world than their Daedric cousins, to the point where many mortals question the existence of the Divines at all. Despite their "soft touch," it is implied that they are still active in safeguarding the mortal world, they just prefer to do so subtly. (And this may be due to sheer practicality since their lack of true immortality means that more direct involvement could result in their deaths.)
* SaintlyChurch: The Temples of the Divines are uniformly benevolent so far throughout the series.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When they realized how much the creation of Mundus was taking out of them, some of the et'Ada attempted to flee, with many of them dying in the process. (Others died even before this.) Only Magnus and his followers were actually successful in fleeing in Aetherius, where they were more or less safe, but it still cost them their divinity.
* SplitPersonality: Quite a few of the Aedra have oddly conflicting personality traits or govern over unusual combinations of spheres. Much of this can be traced back to St. Alessia's founding of the religion of the Eight Divines, which stitched together the classic Aldmeri pantheon her Nedic people were used to with the old Nordic pantheon of her Nord allies.
* TimeAbyss: They existed before linear time was even conceived of as a concept.
!!Akatosh, (a.k.a. Aka, Aka-Tusk, Auriel, Tosh'Raka, AKHAT)
->"''"By the Fixed Center and his hand in our lives, we are all made safe. Auri-El, grant me the stability of the Divine. Be always at my side."''
The Dragon God of Time. He is also the father of the dragons[[note]]Whatever that actually means[[/note]].
----
* AnimalMotifs: A dragon as Akatosh to the races of men and an eagle as Auriel to the Altmer.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of Anuiel, the soul of all things and the totality of creation.
* DivineIntervention:
** Pulled the most direct act of intervention by any Divine since the Dawn Era when he struck down Mehrunes Dagon to end the Oblivion Crisis.
** Less direct but no less impactful was his sending the "last Dragonborn" to Skyrim just in time to foil Alduin's premature "eating" of the world.
* DragonsAreDivine: Akatosh is the god of time taking the form of a dragon. His children, the lesser dragons seen in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', would be classified as lesser Aedra, making them divine as well.
* GodIsGood: To most races. The Argonians have no word for time and the Dunmer don't say much.
* IHaveManyNames: Auriel/Auri-El to most elven religions, Alduin to the Nords (if Auri-El counts...), Akatosh to many Man-ish religions, either Satakal or Ruptga "Tall Papa" to the Redguards (perhaps both) Alkosh to the Khajiit, AKHAT to the Dunmer, and Bormahu[[note]]translates to "Our Father", roughly[[/note]] to the Dragons, and is sometimes known as the Aka-Tusk. One theory behind Tosh'Raka of Akavir is the he was a mortal who mantled Akatosh and rules the Ka Po' Tun as their dragon god-king. May also be the All-Maker to the Skaal, unless that's Anu.
* MonsterProgenitor: He's the creator of the dragons, and also of the Dragonborn as seen in ''Skyrim''. Whether they're actually his children or merely fragments of his being is highly debated in-universe.
* RealityIsOutToLunch: In the First Era, A remnant of a once-powerful organization of [[FantasticRacism anti-elf inquisitors]] carried out a ritual in an attempt to purge Akatosh of the elven aspects of the mythological basis that Akatosh was based on - the elven golden eagle god Auri-El. This proceeded to break time and reality for a period of a little over 1000 years. Bizarre and impossible events occurred during this time; people gave birth to their own parents, some sources mention wars and major events which never happened according to other sources, the sun changed color depending on the witness, and the gods either walked among the mortals or they didn't. How could they measure how long that period was? The Khajiit, a cat-like race on Tamriel whose mythology was heavily steeped in the two moons, used those as a basis for time, despite time otherwise being non-linear through this event's duration. (The moons are the "rotting corpse" of Lorkhan, the [[GodIsDead dead creator god]], and were unaffected.)
* SplitPersonality:
** Most of the Aedra, but Akatosh gets it the most. This is taken to the point where Cyrodiilic stained glass and statuary depictions of him show that he has two heads, a dragon head and a human head.
** In-universe speculation is that Alduin is more akin to a fragment of Akatosh's being rather than his son. Depending on who you ask, this might also apply to all dragons, which would include the Dragonborn.
* StockGods: The "Top God" of the traditional Imperial and Altmeri Divines.
* TimeAbyss: According to legend, he was the first being to manifest out of the raw energy of the early universe. Linear time started with him at the end of the Dawn Era, so he is literally as old as time itself.
* TimeCrash: During events know as "Dragon Breaks," with a dash of RealityBreakingParadox. They're known as such because Akatosh is "tampered with" in some way, so to speak, usually by mortals using some sort of divine implements. Several have occurred throughout history, most prominently in the First Era example mentioned above and during the Warp in the West event.
* TimeMaster: More like he ''is'' time.
* TopGod: To Imperials, Bretons, Khajiit and Altmer (as Auriel). Also to Bosmer, but he's not the most ''important''.
!!Arkay (aka Orkey, Tu'whacca, Xarxes, RKHET)
God of Life and Death. His followers are usually found in the Halls of the Dead around Skyrim or other cemeteries and crypts.
----
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: One book claims that, much like Talos, he too ascended to godhood. Ragada myth denies this, claiming that he existed before Mundus, but was unimportant.
* DueToTheDead: Arkay's Law is used on dead bodies to prevent them from being used for Necromancy. Unlike Arkay's Blessing, which can be worked around via Black Soul Gems, Arkay's Law is unmovable.
* EverybodyHatesHades:
** Averted in the Imperial and classic Aldmeri pantheons, due to Arkay being the God of Death ''and'' Life. Most people think of him as a compassionate god who sometimes has to do bad things so that something good will happen elsewhere, or ensuring that the world doesn't become totally static by allowing death so that new life can arise.
** Played straight with his Old Nordic aspect, Orkey, the Old Knocker, who is despised by Nords for giving them shorter lifespans than mer in their mythology.
* TheMedic: Well, his blessing fortifies your hit points for a limited time, anyway.
* RedBaron: Lord of the Wheel of Life.
* StockGods: The God of Death.
!!Dibella
Goddess of Beauty. She is found primarily in Cyrodiilic and Nordic traditions.
----
* GoodBadGirl: Has elements of innocence associated with her, but is also a SexGod.
* HotGod: She ''is'' a goddess of beauty.
* InnocentFlowerGirl: She's always shown holding a delicate white flower. Her followers aren't necessarily so innocent.
* LoveGoddess: Of the sexual/carnal and romantic varieties. Brothels and the like sometimes double as unofficial shrines to Dibella. She's also worshiped by artists.
* MsFanservice: To be expected given her domain. She tends to be depicted as a voluptuous, attractive human female and appeared topless in ''Daggerfall''.
* SexGod: The "Dibellan Arts", a form of lovemaking and sexual practices which are supposedly the primary methods of worshiping her. Supposedly, being versed in them makes one an exceptionally skilled sex partner.
* SlutShaming: Her worshipers are sometimes subjected to this. In ''Skyrim'', one of them has to practice the Dibellan Arts in secret out of fear of being run out of town (though in her case it might be because her manner of practicing the arts involves less-than-consenting partners).
* StockGods: One half of the "Love Goddess" variety.
!!Julianos (a.k.a. Jhunal)
God of Wisdom and Logic. The Cult of the Ancestor Moth and other orders dedicated to knowledge typically see him as their patron deity, and he is believed to govern magic in general as well.
----
* PyramidPower: His symbol is a simple triangle, and his shrines are in the shape of a pyramid.
* TheSmartGuy: Of the Aedric pantheon.
* StockGods: God of Knowledge.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: His followers, the Cult of the Ancestor Moth, were tasked with keeping and using the Elder Scrolls themselves.
* WizardingSchool: He is associated with schools; particularly those that study magic.
!!Kynareth (a.k.a. Kyne, Khenarthi, Tava, KYNRT)
->''"Dark clouds gather in the sky above.''
->''Kyne weeps for joy at the beauty of the world.''
->''Tears warm the ground and blossoms grow.''
->''The sacred stone reveals the flowers of her tears."''
Goddess of Air and Heavens. According to some myths, she was the first et'ada to agree to Lorkhan's plans to create Mundus.
----
* CueTheRain: She is responsible for rain; a phenomenon that is said not to have occurred before the removal of Lorkhan's divine spark. During the Alessian Revolt, she sent rain to cleanse the blood from Ayleid forts and villages after Pelinal came through so that they could be used by Alessia's forces.
* DivineIntervention:
** When the ancient Nords prayed for aid against the Dragons and Dragon Cults, she sent Paarthurnax to teach them the thu'um so they could use the dragons' own weapon against them.
** Was perhaps the most active Aedra in supporting the Alessian Revolt, sending her "son" Morihaus to join the conflict on Alessia's side. Also see the rain example above.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: All ''natural'' things, anyway. Undead need not apply.
* IHaveManyNames: Known as Tava in Yokudan tradition, Kyne to the Nords, Kaan to the Dragons, Khenarthi to Khajiit, and KYNRT to the Dunmer.
* LadyOfWar: Most notable in Old Nordic religion, she's the warrior-wife and widow of Shor. She's also the patron of hunters in that tradition. This was carried over to an extent with the Nordic interpretation of the Nine Divines religion.
* {{Psychopomp}}: According to Khajiiti religious tradition, she guides the spirits of the faithful dead.
* MakeMeWannaShout: Taught the Nords to use the Thu'um, sending Paarthurnax to do so.
* StockGods: God of Nature.
!!Mara (aka Morwha)
->''"Fivefold blessings upon the lost and lovelorn. The Heart pumps the blood that connects us across the aurbis. May her grace always be upon me.''"
Goddess of Love and Patron of the Harvest, Mara is found in almost all Tamrielic religions. She is sometimes associated with Nir, the female entity of the pre-creation cosmos who gave birth to creation with Anu.
----
* LoveGoddess: While Dibella focuses more on the carnal pleasures of love, Mara is about commitment, family, home and matrimony.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Morwha, her Yokudan aspect, has four arms so that she can grab more husbands.
* {{Polyamory}}:
** She's sometimes depicted as ''one'' of Shor's wives, along with Kyne. The old Nord tradition also makes references to her being the handmaiden of Kyne, ''concubine'' of Shor.
** Other traditions have her variously the wife of Akatosh, Lorkhan, or both. Sometimes the concubine of both.
* StockGods: The other half of the "Love Goddess" variety.
!!Stendarr (a.k.a. Stuhn, THENDR)
God of Mercy, Compassion, and Justice; a protector deity. He is known as Stuhn to the Nords, and S'rendarr to the Khajiit.
----
* BadassArmy: Patron of the Imperial Legions.
* BodyguardingABadass: In the old Nordic mythology as Stuhn, he was a shield-thane of Shor with his brother Tsun.
* ChurchMilitant: The Vigilants of Stendarr were founded in his name after the Oblivion Crisis, and seek to rid the world of all manner of supernatural threats.
* GodIsGood: For the races of Men, apparently. He's described as an "apologist of Men" by the Altmer, and he's been known to intervene to protect humans against supernatural threats.
* KnightTemplar: One sect of his worshipers, the Vigilant of Stendarr, claim that they're doing his will by wiping out any and all traces of Daedra, vampires, werewolves, or any other supernatural creatures that prey on mortals. The fact that some of these creatures may not be evil, or may be capable of redemption if shown mercy, never comes up. They also actively attack worshipers of beneficial or neutral Daedric princes like Azura and Meridia, [[MuggingTheMonster as player characters often find out]].
-->"Stendarr's mercy be upon you, for the Vigil has none to spare."
* StockGods: Closest to the "God of Good" variety.
* WeHelpTheHelpless: "Protect the weak" is part of his commandment.
!!Zenithar (a.k.a. Tsun, Z'en)
The God of Commerce and Trade. His province is mercantilism, bartering, labor, communication and the middle class.
----
* AnvilOnHead: His symbol is an anvil, and his shrines are in the shape of an anvil.
* HonestCorporateExecutive: He loves these guys, since he believes in fair play and business.
* InvincibleHero: According to his worshipers, he's "the god who will always win".
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's described as the most in touch with mortal affairs, due to his belief that hard work and fair play is the key to peace and prosperity. He is also depicted as a warrior god, but one who is restrained and reserved in times of peace.
* XanatosGambit: His field of expertise; no matter what, he'll stand to gain from any action.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Daedric Princes]]
The "original spirit" divine beings that did not take part in the creation of the world. As such, they did not sacrifice any of their power during creation and remain truly immortal. Most tend to be seen as evil, often drawing comparisons to demons, though this varies between cultures.
