I think it's kinda sweet that the aedra just overhear some group of mortals talking about that cool after life place they just imagined for themselves and they just go "okay babies we got you" and they literally create each afterlife for all the different people
Whoever actually wrote this entire backstory for the Elder Scrolls deserve medals. This is so impressive. To create an entire religion and write in all the different interpretations is genius.
"...but there's nothing simple about an Elder Scroll. It's a reflection of all possible features and all possible pasts. Each reader sees different reflections through different lenses, and may come away with a very different reading. But at the same time, all of it is true. Even the falsehoods. Especially the falsehoods." -Urag gro-Schub
I Just read an Elder Scroll, and it Read. "Life is But an Illusion, Revealed by the Mirrors known as Eyes, only When you cut them Out do you see the Truth of Reality"
@@fenrisvermundr2516 "Whether God's will created it, or whether He was mute; Perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not; Only He who is its overseer in highest heaven knows, Only He knows, or perhaps He does not know."
I love how I spend hours learning the deep lore of the game only to come to the conclusion: the world is a game and your headcanon is reality. Literally mind-blowing
@@housefullofransackery3505 Yeah man, he came to the realization of "Myth makes/meets reality". His mind-blowing experience lead him to a permanent death 😥 Or who knows, maybe he's achieved Amaranth, and is now his own godhead, recreating his reality from scratch. He hasn't responded because now, he's a godhead, just dreaming.
TIMESTAMPS FOR MOBILE USERS: The Story of Creation: 2:08 The Types of Gods: 9:00 The Different Pantheons Explained: -The Imperial Pantheon: 12:30 -The Nordic Pantheon: 15:06 -The Elven Pantheon: 19:56 -The Yokudan Pantheon: 24:56 -The Khajiiti Pantheon: 28:42 Power of Worship & the Unconscious Aedra: 32:04 Dragonbreaks & Changing the Past: 39:41
I love deep lore like this. It's fascinating to see just how deep the writers have gone into creating this world, and you guys are able to explain it so well!
Here is my theory: In most instances when it comes to Gods, they are described as "sleeping" or "dreaming". Meanwhile if you see the souls of the dead in any afterlife, they seem somewhat disconnected, as if half asleep. A prime example of this in Sovngard, where all the souls who roam there suddenly start speaking in poems, and have let go of their mortal desires and thoughts. Much like how Ulfric was suddenly able to rise above his past motivations the moment he died, seeing the error of his choices. On the other side you have the Daedra, incapable of originality, and always obsessively focusing on just their sphere of Influence. I feel this is the reason why Lorkhan created Mundus, why he wanted the other spirits to invest and live in this world. Those that exist do not necessarily "live". They are all stuck in a dreamlike state, unable of true free will, of true feelings and experience. The Mortal races on the Mundus however are capable of free will, truly experiencing all the good and the bad of life. While no longer as powerful as gods, they have been given the ability to truly "live". Look at Mannimarco, he ascended to godhood, but has not acted ever sinds, this is likely that after ascending, he also got stuck in this dreamlike state, only doing what his sphere is focused around, but nothing else. No further originality, no plans or schemes, not even an attempt to return as a god with mortal avatar's on the Mundus. Instead just like the others, he is stuck serving the purpose his sphere encompass, and he is likely not even aware of it. EDIT: I believe this might be crucial to the process of CHIM & Amarant. The "spirits" might know about such things, but not understand or engage in them, due to being stuck in their "dreamlike thinking" They know but cannot take action towards achieving it. To escape the Godhead, to become one, spirits have to sacrefice all, even that knowledge, while submitting themselves to the wheel of life, death and rebirth in another Kalpa. Over and over again untill they relearn, and this time are capable of understanding "the dream" in order to escape it. By shedding their power and knowledge, they become a vestle for limitless pottential, to one day surpass, and become masters of their own dream. (My brain hurts just from trying to properly write this)
Fits with Vivec describing being very busy in that dream-place when he's asleep. How he feels half awake a d half asleep, ever tenuously connected to the here and now.
I absolutely *love* that the mythology of the elder scrolls universe was written such that we can never be sure what the nature of reality within the elder scrolls actually is. I've always loved how trippy elder scrolls lore gets! This video takes it to the final level and gets to the core of how it's trippy, it's so kind of recursive and pokes at the nature of it being a story, of being written, and of being potentially fully encased within a universe one layer true-er as a story. 🤯
That's one thing I like about The Elder Scrolls: The fact that every different culture in the game has it's own interpretation of reality and their own beliefs, and you can find similarities and variations between them. It's just like the real world. I really hope they don't do an official explanation of the gods ever. It's part of the magic and mistery in TES lore.
@@Anti-HyperLink, but it is more or less how the elder scrolls is like. The lore is intentionally left inconsistent as it contributes to world building and creating the setting of a world where most information does not travel instantly and uniformly.
I disagree. They should give an official explanation saying that a lot of what is in this video is true and then add more to the story of gods being multi-faceted and thus much of many religions are true and FACTS.
I honestly have no idea what number I'm into (A LOT of restarts thanks to mods) but Steam claims I'm 4839 hours in currently (plus 143 more on the Very Special edition). Filthy casual amirite?
A god is like a gem, hanging in the sky. The Nord is standing in Skyrim, looks up and sees a facet with the shape of a dragon and names it Akatosh. The Elf is standing is Aldmer and sees a warrior with a bow firing a heart into the sea, and calls it Auriel. The Redguard is standing on the corpse of a Left-Handed Elf, and sees Tall Papa. This is how the gods in TES work.
@@frost_d_jageryt4333 Not just in a mirrored world, this one as well. Look up the story of the Storm God defeating the Great Serpent. There's dozens of them from all around the world, suggesting they all branch off of some Ur-Myth.
I'm fascinated by the Breton version of Lorkhan, Sheor. As a god of pestilence and hardship, I like to think that some Bretons see him as a bringer of challenges to be overcome, which aligns with the Breton "quest obsession" and culture of open possibilities.
0:01 Everytime I hear elder scrolls music especially the ones that set the tone for exploration I gotta remind myself im hear in this moment and not 10 years ago when I played Skyrim for the first time. It evokes such powerful nostalgia
Auriel: [*exists*] Alessia: Akatosh has graced our course with the Amulett of Kings to drive the elves away! Auriel: [*becomes Akatosh*] [*changes team*] Elves: *excuse me what the fuck*
Isn't that "changes team" more due to Marukh's doings AFTER Alessia's death? Like letting his servants/followers/cultists dance on 88 towers to "de-merify" Akatosh" aka putting Shor/Lorkhan into these parts of "Akatosh" that are originally Auriel? So in theory the Thalmor are RIGHT in denouncing Talos as a god for he "blocks" Shor's God-spot, or rather mantles him. And as long Shor has his original spot blocked, there's no way you can break up the unnatural symbiont "Akatosh" back into Auriel and Shor at full power. But I guess THIS is what quite a few of the Daedric Princes want to stop....dang, just got THE perfect reason for my Thalmor Dragonborn to BE Thalmor...
It almost seems like mortals are unknowingly giving back magic energy through worship and that the gods themselves have pieces of themselves inside all mortals. Mortals' interpretations of those gods morphs their piece of divine magic and when it is given back, the very thing explained happens where the gods change depending on which worship is dominant. Although, it is possible that gods like Auriel and Akotosh are more than just the same entity but interpreted different, but rather they have developed into twins that both act in unison and possibly don't know of one another's existence.
Another possibility is that worship not only provides them with energy, it may also provide them with enough power to be in a loosely conscience state. With that said, they'd want to stay awake as long as possible; to achieve this, they'd have to spread themselves thin and take on whatever form is needed to appease whichever masses that appear and provide the most faith. For a time, the elves gave Akatosh more power when he presented himself as "Auriel," but after almost all of the snow elves died off or became corrupted (either by Dwemer or by an acolyte of Molag-Bal,) Akatosh presented himself as the Dragon God of Time; that's the form man-kind favored. This is possibly why you never actually see a god appear, unless in times where they are called to action. You can only ever see their influence unless certain conditions are met, because they're going on extreme levels of multitasking to ensure each image is upheld and gaining faith. So many images, and pocket dimensions spawned from said images, to uphold; so little time to physically manifest.
