We Were Wrong About Molag Bal... - Elder Scrolls Lore

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  • Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
  • Is Molag Bal evil? Is he the worst Daedric Prince? Or were we completely wrong about him? ESO and Skyrim lore
    Patreon: / drewmora
    Twitter: / drewberrymunch
    Discord: / discord
    Twitch: / drewmora
    Timestamps:
    0:00 - Intro
    1:45 - Molag Bal vs Mehrunes Dagon
    4:48 - Is He Evil?
    5:31 - The Dreughs
    6:48 - The First Vampire
    12:28 - Soul Gems
    13:54 - The Sload & The Coral Tower
    20:59 - The Planemeld
    23:32 - Coldharbour is Lyg?
    27:08 - The Truth About Molag Bal
  • Ігри

КОМЕНТАРІ • 401

  • @tomsimpkins1211
    @tomsimpkins1211 Рік тому +763

    "With these ingredients, Molag Bal had reached mustache twirling levels of dastardliness."-Drewmora 2023

  • @badluck5647
    @badluck5647 Рік тому +545

    I prefer the Prince's name from the last Kalpa:
    Lygma Bals

    • @mmyr8ado.360
      @mmyr8ado.360 Рік тому +37

      Lyg-ma Bal

    • @ArcaneTuber
      @ArcaneTuber Рік тому +22

      @@mmyr8ado.360 That name seems like "Lamae Bal" (the first vampire, in the Elder Scrolls lore)

    • @kittensareawesome2789
      @kittensareawesome2789 Рік тому +5

      @@ArcaneTuber Entirely possible he IS that same first vampire, history tends to muddle things.

    • @ChiefderWahrheit
      @ChiefderWahrheit Рік тому +12

      I am more of a Molag Ballin' man myself

    • @brunofeitosafl
      @brunofeitosafl Рік тому +4

      OMG there must be a mod for that

  • @Aaron-xo7px
    @Aaron-xo7px Рік тому +183

    I like drew being a character in these videos, just a wondering traveler. Needs to be an encounter mod for Skyrim. Some guy in the library at winterhold or something

    • @connivingkhajiit
      @connivingkhajiit Рік тому +10

      That would be amazing especially if he voiced it

    • @Illitha
      @Illitha 11 місяців тому +5

      I really need to learn how to male npcs. Having a custom dremora chilling in winterhold that tells of his travels through the oblivion realms seems hard tho

    • @peanutbutter6720
      @peanutbutter6720 11 місяців тому +5

      Ooh. Something like the storyteller mod for fallout 4. That’d be cool

  • @Liberater4589
    @Liberater4589 Рік тому +487

    I would disagree with your main conclusion, I think Bal does care about mortals, a lot, he just doesn’t “care” in the way a mother cares, he is deeply invested in the suffering and subjugation of mortals (all beings to be fair but mortals seemingly in particular), if he didn’t care then why would have things like torture Quotas or like in the oblivion quest the corruption of upstanding people if he didn’t care about mortals or think of them as more than objects, I think he refers to them as objects and uses dehumanizing language deliberately as a means to belittle and degrade mortals not as a true reflection of his thoughts on mortals

    • @DrewmoraYT
      @DrewmoraYT  Рік тому +159

      This was the major dilemma for me that sparked the video. In a way I like the bully aspect. But if you humour the possibility that Coldharbour is Bal's attempt to hold on to his crowning glory, Lyg, rather than a deep longing to be part of Creation, and that mortals aren't valuable beyond being dispensable worker ants to this arrogant god, then my conclusion gives us some potential for discussing Bal's motivation, rather than him just being written off as a jealous cliche bully. But you could be right! And that's the fun

    • @SobeCrunkMonster
      @SobeCrunkMonster Рік тому +8

      i think you’re being the “semantics police” on this one, and you spelled “Liberator” in your screen name wrong lol

    • @mike-0451
      @mike-0451 Рік тому +25

      @@DrewmoraYTAll beings desire to become with the original source of their being. For molag Baal, he understands that source to be a fecund chaos mediated by power (or pure “vantage”, overcoming, triumph, “domination”), which means that he must of course worship rape and murder and corruption, rather than restoration and beauty, which according all metaphysical thought (pagan thought, of course, too) is an impossibility. One absorbed in this narrative of power, violence, and exile (remember he desires to be “part” of that original source, which is already power) one can see beauty, of course, but one can never see beauty AS the source, as the origin of all being.
      You’re absolutely right about the “autochthonic” pathos that pervades the thinking of the gods, but if gods are simply powerful beings, or even if they are “forces”, they are still beings, and in some strange cosmological sense also desire to be enfolded back into the source of their being, which is either absolute identity (the One, Brahman) or absolutely contradiction (Chaos)-both are the truths of each other and are convertible. Both are always absolutely other than the set of all beings, the “not” of all things. In either case, contradiction and the reverberation of identity, or identity and the reverberation of contradiction ring in the most pristine key in both, with the ultimate truth of both being the simple fact of contradiction: the only truth is that there is no truth, the “ground” of beings and stable representation is ultimately a rabid sea of alterity, coincidences of identity in singularities of accidental order, but always accidental, and always the excretions of a writhing, chaotic spring.
      For molag bal, the answer to nihilism is will to power. That means rape worship, since rape is, after all, a valid expression of the will to power, of desire and nisus. There is no good and evil, only force, only power. Azura is actually more similar to Bal than nah other daedra, since both have recognized the innner truth of being: back and forth, in and out, order and chaos. Where Bal takes on a distinctly Nietzschean key in his cosmological wailing, Azura is more of a pagan, or perhaps a more naive Deleuzean who has lapsed into myth once again (only it is a myth of pseudo-innocence, which has forgotten that even her “dusk and dawn” is also a violent gesture, where one erases the other to have their existence. The sun kills the moon for day, the moon kills the sun for night: they are erased).
      The elder scrolls universe cannot conceive of true transcendence for precisely this reason. More on this if you wish, but suffice it to say that the elder scrolls is a truly pagan cosmos, truly total, circular, Ouroborosian. It is entirely tragic.