The most powerful and important of the Daedra are the Daedric Princes. Each has a particular sphere, which the are said to govern from their planes of Oblivion which they inhabit and rule. Though most tend to appear consistently in a particular masculine or feminine form, they can change that form however they please and thus, have no inherent gender. They are always referred to as "Princes" regardless of the form the take. Mortals who gain their favor are often gifted with abilities and artifacts of great power, though may be required to pledge their soul to serve their Daedric patron after death.
There are 17 known Daedric Princes following the events of ''Shivering Isles''. 16 appear in ''Daggerfall''; 7 appear in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', and all 17 appear again in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', but only 16 of them appear in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]''.
!!Tropes applicable to all Daedric Princes:
* AboveGoodAndEvil: Though most are considered "evil," scholars in-universe and out among the fandom argue that their actions are above what mortal minds can understand, with none wholly good or evil. The "Good" ones only seem that way because what they seek to accomplish is generally beneficial or benevolent toward mortals, while the "Evil" ones are more likely to harm mortals with their actions. For instance, Mehrunes Dagon is the Daedric Prince of Destruction, but can be considered no more "evil" than a tidal wave or an earthquake.
* AngelsDevilsAndSquid: They are a diverse group, ranging from the angel-like, generally "good" ([[GoodIsNotNice if not always nice]]) ones like Azura and Meridia to the very devil-like ones like Mehrunes Dagon and Molag Bal to the "squid"-like Hermaeus Mora.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of the spheres over which they govern.
* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: Most are treated as "evil" and they are almost impossible to truly destroy. Since they are manifestations of the primal forces of reality, even if their avatar is somehow destroyed, a new avatar would form to take their place. The best anyone can do is shatter their link to the mortal realm and banish them back into Oblivion.
* BigBadEnsemble: Most of the {{Big Bad}}s for the games have come from the ranks of the Daedric Princes. Mehrunes Dagon for ''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion'' (and being TheManBehindTheMan for ''Arena''); Hircine for ''Bloodmoon''; Jyggalag for ''Shivering Isles''; Molag Bal for ''Online'' (and GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dawnguard''); and [[spoiler:Hermaeus Mora as the GreaterScopeVillain for ''Dragonborn'']].
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Mortals tend to see them as evil or good (mostly evil), but scholars and the Princes themselves insist they are far beyond these limits. Even the "good" Daedra would point out that applying human morality to beings like the Daedra operates on certain flawed assumptions.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: The personalities of many of the Princes are ''very'' different in ''Daggerfall'' than they would go on to be depicted in later games.
* CompleteImmortality: Princes can be battered, beaten, defeated and even fundamentally changed, but nothing in the setting has ever been able to actually ''kill'' one. This includes Princes that ascended to their position, like Mehrunes Dagon, Malacath, and [[spoiler:the new Sheogorath]].
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Further complicating the BlueAndOrangeMorality issue is that many of the princes are seen differently through different cultural lenses. Boethiah is considered a "good" daedra by the Dunmer. Meanwhile, Malacath is considered a "bad" daedra by the Dunmer, but most of the Orsimer consider him their hero and divine ancestor.
* DevilButNoGod: How some in Tamriel view the situation. Most of the Princes are near-universally reviled as "evil", and their worshipers are considered misguided at best, and dangerous lunatics at worst. They are, however, very much present in the world. They speak directly to their worshipers, sometimes even appearing in a physical form, and are perfectly willing to offer immediate, tangible rewards for those that choose to do their work.
* DimensionLord: Each rules over one or more realms in Oblivion.
* EldritchAbomination: The Daedric Princes are alien beyond human understanding, though they can take any form they like, and so will often take a humanoid form to deal with mortals. They operate on BlueAndOrangeMorality above mortal understanding. How they feel about the mortal races varies from prince to prince; many enjoy being worshiped, some just enjoy toying with mortals' lives for their own amusement, but all of them have demonstrated a willingness to reward mortals they find particularly helpful, loyal, or amusing.
* EldritchLocation: Their planes of Oblivion. These are spaces within the infinite Oblivion surrounding the mortal realm where the Princes have total reign. They can vary from beautiful places, like Azura's Moonshadow, which is so beautiful that it is said to "half blind" mortals who lay eyes up on it, to Fire and Brimstone Hell places like Mehrunes Dagon's Deadlands. And then there are the places that Cthulhu himself would find cozy, like Hermaeus Mora's Apocrypha.
* EvilCounterpart: Though they're usually seen as this to the Divines, most of them benefit from having Mundus and mortals exist. In fact, there was no distinction between the Divines and Princes before Mundus.
* EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: Completely averted. Most of the Princes mortals would call "evil" can't stand each other. Molag Bal and Boethiah have a particularly heated rivalry, and the former doesn't get along with Mehrunes Dagon either. That said, they don't after act directly against one another; but then again, they don't often mention each other, except for Sheogorath, and only when he's trolling the rest of them.
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: All of them to some extent, except perhaps for Hermaeus Mora. Because of this, it is speculated that YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm.
* GeniusLoci: One interpretation of the Princes is that their home realm or realms ''are'' the Prince, with the forms you see in the games being the personification of that realm of Oblivion.
* IKnowYourTrueName: All Daedra have both a neonymic and a protonymic. The neonymic is their name that they can change. It holds a certain amount of power, but is hard to use against them because they can change it at any time. However, the protonymic is their true name that they cannot change. It is heavily implied that through use of the protonymic, mortals can do horrible things to even the most powerful of Daedric Princes. The player character in ''Battlespire'' managed to banish Mehrunes Dagon by using them both.
* IncrediblyInconvenientDeity: Given their frequent meddling in the mortal world and the generally unsavory effects it has, they can very easily come off this way. The quests they give to their mortal follows are frequently either incredibly arduous or incredibly silly, with the Princes giving flimsy or no justification as to why they want the task accomplished.
* JerkassGods: Most of them spend their time screwing over mortals for flimsy reasons.
* KickTheDog: Due to their BlueAndOrangeMorality, they can do either this or PetTheDog, and probably don't see much difference between the two. For example, Sheogorath's quest in ''Oblivion'' has you convincing a village that the world is about to end, driving them to mass hysteria. But in ''Skyrim'', you need to treat an insane emperor of his (many) psychological issues in order to convince Sheogorath to end his "vacation" and return to repair the Shivering Isles. Meanwhile, Clavicus Vile's ''Skyrim'' quest has you barge into his shrine and fight past scores of vampires. When you eventually talk to him, he mentions that the vampires were trying to rid themselves of their affliction and had made a bargain with him to do so. Clavicus gleefully points out that he considers having you slaughter them all count as upholding his side of the deal.
* OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous: Being pure spirits, this applies to all of them, and several of them are known to appear as differing genders at certain times. Others will only present themselves as a single gender (Azura and Nocturnal as female, Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, and Sheogorath as male), and Hermaeus Mora forgoes even trying to resemble anything with a gender (although generally speaks with a male voice).
* OrderVsChaos: Are generally the "Chaos" to the Aedra's "Order." They are Padomaic aligned as opposed to Anuic aligned, though Jyggalag and Peryite may be exceptions since they represent forms of Order.
* OurGodsAreDifferent: Pre-creation spirits who refused to take part in the creation of Mundus and are manifestations of the primal forces of reality. They are truly immortal, and if their physical form is killed on Mundus, their spirit simply returns to their plane of Oblivion to reform.
* PhysicalGod: They can physically manifest in Nirn if they so choose, though are usually content with mere projections.
* ThePowerOfCreation:
** They are said to lack this power within Mundus due to refusing to take part in the creation of Mundus and, as a result, can only alter what already exists. The truth ambiguous at best, with cited examples of Daedric beings involved in creation of all sorts throughout history.
** The definitely have it within their planes of Oblivion, where they can and do create, change, and alter at will.
* ReligionOfEvil: Daedric worship is often hit with this in-universe, though given that most of the Daedric Princes are JerkassGods, this is understandable. Boethiah, Mehrunes Dagon, and Molag Bal, being the most malevolent of the Princes, invoke this more than most, as their worship frequently involves a HumanSacrifice. Taken to a new extreme in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', where after [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion the Oblivion Crisis]], Daedric worship was all but outlawed outside of the Dunmer, and groups like the Vigilants of Stendarr were formed to wipe out Daedric worshipers before they could cause another Oblivion Crisis like the Mythic Dawn. The Vigilants don't bother to discriminate between the worshippers of any particular Prince either, so even the worshippers of the generally "good" ones can be attacked.
* ScaryAmoralReligion: The various Daedric Cults are seen as this to the worshipers of the Nine Divines. This is likely because so many of the Daedra represent rather disturbing concepts, like Destruction, Madness, and Corruption.
* SheIsTheKing: Even the female-identifying Daedra are still referred to as "Princes", though historically [[ShownTheirWork the term "prince" could be applied to rulers, regardless of sex]][[note]]It comes from ''princeps'', a Latin word meaning "first," which fits since the Daedric Princes are the most powerful of the Daedra[[/note]]. Also, see NoBiologicalSex above.
* TimeAbyss: Like the Aedra above, they were pre-creation spirits who have existed since before time itself.
!!Azura
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/azura_morrowind.jpg]]
--> Sphere: Dawn and Dusk, Twilight
--> Artifacts: Azura's Star, Moon and Star Ring of Nerevar
The Daedra Prince of Dusk and Dawn, Lady of Prophecy. The fact that she actively strives to bring those prophecies to fruition is something she would rather you ignore. While often considered one of the most benevolent of the Daedra Lords, she has shown a very cruel and petty side on numerous occasions, from cursing an entire race (the Dunmer) to the betrayal of one Ezhmaar Sul. Her most common symbols are a moon and a star.
In ''Daggerfall'', she asks you to kill a priest. In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', she asks you to destroy the Daedra sent by Sheogorath to disturb her priestess and helps to guide the hero through the main quest. In ''Oblivion'', she asks you to MercyKill five of her followers who were infected with Porphyric Hemophilia (vampirism). In ''Skyrim'', she asks you to find and purge one of her artifacts, Azura's Star.
----
* AbsoluteCleavage: Her statue in ''Skyrim''. Her appearance in ''Daggerfall'' is actually topless, as are her statues in ''Oblivion'' and ''Morrowind'' ([[BarbieDollAnatomy they just aren't detailed enough]] [[NippleAndDimed to show her nipples]]), while her appearance in Morrowind is more modest.
* BenevolentBoss: If you worship her and stay loyal, she'll watch out for you. A book in ''Skyrim'' written by one of her followers notes that Azura wants the love of her followers.
* BerserkButton: Don't shirk her if you worshiped her before.
* DarkIsNotEvil: None of the Daedric Princes are strictly evil, but Azura is one of the nicer Princes (for a given definition of "nice"), despite her association with darkness.
* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: In ''Skyrim'', [[spoiler:if you choose to purify Azura's Star on your own, it becomes a re-usable ''black'' soul gem called the Black Star.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: Toward the Chimer/Dunmer, as a result of the actions of the Tribunal (and really, even the very ''existence'' of the Tribunal to begin with). While everyone involved has their [[TheRashomon own version]] of exactly what happened at Red Mountain all those years ago, we do know that Nerevar, faithful servant of Azura, ended up dead and the Tribunal (and Dagoth Ur) ascended to godhood. Neither of which Azura was happy about. She then (possibly) cursed them with the dark skin and red eyes of the modern Dunmer. Years later, she (definitely) played a prominent role in guiding the Nerevarine to unbind the Heart of Lorkhan, and with it, the Tribunal's divinity. They all end up dead or disappeared, plunging Morrowind into chaos and indirectly leading toward its destruction with the subsequent Oblivion Crisis, Red Mountain eruption, and Argonian invasion.
* EldritchLocation: The realm of Moonshadow, said to be so extremely beautiful that the viewer is half-blinded by it, where Azura resides in a Rose Palace in a city made of silver.
* EvilPaysBetter: The ([[BlueAndOrangeMorality mostly]]) good end of her ''Skyrim'' questline is to [[spoiler:purify Azura's Star, receiving it as a reusable white Soul Gem and gaining Aranea Ienith as a potential follower. On the other hand, you can complete the corruption and transform it into the Black Star which can hold all types of soul including human -- keep in mind Black Soul Gems are rather rare and humanoid souls are the best for enchanting]].
