Monotheism

max_only

Are all the cultures in Tamriel polytheistic? I’m curious if there is a culture or subset that only believes in a 1 god system. I thought maybe Argonian because of the Hist but then I remembered Sithis. I know in the future Nords are persecuted for adding on a Divine (esp one that used to be mortal) but I haven’t heard of a culture, even a smaller one like Reachmen, believing in just 1 god.

I mean logically it makes sense that every culture would be polytheistic since the aedra and daedra take active roles in Tamriel’s reality but I was just curious.

Prinseth

The Alessian Order is Monotheistic

Ghanima_Atreides

Prinseth is correct: http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Alessian_Order

Basically they venerated Akatosh as the embodiment of linear time and tried to expunge the elven influences of Auri-El from him, causing a Dragon Break in the process if some accounts are to be believed.

BigBadVolk

also the Skaal of Solstheim only revere the All-Maker so technically they're monotheistic too

Elsonso

Don't forget about The Hist worshippers.

No discussion about this would be complete without digging up the work that @Gidorick did to try and assemble the rather complicated theology of Nirn into a single image.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/194676/visualization-of-the-pantheon-of-the-elder-scrolls-final-version-uploaded-d/p1

Bruccius

The Skaal Nords worship a deity known as the ''All-Maker''. It's one God, and they have various spirits through which the All-Maker communicates with them. Their connection to their God comes from the various Stones; the Sun Stone, the Beast Stone, the Wind Stone, the Water Stone, the Earth Stone, and the Tree Stone.

As for the Alessian Order, if I recall correctly, they only worship Akatosh.

The_Protagonist

To the best of my knowledge there is no one all powerful entity in Tamriel. Unless the people who are well versed in lore can enlighten us.

max_only

Meh, I know there isn’tan all powerful god. The gods are too active to dismiss them in Tamriel. I know about how Akatosh was basically “Prometheus’d“ by Lorkhan and the whole bit what I’m asking is if there ever grew up a culture that believed in a monotheistic system. Maybe a culture that believes all the aedra are aspects of one being. Just curious if any group of people came to that conclusion.

The_Protagonist

Prinseth wrote: »

The Alessian Order is Monotheistic

That sounds interesting, please share a link or more details,

The_Protagonist

@BigBadVolk @Ghanima_Atreides @Prinseth +1 insightful. Thank you for your inputs, it's great that you guys are really deep into TES lore and really love the concept that Monothesim is also included in this amazing world.

PrayingSeraph

Is the Godhead\Dreamer in any non MK lore? If so, it could be considered the ultimate single deity.

But yes, the Alessian Order was monotheistic. If any of you can recall, in Imperial City there is a temple called "Temple of the One". This temple was Alessian

Bruccius

PrayingSeraph wrote: »

Is the Godhead\Dreamer in any non MK lore? If so, it could be considered the ultimate single deity.

But yes, the Alessian Order was monotheistic. If any of you can recall, in Imperial City there is a temple called "Temple of the One". This temple was Alessian

The term ''Godhead'' is used several times throughout the series, but not in Kirkbride's context. I don't recall the Dreamer appearing in any official material.

Dracan_Fontom

Technically the Dark Brotherhood could also be thought of as monotheistic.

yvaN_ehT_nioJ

Bruccius wrote: »

The term ''Godhead'' is used several times throughout the series, but not in Kirkbride's context. I don't recall the Dreamer appearing in any official material.

I kind of get the sense we see it in Kirkbride's context in Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes. In book 3 there's this quote:

Woe to the Oath-breakers! Of the skin of gold, the Xarxes Mysteriuum says "Be fooled not by the forlorn that ride astray the roadway, for they lost faith and this losing was caused by the Aedra who would know no other planets." Whereby the words of Lord Dagon instructs us to destroy these faithless. "Eat or bleed dry the gone-forlorn and gain that small will that led them to walk the path of Godhead [emphasis mine] at the first. Spit out or burn to the side that which made them delay. Know them as the Mnemoli."

It's a maybe though for me as I've not really read enough of that series to make heads or tails of it.

Eporem

yvaN_ehT_nioJ wrote: »

Bruccius wrote: »

I kind of get the sense we see it in Kirkbride's context in Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes. In book 3 there's this quote:

Woe to the Oath-breakers! Of the skin of gold, the Xarxes Mysteriuum says "Be fooled not by the forlorn that ride astray the roadway, for they lost faith and this losing was caused by the Aedra who would know no other planets." Whereby the words of Lord Dagon instructs us to destroy these faithless. "Eat or bleed dry the gone-forlorn and gain that small will that led them to walk the path of Godhead [emphasis mine] at the first. Spit out or burn to the side that which made them delay. Know them as the Mnemoli."