    • @badluck5647
      @badluck5647 Рік тому +17

      While Molag Bal doesn't treat his subordinate daedra well, his level of sadism towards morals is on a whole other level. His singular focus on possessing and corrupting morals suggests he either see great value in morals or he has special hatred for them. Hate and love are more closely linked than disinterest.

    • @badluck5647
      @badluck5647 Рік тому +6

      ​​​​@@DrewmoraYT I was hoping the writers would give a reason for his jealousy and cruelty towards morals beyond simple sadism. Based on his brief relationship with Vivec and past relationship with a wife, there is something more human about his motivations than initially suggested.
      Maybe Molag Bal' jealousy is similar to Hircine's jealousy of Y'ffre.

  • @Liberater4589
    @Liberater4589 Рік тому +175

    The sload, dreughs, the constant use of blue, cold-harbor, molag bal has a lot connections to the sea, even his constant theme of cold and darkness could be interpreted as the deep sea, considering there is no ocean centric deity in any of the pantheons I wonder if there’s any connection between that and molag’s close relation to the sea

    • @oghaze9318
      @oghaze9318 Рік тому +15

      Another interesting thing about the color theme is that his name is Stonefire (think of brimstone as an imagery of the Christian depiction of Hell). I think blue is used to depict his realm because it's a theme associated with blue fire, but it can also be a theme associated with cold weather because maybe because Coldharbour was made to subdue his fire (perhaps by Kyne, Meridia and other Magna Ge ?). By constantly being subdued by Ice he retains the will to always dominate with his Fire (ironically)

    • @richardhaegeler6858
      @richardhaegeler6858 Рік тому +1

      @@oghaze9318 or under sea volcanos. like red mountain where the heard of the world resides. maybe molag bal was last kalpa's lorkhan

    • @shycracker
      @shycracker Рік тому +3

      @@richardhaegeler6858 Lorkhan literally played a part in Molag Bal downfall on Lyg

    • @leonardomarquesbellini
      @leonardomarquesbellini Рік тому +5

      There's no singular ocean deity in main pantheons because the ocean is the essence of oblivion and a keeper of memory, in particular. Closest representative would be old Herma Mora.

    • @EricIsntSmart
      @EricIsntSmart 6 місяців тому +1

      I think there's no oceanic diety because in the mythology of the elder scrolls the ocean doesn't really seem to be treated as a place, oddly enough
      The sea is where ships go to die, it's what swallows continents and captains

  • @popguy2815
    @popguy2815 Рік тому +75

    There's a major contradiction here. If Bal sees everyone as sheep or insects or whatever then what does he get from dominating them? One might herd/breed/hunt them as needed but no one "dominates" them. And remember what Serana says about becoming a vamp. That clearly showed seeing individuals that have worth.

    • @turdfurg765
      @turdfurg765 Рік тому +15

      He does it to spite the Gods by dominating their chess board

    • @mmyr8ado.360
      @mmyr8ado.360 Рік тому +15

      It's kinda like Nirn is being interacted differently depending who's playing. The mortal races might play it straight like an MMO, the Aedra might go for admin and civ sim and the Daedra might do their own thing and somehow it works out for all in the Aurbis. Molag Bal might be the one that shows off to prove his dominance by approaching his interactions with Nirn differently like being in an empire building sim in Lyg, civ sim through vampirism, dating sim because of that one time, and gacha for the main ES titles.

    • @OrgusDin
      @OrgusDin Рік тому +20

      @@mmyr8ado.360 I would caution you against underestimating the intensity of the lovemaking by brushing off Vivec as "that one time." I'm pretty sure being outside of time because you're a god makes it only being one time irrelevant anyway. Vivec probably rocked his world with they/them godhood.

    • @badluck5647
      @badluck5647 Рік тому +14

      While Molag Bal doesn't treat his subordinate daedra well, his level of sadism towards morals is on a whole other level. His singular focus on possessing and corrupting morals suggests he either see great value in morals or he has special hatred for them. Hate and love are more closely linked than disinterest.
      I think there is an untold orgin story out there to explain his hatred towards morals. Maybe it has something to do with his unknown wife that mentioned was in Khajiit myth.

    • @mmyr8ado.360
      @mmyr8ado.360 Рік тому +3

      @@OrgusDin I understand, but I have said such to humor those who know about the event and its aftermath and invite interest to those who wonder.
      I also advise to tread carefully when discussing the different aspects of Vehk. The male aspect is ever-present most of his days, and the female aspect is beyond the present Kalpa. For they I will call them for they wear the secret word CHIM.

  • @chemputer
    @chemputer Рік тому +36

    I *really, really* want a Sload video, more than I care to admit. They seem fascinating but underutilized by Bethesda.

    • @editorrbr2107
      @editorrbr2107 Рік тому +4

      Strongly agree. It’s hard to take wholly Thalmor seriously as ultimate villains in a world where the Sload existed.