I really like the way you explain the lore of the elders scrolls, it’s so much easier to understand than just reading long and confusing texts about it, awesome video btw ❤️
One must really wonder what would happen if the Aeadra woke up from their unconscious state. How would they react with Nirn? How would they appear? What would they think of Deadric influence?
Well done to everyone involved! Also the fact that you released what is essentially a full length audio book for free is awesome. Despite the fact that I’ve been listening for around 6 six years (and Bethesda hasn’t released an ES game in 12 years) you still manage to make interesting content that I can’t wait to watch! Keep up the great work gentlemen.
It's all the dream of the insane godhead. So not only would it be cannon, but so would it merely being the end events of this kalpa. A new Dawn Era would begin, perchance rebinding the forces of reality that are the Aedra and Daedra into whole new basis of worship or scorn.
Talos the mighty! Talos the unerring! Talos the unassailable! To you we give praise! We are but maggots, writhing in the filth of our own corruption! While you have ascended from the dung of mortality, and now walk among the stars! But you were once man! Aye! And as man, you said, "Let me show you the power of Talos Stormcrown, born of the North, where my breath is long winter. I breathe now, in royalty, and reshape this land which is mine. I do this for you, Red Legions, for I love you." [note 1] Aye, love. Love! Even as man, great Talos cherished us. For he saw in us, in each of us, the future of Skyrim! The future of Tamriel! And there it is, friends! The ugly truth! We are the children of man! Talos is the true god of man! Ascended from flesh, to rule the realm of spirit! The very idea is inconceivable to our Elven overlords! Sharing the heavens with us? With man? Ha! They can barely tolerate our presence on earth! Today, they take away your faith. But what of tomorrow? What then? Do the elves take your homes? Your businesses? Your children? Your very lives? And what does the Empire do? Nothing! Nay, worse than nothing! The Imperial machine enforces the will of the Thalmor! Against its own people! So rise up! Rise up, children of the Empire! Rise up, Stormcloaks! Embrace the word of mighty Talos, he who is both man and Divine! For we are the children of man! And we shall inherit both the heavens and the earth! And we, not the Elves or their toadies, will rule Skyrim! Forever! Terrible and powerful Talos! We, your unworthy servants, give praise! For only through your grace and benevolence may we truly reach enlightenment! And deserve our praise you do, for we are one! Ere you ascended and the Eight became Nine, you walked among us, great Talos, not as god, but as man! Trust in me, Whiterun! Trust in Heimskr! For I am the chosen of Talos! I alone have been anointed by the Ninth to spread his holy word!
This makes me want to try out Skyrim again. I LOVED Oblivion, so much that I was that weirdo that stole, read all the books I could. Makes me want to go back in and role play with my Breton again 😂
I can’t believe how committed you guys are to making such detailed, high quality and interesting videos. Thank you so much for making my uni life bearable, and keep up the great work From an Aussie brethren
My personal explanation is that there's been way more than 9 "aedra". We know that elves lost their divinity and immortality over generations, the same is likely true for the races of men. This means that between the time of the Aedra and the races we have now, there's likely been countless gods or godlike beings. This could easily explain why the interpretations of Aedra is so different. If this was true then the Aedric gods we have now is a compilation of generations of godlike beings that's been forgotten, the 9 there's left now is the ones that wasn't forgotten and likely true aedra (aka the ones that took part in the creation, Talos being the exception) - but the way they're interpreted isn't true since they've been given aspects of the forgotten godlike ancestors of the cultures associated with them, and its warped the gods themselves since they mainly get their power from the people worshipping them (this means that if the empire believes auriel to be akatosh then he is akatosh when he responds to them, although he was Auriel first). Edit: to add to this, in this explanation something like Sovngarde is explained as the Aedric realms working like the Daedric ones. They can change it to suit their whims. The difference is that Daedra doesn't get power from worship, so they change it to suit their personal whims and entertain themselves. The Aedra on the other hand changes their realms to suit their worshippers. This means Sovngarde exists in the same Aedric realm as any other afterlife associated with Lorkhan. In the same line of thought Akatosh/Auriel has multiple different realms set up inside his sphere each associated with a different worshipped personality. This makes perfect sense if we assume that worship is the most important thing for an Aedric god. They need to be everything they're worshipped as, thus they need to shape their Aedric realms to suit that need. In short the Aedric gods are literally playing masquarades to keep their "decendants" happy and to stay empowered, if they ever stopped playing any of their assigned roles they'd be weakened substantially since they'd no longer receive worship be it in a positive or negative form (as is the case with Lorkhan).
@@ButterBoyism Fun fact - Talos isn't even the first mortal considered the "9th Divine." Both Alessia and Reman I were considered ascendant beings in the imperial Pantheon at one time or another.
High quality content, long format explaintion of everyones favorite game series, and a astute lore master/teacher to tell us all about the world and it's lore. Plus a very satisfying voice to boot. Keep up the outstanding work guy, loving every minute of it :)
I can’t even fathom the amount of time it took you to put this al together, not to mention how many retakes you probably had to do. Thank you so much fell in love with your channel with one video
The Aedra are always forthcoming, they observe, indirectly gift and most importantly: grant redemption to those smart enough to recognize their actual influence over Mundus. Lorkhan granted Nirn mortal life and then divinity to those foolish enough to have tinkered with his heart. Stand assured, they're powerful.
Agreed. They're a lot more subtle than the Daedra, but there's plenty of evidence the Divines still have an active role in things. Uriel even says as much when you meet him in Oblivion.
@@the_dropbear4392 True. But when the exact person you've been seeing in your dreams happens to be in the exact jail cell with a secret passage on the exact day when you need to escape a bunch of assassins, I think it's safe to assume a little divine intervention. Especially if you're in Tamriel.
Okay I have a question. What makes Mundus special from the Daedric planes? If you're a god, and you can make your own planes of existence without sacrificing your power. Why would you sacrifice your power and imprison your self in Mundus? Unless there's something special about Mundus. What is the bait for the trap? Also why did Mundus drain power from the Aedra, but the Daedra can make planes without it draining their power?
My resume: I've watched all the Fudgemuppet videos on Aedra, Deadra, and Gods. I believe my qualifications make it clear I am ready to be a Deadrologist and Aedrologist. Hopefully I'll be hired.
Just found this channel and I love it! Explaining elder scrolls lore in a chill voice, I've watched two 40 minute videos and it's felt like a few minutes yet I've learned so much!!
Within 30 years the authors of the elder scrolls series have managed to create a more convoluted religious tree than the abrahamic religions did in 3000 years.
That’s because those religions are boring as fuck mythology-wise: you just have big daddy god that’s overpowered and boring. Look into things like Norse, Egyptian, Greek mythology for more interesting “players”. Or eastern ones like Hinduism and Buddhism.
@@Ett.Gammalt.Bergtroll hey the father of all is not boring and has done a lot of cool things over the centuries I mean just ask the Egyptians and Romans. Now of course I love mythology and learing about the different interpretations of gods in our world but iam a devoted Christian and there is only one God and I will not tolerate such slander against his name.
@@calebvanscyoc9675 based I’m an orthodox Christian. The mythology of the world I equate to the different watcher angels that fell from heaven and now serve Lucifer. God is still king along with Christ his son and Him in human form!
@@calebvanscyoc9675I think you're overreacting, the fact that the faith in God did not diverge as much as the gods in tes lore just proves how true and unchangeable his nature really is
I'd love a video on the lore behind Paarthurnax, what's known about him teaching the dragon tongue to humans and maybe why he might've turned against Alduin.
Damn what a video, it’s still confusing when I think about it but it makes sense in the way you explain it. I really like this topic of the elder scrolls as well. I’m looking forward to indepth discussions!
The Elder Scrolls VI: Civil Warfare Royale 100 mer/men drop from a teleport scroll and fight until only one group is left alive! The winners proclaim which gods can be worshipped.
