The Elder Scrolls
is an expansive video game franchise that includes both standalone and online titles, and the lore includes a number of unique and powerful deities. In the lore of Tamriel, these gods are referred to as Daedric Princes, and they aren’t exactly benevolent higher powers.
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Most of the Daedric Princes are malevolent, planning and causing the suffering of humans — or toying with them in sadistic and supernatural ways. Some are evil in what they want and how they get it, while others are sinister and dangerous based on their nature. If a player meets them during their adventures in Daggerfall, Oblivion, Skyrim, or Elder Scrolls Online, it’s because they want something, and there’s no point in trying to run.
7
Namira
Ruler Of All Things Repulsive
- Plane Of Oblivion: The Scuttling Void
Perhaps it’s not fair to judge the Mistress of Decay based on her love of all that crawls and creeps through the ground. On the other hand, she takes such joy in the revulsion that her aesthetic inspires, so there’s definitely a sadistic side to this Daedric Prince.
Any quests or contact with Namira means dealing with her spirit animals, which include slugs, beetles, worms, and her human adherents, who are often cannibals who live in tombs and ruins. She appears as early as The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
and is present in modern games like Skyrim
and The Elder Scrolls Online
.
6
Peryite
The Prince Of Pestilence
- Plane Of Oblivion: Peryite’s Pits
Peryite is considered to be a pale shadow of a much more impressive god, Akatosh, which is why his followers often picture him as a dragon. His plane of Oblivion is inaccessible to humans, or at least it has been so far, and those who have tried to find him often end up trapped in the Deadlands, the home of a much more powerful and dangerous Daedric Prince, Mehrunes Dagon.
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Peryite has a similar following to Namira, but he’s the god of pestilence specifically, so that means if the community is stricken by disease, plagues, or locusts, any of them could be attributed to this weak but evil Daedric Prince. A positive aspect of Peyrite is his adherence to order, despite his malevolent techniques, which his followers often cite as a reason for their worship.
5
Vaermina
Dreams, Nightmares, And Dark Omens
- Plane Of Oblivion: Quagmire, aka The Dreamstride
The quests involving Vaermina usually focus on dreams and nightmares, but she’s also a powerful symbol of magical power and knows how to cure conditions like vampirism and lycanthropy. Her Plane of Oblivion is constantly shifting, mimicking the unstable nature of dreams, memories, madness, and the turmoil of psychological horror.
Vaermina has a reputation for being terrifying in person, so much so that those who have seen her never fear anything ever again, but it’s hard to say if this is true courage or a symptom of madness. She is often pictured in a robe with a staff, a reference to her connection with the arcane god Magnus, and players can interact with her in Oblivion, Skyrim, and ESO.
4
Mephala
Creator Of Plots And Sower Of Discord
- Plane Of Oblivion: The Spiral Skein
Mephala’s appearance as a half-spider, half-human is a reference to the tangled webs she weaves when interacting with humans throughout Nirn and Tamriel. She is one of the three gods in the Dunmer Triumvirate and frequently interacts with humans to foil their plans or destroy their relationships.
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Maphala has a number of dedicated minions in Tamriel, such as the Morag Tong, an assassins’ guild in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
, and the Dark Brotherhood sometimes attributes the Voice of the Night Mother to her dark and tangled presence. Her personal guard is a legion of arachnids called the Spider Daedra.
3
Boethiah
Conspiracy, Treason, Secrecy, And The Violent Overthrow Of Authority
- Plane Of Oblivion: Attribution’s Share
Anytime that mortals are suffering due to some kind of violence, Boethiah is there to enjoy the show — and participate if she can. The most outwardly aggressive and deadly of the Daedric Princes, Boethiah revels in her sadism and holds a place with the Dunmer’s Three God Daedra with Mephala and Azura.
Although often referred to by a female pronoun, Boethiah appears as both male and female and doesn’t seem to have a set preference, as if this is a symbol of her total lack of empathy. This god is often cited as the most evil in Tamriel because she’s so overtly destructive, starting almost every war in history and holding tournaments that include fighting to the death for her own amusement.
2
Mehrunes Dagon
Destruction, Upheaval, Ambition
- Plane Of Oblivion: The Deadlands
When the developers of a game that takes place in Tamriel need an antagonist, they often turn to Mehrunes Dagon, the violent, ambitious, and aggressive. It’s not enough for him to meddle in human affairs as a hobby, like many of his peers — instead, he outright seeks to conquer all of Nirn and make it into his own personal Plane of Oblivion.
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The main plot of Morrowind is the story of one of Mehrunes Dagon’s attempts to invade the continent, and the Oblivion Crisis was also set in motion by yet another one of his plots to conquer Tamriel. He appears frequently in the ESO expansions as one of the main antagonists.
1
Molag Bal
Domination, Enslavement, A Collector Of Souls
- Plane Of Oblivion: Coldharbour
This Daedric Prince is also known as the King of Strife, the Lord of Lies, and the Harvestor of Souls, and his reputation as one of the greatest villains of Tamriel lives on in ESO after his terrifying appearances in the older stand-alone games. Any player who wasn’t already familiar with Molag Bal got a perfect introduction to him in Skyrim, specifically the haunted house quest in Markath that leads to one of his most notorious artifacts, the Mace of Molag Bal.
Molag Bal is similar to Mehrunes Dagon in the sense that he’s always trying to conquer Tamriel and make it part of his own Plane of Oblivion, but his methods are slightly different. He captures the souls of humans and uses his power to try and merge Coldharbour with Nirn. He is the arch-enemy of Boethiah and one of the Four Corners of the House of Troubles, a group of gods that use violence, evil, and strife to get what they want.
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