Summary
The Elder Scrollslore is far more complicated than what a casual playthrough would suggest. Even hundreds of hours invested inSkyrimwouldn’t scratch the surface of how strange and convoluted the lore inThe Elder Scrollsbecomes, particularly when it comes to its different deities. One aspect that nearly every player will at least hear about is the Void, a concept that is mentioned most commonly in the Dark Brotherhood questline, but is also mentioned as a curse by random NPCs.
At a glance, the Void is where Sithis, the god and Dread Father of the Dark Brotherhood resides. It’s the place where all souls who are murdered by the Dark Brotherhood are sent, and where Dark Brotherhood assassins go to serve Sithis for eternity once they die. The Void, like Sithis, is actually far more complicated and is closely connected toLorkhan, the trickster godwho created humans and Mundus, as well as the Daedra. While most in Tamriel fear Sithis and the Void, there are still some who worship him and wish to join him in death.
The Origin of Everything in The Elder Scrolls
The Void is a cosmic realm of nothingness and is believed to be where theplanes of Oblivion originate. The Void is kept apart from Mundus, the plane Tamriel resides in, by a place called the Land Between. The Void is the oldest of all the places and planes inThe Elder Scrolls, and even predates all the planes of Oblivion.
It’s from the Void that Sithis created Lorkhan, the Aedra, and the Daedra. It’s believed that he created Lorkhan specifically as a trickster so that Lorkhan would go on to create Mundus and mortals. Sithis, Lorkhan, and the Daedra have several connections inThe Elder Scrolls, particularly inThe Elder Scrolls Online, where the Dark Heart, believed to be a version of the Heart of Lorkhan, serves as a gateway to the Void and resides in the Reach. TheDaedric Prince Namira took control of the Dark Heart, while Lorkhan’s real Heart resided inside Red Mountain.
The power of the Void allowed the Dark Heart to transform and empower those who came into contact with it. TheNighthollow Clan of vampires used it to empower themselvesand could even use its power to free themselves from the need for blood. Ordinary mortals were twisted by it into Shades, while witches used it to become Voidmothers.
Worship of the Void Across Tamriel
Because of its dark associations, most inhabitants of Nirn reject any worship and associations with Sithis and the Void. However, there are still groups that hold Sithis in reverence, particularly groups who exist on the fringes of society and who don’t worship the Nine Divines. Examples are the Argonians, who dedicate children who hatch under the sign of the Shadow to Sithis,the Dark Brotherhood, who worship Sithis, and some cults of vampires.
Some Daedra worshipers and Daedra scholars believe that the Night Mother from the Dark Brotherhood is a Daedra, likely Namira or Mephala. Because of Namira’s association with the Dark Heart in the Second Era, which led directly to the Void, and Mephala’s role as the Daedric Prince of Whispers and her nature in general, the associations are as good a guess as any, considering Sithis' associations with the Daedra.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
WHERE TO PLAY
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