Please tell me they actually said this. Ive been fearful of the massive disaster that will be es6 with just a tiny bit of hope they will do es justice. If they actually said this i can finally give up. Would be a relief tbh
Just wanted to say I started playing Skyrim again and I got back into it because ur lore videos I listen to them while I'm at work like a podcast appreciate u keep em coming
So this means that if I believed Akatosh was the Flying Spaghetti Monster, he’d have a very weak persona as the Flying Spaghetti Monster?? I need to enter this universe rn
That was amazing in every sense of the word. I have been listening to all of these on daedra and aedra and dragon breaks etc.. and i am nothing short of impressed by the way you explained the different aspects and personalities along with worship and how it shapes mundus. This is very very creative and intuitive. My hats off to you. I look forward to more and more. Thank you for this. Truly inspiring and definitely makes playing these games more enjoyable but there are also little seeds of wisdom that can be pulled out and used to compare in every day life as well. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Good job guys.
I mean elder scrolls Oblivion exist but I do agree that Skyrim should be more lore friendly instead of having few reference and putting the lore into books which is still cool but I think having dragons as it's main conflict "main storyline" is kinda trash compared to fighting daedric entities and God's which are more appealing but I think Skyrim was meant to be casual friendly for New comers so I can't hate on that.
@@tatsuhirosatou5513 true but at least it kept some of the lore but sadly in the background and not truly explored but you have to give props for actually having daedra prince side quests
but didn't he just explain how Alduin plays into the pantheon, same as auri-el, all the daedric princes especially hermaeus mora etc which were all used in Skyrim
it does pretty consistently, you just have to know most of the nordic synonyms for some gods, & dragons are descendants of gods, hell, an entire DLC is dedicated to Hermaeus Mora
I think it goes like this. The Aedra created man, mer, and beast folk. I’m doing so, they lost some of their power. But the power is still there- these new beings have the Aedra’s power, and are able to harness it when in large groups with lots of faith.
The daedra made the beast folk and wood elves or at least had a major role, the argonians are made from the hist And the elves believe all ehlnofey including the men decend from actual gods which makes sense imo compared to the belief of men
The way these videos are constructed, with rich lore, a relaxing voice of a storyteller and drones in minor key scales always makes me get to sleep more easily and faster. Thanks a bunch
I'm a practicing pagan, and the way you've explained how all the deities can be multiple entities/personalities in one soul is EXACTLY how I understand the many pantheons of humans. The many deities of many different cultures with all their spheres are just the different facets of a deity's core. It makes so much sense to me, and watching this video has given me a new understanding of and respect for the gods of the Elder Scrolls universe.
The powers of this world are foiled. All your idols are worthless and eat themselves alive. He has chosen flesh and brought it to himself by bringing himself to it: he has become what he already was by becoming man, and the powers of this world and the heavenly realms were thwarted at Golgotha. Even death, which is the god of all gods, could not rebuke him. Don’t you understand? He was a slave, and yet he set the world free. The heavenly princes: Zeus, Poseidon, even Tiamat have been surpassed by he who has already gone forth into darkness and banished it, is going forth, and will go forth because he is not the god of love. He is the God who is love.
@@phantom0-9please tell me what exactly is hypocritical. At first at I called his comment cringe because I assumed he was a quirky magical boy who “doesn’t fit in, with the other kids, mom!” But then I considered that perhaps he was really serious and actually committed to the metaphysical claims of paganism (all of which are identical at their core: the cosmos as a closed system of death, appearing only as it disappears, only as it hides itself, never showing itself to beings properly, perpetually hidden by necessity in order to appear; or only as it kills itself, rending its own flesh, tearing itself into pieces-a writhing mass of original, absolute contrariety (as opposed to absolute identity, though both are devoid of any legibility, both are not simply incomprehensible, but literally unknowable), in which all things are gathered in their virtual opposition, diverging endlessly without concord (and so without presence), illuding the sensation of time and present only as these difference collide and rebound; or the world as it is is only the contradiction of nothing, the dreams of Brahman, who wears the veil of Maya, who dreams of what he is, thinks of rocks and trees and rock and water and cellular life and mammals and packs and tribes and empires and the Roman Empire and the taste of coffee and the second Roman Empire and the fall of the Roman empire and the fall and the fall and the fall and the fall and the fall and the fall… never finally concluding terms, never naming himself: for indeed, being cannot be named from beings, only glimpses at the limit of the world’s ability to appear in order, at the limit of reason and imagination to comprehend the mere fact of existence. Either way, the power of death is final not simply as the victor of a conflict between life and death, but as the word which gives the world it’s being; death is not the end of life, but its inner secret. The appearance of the world was already the loss of innocence, already a fall from grace, and our desire for autochthony already a nostalgia for an infinity that never was, or was always impossible. In any case, being itself is never present in history, nor is it identical with the Good; that would, in the pagan metaphysical tradition, be a contradiction of terms. The only possible ethic becomes the worship of violence, power, and its consummation in death; for this is the world in its very being: diremption, distance, exile, pain, death, derision, decline, caducity, change, chaos, strife, contradiction, death. Therefore credit is secured only through the language of being: death, which means sacrifice. What comes in must come in place of what came before; what is gained is gained by exchange, a closed economy. In short, Ouroboros. This means human sacrifice. This means war any war is just so long as it is for its own sake. All violence is inevitable and necessary. The weak must be culled. This means charity is evil, because it slanders the true name of being, which is reprisal. If this is “faith”, then faith is sick.
Akatosh is so fucking badass that even without most of his power, his avatar killed a daedric prince, yes Dagon can't be killed, but still, dude is in a fucjing coma and decked Dagon.
This multiple personality/head-cannon theory is amazing! When I first started watching this, I expected Hellenisitic rip-off, but this is fresh and amazing! Keep it up hombre!
I have read books in fantasy series that have quite detailed gods, but I have not seen this amount of detail put into game lore. This is why we need Fudgemuppet to help us understand it all. They literally grew up playing in this universe, these beings are as natural to them as breathing. ❤️💜💙.
It’s so crazy you get to play ESO (because the lore is immense) and actually MEET the living gods a thousand years before their fall. Sitting high and mighty, arrogant even. Then you get to Skyrim and realize nerevar got his revenge. Like go on ESO, head to vvardenfell. Speak with vivec in his massive temple while he’s floating above his bed with his body painted differently on two sides. Then go to his private chambers and look at the mass of pillows and meditation tools. Granted I still saved vivec because I felt it necessary and the lore is very interesting. But that quest pretty much foreshadowed the tribunal gods could be beaten. Unlike the other gods who can only be hurt.
You could have described the duality of the gods in so many ways but using DID as a framework just made it click. So good on you. Hope no one gets offended, though I wouldn’t know why.
Recently I've come across a mod on Nexus - I don't recall the name - that introduces ALL of these gods into Skyrim SE. At end of prologue, you get to select a patron God based on your race selection, each one requires certain behaviors to gain favor. Gaining favor increases a single passive bonus (Active Power). At 100% or higher favor you gain a special Lesser Power that costs you favor points. Yes, you can raise your favor over 100%. For instance, I started an Orc who worships Trinimac. I will post the mod name later, when I get home and can look it up.
Please, please, please do a video about Redguards - history, religion, anything. They seem so alien and distinct to the other men/mer, and I would love to know more about them. Thank you!
Some snippets from the farewell letter of Lawrence Schick, former loremaster of ESO: "And these descriptions might vary, or even contradict each other, leaving it up to the players to decide what was and wasn’t true." "Since all the stories of this world come from characters in the setting itself (...), you can decide that for yourself. And whatever that is, it’s as right as any other character’s beliefs, player or non-player, because your character lives in the same world they do.""The lore is Yours."I like how this beautifully dovetails with the last message of your video, about making headcanon officially canon. Perhaps one of the more unique properties of the TES universe compared to others. Also, the concept of belief giving power to the deities and partially shaping the deity's portfolio and personality, isn't uncommon in fantasy universes, you find it for instance in the Forgotten Realms, where deities live or die on behalf of mortal belief. An interesting video altogether, I just wish modern TES games were more concerned with this very elaborate and detailed backdrop of their own lore, and paid it more attention in their own games. Would make for more interesting and mature RPGs.
My favorite thing in Elder Scrolls is that canonically the humans warped reality to remove the filthy elven influence from a god making it now canon as being only a human god.
If the divines are worshipped for long enough or by enough people, would they eventually regain the strength/power they previously had? Would they be able to rival the Daedric princes again?