** [[spoiler:This is apparently a glitch. Originally the Black Star was supposed to hold ''only'' black souls and not white souls.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: Generally considered of the "good" Daedra, and usually one of the more benevolent Princes toward mortals. However, has no compunction against expressing her displeasure in very nasty ways. Additionally, there is some evidence that she may be more of a TrueNeutral, concerned with maintaining a sort of metaphysical balance, and doing so just happens to benefit the mortal races more often than not.
* GreaterScopeVillain: One interpretation of her behavior in ''Morrowind''. While Azura takes a highly on a highly benevolent image of attempting to help free the Dunmer from the threat of Dagoth Ur, the primary reason why the Nereveraine was actually sent to Vvardenfell was to undermine and destroy the Tribunal (who stole her worshippers from her and killed her previous champion, Nerevar), which made killing Dagoth Ur simply killing two birds with one stone. In addition, Azura herself played a highly active role in bringing about the destruction of Morrowind, and she only warned a handful of her followers to leave (allowing for the rest to die horribly as punishment for turning on her). [[TheBadGuyWins She is also the only party in all of Morrowind to end up with ''everything'' she wanted]] (Dead or otherwise indisposed Tribunal, her former worshipers are firmly hers again, those who didn't worship her are enslaved and destroyed, amazing PR...)
* RedBaron: Queen of the Night Sky, Mother of the Rose.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity:
** Despite playing an active role in the events that would eventually lead to the destruction of the Dunmer homeland, the Dunmer religion still highly reveres Azura.
** In fact, the destruction of the Dunmer homeland has made Azura ''more'' revered in the Dunmer religion and was what ultimately ended worship of the Tribunal. (her greatest enemies)
!!Boethiah
--> Sphere: Deceit, Conspiracy, Betrayal
--> Artifacts: Goldbrand, Eltonbrand, Ebony Mail, Fearstruck
The Daedric Prince of Plots. Has an intense love of trickery and combat. [[CaptainObvious Not a nice prince]], [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation although Dunmer tradition disagrees on that]]. Boethiah is one of two Daedric Princes who has not chosen a definitive gender (gender being a mortal construct). Boethiah appears as a man in ''Daggerfall'', ''Morrowind'', and ''Oblivion'', and appears as a woman in ''Skyrim'' and ''Online''.
In ''Daggerfall'', they ask you to kill a spellsword. In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', they ask you to build a statue of them. In ''Oblivion'', they ask you to participate in his Tournament of Ten Bloods. In ''Skyrim'', they ask you to kill all of their followers, and later kill their previous champion. In ''Online,'' she is the patron of the Dragonstar Arena.
----
* AmbiguousGender: While a few of the Daedric Princes get this, it occurs to Boethiah the most to their GenderBender tendencies. In ''Oblivion'', he has a male voice and is referred to as 'he', while in ''Skyrim'', she has a female voice and her statue is feminine but is referred to as both he and she by her cultists. [[PronounTrouble Sometimes in the same sentence]].
* ArchEnemy: To Molag Bal.
* BadBoss: If you worship them, be prepared to have to murder other people if you want to live. They demand their followers independently follow their own desires... just as long as those desires are completely in line with their own. The minute a follower fails that balancing act, things turn ''ugly''.
* BlackKnight: Their usual appearance, though this may be the original appearance of Trinimac (now Malacath) that they swallowed/corrupted and took.
* BloodKnight: Their quest in ''Oblivion'' is basically a tournament on their Oblivion Plane. What's the tournament's purpose? None. They're just bored.
* CardCarryingVillain: Is very open about the fact that they represent a number of typically evil attributes including assassination, betrayal, deceit, and specifically the ''unlawful'' overthrow of authority.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: They exist to cause and exacerbate the condition in mortals. In a way, they embody it.
* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: If you want Boethiah's attention or support, you are very likely going to have to commit some form of cruelty in order to gain it.
* DemonicPossession: By way of HumanSacrifice in ''Skyrim''. Boethiah apparently finds mortal flesh distasteful.
* ForTheEvulz: Delights in making mortals kill each other simply because they can.
* GodNeedsPrayerBadly: In ''Morrowind'' they're not getting so much worship anymore since their shrine collapsed and their statue fell into the sea. Their quest to you is to build a new shrine.
* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: Summoning Boethiah in ''Skyrim'' requires you to prove that you're treacherous enough to work for them. To do that, you need to find someone who trusts you enough to follow you, take them to Boethiah's altar, and sacrifice them.
* IHaveManyNames: Prince of Plots, Deceiver of Nations, Queen of Shadows, and Goddess of Destruction among them.
* InTheHood: Boethiah's gargantuan statue in the Dragonstar Arena appears as a woman wearing a hood, and wielding a katana of sorts.
* LetsYouAndHimFight: Their quests usually involve fighting (and killing) someone, often a former champion of Boethiah.
* ManipulativeBastard: Deceit, betrayal, conspiracy, assassination, treason, unlawful overthrow of authority...all are within his sphere.
* TricksterGod: A very nasty version. One one case, Boethiah "ate" the Aldmeri god Trinimac and took on his form in order to convince Veloth to lead the Chimer people to Morrowind.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Having read all of the above, this trope comes into effect when one learns that the Dunmer consider them one of the ''good'' Daedric Princes and the anticipation of Almalexia.
* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: In ''Online'', [[spoiler:they decide that their current Champion must fight ''you'' ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation and your party]]) in the Dragonstar Arena in order to keep his title as Boethiah's Champion. Naturally, you win.]]
!!Clavicus Vile
--> Sphere: Wishes, Pacts
--> Artifacts: Masque of Clavicus Vile, Umbra, Bitter Cup, The Rueful Axe
The Daedric Prince of Granting Power and Fulfilling Wishes. He typically appears as a jovial, very short man or young boy. He has a dog companion named Barbas who frequently likes to contradict him, due to being Vile's external conscience.
----
* DealWithTheDevil: He has a particular liking for doing this, and making those who make the deals regret it.
* ForTheEvulz: He enjoys seeing mortals regret the deals they've made with him, and is said to collect souls simply for the sake of having them.
* HellHound: Subverted; Barbas may ''look'' intimidating in the statues, but he actually serves as his master's conscience. When we finally see his real body with decent graphical quality in Skyrim, he's [[BigFriendlyDog not even scary]].
* HornedHumanoid: Typically depicted with small horns protruding from his head.
* JackassGenie: Acts like this when Barbas isn't around to stop him - more specifically, Clavicus grants wishes in such a way that will kill a large number of people, including his petitioner or leaving them directly responsible and full of regret. Good thing he can't ditch Barbas without losing most of his power... Even with Barbas around, he tends toward LiteralGenie territory.
* KnightsAndKnaves: Poses this riddle to Cyrus in ''Redguard''.
* MoralityPet: Literally; Barbas is his external conscience.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Seemingly believes that all the wishes can be granted by death. Vampires asking for a cure for vampirism? Have a hero come in and slaughter them all. A man whose daughter has been turned into a werewolf? Give him an axe to finish the job. Asking for peace in Skyrim? Do nothing and let the dragons kill everyone. A village asking for immunity from the Knahaten plague? Turn them undead.
* PetTheDog: If the Dragonborn reunites him with Barbas in ''Skyrim'', he (reluctantly) decides not to flay them in the most gruesomely manner possible for disobeying his order to kill Barbas instead, with the implication that [[MoralityPet Barbas]] reminded him that this allowed him to return to full strength and not be [[SealedEvilInACan stuck in a cave]] anymore.
* SealedEvilInACan: After splitting from Barbas, he found himself severely weakened and was forced to spend several decades trapped within a cave, high in the mountains of Skyrim. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Oops]].
!!Hermaeus Mora
[[quoteright:346:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hmora_6446.jpg]]
--> Sphere: Fate, Knowledge, Destiny, Memory
--> Artifacts: Oghma Infinium, The Black Books
The Daedric Prince of Knowledge. Unlike most, never bothers with a humanoid form, preferring a many-tentacled one in depictions and incarnation.
Known as Herma-Mora, the Demon of Knowledge, to the Skaal of Solstheim, whose hidden knowledge he has long sought to steal, and in ancient legends (to traditional Nords) where he is the sworn enemy of Ysgramor.
----
* AffablyEvil: While categorizing the Aedra and Daedra of the Elder Scrolls with conventional human moralities operates on certain... flawed assumptions, Herma-Mora's basic method of seducing the Dragonborn to his service consists of, essentially, bribing him/her with gifts. Said gifts include the powerful enhancements of his Black Books and he even offers you some of the most potent Words of Power in the game, such as the final word of ''Bend Will''. He gives you absolute freedom to leave and enter his realm as you wish, ultimately believing the lure of the power he offers you will bring you to him itself. He's also unfailingly polite to you and even offers you free unlimited respecs at the end of the main quest.
* ArchEnemy: Of Ysgramor and the Skaal of Solstheim. [[spoiler: His Daedric quest in ''Skyrim,'' and the plot of the ''Dragonborn DLC'' especially, set him up as one of the most dangerous and personal foes that the Dragonborn faces, as well as the only one that remains undefeated at the end.]]
* BerserkButton: Don't let his politeness fool you, he DOES have one: thinking you can plot against him without him knowing it. [[spoiler: When he finally calls Miraak out on this in ''Dragonborn'', it's one of the few times Mora raises his voice in anger.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Hermaeus Mora:''' "Did you think to escape me, Miraak?! You can hide ''nothing'' from me here!"]]
* ButThouMust: Invokes it on the player. [[spoiler:He could give the player the third word of Bend Will any time he wants, but refuses to do it until the player finds out the secrets of the Skaal, because that's Mora's ''real'' interest. And the player has no choice in the matter, because while Mora could certainly set up a confrontation with Miraak any time he likes, this won't get him what he wants.]]
* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:By the end of ''Dragonborn'', Mora has gotten all that he wanted and more. Meanwhile, Miraak is dead and you are now the newest servant of Mora... at least, according to him.]]
* CombatTentacles: Which he uses in ''Dragonborn'' to kill [[spoiler:Miraak and Storn by [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling them]] ]]. The book ''Boneless Limbs'' has this to say:
--> A writhing mass of heaped appendage
--> Slipping grasp the squirming slick
--> Extend the reach to touch the face
--> Burn the mind, reveal the quick
* DoNotTauntCthulhu: [[spoiler:Miraak is foolish enough to learn this lesson the hard way.]]
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu:
** You can outright tell him to go to hell several times throughout ''Skyrim'', especially in ''Dragonborn'', and venomously refer to him as a 'demon'. The only time he even slightly gets back at you for it is when you tell him you don't need his help to find the last word of Bend Will from his realm, to which he politely explains that you would be searching for all eternity without his aid.
** Old king Ysgramor also outwitted him regularly, according to Nordic legends.
** The Ancient Skaal were able to keep their secrets safely hidden from him, [[spoiler: leading to the whole of ''Dragonborn'' being revealed to have been part of an elaborate plot to obtain them]].
* EldritchAbomination: All of the Daedra and even the Aedra probably qualify as this, but Hermaeus Mora is the only one who routinely appears as a Lovecraftian mass of tentacles, eyes and claws. As a nod to his [[Creator/HPLovecraft inspiration]], in ''Skyrim'', one of his Black Books is a play named ''[[Literature/TheKingInYellow The Sallow Regent]]'', written by '''H'''awfi'''p''' the '''Crafter'''.
* EldritchLocation: Apocrypha, home to all forbidden knowledge, filled with invisible ghosts floating among endless, shadowy bookshelves. Many scholars seek it out to search the shelves and wind up remaining there forever, lost and forgotten.
* EvilIsPetty: He has long desired to know the secrets of the Skaal, even though the secrets are relatively benign knowledge about how the Skaal commune with the forces of nature. And he totally wants them anyway, for as the Demon of Knowledge, it is simply in his nature to hoard secrets, regardless of their true value to him.
* EvilSoundsDeep: His voice is always characterized as this. In ''Oblivion'' it is a menacing kind of deep, while in ''Skyrim'' it has a soothing, grandfatherly tone.
* GenuineHumanHide: The Oghma Infinium appears to be bound in it, and the Skyrim version is bound in various ''elven'' hides.
* GiantEnemyCrab: Frequently depicted as having giant crab-like pincers. Even ''Skyrim'' has statues that depict him like this, although his actual appearance is very different. The book ''Delving Pincers'' has this to say:
--> Crushing razors, hollow shells
--> That snap, that twitch, that cinch and rend
--> To hold the subject, bodily,
--> 'Til mind blows soft and life meets end
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: His artifact, the Oghma Infinium. Reading it will give the Player Character a stat boost, and then it will vanish, presumably before you [[GoMadFromTheRevelation read too much]].
* GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: Mora's Oblivion realm, Apocrypha. Mora's main motivation seems to be to collect the secrets still kept hidden from him, and in ''Dragonborn'' you help him gain the secret knowledge of the Skaal; however, since he is the Daedra of Fate and keeps books that have not yet been written, it is possible that Apocrypha [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble already]] holds all the knowledge there is.
** While it is not certain, there is strong evidence to believe that Hermaeus Mora is not omniscient, or that fate is definite in TES. For one, a dragon and a powerful vampire state that the Elder Scrolls (pretty much the closest thing to absolute truthful records) only predict what may be, not what will be. Furthermore, the scrolls themselves may change until the events predicted at a given time come to pass, at which point the words are absolutely fixed forevermore. So, what does this have to do with Hermaeus Mora? It undermines his claim to know all things, a claim implicitly undermined when he needs the player's help to obtain the knowledge of the Skaal. Why would an omniscient being need help to obtain knowledge? The answer: he only wants you to think he is omniscient. Mora is capable of lying, or at the very least, misleading people. He led Septimus to think the Heart of Lorkhan was behind that locked door (it was actually holding the Oghma Infinium), so his claims to knowing all could be part of a similar deception.
* GreaterScopeVillain : [[spoiler:Of the ''Dragonborn'' [=DLC=] for ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''.]]
* KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge: Hermaeus Mora trades knowledge in return for knowledge.
* MagicalLibrary: Apocrypha counts as this as well due to the fact that it contains all manner of supernatural knowledge as well as containing spell tomes in general.
* MindScrew: The [[http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Black_Book Black Books]].
* RedBaron: The Golden Eye, Demon of Knowledge, Prince of Fate, Lord of Secrets, the Woodland-Man, and the Gardener of Men.
* ScaryLibrarian: Well, he rules a giant library-dimension, and he's scary...
* SuddenlyShouting: When he confronts [[spoiler:Miraak]] at the end of ''Dragonborn'', he starts yelling at [[spoiler:Miraak]] in disgust for his betrayal before calming down.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: At least in ''Daggerfall''.
* SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome: In the first four games, he was always a neutral entity, even if his quests tended to be a bit ruthless. Then comes ''Skyrim'', where [[spoiler:he orchestrates everything that happens in ''Dragonborn'', putting millions of innocent lives at risk, just to obtain the "secrets" of the Skaal.]]
* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: Hermaeus Mora is the keeper of all of this.
** Some of the lore says he ''is''/arose from knowledge ''that cannot exist'' (detritus concepts ejected from reality, that sort of thing), rendering him not only the keeper of things man was not meant to know, but also making him something man ''cannot'' know, not even if they are on Sheogorath's Golden Path.
* TimeMaster: Well, kinda. Just like Akatosh ''is'' time, Mora exists outside of linear time, which allows him to interact with it in unusual ways. Some of his Black Books are believed to come from the future, and he has direct (but subtle) influence over fate and destiny.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: His IconicItem, the Oghma Infinium, and in ''Dragonborn'', the Black Books.
* VerbalTic: In ''Skyrim'', and especially in ''Dragonborn'', he yawns while talking regularly.
* VillainTakesAnInterest: He's apparently ''very'' interested in those who are Dragonborn, leading him to offer Miraak power in exchange for serving as his champion. [[spoiler: He later makes the same offer to the Dragonborn after Miraak's death]].
** [[spoiler: At the end of both his Daedric quest and ''Dragonborn'', he [[UnreliableExpositor claims]] that he's been watching them for some time and subtly grooming them into becoming his champion. Even if you [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu defiantly refuse]] both times, he tells you that you ''already are'' [[UnwittingPawn his pawn]], even if you don't know it yet]].
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offered the Dragon Priest, Miraak, the knowledge to control his former masters, in exchange for agreeing to serve as his [[TheDragon Dragon]]. [[spoiler: After Miraak's failed attempt at rebelling against ''[[TheStarscream him]]'' was thwarted by the Dragonborn, he informs them that they've just [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt inherited the position.]]]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Mora has no compunctions with killing off those that are of no further use for him. However, he generally makes it quick and painless for loyal servants such as Septimus (who largely just appeared to AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence), while instead treating followers that try to betray him with a hefty dose of ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice.
!!Hircine
[[quoteright:196:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hircine_5948.jpg]]
--> Sphere: The Hunt
--> Artifacts: Hircine's Ring, Spear of Bitter Mercy, Saviour's Hide
The Daedric Prince of the Hunt. He is known as the Father of Manbeasts and lives solely for the hunt. He basically fulfills most, if not all, of the BigTropeHunting tropes.
----
* AffablyEvil: He's always very polite to those who summon him, even to his opponents when he judges them worthy, and he watches out for his followers. In ''Skyrim'', as noted below, he will reward and compliment the Dragonborn who completes his quest regardless of which way they elect to do it.
* BadMoonRising: The event known as the Bloodmoon signals that it is time for his hunt on Mundus.
* BigBad: Of the ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Bloodmoon]]'' expansion.
* BloodKnight: ''The'' BloodKnight of the Elder Scrolls series. The plot of ''Bloodmoon'' is him seeking the most worthy opponent.
* CursedWithAwesome: His werebeast followers are granted the ability to transform into powerful monsters. However, Hircine claims their souls upon death to hunt and/or be hunted in his Hunting Grounds realm, regardless of what afterlife they may have preferred.
* DefeatMeansRespect: To start his quest in Skyrim, you have to kill him in the form of a white stag, after which he will greet you fondly.
--> "Well met, Hunter!"
* EgomaniacHunter: He lives for the glory of the hunt, and has no reason to do so beyond his own vanity. He hunts solely for the sport, including having his own pack of hunting dogs (read: werewolves).
* HornedHumanoid: He most often appears with deer antlers, even in his humanoid form.
* TheHunterBecomesTheHunted: In Hircine's realm, everyone is either Hunter or Prey. However, Prey and Hunter can reverse roles at any time, and for the most part, Hircine finds these role reversals to be amusing. [[spoiler: Unless he's the one who became the Prey.]]
* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: It's why he likes werewolves; they hunt mortals by night, but are hunted ''by'' them during the day.
* TheMarvelousDeer: A white stag acts as his avatar during his quest in ''Skyrim''.
* MeaningfulName: The word "hircine" means "goat-like" in the Latin, although Hircine's forms tend to resemble a deer.
* OurWerebeastsAreDifferent: He is the creator of werebeasts, which include werelions, werecrocodiles, werebears, werewolves, and wereboars. Only the last three have been seen in the games.
* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: He communicates to his werebeast followers in this fashion.
* RedBaron: The Huntsman of the Princes, the Father of Manbeasts.
* ShapeShifter: He has several different forms he uses to present himself to mortals, each of which represents a different aspect of his.
* TheWildHunt: He views the entirety of existence as an unending hunt. Events involving he or his minions hunting have been referred to by this exact name.
* WildWilderness: His realm (Hircine's Hunting Grounds, incase youe wondering what it's called) is an endless plains and forests where the inhabitants forever hunt and are hunted.
* WorthyOpponent: His whole purpose for being is finding, creating, testing and watching these, whether they win or lose. Hircine generally rewards those that survive his hunts; the Savior's Hide was created for the first mortal to ever escape his hunting grounds. Although he directs the Dragonborn in ''Skyrim'' to hunt down and kill a specific werewolf, a player who decides to instead hunt the other hunters will indeed be rewarded by Hircine for [[TheHunterBecomesTheHunted completing the hunt]] [[TakeAThirdOption a different way]].
* YourSoulIsMine: He gets the souls of all werebeasts, usually whether or not they worship other entities or want to go to other afterlives. In the case of the Dragonborn, however (who can also have a contract with other Princes and an invitation to Sovngarde from Shor himself), there's no word on which deity (if any) the Dragonborn belongs to.
!!Jyggalag
[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jyggalag_969.png]]
--> Sphere: Order
--> Artifacts: Sword of Jyggalag
The Daedric Lord of Order, who grew too powerful, causing the other Princes to trap him. He is the most elusive of the Daedric Princes, only appearing once for a short time every one thousand years. Thus far he has been in only one of the games in the series.
----
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The other Daedric Princes really don't like him; even Malacath, the god of pariahs and outcasts, who is considered by most of the others to not even be a true Daedra, is more highly regarded by them than Jyggalag is.
* AlwaysABiggerFish: [[spoiler:The reason he was cursed into becoming Sheogorath is because he had grown so powerful, the other Princes saw him as a threat.]]
* {{BFS}}: His weapon of choice, the sword of Jyggalag, is roughly the size of a claymore, and is wielded as such by any mortal fortunate enough to obtain it. [[OneHandedZweihander Jyggalag himself is big enough to wield it as though it were a one-handed longsword.]]
* BigBad: Of ''The Shivering Isles''.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Despite ''The Shivering Isles'' ending with Jyggalag [[spoiler:freed from the curse that forced him to become Sheogorath]], he is not mentioned or referenced even once in ''Skyrim''.
* ControlFreak: He takes order very seriously.
* CreativeSterility: Sheogorath accuses him of "never having had an original thought in his existence".
* EarlyBirdCameo: The in game book ''On Oblivion'' mentioned a Daedric Prince named Jyggalag as early as ''Daggerfall''.
* FisherKing: He longs to overthrow Sheogorath and claim the madgod's plane, The Shivering Isles, as his own. Whenever he grows powerful enough to do so, life in the Isles begins to die off and crystal spires grow out of the ground, signalling the beginning of the Greymarch.
* GracefulLoser: He treats the player rather politely upon defeat.
* IronicHell: His existence as [[spoiler:Sheogorath in the Shivering Isles]] was basically this.
* KarmicTransformation: [[spoiler:Cursed to become Sheogorath, Prince of Madness and the antithesis of everything he stood for, as punishment for angering the other Daedric Princes.]]
* KnightTemplar: The Daedra under him are even called Knights of Order.
* LightIsNotGood: He and his knights are pretty much every "holy evil crusader" stereotype seen in video games mixed together.
* OneOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: Is very Anuic (static, orderly) in nature compared to the other generally more padomaic-inclined (chaotic, disorderly) Daedric Princes. It is quite likely that this is one of the reasons the others despise him so much.
* SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan: He was sealed in the form of [[spoiler:Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness]].
* TinTyrant: He and his Knights of Order appear to be clad head to toe in metallic armour.
!!Malacath
--> Sphere: The Ostracized
--> Artifacts: Scourge, Volendrung
Daedric Prince of the Spurned and Ostracized, Keeper of the Sworn Oath and Bloody Curse. He was once the Aldmeri god known as Trinimac, but was "eaten" and excreted by Boethiah, becoming Malacath. His followers as Trinimac were transformed into the modern Orcs (Orsimer).
----
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The rest of the Daedric pantheon doesn't consider him a real Prince. Given that he's the patron of pariahs, this is rather appropriate. As Sheogorath puts while talking about Jyggalag, "Malacath is more popular at parties! And Malacath is ''not'' popular at parties!"
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Big believer in this. He places a curse on an Orc stronghold (ie has it attacked by ''giants'') because their chief is a weak, scheming DirtyCoward and the rest of the stronghold hasn't done anything about it.
* ButtMonkey: Is subject to frequent mockery and ridicule by the other Daedric Princes, as well as most of the non-Orc mortals on Tamriel. Part of his teaching is "[[IronButtMonkey strength through adversity]]" though.
* DeathWorld: His realm, known as the Ashpit, will kill you in minutes unless you're magically protected due to being made up entirely of choking soot (even the buildings). Levitation magic is a requirement at all times.
* DropTheHammer: His signature weapon is his warhammer, Volendrung...
* KatanasAreJustBetter: ... but statues of him frequently depict him wielding a dai-katana.
* OffingTheOffspring: According to the 16 Accords of Madness, Sheogorath once tricked Malacath into killing his own son, a noble orc who would have otherwise been destined to be a great hero.
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: He is the patron of the Orcs, who were formerly the Aldmeri followers of Trinimac. When Trinimac was "eaten" by Boethiah, the excreted remains became Malacath and his followers were changed as well.
* PapaWolf: Do ''not'' mess with his followers.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives a short, but scathing one to Yamarz in ''Skyrim''.
* WasOnceAMan: He used to be an Aldmeri god, Trinimac, until Boethiah ate him. The remains became Malacath. [[FisherKing As a result]], his followers became the Orcs.