    • @rejvaik00
      @rejvaik00 Рік тому +3

      @@editorrbr2107 I think it's because the sload are on the virge of extinction

  • @crandleberrysadie
    @crandleberrysadie Рік тому +79

    A Drewmora video to start 2023. Awesome. Happy New Year, Drew! 🎉🎊

  • @muslimcrusader5987
    @muslimcrusader5987 Рік тому +12

    An excellent video as always. My theory is that Molag Bal was originally a mortal himself, born from the Dreughs, and fought his way up to become the strongest amongst them. Then at one point he discovered CHIM, which gave him the power to rival the Et’Ada themselves. That would explain how Molag Bal was able to teach Vivec CHIM. I would imagine, in this theory, that Bal wasn’t the best user of CHIM, and perhaps struggles to tap into that power, which would explain why he couldn’t use it in conquering Mundus.

  • @ScythosMusic
    @ScythosMusic Рік тому +40

    Starting 23 with Molag Bal, can’t wait for the Plane Meld

  • @badluck5647
    @badluck5647 Рік тому +118

    People often misunderstand Molag Bal as the embodiment of corruption and domination when Bal's motives are actually much more individualistic.
    For example, Bal wouldn't be a supporter of Dunmer slavery, because he isn't the top of the hierarchy. He doesn't support slavery for the sake of slavery. Bal wants to be the one that dominates, and the Dunmer and their slaves aren't taking orders from the Daedric Prince.
    Molog Bal doesn't have an impulsive need to corrupt. He chooses to corrupt things due to a jealousy of the creations of others. Just look at how Coldharbor lacks originality as Bal's realm is mostly mocking imitations or things directly stolen from Nirn itself.

    • @mike-0451
      @mike-0451 Рік тому +21

      Jealousy is just one form of corruption. It’s the corruption of desire. The irony is that Molag Bal is thoroughly fucked up to the point that he recurs on himself. Bal doesn’t need to “support” slavery; he is already slavery. Bal is both a corrupter and corruption. Corruption is not possible without a corrupter, and vice versa. Bal is not the demiurge of corruption either; they co-exist necessarily.

    • @sionbell981
      @sionbell981 Рік тому +14

      I don’t think the lack of originality is a Molag Bal thing. In ESO (I think it’s a crow in crow’s wood that says this but I may be wrong) they player finds out that the Daedra in general are really bad at creating but really good at mimicking. Basically the reason why Molag Bal mimics lyg is simply because all Daedra are mimicking something.

    • @humanitysfinest9795
      @humanitysfinest9795 Рік тому +5

      Its basically the middle finger to Lorkhan

    • @stolengrilfriendclub8724
      @stolengrilfriendclub8724 10 місяців тому

      Do you think Molag bal the lord of domination would so easily reward you?

    • @neoqwerty
      @neoqwerty 9 місяців тому

      @@sionbell981 It's not just ESO lore, that's from some lore book (there's many of them and I don't have them all memorized by subject yet). IIRC it was in Morrowind and discussing how Daedric armor and weapons are made.
      paraphrasing the lore: Daedric creations are always imitations of the best on Nirn, but they always look that slightest bit "off" from what a well-balanced weapon would be, for example, and are corrupted imitations of perfection; close enough for the untrained eye, but inferior and poorer than what a perfect mortal creation could be.
      Pretty sure that book is also in Oblivion and Skyrim, so if you hoard books check for one that talks about forging, I know it also tackled ebony and glass.

  • @gabenvandenbrink9114
    @gabenvandenbrink9114 Рік тому +14

    Hi Drew, if there is a tower in Coldharbour. Would that mean that the Thalmor would need to deactivate that one as well?
    Also, could it be that Talos IS Lorkhan now? Or more of an aedra that takes his place in the divine pantheon. You could argue that all shezarrine we meet are now actually Talos's mortal incantations.
    Also, i love your theory of Coldharbour having aspects of Lyg rather then Tamriel. It is so fitting and like you said, explains the 'old war look' really well.

    • @neoqwerty
      @neoqwerty 9 місяців тому

      Talos is Shor/Shezarr: the empty, cored-out part of Lorkhan.
      Lorkhan's divine fire lays in his Heart (there is a reason the song Red Diamond says that the Heart laughed in Auriel's face when it was torn from Lorkhan's chest-- in doing so, Auriel created Shor, greatest enemy of Mer), as we all know from the god-like powers the Heart can give, and from the reason Numidium and Akulakhan, both artificial gods, needed the heart of a god, or something close enough to confuse for one
      (11, the inelegant number; without a witness could you tell Lorkhan's soul apart from Lorkhan's husk? but only one of them is the king, and the other is his shadow.)

  • @brandonbest8489
    @brandonbest8489 Рік тому +15

    I'm loving these drewmora videos. Especially the deadra and entity focused ones. I've watched.. probably thousands ( I'm not kidding) of elder scrolls videos. I like this format.. I like the narration and video style.. and here's the cherry on top.. in almost every video I learn something I never knew.. at this point.. that's far and few.. but to bring up such details on a normal and consistent basis.. well done.

  • @azadisoleil6319
    @azadisoleil6319 Рік тому +9

    You left me with more questions than answers(just like you always did) that makes you a good Elder Scrolls commentator. I’ve come to understand that if one speaks of the content, and the words flow smoothly without raising any questions nor concern, they did not do their homework well. The wisdom of the Elder Scrolls requires one’s mind to collapse to truly understand.