They are already stronger than Daedra, people just misinterpret the lore. It's like if Mike Tyson had a very tiring workout, sure he'd be weaker and tired but he's still able to kick a random lazy schmo's ass, the lazy assholes being Daedra. Aedra outclass them hard, in fact, Akatosh kicked Molags Bal's ass in his own realm, a place where Molag Bal is supposed to be immortal and indestructible.
While playing an Elder Scrolls game the most significant aspect becomes bugs and the God of bugs Tod Howard. Because most of the time you will be trouble shooting or worrying about bugs in Tamriel.
Amazing video, it clears up and summarizes so much that is somewhat diffult to grasp while just playing the games- so thank you for that! But what i wonder about is how this all then ties into the hists and Argonian theology/view of the cosmos and gods- i need to rewatch your other videos and dig into the subjet more myself, but it seems to me that their religious faith is more animistic/symbiotic and separate of the other religious structures while being integrated with lesser importance within the metaphysical structure of the faiths and world. Anyway i'd love to hear your take on the subject, i bet it would be quite interesting!
I had to stop playing video games for awhile cause I didn’t have a working laptop/pc to play on but now that I have one I’ve been diving back in HARD and I forgot how completely entranced I am with the Elder Scrolls.
Listening to this is like reading the Elder Scrolls without training and simultaneously reading the Black Books. It's very informative but will drive you mad trying to understand everything at once.
at some point when you were talking I thought, perception is reality. then you said it 10 minutes later. I absolutely love this video, you guys are amazing. thank you for all you do! ❤
Ive been hearing some audiobooks (mostly about god(s) and our ancestors) and i think you ll be an awesome book reader. Also TES gods seems alit with our own "mythology" many civilizations have stories about the gods of the past, many names to the same gods (maia, egipt, sumerian, also chinese and indian gods are all about the same gods, with diferent interpretations)
What if, when Alduin finally fulfills his destiny... All of the Gods replace Nirn as Earth? And after they see what the Elf-kind tried to achieve, they left them out this time?
Wonderful work.:) As long as the video is, you wasted not a word and it's amazing how concise yet encompassing you are. It's a great intro for anyone looking into the more detailed lore. Thank you!
So if I understand this correctly: the original Aedra, having given themselves up to become the Earthbones and having no agency of their own, became TEMPLATES which were subsequently evoked by the collective beliefs of mortals, resulting in numerous personality variations being imposed on the basic structure of the Aedra being worshipped.
I think it's kinda sweet that the aedra just overhear some group of mortals talking about that cool after life place they just imagined for themselves and they just go "okay babies we got you" and they literally create each afterlife for all the different people
Yo mama
Honestly? With how most treatment of deities in other fantasy stories are, this seems so much better
Remember to exfoliate after shaving to avoid ingrown hairs and never shave against the grain.
Becomes less sweet when you realize each respective God just wants their mortal souls and are willing to create whatever illusions needed to get them
@@-Umbrella.Cheers
Whoever actually wrote this entire backstory for the Elder Scrolls deserve medals. This is so impressive. To create an entire religion and write in all the different interpretations is genius.
It wasn't any one person or cohesive group. It has changed a lot over the years and with every game.
@@tony_potsandpans Just like real religions. Nice.
@@tony_potsandpans a lot of it is due to Michael Kirkbride, who has a background in comparative religion.
@@A.Mageddon And recreational drugs.
Definitely a ton of legitimate occult influences from Hermetics and Qaballah
"...but there's nothing simple about an Elder Scroll. It's a reflection of all possible features and all possible pasts. Each reader sees different reflections through different lenses, and may come away with a very different reading. But at the same time, all of it is true. Even the falsehoods. Especially the falsehoods."
-Urag gro-Schub
I Just read an Elder Scroll, and it Read.
"Life is But an Illusion, Revealed by the Mirrors known as Eyes, only When you cut them Out do you see the Truth of Reality"
"All of it was true. Even the lies...ESPECIALLY the lies!"
Wonder where I heard that before...
@@goransekulic3671 Seems someone was a person of good taste and culture. 👽
@@fenrisvermundr2516 "Whether God's will created it, or whether He was mute;
Perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not;
Only He who is its overseer in highest heaven knows,
Only He knows, or perhaps He does not know."
"What, did someone steal your sweetrole?" -Whiterun Guard
I believe Mike, scott, and drew are different interpretations of the same concept of a nerd... at the same time
Calling someone a nerd is like the nicest insult, just means you like interesting things
nerd is an old interpretation. nowadays we worship the Geek
Yeah you guys are losers
The church of the tribunal incarnate
Like a Dragonbreak personified...
I love how I spend hours learning the deep lore of the game only to come to the conclusion: the world is a game and your headcanon is reality. Literally mind-blowing
Careful don't zero sum on us
@@housefullofransackery3505
Lol, he never responded to you... he must've Zero Summed... 😓
@@thalmoragent9344 such a delicate balance🤣🤣
@@housefullofransackery3505
Yeah man, he came to the realization of "Myth makes/meets reality". His mind-blowing experience lead him to a permanent death 😥
Or who knows, maybe he's achieved Amaranth, and is now his own godhead, recreating his reality from scratch. He hasn't responded because now, he's a godhead, just dreaming.
With Bethesda properties headcanon is more canon than anything they "write"
*It is 3:50am, but the divine call of the Fudgemuppet bros beckons me.*
Hail to the tribunal
GrayGhoul ikr
Hah! Tribunal, a trio of false Gods and traitors.
Virgins of the nine eh?
Down with the false gods! Praise to the Reclaimations!
@Nicholas Rickhoff *offended enough by joke on the internet he feels the need to reply*
Mama must be so proud
TIMESTAMPS FOR MOBILE USERS:
The Story of Creation: 2:08
The Types of Gods: 9:00
The Different Pantheons Explained:
-The Imperial Pantheon: 12:30
-The Nordic Pantheon: 15:06
-The Elven Pantheon: 19:56
-The Yokudan Pantheon: 24:56
-The Khajiiti Pantheon: 28:42
Power of Worship & the Unconscious Aedra: 32:04
Dragonbreaks & Changing the Past: 39:41
ok so where are the timestamps for the argonian pantheon and the all maker?
@@windhelmguard5295 Ask Scott.
Thank you.
Thanks, this is helpful :3
One of the unsung heroes of youtube...
I love deep lore like this. It's fascinating to see just how deep the writers have gone into creating this world, and you guys are able to explain it so well!
my favorite bit of lore is Vivec got skull-fucked by Bal and then snapped off his dick to wield as a spear
the truth is stranger than fiction have a look for the real life analogues and thier "manifestations"
Fun fact Megan, most of this lore was created by a guy tripping on acid in his apartment
@@stuglife5514 really?
they just ripped off an actual religion, hinduism
Here is my theory:
In most instances when it comes to Gods, they are described as "sleeping" or "dreaming".
Meanwhile if you see the souls of the dead in any afterlife, they seem somewhat disconnected, as if half asleep.
A prime example of this in Sovngard, where all the souls who roam there suddenly start speaking in poems, and have let go of their mortal desires and thoughts.
Much like how Ulfric was suddenly able to rise above his past motivations the moment he died, seeing the error of his choices.
On the other side you have the Daedra, incapable of originality, and always obsessively focusing on just their sphere of Influence.
I feel this is the reason why Lorkhan created Mundus, why he wanted the other spirits to invest and live in this world.
Those that exist do not necessarily "live".
They are all stuck in a dreamlike state, unable of true free will, of true feelings and experience.
The Mortal races on the Mundus however are capable of free will, truly experiencing all the good and the bad of life.
While no longer as powerful as gods, they have been given the ability to truly "live".
Look at Mannimarco, he ascended to godhood, but has not acted ever sinds, this is likely that after ascending, he also got stuck in this dreamlike state, only doing what his sphere is focused around, but nothing else.
No further originality, no plans or schemes, not even an attempt to return as a god with mortal avatar's on the Mundus.
Instead just like the others, he is stuck serving the purpose his sphere encompass, and he is likely not even aware of it.
EDIT: I believe this might be crucial to the process of CHIM & Amarant.
The "spirits" might know about such things, but not understand or engage in them, due to being stuck in their "dreamlike thinking"
They know but cannot take action towards achieving it.