!!Mehrunes Dagon
[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mehrunes_dagon_9293.png]]
--> Sphere: Destruction, Change, Revolution, Energy, and Ambition
--> Artifacts: Mehrune's Razor, Mysterium Xarxes, Daedric Crescent
The Daedric Prince of Destruction. Ambition, Change, and Revolution also fall within his sphere. He is also associated with natural disasters like fires, floods, and earthquakes. He has repeatedly tried to invade and take over Mundus, including spending two whole games (''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion'') trying to TakeOverTheWorld.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: Ambition is one of his spheres of influence and he is considered one of the most "evil" Daedra alongside Molag Bal.
* BigBad: For ''Battlespire'' and ''Oblivion''.
* BigRedDevil: His typical form.
* BloodKnight: To the point where he sends Dremora to kill his own followers.
* CardCarryingVillain: He exists to ''destroy''. Hell, he is the ''embodiment'' of Destruction. And he doesn't try to hide it at all.
* CatsAreMean: Khajiiti religion interprets Dagon as a [[FluffyTheTerrible kitten]], "for what is more destructive than a young cat?"
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Happens to him every time he tries to invade Mundus. Almalexia does it in the backstory, then the Hero of Battlespire does it in the eponymous game. Finally, Martin/Akatosh do this to him in ''Oblivion''.
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Despite their [[FireAndBrimstoneHell appearance]], the Deadlands are actually surprisingly cold. For once, an actual [[JustifiedTrope justification]] for ConvectionSchmonvection.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Always has a deep, booming voice.
* ExcaliburInTheRust: The ''Morrowind'' version of his razor is first found as "a rusty dagger".
* {{Expy}} He is basically a GenderFlipped version of [[Myth/HinduMythology Kali]]
* FaceHeelTurn: According to a LooseCanon [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/seven-fights-aldudagga text]] written by former series developer/writer Michael Kirkbride, he was once a kindly demon who attempted to protect parts of Mundus from being eaten by Alduin at the end of every kalpa, until Alduin banished and cursed him into his current state.
* FireAndBrimstoneHell: His realm, the [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Deadlands]].
* ForTheEvulz: Especially in ''Skyrim''.
* GodOfEvil: Considered as such by the people of Tamriel along with Molag Bal, though unlike Bal, Dagon actually has some redeeming qualities. For example, ideas like ambition and ''change'' that a functioning world requires fall within his sphere.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Was the ManBehindTheMan who helped Jagar Tharn procure the Imperial throne in ''Arena.''
* HornedHumanoid: Of the BigRedDevil variety.
* IronicHell: Imagine you were a being whose entire existence is based around destruction and change. Now imagine you were stuck in a realm where nothing can ever be killed or destroyed without eventually coming back, effectively negating your purpose. That's Dagon. No wonder he wants to take over and destroy Nirn; it would be stress relief for him.
* LegionsOfHell: He and his Dremora army whenever he tries to invade Mundus.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: His typical form has four arms.
* OmnicidalManiac: He's the Daedric Prince of Destruction. Kinda comes with the territory.
* OneHitKill: His artifact, the Razor, can sever the link between its victim's body and their soul, killing them instantly.
* PathOfInspiration: The cult dedicated to him, the Mythic Dawn.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Being the Daedric Prince of Destruction. And definitely how he was in ''Oblivion''.
* RedSkyTakeWarning: His Deadlands plane, as well as the areas in Mundus near the gates to his plane.
* TakeOverTheWorld: So that he can then destroy it.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: The Mysterium Xarxes. The ''Oblivion'' script notes actually call for Martin, the most knowledgeable major character on the subject, to react as if given "a handful of glowing plutonium" when he receives the Xarxes. It's just that sort of book.
* UnwittingPawn: Is described by Haskill in an [[http://www.imperial-library.info/node/2234 obscure text]] to be "The pawn of every Prince of true power, the dupe of every schemer in the Nineteen Voids." Essentially, whenever one of the other PowersThatBe wants to accomplish something that involves the destruction of something, they get Dagon to do it.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In ''Skyrim'', he tells you to kill Silus, the Mythic Dawn cultist who helped you find the pieces of Mehrunes' Razor. Once that's done, he sends some Dremora to kill ''you''.
* YourSoulIsMine: Whenever a creature is killed with the Mehrunes' Razor, their soul is delivered to Dagon's plane of Oblivion, where they become his property.
!!Mephala
--> Sphere: The Unknown, Manipulation
--> Artifacts: Ebony Blade, Ring of Khajiit (''Morrowind'' only)
Also known as the Webspinner and the Lady of Whispers, her true sphere is unknown to mortals. Her Plane of Oblivion is known as the Spiral Skein.
----
* AmbiguousGender: Although generally depicted as female, Mephala will appear as either male or female.
* ArachnidAppearanceAndAttire: At least in her ''Daggerfall'' incarnation.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In traditional Dunmer religion, she is one of the "good" Daedra and the anticipation of Vivec.
* BlackSwordsAreBetter: The Ebony Blade, her Daedric Artifact. It's fueled by the blood of people you trust, meaning she openly promotes ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.
* TheChessmaster: She's generally characterized by complex, long-reaching plans, likened to spider webs.
* TheCorrupter: She loves to see how she can fray the "web" of human relationships, and takes a particular joy in the betrayal of trust or minor slights tearing entire towns apart.
* EvilIsSexy: In-universe example: Sexuality falls under Mephala's purview.
* GreaterScopeVillain: In the plots of at least two of the [[HarderThanHard Veteran Dungeons]] in ''Online.'' In one, a Priestess of Mephala you helped in the non-veteran mode of the dungeon starts going nuts and poses a threat, so you need to put her and her ArtifactOfDoom down. In the other, Mephala personally {{Mind Rape}}d a man into [[spoiler:becoming a Lich, who went on to murder his students and his wife. It turns out it was because he was being influenced by ''the Ebony Blade''. And yep, you guessed it, he uses it on you during the fight.]]
* ItAmusedMe: Why she corrupts mortals.
* ManipulativeBastard: Pretty much the trope's Patron Daedra.
* RedBaron: The Webspinner, Lady of Whispers.
* SealedEvilInACan: Her artifact in ''Skyrim''.
* ShoutOut: Her plane of Oblivion, the Spiral Skein, is described as circular, with partitions similar to the spokes of a wheel separating each individual realm, each of which represent a different sin. At the center is her citadel, with each area branching out from the center like a spider's web. Aside from a few minor differences, this is a pretty clear reference to ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante's Inferno]].''
* SpidersAreScary: They sure are, when it comes to her. The Spider Daedra are closely associated with her, and look like - you guessed it - mutated {{Giant Spider}}s.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Possibly. In the province of Morrowind, she's considered one of the "Good Daedra", in no small part because of her association with Vivec. She has yet to demonstrate any benevolence in-game as mortals would understand it - including her association with Vivec.
!!Meridia
--> Sphere: Life Energy
--> Artifacts: Ring of Khajiiti, Dawnbreaker
Meridia's sphere is obscured to mortals, but is often associated with the energy of living things. Her plane is known as the "Colored Rooms" and she has an extreme hatred for anything undead.
----
* BerserkButton: Undead and Necromancy seem to be the only reasons she ever interacts with mortal affairs, usually to have them wiped out. Also, don't mess with her shrines.
* BigGood: [[spoiler:Is this in Online]].
* CoolSword: Her artifact Dawnbreaker, a shining golden sword that glows when close to the undead, sets them on fire, and makes them explode.
* DisproportionateRetribution: A group of Ayleid built a city above one of her shrines. She responded by destroying it with roots, burying it and all who lived there beneath the ground.
* DivinelyAppearingDemons: She maintains the most "angelic" appearance out of any of the Daedric Princes.
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: Closely associated with rainbow imagery and the color spectrum. Her sphere is even called the "Colored Rooms."
---> ''"... thus does Merid-Nunda [ride? slide?] across the rainbow road from end to end, at one end stretching the dragon, at the other end compressing him ...."''
* FaceHeelRevolvingDoor: From the perspective of mortals, at least. In one instance, she'll be acting as the BigGood in defending mortal lives from hostile takeover by supernatural forces. Then in another, she'll be giving aid to a being who seeks to overthrow the Nine Divines and enslave the races of Men.
* FallenAngel: While not exactly "angelic" in nature, some sources say that she was once one of the Magna Ge, but was cast out to Oblivion for consorting with "illicit spectra." Her statue at Kilkreath Ruins in Skyrim gives her this appearance, being humanoid with a pair of large feathered wings.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Heavy emphasis on the ''Living'' part. If you're Undead or a Necromancer, she ''will'' destroy you.
* GoodIsNotSoft: She's generally considered one of the "good" Daedra, but she's still a Daedric Prince. Anger her at your own peril.
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: On the other hand, is the main Daedra behind Umaril the Unfeathered from ''Oblivion'', and is supplying him with most of his forces.]]
* HeroicWillpower: She brought her realm into Mundus through the ''sheer power of her will''.
* LightIsNotGood: Her association with Light and life makes her one of the few Daedra not considered inherently evil. On the other hand, she, along with the Aurorans, are allies of Umaril, an Ayleid sorceror-king who wants to overthrow the Nine Divines and enslave humanity. Like any Daedric Prince what good she does is going to be for her benefit, not anyone else's.
* RedBaron: The Solar Daughter, Lady of Infinite Energy
* ShowSomeLeg: Every depiction of Meridia gives attention to her bare legs. That is, [[spoiler: until her appearance as "The Groundskeeper"]].
* WingedHumanoid: Her statue in ''Skyrim''.
!!Molag Bal
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/molag_bal_5478.png]]
--> Sphere: Domination, Enslavement, Rape
--> Artifacts: Mace of Molag Bal
The Daedric Prince of Domination, Molag Bal is perhaps the most malevolent of the Daedric Princes, actively seeking and enjoying the corruption of mortals. He committed the first rape, upon a Nede[[note]]the ancient Cyrodiils[[/note]] woman, from which was born the first vampire, leading to his most infamous title, the King of Rape.
----
* ArchEnemy: To Boethiah. He and Arkay also apparently fit, as Bal created the first vampire just to upset Arkay's balance of life and death.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The lesser denizens of Oblivion usually just nod and agree with everything he says. Those that disagree tend to stop... doing anything.
* BigBad: For ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline''.
* BloodyBowelsOfHell: Molag Bal's Daedric Plane of Coldharbour. It's a ruined parody of Tamriel, with every surface covered in bloody excrement. He ''is'' the Lord of Violation, so...
%% * BondageIsBad
* TheCorrupter: One of his favourite things - seeing a good and noble person snap, fall, or break.
* CreepyMonotone: His tone doesn't change much while talking. This is dropped completely when he becomes entertained, however.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He perpetrated the first rape, turning the innocent woman into the first vampire, who proceeded to rape and kill the nomads who cared for her, bringing undeath into Mundus -- simply as a "Screw you!" gesture to Arkay.
* DropTheHammer: The Mace of Molag Bal. He even [[spoiler: fights you with it in the climax of Online]].
* EldritchLocation: Coldharbour is said to look like [[AfterTheEnd a future Nirn devastated by centuries of warfare and filled with nothing but suffering]].
* EvilLaugh: Has a pretty nasty one.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Molag Bal can act pleasant and polite, but he is ''not'' nice ''at all.''
* ForTheEvulz: It's the only motivation he has.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The ''36 Lessons of Vivec'' include multiple barely-concealed allegorical descriptions of gay sex between Molag Bal and the Dunmeri PhysicalGod, Vivec. "Biting of spears" and "piercing of the second aperture" indeed.
* GodOfEvil: Most of the Daedra are JerkassGods to some degree or another, but still have redeeming qualities, even Mehrunes Dagon. Not Molag Bal. He basically is TheDevil to the Dunmer, as they see him as the creator of obstacles trying to threaten the "purity" of the Great Houses. He is not much better regarded by any other race on Tamriel either.
* GreaterScopeVillain: He serves as this in ''Dawnguard'', as the creator of vampirism, and thus the ultimate progenitor of all the conflict in ''Dawnguard's'' storyline. It was he who turned [[BigBad Lord Harkon]] into a pureblood vampire along with the rest of his family, thus giving rise to the Volkihar Clan in the first place. Being the progenitor of all vampires, it also makes him indirectly responsible for [[spoiler:Arch-Curate Vyrthur]]'s corruption, which results in him [[spoiler:creating the Prophecy of the Tyranny of the Sun which sets the plot of ''Dawnguard'' into motion.]] Essentially, he is the GreaterScopeVillain behind the GreaterScopeVillain.