  • @Phoenix-ej2sh
    @Phoenix-ej2sh Рік тому +4

    "Molag Bal is not evil." - uh. Ok, I'm picking up what you're putting down with the ant analogy... I guess .... but damn. If Molag Bal isn't evil, then the word is meaningless as it applies to the ES universe.

  • @Sally4th_
    @Sally4th_ Рік тому +4

    So basically MB is that kid who likes pulling wings off butterflies. I'd call "evil" on that.

  • @Didymus20X6
    @Didymus20X6 Рік тому +2

    4:14 - "YOU CAN'T TAKE THE SKY FROM ME."

  • @editorrbr2107
    @editorrbr2107 Рік тому +8

    I would listen to Drew reading insurance policies.

  • @cardemis7637
    @cardemis7637 11 місяців тому +3

    I like the odea of colharbor reflecting Molag Bal's history with Lygg, but I also feel like it simultaneously reflects his desire for tamriel. If it is a reflection of Bal's psyche, then it may reflect more than one aspect.

  • @gavin_almeida
    @gavin_almeida Рік тому +36

    Anyone else actually love how ESO portrayed coldharbour?

    • @MLPDethDealr32
      @MLPDethDealr32 8 місяців тому +1

      No. I prefer how its shown in the mod Vigilant. ESO pisses me off Storywise/Lore wise.

    • @HiAgainTheNameIsStillAyle
      @HiAgainTheNameIsStillAyle Місяць тому +1

      ​@@MLPDethDealr32Counterpoint: There is a dialogue that implocates that one of the arch mages of the Mages Guild was fucked by Shegorath

  • @Lyndonmaman
    @Lyndonmaman Рік тому +2

    12:26 "Using fear as his mind killer."
    You sneaky nerd, you.

  • @whooll
    @whooll Рік тому +9

    This was awesome. It's been a while since I completed the main quest in ESO but some of the clips you got from it are incredible and makes me feel like I'm seeing some of it for the first time somehow lol

  • @LICENFIREFEAR
    @LICENFIREFEAR Рік тому +17

    He may be evil , but he is one magnificent deadric lord, thank you for the legendary videos master drew

  • @jcol1708
    @jcol1708 Рік тому +4

    16:57 “erasing half the mortal population of Tamriel far exceeds the necessity’s of natural order”
    Thanos dislikes this video.

  • @jokroast6912
    @jokroast6912 Рік тому +10

    Was the Coral Tower in Thras one of the ones that was holding up the sky, holding up the Mundas? It would make sense that every sapient race be destined to have one (live near one) or build one at some point during each Kalpa experiment. I know that this holds true for the bird folks that inhabited the heartlands, maintained the White-Gold Tower at a different time from when Mer did, no? Maybe people cannot find Atmora because there is no longer a tower to hold it into existence, nor a sapient race wherein.

    • @leonardomarquesbellini
      @leonardomarquesbellini Рік тому

      The (unofficial) source that lists the towers and their role have then all accounted for, but bare in mind actual official sources have the towers be a lot more flexible and being able to be created and re-created.

  • @whyjnot420
    @whyjnot420 Рік тому +5

    Why the hell do I keep watching videos like this when I haven't played Skyrim in 5 years?

  • @codyskater6073
    @codyskater6073 Рік тому +7

    Would love to see a video that talks about how liches fit in elder scroll lore

  • @skipmage
    @skipmage Рік тому +4

    So, you are telling me; that if a Player were to stride into Molag Bal's palace, lay him low, defile his body and bind the pieces into tools for their own use: Molag Bal would not be angry, for this is merely the nature of a dog- to bite it's owner?
    I think he'd be mightily pissed, he's already angered that some mortals simply refuse his games. Molag Bal as depicted within the world of Nirn is a petulant man child.

  • @critical3rrrornotfound
    @critical3rrrornotfound Рік тому +2

    Best way to start the new year! Great work

  • @D.Aniel89
    @D.Aniel89 Рік тому +4

    Awesome video by the way!

  • @boldbearings
    @boldbearings Рік тому +3

    Another fine write-up. 💎

  • @Saniraf808
    @Saniraf808 Рік тому +1

    Wonderful way to start off the new year.

  • @WatsonThePug69
    @WatsonThePug69 Рік тому +1

    Excellent content very well made. Thank you!

  • @TheToma305
    @TheToma305 Рік тому

    Frucked me up with the Lyg drop. Have a Happy New Year Drew n Co!

  • @gerbenvanegmond4007
    @gerbenvanegmond4007 Рік тому +3

    I loved listening to all this you're a great video maker Drewmora

  • @benjaminrabuzin9957
    @benjaminrabuzin9957 Рік тому +5

    I wonder is his internal logic is challenged upon the creation of vampires. Seemingly giving humans not just the affliction of feeding on their own kind but the choice to do so. As a vampire if you don’t feed in Skyrim I’m not 100% sure lore wise If you would die, you just become weaker to the sun. It seems in his attempt to show humans how weak they are , all he honestly did is show how strong some of us can be. Physically or mentally.

    • @badluck5647
      @badluck5647 Рік тому

      Molog Bal seems to lack imagination as most of his creations seem to be either twisted imitations or corruptions of the orginal. Maybe vampirism is an imitation of lycanthropy with the sole intent of mocking Arkay or Meridia.

    • @benjaminrabuzin9957
      @benjaminrabuzin9957 Рік тому +4

      @@badluck5647 I actually really like that conceptualization, seemingly so arrogant and non creative that he has to resort to plagiarism

    • @daedric1387
      @daedric1387 Рік тому

      He forces mortals to rise to the challenges he sets, to those who succeed he grows a modicum of respect. He reviles weakness. Even in defeat he is often more prone to praise his foe to possess such skill or strength.