To escape the Godhead, to become one, spirits have to sacrefice all, even that knowledge, while submitting themselves to the wheel of life, death and rebirth in another Kalpa.
Over and over again untill they relearn, and this time are capable of understanding "the dream" in order to escape it.
By shedding their power and knowledge, they become a vestle for limitless pottential, to one day surpass, and become masters of their own dream.
(My brain hurts just from trying to properly write this)
this is probably the most unique and best, but plausible, theory i've ever heard. very impressed
This is definitely an extremely compelling theory, and it makes a lot of what we see in the games make sense. Well done, my friend!!!
Fits with Vivec describing being very busy in that dream-place when he's asleep. How he feels half awake a d half asleep, ever tenuously connected to the here and now.
I can get with this theory. Makes sense.
Wonderful
I absolutely *love* that the mythology of the elder scrolls universe was written such that we can never be sure what the nature of reality within the elder scrolls actually is. I've always loved how trippy elder scrolls lore gets! This video takes it to the final level and gets to the core of how it's trippy, it's so kind of recursive and pokes at the nature of it being a story, of being written, and of being potentially fully encased within a universe one layer true-er as a story. 🤯
We can all agree though that M'aiq the Liar is the one true god
The potato god accepts your challenge
I really want a backstory with him! Ever since oblivion I’ve been curious. I’m pretty sure he’s in Morrowind too
Having Liar in his name makes me think he could be the avatar of Lorkhan
@@Xenotaris no lorkan slander will be tolerated
Nirn!
That's one thing I like about The Elder Scrolls: The fact that every different culture in the game has it's own interpretation of reality and their own beliefs, and you can find similarities and variations between them. It's just like the real world.
I really hope they don't do an official explanation of the gods ever. It's part of the magic and mistery in TES lore.
That is ridiculous.
@@Anti-HyperLink, but it is more or less how the elder scrolls is like. The lore is intentionally left inconsistent as it contributes to world building and creating the setting of a world where most information does not travel instantly and uniformly.
I wonder if they’ll do a video on the Nede’s Star Gods? They sound very similar to some of the Redguard’s pantheon.
I disagree. They should give an official explanation saying that a lot of what is in this video is true and then add more to the story of gods being multi-faceted and thus much of many religions are true and FACTS.
@@adarshkamoda9183 nah, the gods are mysterious
I love listening to these videos as I play my 903rd play through of Skyrim. This time I'm a simple farmer joining the Imperial Legion
You're only on your 903rd play through of Skyrim? I'm surprised that there are Skyrim players out there who are that casual about it.
I'm on my 100000089 play through.
I honestly have no idea what number I'm into (A LOT of restarts thanks to mods) but Steam claims I'm 4839 hours in currently (plus 143 more on the Very Special edition). Filthy casual amirite?
@@wyattwahlgren8883 I loled
Skyrim belongs to the nords.
A god is like a gem, hanging in the sky.
The Nord is standing in Skyrim, looks up and sees a facet with the shape of a dragon and names it Akatosh.
The Elf is standing is Aldmer and sees a warrior with a bow firing a heart into the sea, and calls it Auriel.
The Redguard is standing on the corpse of a Left-Handed Elf, and sees Tall Papa.
This is how the gods in TES work.
Good Summary!
Good summary of TES and in a mirrored world, ours, true.
@@frost_d_jageryt4333 Not just in a mirrored world, this one as well. Look up the story of the Storm God defeating the Great Serpent. There's dozens of them from all around the world, suggesting they all branch off of some Ur-Myth.
@@Xer0sama That's what I mean by, "a mirrored world, ours, true."
Nords dont give flying fk about Akatosh. Nords Gods are Shor and Talos. Maybe Mara because she was handmaiden of Kyne.
I'm proud of myself for understanding far more of this than I expected
Can we learn more about the Gods' relationships. Such as Boethiah and Meridia hating Molag Bal and etc.
Update:
Thanks for the likes!!
I second this!!!🎉💛
well i mean who wouldnt hate molag bal
Vampires
@@Liberater4589 a sub would probably be very into molag bal.
@@Liberater4589 Azura is apparently an ally of Molag Bal.
I love these lore videos almost more than the games.
That's because the lore of the games is better than the actual games...
Almost
"Love can't save you padame, only my new powers can" said a sith(is).
Solo nice
*Padomay, but otherwise good. :)
@@Sacremas nah, it's Padmé
@@hansolo5912 /woosh.
What kind of Jedi/Sith calls his abilities powers? An odd choice of words
I'm fascinated by the Breton version of Lorkhan, Sheor. As a god of pestilence and hardship, I like to think that some Bretons see him as a bringer of challenges to be overcome, which aligns with the Breton "quest obsession" and culture of open possibilities.
0:01 Everytime I hear elder scrolls music especially the ones that set the tone for exploration I gotta remind myself im hear in this moment and not 10 years ago when I played Skyrim for the first time. It evokes such powerful nostalgia
This has been bothering me forever, what is the title of that specific song??
Auriel: [*exists*]
Alessia: Akatosh has graced our course with the Amulett of Kings to drive the elves away!
Auriel: [*becomes Akatosh*] [*changes team*]
Elves: *excuse me what the fuck*
Isn't that "changes team" more due to Marukh's doings AFTER Alessia's death? Like letting his servants/followers/cultists dance on 88 towers to "de-merify" Akatosh" aka putting Shor/Lorkhan into these parts of "Akatosh" that are originally Auriel? So in theory the Thalmor are RIGHT in denouncing Talos as a god for he "blocks" Shor's God-spot, or rather mantles him. And as long Shor has his original spot blocked, there's no way you can break up the unnatural symbiont "Akatosh" back into Auriel and Shor at full power. But I guess THIS is what quite a few of the Daedric Princes want to stop....dang, just got THE perfect reason for my Thalmor Dragonborn to BE Thalmor...
@@aduantas sounds a bit velothi huh...
Auriel saw pelinor whitestrike and new which horse to back
@@brendanmiller4437 which is super funny, because Pelinal was sent to the past, by the Akatosh to aid the men
I can"t consider how much work was put in this video ! Well done guys !
It almost seems like mortals are unknowingly giving back magic energy through worship and that the gods themselves have pieces of themselves inside all mortals. Mortals' interpretations of those gods morphs their piece of divine magic and when it is given back, the very thing explained happens where the gods change depending on which worship is dominant.
Although, it is possible that gods like Auriel and Akotosh are more than just the same entity but interpreted different, but rather they have developed into twins that both act in unison and possibly don't know of one another's existence.
Another possibility is that worship not only provides them with energy, it may also provide them with enough power to be in a loosely conscience state. With that said, they'd want to stay awake as long as possible; to achieve this, they'd have to spread themselves thin and take on whatever form is needed to appease whichever masses that appear and provide the most faith.
For a time, the elves gave Akatosh more power when he presented himself as "Auriel," but after almost all of the snow elves died off or became corrupted (either by Dwemer or by an acolyte of Molag-Bal,) Akatosh presented himself as the Dragon God of Time; that's the form man-kind favored.
This is possibly why you never actually see a god appear, unless in times where they are called to action. You can only ever see their influence unless certain conditions are met, because they're going on extreme levels of multitasking to ensure each image is upheld and gaining faith.
So many images, and pocket dimensions spawned from said images, to uphold; so little time to physically manifest.
I really like the way you explain the lore of the elders scrolls, it’s so much easier to understand than just reading long and confusing texts about it, awesome video btw ❤️
Dude, that last part was a great take on the multiple pantheons. Gives you something to think about our own religions.
FudgeMuppet is the 10th Divine. The Triune God of Lore and Culture.
Does that mean he's associated with Hermeus Mora? Or is he the opposite
Sai Seven The opposite. Mora hoards knowledge, FudgeMuppet gives it freely.
@@Im-Not-a-Dog awesome!
@@Im-Not-a-Dog FudgeMuppet gives random people Elder Scrolls every loredas
The 10th Divine, F'dg Mputt
Praise Lorkhan kids, he's why we get to enjoy the Elderscrolls Series.