In this book 3 of the Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes who are referred to as the Mnemoli - the elves (skin of gold) that followed Veloth and those that wished to keep following the Old Ways, the Psijic's?

yvaN_ehT_nioJ

Mnemoli seems to be referring to one of the Magna Ge. The path of the Godhead, I would guess is referring to something along the lines of the Psijic Endeavor, which was the basis for Veloth's teachings.

I need to take time to sit down and read through the Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes. I remember trying to read it when I first played Oblivion and it was all Greek to me. Now it's just Greek with parts here and there put through Google Translate.

Eporem

yvaN_ehT_nioJ wrote: »

Mnemoli seems to be referring to one of the Magna Ge. .

I need to take time to sit down and read through the Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes. I remember trying to read it when I first played Oblivion and it was all Greek to me. Now it's just Greek with parts here and there put through Google Translate.

I hope you share what you see in these

Bruccius

yvaN_ehT_nioJ wrote: »

Bruccius wrote: »

The term ''Godhead'' is used several times throughout the series, but not in Kirkbride's context. I don't recall the Dreamer appearing in any official material.

I kind of get the sense we see it in Kirkbride's context in Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes. In book 3 there's this quote:

Woe to the Oath-breakers! Of the skin of gold, the Xarxes Mysteriuum says "Be fooled not by the forlorn that ride astray the roadway, for they lost faith and this losing was caused by the Aedra who would know no other planets." Whereby the words of Lord Dagon instructs us to destroy these faithless. "Eat or bleed dry the gone-forlorn and gain that small will that led them to walk the path of Godhead [emphasis mine] at the first. Spit out or burn to the side that which made them delay. Know them as the Mnemoli."

It's a maybe though for me as I've not really read enough of that series to make heads or tails of it.

That would refer to the Godhead of Dagon. The Tribunal are also known as the ''Triune Godhead'', as an example.

Crumorn

Interesting thing about Elder Scrolls deities aka divines/daedra and everything in between is they are real. Everyone to some extent knows they are real. The Skaal have likely been told of them as well and though may not worship them respect them as well 'higher beings'. How can you be polytheistic when the gods are real as the sun? To not acknowledge they are real is strange in this world and to many of it's citizens stupid cause well they are real.

Thought perhaps not in ESO the divines have been in quests in other elder scrolls games similar to the daedric princes.

max_only

Not to get too philosophical but a “real” god or God can be any form it wants and any number of forms simulataneously. From a mist of golden rain to a talking spider. There’s nothing stopping one “real” god having a multitude of “real” forms and manifestations. So it is logical for someone, if they choose, to come to the conclusion that all the Daedra/Aedra/Divines etc are all many parts of “one” whole.

LMar

Anu and possibly Godhead (maybe not explicitly) are referred to in the "Truth in sequence" volumes. In fact Sotha Sil refers to the Aedra as just being aspects of the whole trying to understand itself and they just forgot, if i remember right. This touches on some of the more apocryphal and out of game lore that exists out there. The books also mention that Daedra do not really exist. I suggest you give those books a read and see what you think

WhiteCoatSyndrome

LMar wrote: »

Anu and possibly Godhead (maybe not explicitly) are referred to in the "Truth in sequence" volumes. In fact Sotha Sil refers to the Aedra as just being aspects of the whole trying to understand itself and they just forgot, if i remember right. This touches on some of the more apocryphal and out of game lore that exists out there. The books also mention that Daedra do not really exist. I suggest you give those books a read and see what you think

Minor point, those books are written by a "Deldrise Morvayn" so they're an interpretation of Sotha Sil's works by one of his followers, they're not written by Sotha Sil himself.

Dystopia2020

max_only wrote: »

Not to get too philosophical but a “real” god or God can be any form it wants and any number of forms simulataneously. From a mist of golden rain to a talking spider. There’s nothing stopping one “real” god having a multitude of “real” forms and manifestations. So it is logical for someone, if they choose, to come to the conclusion that all the Daedra/Aedra/Divines etc are all many parts of “one” whole.

Exactly.
Many people in this game look though a limited Abrahamic view of "god", I personally see Hinduism reflected all the time and totally agree with @max_only.

LMar

WhiteCoatSyndrome wrote: »

LMar wrote: »

Anu and possibly Godhead (maybe not explicitly) are referred to in the "Truth in sequence" volumes. In fact Sotha Sil refers to the Aedra as just being aspects of the whole trying to understand itself and they just forgot, if i remember right. This touches on some of the more apocryphal and out of game lore that exists out there. The books also mention that Daedra do not really exist. I suggest you give those books a read and see what you think

Minor point, those books are written by a "Deldrise Morvayn" so they're an interpretation of Sotha Sil's works by one of his followers, they're not written by Sotha Sil himself.

True, which makes it even more interesting since the teachings are being understood by mere mortals as well!

MLGProPlayer

How could a monotheistic faith exist in Nirn? The gods aren't a myth. They're a verifiable truth.