  • @jem_aquariusmoon
    @jem_aquariusmoon Рік тому +3

    I don’t know what it is but I am truly fascinated by Molag Bal and vampires in general lol Thank you so much for this excellent video on him, you’re such an awesome storyteller!

  • @hawkeyenextgen7117
    @hawkeyenextgen7117 9 місяців тому +1

    The only reason I chose to do Molag Bal’s quest in Skyrim was because I had beef with Boethiah. She sent a cultist to kill me after completing my quest in Goldenglow. So I figured what better way to lay waste to her cult than to smite them with her rival’s weapon?

  • @user-hn1xf3wp1b
    @user-hn1xf3wp1b 5 місяців тому +1

    Amazing video yet again i am a vampire in almost all my games of tamerial i had to understand molag bal and you made that possible thank you again 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

  • @pythonhighadder7982
    @pythonhighadder7982 Рік тому +1

    Great video Drew, well said.

  • @SaintBananaFATE
    @SaintBananaFATE Рік тому +2

    This video is absolutely fantastic! I love researching elder scrolls and how you play yourself as a researcher in tamriel! Ekkk it just makes my nerdy side soooo happy!
    Can you do an episode on hermeas mora? He my favorite daedra!

  • @anthonybullard4441
    @anthonybullard4441 Рік тому +3

    I always kind of assumed his motivation was revenge. He seems to be lashing out at everyone responsible for the destruction of "his" world and doing everything he can to wreck the world that replaced it because he resents its existence.

  • @markjacobs3232
    @markjacobs3232 Рік тому +3

    Molag Bal is the daedric prince of courage, willpower, and triumph.
    He talks down to those fearful or obedient to him, but respectful(as seen in elder scrolls online) to those who stand up to him.
    He punishes those without the will to hold to their vows in Oblivion. They are only punished because they broke their vows.
    And triumph, shown in domination and r word.
    He is the harshest of the daedric princes, as seen with the torture quota to those who fail to meet his demands, but he is not just ES Satan.
    It actually makes sense that he punishes so many of his followers. Many are orca who claim to be strong, tough, and to stand up to anyone, but they will kneel, grovel, and such as almost any other mortal when faced with a daedric princes wrath. He HATES them for this as it is exactly the opposite of the followers he wants.

    • @markjacobs3232
      @markjacobs3232 Рік тому +3

      Orc, not orca, weird spelling change, though now the idea of orcas worshipping him I can’t get out of my head…

    • @sevenheavens-gj9qq
      @sevenheavens-gj9qq 10 місяців тому +3

      Indeed. As seen in ESO, after his defeat in Coldharbour, he even goes as far as manifesting in Meridia’s realm to congratulate the Vestige. He’s got plenty of oddly appreciative, obsessive quotes regarding the Vestige in his dolmens.
      “Ah, it’s my unwitting tool. Return to my realm and serve me.”
      "You've proven your strength. Again."
      "Bend your knee to me, I'll give you a minion for each enemy you've slain. You will have an army."
      "My plan comes to fruition, mortal. You serve me now as a vessel of destruction."
      "Your soul is mine. I own you! Come. Let us play."
      "Your strength is mine. Come. Serve me."
      "Your strength will be rewarded. One day."
      "I forged you in the soulfire of Coldharbour to be my tool. Prove your worth."
      "I don't want revenge. I want your submission."
      Even getting personal like a stalker, referring to some of the Vestige’s companions.
      “Are you still working for the dim one?”
      "You and Sai Sahan have much in common … except you're not a complete failure."
      "The Battlemage has the amulet, but you have true power. Fight for me."
      "Mannimarco was a pawn. You are another. Come. Let's play."
      And such.

    • @markjacobs3232
      @markjacobs3232 10 місяців тому +1

      @@sevenheavens-gj9qq Exactly, it's what makes the daedric princes so interesting in ES universe. They have both good and bad blended together. They are not pure good, nor pure evil, they are their own beings with their own wills and desires, and the same can be said for the divines as well. Akatosh is time, but also the end of time, Dibella isn't just love and hanky panky, but also art, and beauty, Zenithar can be the willy merchant, or the honest benefactor. Sheogorath, is he the mad god of insanity, or is Jyggalag? Heck on the note of Sheogorath, we all claim to love him and "he's just a silly guy", but he is horrifying on how his whims can torture and kill so many for his own amusement that seemingly had no purpose or motive.

  • @BlackHoleForge
    @BlackHoleForge Рік тому +3

    Glad to see you going strong with your new channel. Here is a subscription. May Shadows hide you.

  • @albertusvanlubeeck9161
    @albertusvanlubeeck9161 Рік тому +23

    Solid work! I've never taken to the idea of any of them being "just evil." I think that idea comes from a narcissistic place of mortals placing themselves on par with deities. The only evil aspect would come from the mortals (not vampires) that partake in his plans. As mortals, they know the suffering and pain they will cause. An eternal being on the other hand will outlast not only your species but the universe as a whole. You are nothing other than fleeting ideas from their perspective.

    • @badluck5647
      @badluck5647 Рік тому +5

      If Molag Bal sees morals as so insignificant, then why is there such an obsession with dominating them?

    • @albertusvanlubeeck9161
      @albertusvanlubeeck9161 Рік тому +3

      @Bad Luck it's not domination of them that is so important as it is spiting other deities. The whole vampirism is a perfect example. How does making vampires help him outside of spitting in Akays face?