* HornedHumanoid: In statues and shrines.
* LargeHam: He repeatedly shows this in his quest in Skyrim. Even moreso in his [[BigBad appearance in Online]].
* TheManBehindTheMan: In Online, he also serves as this to Mannimarco, though you're aware of it from the start.
* ManipulativeBastard: Loves manipulating people so that he can take their souls.
* MonsterProgenitor: Created the first vampire. It is believed that all Vampires descend from her, upsetting the balance of death and rebirth normally administered by the Aedric God Arkay.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Molag Bal, the ''King of Rape''.
* NeverLiveItDown: In-universe, he's only been recorded as having raped ''one'' person, but this does not prevent his most infamous title being that of the "King of Rape".
** In ''Dawnguard'' however, it's implied that this is one of the ways that Molag Bal chooses to confer the abilities of a [[MonsterLord Vampire Lord]] upon his most devout followers. While his male followers are asked to perform a large human sacrifice in his name, women are subjected to a far more degrading ritual at his hands, with the implication being further reinforced by Serana ''refusing'' to elaborate further on the matter.
* ObviouslyEvil: While morality is a highly debated topic with the Daedra, there's none with Molag Bal.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: His most infamous act was the very first rape which created vampires, and all pureblood vampire lines can trace their origins back to a Daughter of Coldharbour being raped by Molag Bal.
* RapePillageAndBurn: He loves doing all three.
* RedBaron: The King of Corruption, Father of Vampires, the Harvester of Souls, the Hated One, the King of Rape.
* RedSkyTakeWarning: Coldharbour is described as having a burning sky as well as being [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin extremely cold]].
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: His statues in ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'' depicts a reptilian humanoid.
* SatanicArchetype: He's probably the closest thing the ''Elder Scrolls'' universe has to {{Satan}}, seeing as his ''modus operandi'' is corrupting people into doing evil deeds so he can claim their souls.
* SerialEscalation: Don't ask us how, but Molag [[TookALevelInJerkass gets worse]] with each game.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Molag Bal believes that the strong should kill and dominate the weak. For instance in ''Skyrim'' he tries to tempt the Dragonborn into becoming his champion because he recognizes and respects the Dragonborn's power.
* TheUndead: By siring the first vampire he created the undead, apparently just to rub it in Arkay's face.
* YourSoulIsMine:
** He loves corrupting people and taking their souls, and the Mace of Molag Bal has that as its specialty.
** Molag Bal taking people's souls serves as the plot for ''Online''.
!!Namira
--> Sphere: The Ancient Darkness, the Grotesque
--> Artifacts: Namira's Ring
Daedric Prince of the Grotesque, Decay, and things which cause humans [[{{Squick}} revulsion]]. She is also associated with beggars and disease.
----
* AbsoluteCleavage: She is always depicted in statues wearing outfits showing off all of her cleavage.
* BlessedWithSuck: According to the book "Beggar Prince", she did this to the beggars, by cursing them to always have diseases that made them repulsive, and to invoke pity and disregard in others. This made them the perfect spies and sources of information, because they could watch and listen to what others did, but never be noticed doing so.
* BodyHorror: She favors this, especially in the form of disfiguring diseases.
* DarkIsEvil: Her sphere encompasses the Ancient Darkness.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Most of what falls within her sphere is perfectly natural. Further, she counts "Pity" within her sphere.
* EldritchLocation: Her realm is called the "[[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Scuttling Void]]", of which nothing is known.
* GrotesqueCute: She usually associated with things most would consider disgusting or repulsive, such as slugs, spiders, or disfiguring diseases. In fact she only allows those considered ugly to summon her; she hates attractive people.
* ImAHumanitarian: At least in ''Skyrim'', where she is the patron of a cult of cannibals. This makes sense given her ''modus operandi'', since cannibalism ''is'' typically frowned upon in most civilised societies.
* NatureIsNotNice: Happens to also represent the nastier aspects of nature.
* NightmareFetishist: To put it mildly.
!!Nocturnal
[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nocturnal_8869.png]]
--> Sphere: Night, Darkness, Thieves, Luck
--> Artifacts: Skeleton Key, Eye of Nocturnal, Bow of Shadows, The Gray Cowl
The Daedric Prince of Night and Darkness. Also known as "The Night Mistress" and "Lady Luck", and is regarded as the patron of the ThievesGuild.
----
* AbsoluteCleavage: In ''Skyrim''.
* AlwaysNight: Her realm, Evergloam, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin if it's anything like its name]].
* DarkIsNotEvil: Her sphere of influence includes darkness and the night and she falls under the standard Daedric "neither good nor evil" clause. She's one of the more ambiguous Daedric Princes, but it's safe to say she's no Molag Bal.
* DealWithTheDevil: The patron of thieves, and said to be the source of "scoundrel's luck" that aids them and the shadows that hide them... but it's a contract, not a blessing. [[spoiler:Three champions known as the Nightingales swear absolute loyalty to her, pledging their souls to guard her conduit to the mortal realms even after they die. After serving their term as spectral guardians, they become the shadows and the luck that aids all living thieves. These champions receive special armour, powers, privileges and the freedom to do as they wish with all three with the condition that they always guard the conduit - fail and they will lose all their gifts, and ''all'' thieves will have a sudden run of supernaturally bad luck, until it's reconsecrated.]]
* InTheHood: All of her appearances have her wearing a hooded cloak.
* MeaningfulName: Pretty obvious, she's associated with the night.
* RedBaron: The Night Mistress, Lady Luck.
* TheSacredDarkness: Kinda. The darkness that Nocturnal represents is for the most part treated as more protective than anything, and beautiful, welcoming, and awe-inspiring to those who appreciate it. However, Nocturnal is quick to withdraw her favour if she is displeased, and those who appreciate the darkness more often than not tend to be thieves and criminals.
* ScamReligion: According to Karliah, the Priests of Nocturnal were merely a cult created to prey on the gullible. While their members set up shop in the Twilight Sepulcher and conducted all sorts of bogus rituals and practices to supposedly gain Nocturnal's favour, she didn't actually pay them ''any'' attention or care ''what'' they did, as long as they didn't interfere with the Nightingales or threaten the Ebonmere.
* SemanticSuperpower: Her Daedric artifact, the SkeletonKey. It unlocks things. In fact, it unlocks ''anything''. Including [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower the limits of human potential]]. [[StoryAndGameplaySegregation In the hands of the player however]], it's simply an unbreakable lockpick.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: Her relationship with the Nightingales.
* WellDoneSonGuy: How Karliah describes Nocturnal in ''Skyrim'', as a mother that offers little praise but always pushes you to do better.
!!Peryite
--> Sphere: Pestilence, the Natural Order, Tasks
--> Artifacts: The Spell Breaker
Also known as The Taskmaster, Peryite keeps the lower levels of Oblivion ordered and controls plagues. He is considered to be the weakest of the Princes.
----
* AffablyEvil: Despite being referred to in-game as one of the most loathsome of the Daedric Princes, he's consistently polite to the player characters in all of his appearances, and the quest he gives the player in ''Oblivion'' is one of the least morally suspect Daedric quests, as it involves ''saving'' the lives of his followers.
* BlessedWithSuck: His "blessings" seem to take the form of various diseases, [[LovecraftianSuperpower complete with weaponized projectile vomiting]].
* DivergentCharacterEvolution: His quest in ''Skyrim'' emphasises his role as Lord of Pestilence rather than his role of maintaining order, likely because the previous game's DLC questline had introduced Jyggalag as the Daedric Prince of Order, leaving the exact distinction of the "order" Peryite resides over somewhat uncertain.
* HypercompetentSidekick: While he's supposed to be the weakest Daedric Prince, he also keeps the lower planes of Oblivion running and the lesser Daedra in line.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: His artifact, the Spell Breaker, is a Dwarven tower shield with a ward that blocks most forms of magic.
* MysticalPlague: His followers in ''Skyrim'' are afflicted with one of these.
* OnlySaneMan: One of the few Daedra in ''Daggerfall'' who takes being turned down for a quest well.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: He normally appears as a green dragon to those who summon him. It's worth noting that he is depicted with four legs instead of two, unlike Alduin and the other Dragons in ''Skyrim'', as he isn't really a dragon. He just [[ShapeshifterDefaultForm likes manifesting as one]]. Some sources suggest he does it in order to mock Akatosh.
* ThePlague: He controls these, and ''Skyrim'' hints he may be preparing one to try to wipe out Tamriel, thereby also making him a...
* {{Plaguemaster}}: Has power over all sorts of diseases.
* RedBaron: The Taskmaster.
* YouDirtyRat: In ''Skyrim'' he manifests in the form of a swarm of ghostly skeevers.
!!Sanguine
[[quoteright:270:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sanguine_6008.png]]
--> Sphere Debauchery, Hedonism
--> Artifacts: Sanguine's Rose, The 27 Threads of the Webspinner (Created for Mephala)
Daedric Prince of debauchery and hedonism, encompassing the light and dark sides of both. He also has domain over the darker natures of man, such as lust, sin, sloth, gluttony, and greed.
----
* AffablyEvil: While it's not a good idea to attach human morality to Daedra, he does tend to be one of the nicer Princes.
* TheAlcoholic: Often seen with some form of drink in his hand. In Skyrim, his quest even begins with [[spoiler:a drinking contest at an inn.]]
* BigRedDevil: A common depiction of him. [[spoiler:When revealing his true nature to the Dovahkiin, he opts for a Dremora variant.]]
* DarkIsNotEvil: Okay, "not evil" might be a bit of a stretch since he ''is'' a Daedric Prince who enjoys causing mischief, but he isn't nearly as evil as his satanic-looking appearance would suggest, especially by Daedra standards. His quests usually don't involve killing things, causing lasting harm or spreading suffering in any way, only annoying folks. In other words, Sanguine's pretty much a demonic frat boy. On the other hand, his personal artifact the Sanguine Rose is one of the more dangerous ones, since it summons a random Daedra that is ''not'' under the summoner's control. Martin Septim's reaction to the Rose in ''Oblivion'' implies that toying around with it in his youth got a bunch of his friends killed and soured him on Daedra worship forever.
* FunPersonified: Literally, being the god of hedonism in both the good and bad sense. His quest in ''Skyrim'' [[spoiler:is to get the player drunk and lead them around the world to trick them into marrying a hagraven]], and what realms of his the player visits in the series are shown to be party venues.
* GargleBlaster: [[spoiler:The Daedric Prince's special brew will get the better of you in ''Skyrim''.]]
* GodInHumanForm: [[spoiler:In ''Skyrim''.]]
* GottaCatchEmAll: His 27 threads of the Webspinner, which he created for Mephala and the Morag Tong. There are 27 pieces of clothing or jewelry.
* GreatGazoo: He mostly plays with and, at worst, annoys mortals. He is definitely one of the less serious Princes.
* TheHedonist: The Daedric Prince of it.
* HornedHumanoid: His preferred form in ''Skyrim'' is that of a Dremora.
* ItAmusedMe: The motivation for everything he does.
-->"Let's be honest, here. I don't always think my decisions through."
* LouisCypher: [[spoiler: Sam Guevenne]] in ''Skyrim.''
* MeaningfulName: The word "sanguine" can refer to a lively character as well as blood, which fits his patronage over both the light and dark side of pleasure.
* {{Troll}}: As the Prince of debauchery and merriment, he tends to tempt or trick mortals into doing crazy things for the sake of doing it.
* VillainsOutShopping: When the Dragonborn finally tracks him down [[spoiler:after their little drinking contest leaves them passed out on the other side of Skyrim]], he seems to be in the middle of hosting a party with some of his followers. Then again, his job is pretty much partying and playing pranks, so maybe this would count as normal work for him.
!!Sheogorath
[[quoteright:307:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sheog_666.jpeg]]
--> Sphere: Madness, Creativity, Cheese
--> Artifacts: Wabbajack, Fork of Horripilation, Staff of Everscamp, Gambolpuddy
The Daedric Prince of Madness. He is one of the more prominent of the Daedric Princes and appears as a seemingly harmless, well-dressed male.
----
* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:Until the player becomes Sheogorath in The Shivering Isles.]]
* AffablyEvil: His domains also include creativity and music, and he always has a smile on his face. He loves his worshipers and will always reward a mortal helper... but since he's the Prince of Madness, the blessings he offers may not be entirely, ah, traditional. Or healthy.
