Why are there female and male Daedra?

AnduinTryggva · December 24

We recently had a discussion about body features of female Argonians that don't make sense from a biological point of view given that their babies come in eggs.

What even makes less sense is that we have female and male Daedra given that they don't die and are not born either in a proper sense.

bmnoble · December 24

Isn't that where artistic license factors in, the freedom artists have to take liberties with reality to create something more expressive or interesting.

Danikat · December 24

Daedra are incapable of creating anything new or original, only copying and adapting things which already exist. That includes their own bodies, which are formed from azure plasm. So the humanoid ones copy humanoids from Nirn, and they copy the sexual dimorphism as well as other features.

Sakiri · December 24

Danikat wrote: »

Daedra are incapable of creating anything new or original, only copying and adapting things which already exist. That includes their own bodies, which are formed from azure plasm. So the humanoid ones copy humanoids from Nirn, and they copy the sexual dimorphism as well as other features.

Pretty much this.

Even the Princes pick male or female, sometimes at random. Think Boethiah and Mephala have both appearaed male and female in the past.

Taril · December 24

AnduinTryggva wrote: »

We recently had a discussion about body features of female Argonians that don't make sense from a biological point of view given that their babies come in eggs.

Generally, there would need to be more depth in the development cycle than simply "Hatches from eggs" to really invalidate something like mammary glands.

Take for example, many species of birds feed their young by regurgitating food directly into their mouths. The birds still hatch from eggs. But they aren't developed enough to sustain themselves until they grow capable of flight.

Ergo, just because Argonians hatch from eggs, doesn't mean they're self sufficient until later in their life cycle. Thus, obtaining sustainance from their mother might still be relevant.

AnduinTryggva wrote: »

What even makes less sense is that we have female and male Daedra given that they don't die and are not born either in a proper sense.

Daedra tend to like to copy mortals in some fashion. If not actually utilize mortal bodies as hosts.

Most Daedric foes we encounter (I.e. Lesser Daedra) are specifically created by a Daedric Prince. Whom likely chose their forms to be based off mortals for some reason or another (Possibly their admiration of mortals - Hence why some Princes often take the form of a mortal. Notably Sheogorath and Sanguine like to use mortal forms)

It's also possible that lesser daedra are created by a perversion of Aedric sources. Since Aedra created the mortal races, if a Daedric Prince used the same source to create their Daedra they likely would have some similarities.

redlink1979 · December 24

The replies above pretty much resumes it all.
For more details, here's a link
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Daedra

LootAllTheStuff · December 24

Taril wrote: »

AnduinTryggva wrote: »

We recently had a discussion about body features of female Argonians that don't make sense from a biological point of view given that their babies come in eggs.

Generally, there would need to be more depth in the development cycle than simply "Hatches from eggs" to really invalidate something like mammary glands.

Take for example, many species of birds feed their young by regurgitating food directly into their mouths. The birds still hatch from eggs. But they aren't developed enough to sustain themselves until they grow capable of flight.

Ergo, just because Argonians hatch from eggs, doesn't mean they're self sufficient until later in their life cycle. Thus, obtaining sustainance from their mother might still be relevant.

Also, monotremes are a thing.

Soarora · December 24

Interestingly, male and female daedra are not always equal either. Dark Seducers and Golden Saints are matriarchal and talk down about their male counterparts all the time.

Syldras · December 24

Sakiri wrote: »

Think Boethiah and Mephala have both appearaed male and female in the past.

Even Molag Bal. It seems to be a rather arbitrary choice for many.

NotaDaedraWorshipper · December 24

AnduinTryggva wrote: »

We recently had a discussion about body features of female Argonians that don't make sense from a biological point of view given that their babies come in eggs.

Where was this discussion, because I never avoid to inform people that argonians don't have mammary glands. Their "breasts" are purely aesthetic lumps and not used for lactation. They don't have mammary papillae (the thing that is on breasts that begins with n and can't be said on the forum).

Actually a bit similar with daedra, who aren't really female or male. Their forms are not for reproduction so they technically aren't female or male, they just have that aesthetic. Forms they were given or have taken.

Danikat wrote: »

Daedra are incapable of creating anything new or original, only copying and adapting things which already exist. That includes their own bodies, which are formed from azure plasm. So the humanoid ones copy humanoids from Nirn, and they copy the sexual dimorphism as well as other features.

That is likely untrue and the source that claims they can't is heavily biased from a religous mortal who is speaking negatively about them. We have clear evidence that daedra can create in various forms, or the whole ordeal is rather complicated and we can't just put a clear line between these things because daedra in all their endless forms vary a lot.
Like even reproduction is said to not be something daedra do, which in a general sense is true. Many of them don't do or even need to reproduce to exist, but it's possible for at least some of them to procreate with mortals. Then certain daedra like the Crows, do seem to actually do some form of reproduction.

Sakiri wrote: »

Even the Princes pick male or female, sometimes at random. Think Boethiah and Mephala have both appearaed male and female in the past.

Princes are also more unique cases even amongst daedra. They don't have sexes nor even proper physical forms, and whenever appearing before mortals what they see are only manifestations, which can look however the prince want. They do seem to have some preferences in how they manifest though, but it could be whatever.
That knowledge is one reason (out of more) to why I thought the dialogue with Hermaeus Mora in Necrom was...not good. You don't have an option, but are forced to say he doesn't look like any prince you have seen before. Like they an look however they want, everyone of them could be not like anything you have seen before. Sadly in game models aren't very creative about this for other princes. No eldritch concept art-like.