    • @death299
      @death299 Рік тому +2

      @@badluck5647 boredom, spite and just what he quite literally is is the domination of others.
      if you view crops and animals we harvest as insignificant compared to you, why do you seek to control what they do and how they grow?
      if you view ants as insignificant bugs, why are they killed when they're in your home?
      domination has nothing to do with the view of others as insignificant or important, merely that it exists and you are above it.

    • @badluck5647
      @badluck5647 Рік тому +1

      @@death299Your metaphors don't make sense.
      I like to eat beef, but I don't hunt down cows to mutilate them. I don't want ants in my house, so I don't capture them in order to torture them in my home.
      Clearly, Bal's active pursuit of mortals over animals or daedra shows he sees significance in mortals.

    • @death299
      @death299 Рік тому

      @@badluck5647 and how precisely do you get that beef? you don't "hunt" them, you keep them in cages subjugated to your will until they die prematurely for your consumption/use
      do you leave ants and other pests to wander around your home and property freely?, or do you engage in pest control and kill them when they trespass?
      but pray tell, do you think hunters and slave owners view(d) those they hunt and enslave as their equals?
      tf are you talking about? bal is constantly torturing and trying to conquer other deadra and princes
      you not understanding the metaphor doesn't make it bad, it just means you missed the point entirely, esp given how you act like you don't hunt and mutilate animals lol

  • @Im-Not-a-Dog
    @Im-Not-a-Dog Рік тому +3

    I can not wait for the next of our 36 lessons.

  • @malkeus6487
    @malkeus6487 Рік тому +4

    Seems pretty sad to have all that power and be compelled to torment and dominate something you don't even acknowledge as a thinking being. That's like... Keeping a dog around so you can hit it with a stick and laugh.

  • @lemonj3537
    @lemonj3537 Рік тому +2

    In the previous Kalpa, Molag Bal was just as greedy and tried to hold onto fragments of Lyg as it was coming to an end. This caused Alduin to punish him by trapping him “in between places”, permanently altering his form.
    Edit - Source: “The Eating-Birth of Dagon” by Michael Kirkbride.

  • @-cody_
    @-cody_ Рік тому

    i'm super excited for a sload video

  • @corneliuscarver8547
    @corneliuscarver8547 Рік тому +6

    I also like to imagine the name of his realm Cold Harbour as being a bittersweet title carved in the memory of his old life. Like when you experience a loss, especially the one that is deeply personal ....you are invaded by this coldness and your whole world feels barren. The harbour iin the title carries on a much more metaphysical meaning, because in a way, being within Oblivion... He is on the precipice of his home realm...but he can never go there again since its unmaking and He certainly cannot make it again. So he carries that title as a reminder to all the souls of THIS plane that he harvests from. Always standing on that "Cold Harbour", embittered and nostalgically depressed.

  • @ShineyFace1337
    @ShineyFace1337 Рік тому +5

    First video of the year and it's a big one, this was an interesting video on old Molag, great job Drew

  • @afonsodealbuquerque1879
    @afonsodealbuquerque1879 Рік тому +1

    I think Molag might desire to impose suffering on mortals because of the fall of his race as a Dreugh, and as a symbol of the ocean and a crustacean he represents the merciless cruelty of nature. Just imagine sailors being killed by a storm at sea, bodies lost not receiving proper funerals, eaten by crabs, souls forsaken in limbo forever.

  • @chadwolf3840
    @chadwolf3840 Рік тому +1

    Great stuff.

  • @PsychicAlchemy
    @PsychicAlchemy Рік тому +1

    Lyg as the foundation for Coldharbour is an absolutely fascinating idea.

  • @MyUsualComment
    @MyUsualComment Рік тому +16

    He's just misunderstood, guys. He's really nice once you get to know him.

    • @DarkAdonisVyers
      @DarkAdonisVyers Рік тому +2

      Domination is just a nastier word for domestication. See horse and dog, and spare me illusions about them being "your best friend". Last time that I checked, one cannot make the call to put down their "best friend" out of convenience... Oh, wait. Boethia and Mephala advocate just that. Never mind.

    • @torthos1
      @torthos1 Рік тому +10

      "I can fix him"

    • @lamontcranston1716
      @lamontcranston1716 Рік тому +4

      @@DarkAdonisVyers you put down a dog out of kindness most times.
      Like you would put down your best friend. Who was suffering or if they asked you to.
      Domination in the way molag baal does it and how we domesticate animals isn’t comparable.
      Domestication has a distinct practical purpose, and we are meant to bond with the horse or the dog, it is a symbiotic relationship. We feed and protect the dog, the dog protects us and our house. The horse Carries us and our belongings, we give it a place to live, safe from predators, food and we look after it.
      Molag Baal dominates things out of no practical need, only to perpetuate more suffering, and because he can, as a display of his power. It’s self indulgent, and serves no purpose beyond this.
      He doesn’t bond with his charges,
      He doesn’t look after them
      He feels no obligation or responsibility towards them
      There is no quid pro quo between him and them

    • @DarkAdonisVyers
      @DarkAdonisVyers Рік тому +1

      @@lamontcranston1716 No, in a lot of places, assisted suicide is illegal. As for the rest... Yes, I've heard all of that said as a justification for slavery. Also, whether intentional or not, there are many benefits to being a vampire.