‘Angry Thalmor noises’
Hey heretic
44 minutes of awesomeness, thanks fudgemuppet
One must really wonder what would happen if the Aeadra woke up from their unconscious state. How would they react with Nirn? How would they appear? What would they think of Deadric influence?
Well done to everyone involved! Also the fact that you released what is essentially a full length audio book for free is awesome. Despite the fact that I’ve been listening for around 6 six years (and Bethesda hasn’t released an ES game in 12 years) you still manage to make interesting content that I can’t wait to watch! Keep up the great work gentlemen.
Honestly, I want ol' Jiggalag to take over and BRING ORDER TO THIS MESS of lore.
Great vid btw. It is realy helpful.
A genocide of cosmic proportions ensues
It's all the dream of the insane godhead. So not only would it be cannon, but so would it merely being the end events of this kalpa. A new Dawn Era would begin, perchance rebinding the forces of reality that are the Aedra and Daedra into whole new basis of worship or scorn.
Dont you mean Peryite?!
I’m working on it
Get the Knights of Order.
You have come, come to hear the word of TALOS!
EMBRACE THE POWERFUL TACOS
Thalmor Sorcerer it's the dam THALMOR where's high king Ulfric when you need him
Get your fake god out
Talos the mighty! Talos the unerring! Talos the unassailable! To you we give praise!
We are but maggots, writhing in the filth of our own corruption! While you have ascended from the dung of mortality, and now walk among the stars!
But you were once man! Aye! And as man, you said, "Let me show you the power of Talos Stormcrown, born of the North, where my breath is long winter. I breathe now, in royalty, and reshape this land which is mine. I do this for you, Red Legions, for I love you." [note 1]
Aye, love. Love! Even as man, great Talos cherished us. For he saw in us, in each of us, the future of Skyrim! The future of Tamriel!
And there it is, friends! The ugly truth! We are the children of man! Talos is the true god of man! Ascended from flesh, to rule the realm of spirit!
The very idea is inconceivable to our Elven overlords! Sharing the heavens with us? With man? Ha! They can barely tolerate our presence on earth!
Today, they take away your faith. But what of tomorrow? What then? Do the elves take your homes? Your businesses? Your children? Your very lives?
And what does the Empire do? Nothing! Nay, worse than nothing! The Imperial machine enforces the will of the Thalmor! Against its own people!
So rise up! Rise up, children of the Empire! Rise up, Stormcloaks! Embrace the word of mighty Talos, he who is both man and Divine!
For we are the children of man! And we shall inherit both the heavens and the earth! And we, not the Elves or their toadies, will rule Skyrim! Forever!
Terrible and powerful Talos! We, your unworthy servants, give praise! For only through your grace and benevolence may we truly reach enlightenment!
And deserve our praise you do, for we are one! Ere you ascended and the Eight became Nine, you walked among us, great Talos, not as god, but as man!
Trust in me, Whiterun! Trust in Heimskr! For I am the chosen of Talos! I alone have been anointed by the Ninth to spread his holy word!
Actually, I came for the tacos. I heard you sell them. Are you conveying to me that that was a lie? IT BETTER NOT BE!
Gotta follow Dibela. She's *thicc*
The gold statues confirm this IN GAME.
Gotta get down with that *_thiccness_*
@@Im-Not-a-Dog She's busty too
Nah man Nocturnal is where its at. She's just the daedric prince of playing hard to get lol
Hail sithis
I am fairly new to Elder Scrolls and am completely binging these lore videos, they are so helpful! 😁
This makes me want to try out Skyrim again. I LOVED Oblivion, so much that I was that weirdo that stole, read all the books I could. Makes me want to go back in and role play with my Breton again 😂
Try out Morrowind
I can’t believe how committed you guys are to making such detailed, high quality and interesting videos. Thank you so much for making my uni life bearable, and keep up the great work
From an Aussie brethren
Elder Scrolls: where retconning is canon.
The Elder Oxymorons.
It's the ultimate ass-pull. You can catch Bethesda screwing with the canon, but it'll never be inconsistent with the world they created!
While it seems stupid, you have to admit that at least the way they've done it is kind of clever.
My personal explanation is that there's been way more than 9 "aedra". We know that elves lost their divinity and immortality over generations, the same is likely true for the races of men. This means that between the time of the Aedra and the races we have now, there's likely been countless gods or godlike beings. This could easily explain why the interpretations of Aedra is so different. If this was true then the Aedric gods we have now is a compilation of generations of godlike beings that's been forgotten, the 9 there's left now is the ones that wasn't forgotten and likely true aedra (aka the ones that took part in the creation, Talos being the exception) - but the way they're interpreted isn't true since they've been given aspects of the forgotten godlike ancestors of the cultures associated with them, and its warped the gods themselves since they mainly get their power from the people worshipping them (this means that if the empire believes auriel to be akatosh then he is akatosh when he responds to them, although he was Auriel first).
Edit: to add to this, in this explanation something like Sovngarde is explained as the Aedric realms working like the Daedric ones. They can change it to suit their whims. The difference is that Daedra doesn't get power from worship, so they change it to suit their personal whims and entertain themselves. The Aedra on the other hand changes their realms to suit their worshippers. This means Sovngarde exists in the same Aedric realm as any other afterlife associated with Lorkhan. In the same line of thought Akatosh/Auriel has multiple different realms set up inside his sphere each associated with a different worshipped personality. This makes perfect sense if we assume that worship is the most important thing for an Aedric god. They need to be everything they're worshipped as, thus they need to shape their Aedric realms to suit that need.
In short the Aedric gods are literally playing masquarades to keep their "decendants" happy and to stay empowered, if they ever stopped playing any of their assigned roles they'd be weakened substantially since they'd no longer receive worship be it in a positive or negative form (as is the case with Lorkhan).
@@ButterBoyism Fun fact - Talos isn't even the first mortal considered the "9th Divine." Both Alessia and Reman I were considered ascendant beings in the imperial Pantheon at one time or another.
High quality content, long format explaintion of everyones favorite game series, and a astute lore master/teacher to tell us all about the world and it's lore. Plus a very satisfying voice to boot. Keep up the outstanding work guy, loving every minute of it :)
Thank you so much :)
@@FudgeMuppet you're welcome :)
In the nicest way, I can pass out so easily listening to your videos
I can’t even fathom the amount of time it took you to put this al together, not to mention how many retakes you probably had to do. Thank you so much fell in love with your channel with one video
Honestly man ever since I started watching your videos I have fallen in love with the redguards, their lore and their gods. Keep it up!
The Aedra are always forthcoming, they observe, indirectly gift and most importantly: grant redemption to those smart enough to recognize their actual influence over Mundus. Lorkhan granted Nirn mortal life and then divinity to those foolish enough to have tinkered with his heart. Stand assured, they're powerful.
Xith I feel like Heimskir’s smarter brother wrote this.
Agreed. They're a lot more subtle than the Daedra, but there's plenty of evidence the Divines still have an active role in things. Uriel even says as much when you meet him in Oblivion.
@@Slayerlord0 not that Uriel would actually know, he was just guessing
@@the_dropbear4392 True. But when the exact person you've been seeing in your dreams happens to be in the exact jail cell with a secret passage on the exact day when you need to escape a bunch of assassins, I think it's safe to assume a little divine intervention. Especially if you're in Tamriel.
Okay I have a question. What makes Mundus special from the Daedric planes? If you're a god, and you can make your own planes of existence without sacrificing your power. Why would you sacrifice your power and imprison your self in Mundus? Unless there's something special about Mundus. What is the bait for the trap? Also why did Mundus drain power from the Aedra, but the Daedra can make planes without it draining their power?
My resume: I've watched all the Fudgemuppet videos on Aedra, Deadra, and Gods.
I believe my qualifications make it clear I am ready to be a Deadrologist and Aedrologist. Hopefully I'll be hired.
Just found this channel and I love it! Explaining elder scrolls lore in a chill voice, I've watched two 40 minute videos and it's felt like a few minutes yet I've learned so much!!
Within 30 years the authors of the elder scrolls series have managed to create a more convoluted religious tree than the abrahamic religions did in 3000 years.
That’s because those religions are boring as fuck mythology-wise: you just have big daddy god that’s overpowered and boring.
Look into things like Norse, Egyptian, Greek mythology for more interesting “players”. Or eastern ones like Hinduism and Buddhism.