** According to legend, he gifted humanity music one day when he was travelling the mortal plane and decided it was boring, and a woman commented on the beauty of a songbird's song. Sheogorath agreed and thought it was a pity that humans couldn't make such lovely noises with their voices, so he gave them music by way of crafting them drums, flutes and lutes... from the bones, tendons and other body parts of that same woman, killing her on the spot to get the materials.
* AnimalEyes: Often depicted as a human with cat's eyes. Either the inspiration for, or adopted in honor of, the Khajiit's nickname for him, "The Skooma Cat".
* ArtificialHuman: [[spoiler:The original Sheogorath was created by the rest of the Daedric Princes in order to stop Jyggalag from growing any more powerful. The second Sheogorath, however, ascended to the position.]]
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: He, as Jyggalag, is ultimately killed for good and leaves joyfully to wander the streams of Oblivion, which he sees as this. This also coincides with the player character, who ascends to godhood.]]
* AxCrazy: When he's in a bad mood.
* BadassBeard: In fact, beards more badass than his are outlawed in the Shivering Isles on [[DisproportionateRetribution pain of death]].
* BalefulPolymorph: Cats can be bats can be rats can be hats can be gnats can be thats can be thises. And doors can be boars can be snores can be floors can be roars can be spores can be yours can be mine.
* BatmanGambit: Despite his status as a MadGod and his insistence that it's impossible to tell exactly what any and all beings will do, he's pretty good at them. The series ''16 Accords of Madness'' volumes ''VI'', ''IX'' and ''XII'' involve the humiliation of Hircine, Vaermina, and Malacath, respectively. In each of the stories, he basically has the other Princes defeat themselves. It's even brought up in volume ''IX'', where Vaermina accuses him of doing nothing. And since there are 17 Princes, it can be assumed that the remaining 13 volumes chronicle the humiliation of the rest of the Princes.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: This almost goes without saying. In ''Shivering Isles'', attacking him will cause him to teleport the Champion of Cyrodiil high above the Shivering Isles, letting gravity do the rest. Some fans have jokingly theorized that ''you'' actually remained stationary and Sheogorath hurled the ''[[ImprobableWeaponUser planet]]'' at you.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: His brief vocal appearance in ''Morrowind'' sounds and acts absolutely nothing like he does in later games. Rather than the unpredictable, unruly LargeHam he becomes in ''The Shivering Isles'', he's quite calm, formal and collected; acting more like Haskill -- and in fact, he's voiced by Jeff Baker, who would later voice Haskill.
* CloudCuckoolander: When he's in a good mood.
* CoolButInefficient: His artifacts tend to fall under this category.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Just because he's insane doesn't mean he's stupid.
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Shivering Isles'', the Champion of Cyrodiil takes on the mantle of Sheogorath.]]
* FisherKing: The state of his realm, The Shivering Isles, is directly tied to both his own power, and that of his nemesis Jyggalag, who wants to rule the Isles himself. Whenever Jyggalag grows in power and Sheogorath's power wanes, the Isles become a monochrome wasteland dotted with crystal spires.
* GreatGazoo: He's a madman with incredible power.
* GroundhogDayLoop: [[spoiler:He's only able to become his true self during the Greymarch, once in a thousand years during which he destroys the land his mad self made and then has to witness the mad half rebuilding it.]]
* HailfirePeaks: His realm, The Shivering Isles, is split down the middle to represent the dual nature of madness. The northern half of the Isles, Mania, represents to positive aspects of madness, and is [[GhibliHills full of exotic plant life and brightly coloured monsters]]. The southern half, Dementia, embodies the negative aspects of madness, and consists mostly of [[SwampsAreEvil dreary swampland]].
* ImAHumanitarian: "Mmm... brain pie... ''care to donate''?"
* ItAmusedMe: Rains of flaming dogs, the heinous crime of beards, making the player flail around trying to kill a harmless airborne jellyfish with a dinner fork - none of these are really all that helpful, but they sure are funny! To him, at least.
* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: His idea of vacation is to take one of these within the mind of former Emperor Pelagius the Mad.
* KickTheDog: Most notably in the 16 Accords of Madness. Poor Malacath...
* LargeHam: "''CHEEEESE''! For everyone!"
* MadGod: It's even one of his titles.
* TheMadHatter: He's insane and loves every moment of it.
* MadnessMantra: Wabbajack. Wabbajack. Wabbajack. Wabbajack.
* MagicStaff: The Wabbajack, which transforms things into other things.
* ManipulativeBastard: Pulls shenanigans revolving around this for the lolz in [[spoiler: Online]], much to the detriment of [[spoiler: Archmage Shalidor]].
* MoodSwinger: "Since you're standing here, I assume you've succeeded. ''Or you're terribly confused.'' '''[[SuddenlyShouting OR REALLY LACKING IN GOOD JUDGMENT!]]'''"
* TheMuse: Creativity and the arts fall under his domain. According to legend, he gifted music to the mortals.
* NoodleImplements: The ritual to summon him requires a soul gem, a head of lettuce, and a spool of yarn.
* ObfuscatingInsanity:
** He's insane, that's a ''given'', but since he consistently seems to be [[XanatosSpeedChess ten steps ahead]] of ''everyone'', it's likely that Sheogorath plays up his madness to hide the fact he's far more on the ball than he lets on.
** [[spoiler:Since the second Sheogorath is implied to be the Champion of Cyrodiil, it [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation begs the question]] of how much of their behaviour in ''Skyrim'' is due to [[BecomingTheMask inheriting the mantle]] of Sheogorath, or if it's [[BeneathTheMask merely an affectation]] for when they deal with mortals.]] [invoked]
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler:Sheogorath stops all joking, overreacting and non-sequiturs just before his transformation into Jyggalag near the end of ''Shivering Isles''. He's not yet under the orderly influence of Jyggalag, though, meaning that his despair over the fate of the Isles and his apparent failure to save them is genuine.]]
* PetTheDog: His quest in ''Skyrim'' is this for Pelagius the Mad.
* PimpDuds: Including a [[AnachronismStew pocket watch]] and a cane.
* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: [[spoiler:The Sheogorath depicted in ''Skyrim'' is implied to be the former Champion of Cyrodiil]].
* ProphetEyes: In ''Skyrim''.
* RedBaron: The Prince of Madness.
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Is revealed in The Shivering Isles to actually be the Daedric Prince of Order, Jyggalag.]]
* RogueProtagonist: [[spoiler: ''Skyrim'' Sheogorath is actually the protagonist of Oblivion. Subverted in that he implies that he was, canonically, a VillainProtagonist]].
* ScrewDestiny: Prominent in the Shivering Isles expansion. Sheogorath attempts to avert the Greymarch. At first, it seems his attempt fails, as he turns into Jyggalag again, but then, the PC stops the Greymarch, thus breaking the cycle of fate. The fact that Jyggalag and his old chamberlain keep talking about how everything is preordained makes screwing destiny all the more satisfying. Also, while Sheogorath is a multifaceted being, a large part of what he stands for is free will and the spark of creativity. It would be utterly against the character of the lord of madness to suppose there was a preordained, predictable order.
* SeinfeldianConversation: "Cat's out of the bag on that one, isn't it? Who puts cats in bags, anyway? Cats hate bags!"
* ShoutOut:
** Given his eldritch nature, Sheogorath's name is probably a reference to Shub-Niggurath of the [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Cthulhu Mythos]]. In fact, his name [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shub-Niggurath#Robert_M._Price.27s_interpretation may be a reference to a 'Sheol-Niggurath']] briefly mentioned in a story by one of Lovecraft's inspirations [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Dunsany Lord Dunsany]]. '''Sheo'''l-Nig'''gurath''' = '''Sheogurath''' = '''Sheogorath'''.
** In the Cthulhu Mythos the Outer God Nyarlathotep is said to often walk the Earth in the form of a tall, slim, joyous man, and was described by Lovecraft himself as "horrible beyond anything you can imagine — but wonderful." In the Elder Scrolls mythology one of Sheogorath's most favored forms is "Gentleman With a Cane", and he is both reviled as the source of madness and revered as the inspiration for (and original creator of) art, literature, and music.
* TalkativeLoon: "Wonderful! Time for a celebration! Cheese for everyone! Wait, scratch that! Cheese for no one! That could be just as much of a celebration if you don't like cheese, true?"
* TookALevelInKindness: It's vaguely suggested in ''Skyrim'' that [[spoiler:the second Sheogorath (the Champion of Cyrodil) may be much more benevolent then his predecessor.]]
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Cheese. His Daedric quest in ''Oblivion'' requires it, he constantly speaks about it, including several memorable lines involving "cheese for everyone!" quickly followed by "cheese for no one!" and in his ''Skyrim'' appearance he has cheeses set out on a banquet table before him. Given his overt madness and godlike status, this isn't a fondness for eating cheese, but more like a surreal, platonic affection for the stuff.
* TricksterArchetype: One of his favorite games is making mortals or even other daedra look like idiots. The lesson is usually "don't underestimate/bargain with/upset/stand near/shirk worship of Sheogorath", but it can be kinder ("there's always room for creativity") or more cruel ("there's madness within us all"), depending on his whims...
* TricksterGod: Well, yeah.
* {{Troll}}: Sometimes, it seems he just likes to point and laugh. One story of his has him challenging fellow prince Hircine to combat-by-champion. Hircine fielded a huge, saw-toothed, dagger-clawed, vicious werebeast. Sheogorath revealed his champion to be... a songbird. The tiny bird then proceeded to goad the werebeast into tearing ''itself'' apart by perching on it, singing and then flitting away, over and over. The bird won. Sheogorath's sole reason for any of this was, apparently, that he found Hircine's fury hilarious.
* VillainProtagonist: In ''Skyrim'', [[spoiler: his dialogue implies that the Champion of Cyrodil was a member of the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood]].
* WasOnceAMan: In Skyrim, it's heavily implied that the being now known as Sheogorath, who looks and acts exactly like Sheogorath always has, is actually [[LegacyCharacter the second Sheogorath]], and was once [[spoiler:the Champion of Cyrodiil]].
* WithThisHerring: A frequent feature of his quests, probably for his own amusement. One famous implement is the Fork of Horripilation. "Horripilation" is the anatomical word for... goosebumps.
!!Vaermina
--> Sphere: Nightmares, Fear
--> Artifacts: Skull of Corruption
The Daedric Prince of Nightmares and Terror. Normal dreams also fall within her realm. The is also known as "the Gifter."
----
* ColdBloodedTorture: Some theorize that this falls within her sphere as well.
* CoolMask: In ''Online'', she is often depicted as wearing one of these. Indeed, her emblem consists of her mask, and a [[SnakesAreEvil snake]].
* CuteIsEvil:
** Her voice in ''Skyrim''. When she finally speaks to the player at one point, it's with the sweetest, most adorable voice you could ever hear... while she orders you to murder Erandur, a priest of Mara trying to rescue a village.
** Taken UpToEleven in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'', where she has even more dialogue. Her voice is still adorable, and almost childlike... [[spoiler:while [[CuteAndPsycho gleefully describing how]] she is going to spend the next century or so [[MindRape Mind Raping]] you for killing her Champion. Whom she was apparently in love with.]]
* DarkIsEvil: She's definitely one of the more brutal Daedric Princes, to the point that she may second only to ''Molag Bal'' in some ways.
* DreamStealer: They may be a source of power for her.
* EldritchLocation: Her realm of Quagmire, which changes for the viewer every few moments in a flash of lightning to something even more horrific than before.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In ''Online'', she is stated to actually be in love with her champion. [[spoiler:Her reaction to his death would seem to back this up.]]
* FriendOrIdolDecision: Either kill [[spoiler:Erandur]] and keep the Skull of Corruption, or spare [[spoiler:him]] and gain a companion at the loss of the artifact in ''Skyrim''.
* MindRape: Can cause this.
* NightmareFetishist: ''Literally.'' She often kept her champion in Quagmire in ''Online,'' seeming not to care of the fact that simply ''being'' there can cause MindRape, or perhaps, actually seeing that as a ''show of affection''.
* NightmareSequence: Pretty much her entire shtick.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Statues of her often depict her with a snake draped across her shoulders. In ''Online,'' her emblem consists of her CoolMask with a snake wrapped around it.
* UnholyMatrimony: Her champion in ''Online'' is said to also be her lover.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Is sometimes depicted with white hair, and happens to be one of the more brutal Daedric Princes.