    • @lamontcranston1716
      @lamontcranston1716 Рік тому +3

      @@DarkAdonisVyers illegality or legality has no bearing on your argument. If your horse breaks it’s leg, you put it down because usually horses cannot stay off of their legs long enough to let it heal. So they’re constantly in pain.
      If your dog is sick and pain you put it down because it’s kinder.
      If your friend decides they don’t want live because of the pain, you honour their wish.
      Medical assistance in dying is a thing. People can have a Do Not Resuscitate order at the hospital.
      Slavery and domestication of animals are different things. Just because you heard a dumb justification for it, doesn’t make the distinct difference between domestication of animals and what Molag Baal does any less apparent.
      There are no benefits to being a vampire in elder scrolls beyond surface level.
      It’s meant to be a corruption of the soul. You take something good, twist it inside out, and turn it to a monster. Molag Baal raped and tortured that woman to create the first vampire hence *“The King of Rape”* he invented rape as a way to corrupt the beginning of life and vampirism became a corruption of death.
      Also if you wanna be a pure blood vampire
      You gotta get *raped to death* by Molag Baal in his ritual sooooo yeah.
      I think you tried a edgy argument without fully understanding what you’re saying here.

  • @FumblesWumbles
    @FumblesWumbles Рік тому +4

    Just discovered your personal Channel Drew. Easy smash on the Subscribe button. Hope things are all well with FudgeMuppet though. Don't wanna see you fellas ever fully split in your work, even if you go in your own directions. Looking forward to future projects of each of y'all.

  • @syrenet
    @syrenet Рік тому

    i'dd still run around with his mace on and dragon bone armor listening the mixed messages the npcs are yelling at me both in awe and abhor.

  • @luckyjedi429
    @luckyjedi429 Рік тому +1

    What a fascinating perspective.

  • @MediumRareBacon
    @MediumRareBacon Рік тому +2

    i skipped all the dialogue since the start of the game so i thought we were still fighting molag bal

  • @pjoterem141
    @pjoterem141 Рік тому

    absolute banger video

  • @rejvaik00
    @rejvaik00 Рік тому +3

    I don't think Molag bal had anything to do with soul trapping or knowledge of black soul gems I'd say it would be the ideal Masters instead

  • @OfficialChrissums
    @OfficialChrissums Рік тому +3

    i think bal is infact insecure about mortals. He fears that they have more free will than him, as he has nothing outside of his sphere. All he is, and all he is defined by, is his domination of others. Without free will there is nothing to truly dominate, and so, like it or not, we must remain somewhat free or he cannot dominate us. Jygyllag is the one who truly can and wants to remove free will. Jygyllag doesnt even want or have free will himself. For him there is only perfect order and that includes putting himself into that order. Bal doesnt want to control humanity, he wants to DOMINATE it. Jygyllag can take away your free will, bal can only torture the defiance out of you. I think Bal's insecurity comes from the fact that his own sphere is contradictory. He wants to dominate mortals and sees them as not posessing will, but if he truly could remove their will, or if they had none to start with, then there would be no psyche for him to derive pleasure from dominating. I think on some level he knows this, and the fact that Dagon was able to show him clearly that no matter how thoroughly he dominated the wills of mortals that will could be reawakened at any time bruised him to his core. He is perhaps the only prince whose sphere suffers from this self-contradictory flaw and I imagine that would make him feel very weak indeed.

  • @nomadrootstv2408
    @nomadrootstv2408 Рік тому

    Very very cool. I wish I had a pc that could run ESO proper and be able to experience all the expansions when they were coming out. I feel so left out haha love the video Drewie

  • @ForestKitty1000
    @ForestKitty1000 Рік тому +4

    Happy new year, love enjoying lore videos

  • @TheGoatedPlum
    @TheGoatedPlum Рік тому +1

    It makes me sad you don’t have more videos 😢

  • @ozgho09
    @ozgho09 Рік тому +7

    So Bal sees the Mundus as many of us do. A game and/or toy, its inhabitants automata to fill out this fantasy world, a fantasy world designed for one thing, to act as a power fantasy.

    • @HiAgainTheNameIsStillAyle
      @HiAgainTheNameIsStillAyle Місяць тому

      Molag Bal is pretty much an in universe incarnation of murder hobo players with a concerning amount of sex mods in their modlist

  • @SirAshford
    @SirAshford Рік тому +3

    Happy new year Drewmora! Looking forward to plenty of lore discussions in 2023.

  • @Ashock88
    @Ashock88 Рік тому

    I’m a bit late to this one, amazing video as always!!

  • @charlieboone1298
    @charlieboone1298 Рік тому +4

    Stellar stuff as always, dude. Happy New Year.

  • @commando5872
    @commando5872 Рік тому +1

    This episode was sponsored by: Mystery man Molong Bald, who is definitely not Molag Bal

  • @DarkrarLetsPlay
    @DarkrarLetsPlay Рік тому +2

    I liked those alliterations :)

  • @basiliimakedonas1109
    @basiliimakedonas1109 9 місяців тому

    Dagon is the one who gave free will to the mortals making him in part an Aedra

  • @sentarious1
    @sentarious1 Рік тому +4

    Love your vids Drew! Hope your holidays went well :D

  • @Dunwichruler
    @Dunwichruler Рік тому

    i want a remix of this video with only when he breaths in

  • @paulsaguto9563
    @paulsaguto9563 Рік тому

    12:26 ayyy sick reference bro

  • @Stuffman1861
    @Stuffman1861 Рік тому +6

    It would honestly surprise if Drew doesn't achieve Chim at some point soon, if he hasn't already.

  • @Eddn102
    @Eddn102 Рік тому +1

    Lyg mah Molag Bals.
    (Nice video, really liked it.)