@@Ett.Gammalt.Bergtroll hey the father of all is not boring and has done a lot of cool things over the centuries I mean just ask the Egyptians and Romans. Now of course I love mythology and learing about the different interpretations of gods in our world but iam a devoted Christian and there is only one God and I will not tolerate such slander against his name.
@@calebvanscyoc9675 based I’m an orthodox Christian. The mythology of the world I equate to the different watcher angels that fell from heaven and now serve Lucifer. God is still king along with Christ his son and Him in human form!
@@calebvanscyoc9675I think you're overreacting, the fact that the faith in God did not diverge as much as the gods in tes lore just proves how true and unchangeable his nature really is
Lol
No.
I'd love a video on the lore behind Paarthurnax, what's known about him teaching the dragon tongue to humans and maybe why he might've turned against Alduin.
Damn what a video, it’s still confusing when I think about it but it makes sense in the way you explain it. I really like this topic of the elder scrolls as well. I’m looking forward to indepth discussions!
"The Elder Scrolls can be ridiculously complex."
Bethesda: Oh don't worry we're gonna fix that by removing all NPCs and gods in TES6
"Removing all weapon types besides the steel sword, and removing all races except the male Nord because he's fully voice acted."
Don't say such blasphemous things!
Could you also please make it a on line only game also
The Elder Scrolls VI: Civil Warfare Royale
100 mer/men drop from a teleport scroll and fight until only one group is left alive! The winners proclaim which gods can be worshipped.
Please tell me they actually said this. Ive been fearful of the massive disaster that will be es6 with just a tiny bit of hope they will do es justice. If they actually said this i can finally give up. Would be a relief tbh
The fact that Elder Scrolls lore is so ambiguous, and vague. Are the reasons why I love the lore so much. It just feels so real.
Just recently got the "Religion" mod for SSE. Started watching this to help me play through it a little better. So thanks in advance!
My favorite time of the day is a new FudgeMuppet video!
Its 6:06am right now, but when my phone went off, and I seen it was FudgeMuppet, I had to wake up and watch!
These are the best lore videos in a long time from anybody
It took me around 4 watches and I had to take notes but I actually finally got through this video understanding the whole thing
Just wanted to say I started playing Skyrim again and I got back into it because ur lore videos I listen to them while I'm at work like a podcast appreciate u keep em coming
LEGENDS! I’ve wanted to see a video that just goes through all the gods thank you Fudgemuppet!!!!!
So grateful for the hard work, passion, and dedication that went in to creating this marvelous content for us to enjoy. Thank you Fudgemuppet!
So this means that if I believed Akatosh was the Flying Spaghetti Monster, he’d have a very weak persona as the Flying Spaghetti Monster?? I need to enter this universe rn
You might find that in Tamriel, flying monsters made of spaghetti are quite fearsome,
David Alvarez well of course they would be; they’d be the most powerful of all entities
I'm pretty sure that's just Hermaeus Mora.
@@David_Alvarez77 I'm pretty sure St Jiub took out all the flying spaghetti monsters sadly
@@unbeatable617 Now we know the real reason he's in the Soul Cairn.
after playing thousands of hours of elder scrolls games, -skyrim, eso- i have learned way too much from this video. its incredible
That was amazing in every sense of the word. I have been listening to all of these on daedra and aedra and dragon breaks etc.. and i am nothing short of impressed by the way you explained the different aspects and personalities along with worship and how it shapes mundus. This is very very creative and intuitive. My hats off to you. I look forward to more and more. Thank you for this. Truly inspiring and definitely makes playing these games more enjoyable but there are also little seeds of wisdom that can be pulled out and used to compare in every day life as well. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Good job guys.
So if the people in the Elder Scrolls world knew of the power they had, theoretically Mara could just be Drew in a mankini.
*N I C E*
Imagine if Bethesda actually used all this cool lore instead of 'Oh uh here's dragons have fun'
I mean elder scrolls Oblivion exist but I do agree that Skyrim should be more lore friendly instead of having few reference and putting the lore into books which is still cool but I think having dragons as it's main conflict "main storyline" is kinda trash compared to fighting daedric entities and God's which are more appealing but I think Skyrim was meant to be casual friendly for New comers so I can't hate on that.
@@uliloolilu780 fair it was the fist elder scrolls game that was truly mainstream
@@tatsuhirosatou5513 true but at least it kept some of the lore but sadly in the background and not truly explored but you have to give props for actually having daedra prince side quests
but didn't he just explain how Alduin plays into the pantheon, same as auri-el, all the daedric princes especially hermaeus mora etc which were all used in Skyrim
it does pretty consistently, you just have to know most of the nordic synonyms for some gods, & dragons are descendants of gods, hell, an entire DLC is dedicated to Hermaeus Mora
I think it goes like this. The Aedra created man, mer, and beast folk. I’m doing so, they lost some of their power. But the power is still there- these new beings have the Aedra’s power, and are able to harness it when in large groups with lots of faith.
The daedra made the beast folk and wood elves or at least had a major role, the argonians are made from the hist
And the elves believe all ehlnofey including the men decend from actual gods which makes sense imo compared to the belief of men
I've been inspired with a mod idea relating to the Nordic Pantheon.
Thanks FudgeMuppet for opening my eyes to so much awesome Elder Scrolls lore.
The way these videos are constructed, with rich lore, a relaxing voice of a storyteller and drones in minor key scales always makes me get to sleep more easily and faster. Thanks a bunch
Im ready for the test I have studied alot for this qualification
I'm a practicing pagan, and the way you've explained how all the deities can be multiple entities/personalities in one soul is EXACTLY how I understand the many pantheons of humans. The many deities of many different cultures with all their spheres are just the different facets of a deity's core. It makes so much sense to me, and watching this video has given me a new understanding of and respect for the gods of the Elder Scrolls universe.
Cringe
The powers of this world are foiled. All your idols are worthless and eat themselves alive. He has chosen flesh and brought it to himself by bringing himself to it: he has become what he already was by becoming man, and the powers of this world and the heavenly realms were thwarted at Golgotha. Even death, which is the god of all gods, could not rebuke him.
Don’t you understand? He was a slave, and yet he set the world free. The heavenly princes: Zeus, Poseidon, even Tiamat have been surpassed by he who has already gone forth into darkness and banished it, is going forth, and will go forth because he is not the god of love. He is the God who is love.
@@mike-0451So hypocritical that you call them cringe for their faith but then say this
@@phantom0-9please tell me what exactly is hypocritical. At first at I called his comment cringe because I assumed he was a quirky magical boy who “doesn’t fit in, with the other kids, mom!” But then I considered that perhaps he was really serious and actually committed to the metaphysical claims of paganism (all of which are identical at their core: the cosmos as a closed system of death, appearing only as it disappears, only as it hides itself, never showing itself to beings properly, perpetually hidden by necessity in order to appear; or only as it kills itself, rending its own flesh, tearing itself into pieces-a writhing mass of original, absolute contrariety (as opposed to absolute identity, though both are devoid of any legibility, both are not simply incomprehensible, but literally unknowable), in which all things are gathered in their virtual opposition, diverging endlessly without concord (and so without presence), illuding the sensation of time and present only as these difference collide and rebound; or the world as it is is only the contradiction of nothing, the dreams of Brahman, who wears the veil of Maya, who dreams of what he is, thinks of rocks and trees and rock and water and cellular life and mammals and packs and tribes and empires and the Roman Empire and the taste of coffee and the second Roman Empire and the fall of the Roman empire and the fall and the fall and the fall and the fall and the fall and the fall… never finally concluding terms, never naming himself: for indeed, being cannot be named from beings, only glimpses at the limit of the world’s ability to appear in order, at the limit of reason and imagination to comprehend the mere fact of existence. Either way, the power of death is final not simply as the victor of a conflict between life and death, but as the word which gives the world it’s being; death is not the end of life, but its inner secret. The appearance of the world was already the loss of innocence, already a fall from grace, and our desire for autochthony already a nostalgia for an infinity that never was, or was always impossible. In any case, being itself is never present in history, nor is it identical with the Good; that would, in the pagan metaphysical tradition, be a contradiction of terms. The only possible ethic becomes the worship of violence, power, and its consummation in death; for this is the world in its very being: diremption, distance, exile, pain, death, derision, decline, caducity, change, chaos, strife, contradiction, death. Therefore credit is secured only through the language of being: death, which means sacrifice. What comes in must come in place of what came before; what is gained is gained by exchange, a closed economy. In short, Ouroboros. This means human sacrifice. This means war any war is just so long as it is for its own sake. All violence is inevitable and necessary. The weak must be culled. This means charity is evil, because it slanders the true name of being, which is reprisal.