* YourWorstNightmare: Her specialty.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Other Gods]]
Aside from the Aedra and Daedra, other varieties of divine beings are present in the ''Elder Scrolls'' universe. Below is a list of the remaining "Gods" who do not fit neatly in with the Aedra or the Daedra.
!! Ebonarm (aka Reymon Ebonarm, The Black Knight)
A god of war worshiped in the Iliac Bay region as the companion and guardian of all warriors. He is the arch enemy of most of the Daedric Princes. He is held in particularly special regard by the Redguard who keep shrines to Ebonarm in their homes.
----
* ArchEnemy: To all Daedra (save Sheogorath), the Temple of Stendarr, and The Cabal.
* BadassBeard: Is said to have flowing reddish-blonde hair and a beard.
* BlackKnight: His preferred form, constantly outfitted in dark ebony armor.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Has an ebony sword for an arm, hence the name.
* CoolHorse: His golden stallion War Master.
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: He supposedly is one and can create others, such as Sai, the God of Luck.
* SomethingAboutARose: His symbol is a red rose, which is said to bloom on battlefields where he appears.
* TechnicalPacifist: He is a god of war, but he won't fight in any war that started for petty reasons. When he appears on the battlefield, it is usually to ''prevent'' bloodshed and reconcile the opposing sides.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Hasn't been mentioned in any form since ''Daggerfall.''
!![=HoonDing=] (aka The Yokudan Make Way God)
The Yokudan spirit of perseverance over infidels and "Make Way" god, the [=HoonDing=] has manifested whenever the Reguards needed to "make way" for their people.
----
* CoolVersusAwesome: In the [[LooseCanon Obscure Text]] ''[[https://www.imperial-library.info/content/lord-vivecs-sword-meeting-cyrus-restless Lord Vivec's Sword-Meeting with Cyrus the Restless]]'', [=HoonDing=] in his most famous form as Cyrus the Restless, has a battle with the Dunmeri PhysicalGod Vivec. In it, after being badly defeated once, Cyrus returns and claims he can use the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Pankratosword]] in order to get Vivec to hand over a valuable treasure. (It's a bluff, but it works.)
* GodInHumanForm: Manifests itself using human avatars.
** Frandar Hunding was one form. As Frandar, he led an army of "sword singers" to victory over Emperor Hira of Yokuda. He later led the Redguard people to Hammerfell.
** Diagna, "God of the Sideways Blade," was another. As Diagna, he defeated the Left Handed Elves of Yokuda and later, defeated the Orcs of Orsinium at the height of its ancient power.
** Cyrus the Restless, hero of the ''Redguard'' game, was his most famous. Through the events of that game, he forced the Septim Empire into a treaty with better terms for Hammerfell.
* TheJuggernaut: Is totally unstoppable once it gets going. It is said to be able to make its way "through anything."
* MasterSwordsman: Each of the mortals known to be its manifestations excelled in swordsmanship.
* OddJobGods: Manifests whenever the Redguards need to "make way" for their people.
!!The Ideal Masters
The Ideal Masters rule over a portion of Oblivion known as the 'Soul Cairn,' where souls trapped in Soul Gems ultimate end up to [[AndIMustScream wander its bleak, desolate plains for eternity]]. They view this state as peace from the torments of life, but those under their purview, obviously, don't quite see it that way. They commonly make deals with Necromancers, granting them power in exchange for souls. [[JackassGenie They rarely work out.]]
----
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Despite ruling over a plane of Oblivion, they are not Daedra. Actually, nobody is quite sure ''what'' they are, though it is known that they were [[WasOnceAMan once mortal]].
* AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: They are stated to have been mortal at one point, though it is still currently unknown how they became what they are now.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Believe that by dooming souls to eternal undeath, they are giving them eternal peace. Terrifyingly, ''there is some evidence to support this''.
* DealWithTheDevil: The Ideal Masters specialize in these, making deals with necromancers to summon powerful spirits in order to ensnare ''their'' souls eventually.
* EldritchAbomination: ''Very'' much so. They don't even ''have'' a true form, from what anyone knows.
* EldritchLocation: Their plane of Oblivion, the Soul Cairn, which competes with [[FireAndBrimstoneHell the Deadlands]] and [[DarkWorld Coldharbour]] for the most hellish realm of Oblivion. The Ideal Masters are up there with [[OmnicidalManiac Mehrunes Dagon]] and [[GodOfEvil Molag Bal]].
* EnemyMine: Due to their displeasure with Mehrunes Dagon's forces using the Soul Cairn as a waystation while destroying their undead and plundering their treasure, they allied with the Hero of Battlespire and helped him escape the Soul Cairn.
* ExactWords: They'll promise you great power, but they'll word it so as to get the maximum benefit for themselves while screwing the one who made the deal over as much as possible. [[spoiler: Durnehviir learned that the hard way by promising to guard Valerica until she died... unaware she was a Vampire, and as such immortal.]]
* HorrorHunger: Implied. They are desperate to fill the Soul Cairn up with more souls, and as mentioned below in YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm, they drain the souls of anyone who gets too close to their giant Soul Gem forms.
* JackassGenie: Their deals with Necromancers tend to invoke this. In Durnehviir's case, it was a case of YouDidntAsk and ExactWords; they ordered him to guard [[spoiler:Valerica]] in the Soul Cairn until her death, while failing to mention the fact that, since she's a [[spoiler:vampire]], she'll ''never'' die, meaning he was doomed to their service forever.
* {{Manipulative Bastard}}s: Very much so. In addition to the ExactWords example above, they pulled something similar with Valerica. She wanted to stay in the Soul Cairn for safety, and struck a deal with the Masters: safety for souls. What they didn't tell her is that they wanted ''her'' soul.
* NonindicativeName: Malicious, double-crossing jerkasses, nobody thinks of them as ideal masters.
* WasOnceAMan: The Ideal Masters are said to all have been mortals at one point.
* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: They never take a 'physical' form in the Soul Cairn. The closest thing they to do taking a physical form is taking the form of a giant Soul Gem that [[YourSoulIsMine drains the souls of anyone who gets too close.]]
* YourSoulIsMine: Every soul that gets Soul Trapped ends up under their control. They also tend to do this to those who make a DealWithTheDevil with them.
* TheUnseen: The Ideal Masters have never been actually seen, and use gems to communicate with other species (as well as capture their souls), so it has been theorized that they may actually have no physical form and are completely incorporeal.
!!Magnus
->''"Penitent, the lives of all living are touched by Magnus, He Who Abstained. Lord Magnus drew up the schematics for our world, intricately sketching the diagrams of Creation. Magnus is with us always, in the magics of Mages and the warming breath of the sun."''
The God of Magic among the Altmer and Bretons. Though he participated in the creation of the Mundus, Magnus isn't normally counted among the standard Aedra; he rules the Magna-Ge, or "Star Orphans," that left midway through creation. While Lorkhan was the one who came up with the idea of Mundus, Magnus was the chief architect of Mundus. However, he soon became disgusted with creation and fled with the rest of the Magna-Ge to Aetherius.
----
* TheArchMage: As the God of Magic.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The Eye of Magnus. While it's unclear exactly ''what'' it does, it clearly possesses enough raw magical power to potentially destroy the entire world if mishandled.
** Indirectly, the Eye of Magnus led to the downfall of the Snow Elves. Due to both the Ancient Nords and the Snow Elves vying for control of the Eye, it led to a war in which Saarthal and the Eye were lost. The Ancient Nords drove the Snow Elves underground into the arms of the Dwemer, who betrayed them and twisted them into a slave race which has since evolved into the sightless, merciless creatures known as the Falmer.
* LightTheWay: He was known as the god of Sight, Light and Insight among the Ayleids, and created the sun which shares his name by punching through to Aetherius.
* MagicStaff: The Staff of Magnus, held to be able to absorb massive amounts of magical energy. You end up using it a lot in ''Skyrim'' if you complete the College of Winterhold questline.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Left Mundus due to being disgusted with Lorkhan's trickery.
!!Sai
The God of Luck celebrated in the Iliac Bay region.
----
* BabiesEverAfter: Settled down with a Nord woman Josea with whom he had a daughter. After his physical form faded away entirely, his decedents are said to be able to "feel" his presence once a year.
* BornLucky: Even as a mortal, he had the uncanny ability to bring good luck to others.
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: Originally a mortal man with the uncanny ability to spread good luck to others, but not to himself. When he died in battle, Ebonarm granted him immortality so that he may continue to spread his luck and help "balance" the world.
* NobleWolf: Traveled with a gray wolf named Grellan after his resurrection. Some time after settling down, his physical body began to fade, leaving him as a spirit and unable to interact with his loved ones. He begged Mara for a body, and she allowed him to take the form of a wolf.
* TheGambler: "Sai's Disease" is essentially gambling addiction. Those afflicted are driven to incessant gambling, seeking proof of the god's favor.
* WalkingTheEarth: What he did for a time after he was brought back.
!!Sithis
-->''"All Tamrielic religions begin the same. Man or mer, things begin with the dualism of Anu and His Other. These twin forces go by many names: Anu-Padomay, Anuiel-Sithis, Ak-El, Satak-Akel, Is-Is Not. Anuiel is the Everlasting Ineffable Light, Sithis is the Corrupting Inexpressible Action. In the middle is the Gray Maybe ('Nirn' in the Ehlnofex)."''
-->-- '''''The Monomyth'''''
Sithis is a force that represents void, change, chaos, and limitation. Lorkhan may be a AnthropomorphicPersonification of Sithis, and Sithis is the patron "deity" of the Dark Brotherhood who know him as the Dread Father. Sithis is venerated by most cultures throughout Tamriel as a force of change, though outright worship is rare.
----
* BrotherhoodOfEvil: The Dark Brotherhood, an illegal [[MurderInc assassins guild]], worships Sithis.
* CreationMyth: The Hist - a race of ancient, sentient, possibly omniscient trees native to Black Marsh - "acknowledge" Sithis as the true creator of the universe. It also helps to explain the Argonian Shadowscales who are sent to the Dark Brotherhood.
* DarkIsEvil: "The Dread Father" does not sound very benevolent at all.
* EldritchAbomination: He is related to (or may even ''be'') Padomay, the personification of the primordial state of chaos, and is typically represented as a "great void."
* GodCouple: With the Night Mother in the religion of the Dark Brotherhood. There is evidence that the Night Mother may be an aspect of the Daedric Prince Mephala, who has strong connections to Sithis in the religion of the Dunmer. (The Morag Tong, off of whom the Brotherhood originally split, has Mephala as a patron deity while also having special reverence for Sithis.)
* MindScrew: The primal "Is Not" according to the Dark Brotherhood.
* TheNothingAfterDeath: Those who have pledged their soul to Sithis enter "the Void" for all eternity. Apparently, according to the Dark Brotherhood, they serve him there in some capacity and can have their spirits summoned back to the world of the living to serve the Brotherhood.
* PowerOfTheVoid: Sithis represents the primordial state of chaos and is referred to as the "great void."
* PowersThatBe: Much more subtly affects the universe than most of the other divine beings on this page. It is said that he "begat" Lorkhan to disrupt the imperfect stasis of Anuiel and the spirits that would later become the Aedra.
* TheAntiGod: Sithis, the deity the Dark Brotherhood worships, is what's left of Padomay/is Padomay, who was the original Anti-God, dark twin of the progenitor GodOfGods Anu and the progenitor of the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Daedra]].
!!Y'ffre
-->''"Feel the solidity of the ground under your feet, and taste the wind. By his will is our world manifest, and the rocks, and the trees, and the birds in the sky. Y'ffre is with you at every turn, in every moment."''
-->-- '''''Bones of the Forest'''''
Y'ffre, the God of the Forest and the Spirit of the Now, is the most important god in the Bosmer religion and also present in the religions of the Altmer, Bretons, and Falmer. He (sometimes she) was one of the strongest pre-creation spirits and was the first transform into the Ehlnofey, the "Earth Bones," which allowed for the laws of physics, nature, and life on Nirn. Also heavily associated with story telling.
----
* TheBeastmaster: As the god of nature. A power he passed on to his Bosmeri followers.
* NatureSpirit: Essentially brought nature into existence in the early world.
* {{Precursors}}: As one of the Ehlnofey, who are the ancestors to all of the mortal races on Nirn (save for possibly the Argonians).
* {{Veganopia}}: Inverted. Bound the Bosmer to the "Green Pact," which prevents them from consuming any plant matter in their homeland of Valenwood, which leaves them on a purely carnivorous diet. (This seems to be relaxed for Bosmer outside of Valenwood.)
[[/folder]]