  • @everyday4play401
    @everyday4play401 Рік тому

    I just found this video, and just found out you left fudge muppet. I always loved your videos on the daedra, and it was all I would watch on that channel. I don’t know why you left over there yet but I’m happy I found you here and sorry it took this long. I never watch their podcasts and rarely watch anything that wasn’t your content (not sure why the others voices annoy me, especially Scott, he always sounded overly proud and higher than thou. I couldn’t stand it.) but that’s why I hadn’t noticed you left yet.

  • @Clapperofcheeks5000
    @Clapperofcheeks5000 7 місяців тому

    Crab people ,crab people . Looks like crab walks like people

  • @gerggergungson7885
    @gerggergungson7885 6 місяців тому

    "more land and power" hehe land. love your content, glad i rediscovered

  • @forgottengames6663
    @forgottengames6663 Рік тому +1

    The Vaati Vidya of the Elder Scrolls delivers another masterpiece

  • @borkbork3513
    @borkbork3513 Місяць тому

    He may be petty
    He may be cruel
    But he always be Ballin

  • @bardorpheus3560
    @bardorpheus3560 Рік тому +4

    Like a child looking down on an ant hill - yes! Happy New Year, Drew, thanks for another awesome deep dive into the lore! 29:09

  • @modelnanpresident
    @modelnanpresident Рік тому +2

    Happy new year, loving the vids!!

  • @kilgoreclayton
    @kilgoreclayton Рік тому +1

    He’s awesome for the last 8 years he’s just been steady dropping anchors and giving us free treasure chests

  • @Ali-ey9sz
    @Ali-ey9sz Рік тому +2

    Happy New Year mate, loving the long videos.

  • @Kutamitasa
    @Kutamitasa Рік тому +1

    If he perceives these mortals like a mindless drones, but spends all his time thinking about them, then what is the conclusion?

  • @mitjakocjancic2205
    @mitjakocjancic2205 Рік тому

    24:05 For a second I thought you were rapping Reign of Terror by Sabaton :D

  • @Seeker_420
    @Seeker_420 Рік тому

    So Molag Bal the God of Shames was just a Crabking in his last life...

  • @SterbsMcGurbs
    @SterbsMcGurbs Рік тому +1

    Did you know Lyg was just the first name? The whole name was Lyg MaBals.

  • @MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD
    @MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD Рік тому

    1:15
    Crab King, king of crab kingdom

  • @corneliuscarver8547
    @corneliuscarver8547 Рік тому +3

    I find it so perplexing that a former Warlord/King of a previous Kalpa was able to carve his own sphere of Oblivion, just by his sheer will. It surely enhances the time-less and non-linear nature of Oblivion within the Aurbis, since we had these two additions to the princes in from an adjacent side of Mundus, but we can never say "when".

  • @flashhy1088
    @flashhy1088 Рік тому

    I had to look at the upload date to make sure it wasn't April 1st

  • @rogereisnaugle6012
    @rogereisnaugle6012 Рік тому +1

    I can't honestly say I like any of the daedra, but I definitely like your presentation. You bring out that the elder scrolls are a universe that almost makes sense. The way you describe bal reminds me of the way Gordy Rose described the entities they were summoning at CERN. Man is beneath them so they don't care what happens to them or their suffering.

  • @festro1000
    @festro1000 Рік тому +1

    I'd have to disagree with the sentiment toward the end save for insecure (Molag Bal is in no way insecure). The only similarities I can see with Molag Bal and the kid on the anthill is the position of power and the sheer lack of empathy, that is practically where it ends, Molag bal is a learned divine being so he doesn't have the defense of ignorance, and his treatment of the other gods (Meridia in particular) show that it's not just the difference in power that justifies his antics, he knows what he's doing is immoral he just doesn't care.
    Take the school bully for example, he sees himself superior to the people he torments, but regardless how much bigger, stronger, or martially learned he is it doesn't change the fact he's still a bully.
    Another point are slavers, they generally aren't looked at as good, or neutral individuals so it's not unreasonable to see them as evil or at the very least even morally ambiguous, but unlike the Dunmer, Altmer, or even Dwemer those they enslaved served a productive purpose and were cared for (even if to some minimum degree), even in the case of the Falmer who initially choose to serve the Dwarves, Molag Bal on the other hand subjugates (more often without consent) twists and deranges his victims out of spite (in the case of Arkay, and questionably Meridia), his own pleasure, and for the pure sake of it.
    In the end, He's the textbook definition of a card carrying villain, who can't even be considered morally ambiguous as he would have to have some redeeming quality, or serve a purpose other than as an antagonist in practically every encounter.

  • @Kazuhira2249
    @Kazuhira2249 Рік тому

    if you ever find yourself face to face with molag bal turn the console off before you witness what he will do to your character

  • @AlecEburhard
    @AlecEburhard Рік тому +1

    Great video. I have a question. 🙋‍♂️ What is the the connections or “pact” between Akatosh and Shor you alluded to?

  • @thebigbean8783
    @thebigbean8783 Рік тому

    My lord. May you once again make an attempt to get your unholy hands on all of tamriel. I yearn for the day that you rule all of existence. When all of Nirn and beyond cannot be distinguished from ColdHarbour

  • @hawkeyenextgen7117
    @hawkeyenextgen7117 9 місяців тому

    I would say that the truth is that there are some mortals who are no better than Molag Bal.

  • @yourlocalcyborg
    @yourlocalcyborg Рік тому +1

    BABE, WAKE UP! NEW DREWMORA VIDEO!!!