If this is “faith”, then faith is sick.
@@mike-0451 Bro no fucking way you wrote all that, I ain’t reading that shit
Akatosh is so fucking badass that even without most of his power, his avatar killed a daedric prince, yes Dagon can't be killed, but still, dude is in a fucjing coma and decked Dagon.
Another fantastic video. Your channel has inspired me to run an Elder Scrolls tabletop. It's been among one of my all time favorite tabletop games.
This multiple personality/head-cannon theory is amazing! When I first started watching this, I expected Hellenisitic rip-off, but this is fresh and amazing! Keep it up hombre!
9:19 Is that a cheese wheel on a pedestal?!
This is soooo fascinating... ES might have the best lore in video game history.
I have read books in fantasy series that have quite detailed gods, but I have not seen this amount of detail put into game lore. This is why we need Fudgemuppet to help us understand it all. They literally grew up playing in this universe, these beings are as natural to them as breathing. ❤️💜💙.
It disturbs me that I know more about Elder Scrolls than real life history.
It’s so crazy you get to play ESO (because the lore is immense) and actually MEET the living gods a thousand years before their fall. Sitting high and mighty, arrogant even. Then you get to Skyrim and realize nerevar got his revenge.
Like go on ESO, head to vvardenfell. Speak with vivec in his massive temple while he’s floating above his bed with his body painted differently on two sides. Then go to his private chambers and look at the mass of pillows and meditation tools. Granted I still saved vivec because I felt it necessary and the lore is very interesting. But that quest pretty much foreshadowed the tribunal gods could be beaten. Unlike the other gods who can only be hurt.
You could have described the duality of the gods in so many ways but using DID as a framework just made it click. So good on you. Hope no one gets offended, though I wouldn’t know why.
Thousand of Aedra gods with thousands of personality that repeatedly changes. Goodness, The Daedra sure have it a lot easier.
Recently I've come across a mod on Nexus - I don't recall the name - that introduces ALL of these gods into Skyrim SE. At end of prologue, you get to select a patron God based on your race selection, each one requires certain behaviors to gain favor. Gaining favor increases a single passive bonus (Active Power). At 100% or higher favor you gain a special Lesser Power that costs you favor points. Yes, you can raise your favor over 100%.
For instance, I started an Orc who worships Trinimac.
I will post the mod name later, when I get home and can look it up.
You never did.
@@Alizudo
Quite so, thank you for the reminder.
Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim
by Enai Saion.
Wow this is why I always check my feed first thing when I get up thanks for an awesome video
Please, please, please do a video about Redguards - history, religion, anything. They seem so alien and distinct to the other men/mer, and I would love to know more about them. Thank you!
Some snippets from the farewell letter of Lawrence Schick, former loremaster of ESO:
"And these descriptions might vary, or even contradict each other, leaving it up to the players to decide what was and wasn’t true."
"Since all the stories of this world come from characters in the setting itself (...), you can decide that for yourself. And whatever that is, it’s as right as any other character’s beliefs, player or non-player, because your character lives in the same world they do.""The lore is Yours."I like how this beautifully dovetails with the last message of your video, about making headcanon officially canon. Perhaps one of the more unique properties of the TES universe compared to others.
Also, the concept of belief giving power to the deities and partially shaping the deity's portfolio and personality, isn't uncommon in fantasy universes, you find it for instance in the Forgotten Realms, where deities live or die on behalf of mortal belief.
An interesting video altogether, I just wish modern TES games were more concerned with this very elaborate and detailed backdrop of their own lore, and paid it more attention in their own games. Would make for more interesting and mature RPGs.
Exactly! The Forgotten Realms gods may well be the basis for the way the elder scrolls gods were created.
There he goes, making me stay up for longer than is humanly possibly.
I feel like people should look at actual religion this way. What u believe is made real by you believing in it
Nothing like getting some sleeps hearing calm music and stuff you are interested yet don't want to dig in too much.
My favorite thing in Elder Scrolls is that canonically the humans warped reality to remove the filthy elven influence from a god making it now canon as being only a human god.
If the divines are worshipped for long enough or by enough people, would they eventually regain the strength/power they previously had? Would they be able to rival the Daedric princes again?
Do we even know they gain strength from worship
They are already stronger than Daedra, people just misinterpret the lore. It's like if Mike Tyson had a very tiring workout, sure he'd be weaker and tired but he's still able to kick a random lazy schmo's ass, the lazy assholes being Daedra. Aedra outclass them hard, in fact, Akatosh kicked Molags Bal's ass in his own realm, a place where Molag Bal is supposed to be immortal and indestructible.
@@the_dropbear4392 yes we do. the more worship they receive, the more power they gain.
@@Albatross0913
Proof
@@MX3rules AKATOSH never kicked molags ass in his own realm.
And they are weaker, they gave away most of their power. This is directly stated in lore
While playing an Elder Scrolls game the most significant aspect becomes bugs and the God of bugs Tod Howard. Because most of the time you will be trouble shooting or worrying about bugs in Tamriel.
Amazing video, it clears up and summarizes so much that is somewhat diffult to grasp while just playing the games- so thank you for that!
But what i wonder about is how this all then ties into the hists and Argonian theology/view of the cosmos and gods- i need to rewatch your other videos and dig into the subjet more myself, but it seems to me that their religious faith is more animistic/symbiotic and separate of the other religious structures while being integrated with lesser importance within the metaphysical structure of the faiths and world. Anyway i'd love to hear your take on the subject, i bet it would be quite interesting!
I had to stop playing video games for awhile cause I didn’t have a working laptop/pc to play on but now that I have one I’ve been diving back in HARD and I forgot how completely entranced I am with the Elder Scrolls.
I legitimately listened to this while at the Dentist, very good video
everything you just explained is written in the elder scrolls themselves, wich is why they''re so damn confusing
What about Stannis the God of Mannis?
And his shieldbrother, Davos lord of onions.
The gods of Bro and Broness.
Don't forgets Robert the bedder,god of euphoric hedonism and subtle depression
Ned, just Ned , God of honor and gondor
Oh wait
You forget the god Jorah God of Loyalty, Bears, and Creator of the Friendzone Survivor of Rufusal and Greyscale, and Lord of Servitude.
Someone remember when Bethesda was a well loved game creator and when they made cool, complex and coherent worlds for us to explore? I'm old.
Listening to this is like reading the Elder Scrolls without training and simultaneously reading the Black Books. It's very informative but will drive you mad trying to understand everything at once.
at some point when you were talking I thought, perception is reality. then you said it 10 minutes later. I absolutely love this video, you guys are amazing. thank you for all you do! ❤
Ive been hearing some audiobooks (mostly about god(s) and our ancestors) and i think you ll be an awesome book reader.
Also TES gods seems alit with our own "mythology" many civilizations have stories about the gods of the past, many names to the same gods (maia, egipt, sumerian, also chinese and indian gods are all about the same gods, with diferent interpretations)
What if, when Alduin finally fulfills his destiny... All of the Gods replace Nirn as Earth? And after they see what the Elf-kind tried to achieve, they left them out this time?
You miss the God who can slay others with ease, Talos.
Wonderful work.:) As long as the video is, you wasted not a word and it's amazing how concise yet encompassing you are. It's a great intro for anyone looking into the more detailed lore. Thank you!
So fantastical and mind boggling. Thanks for taking the time to compile this no idea how you did it.
So if I understand this correctly: the original Aedra, having given themselves up to become the Earthbones and having no agency of their own, became TEMPLATES which were subsequently evoked by the collective beliefs of mortals, resulting in numerous personality variations being imposed on the basic structure of the Aedra being worshipped.
Yes, that sounds about right
Ah the douchebag who uses big words to make himself sound smarter. Every video has one.