The godlike entities ofThe Elder Scrollsare among some of the most enigmatic deities found in gaming. Whether it be the Daedric Princes or the Aedric Divines, the franchise has just about everything. With that said, some may have noted a peculiar trend found throughout most of the games of the franchise.
ThroughoutThe Elder Scrolls, players have found themselves mostly ever interacting with the Daedric Princes when it comes to higher deities. Rarely do players ever interact with the Divines. The reasoning for this may be deeper than some may currently believe.
RELATED:The Elder Scrolls’ Lorkhan May Still Be Alive
The Current State of The Elder Scrolls’ Divines
To get a full picture, it is important to understand what roleThe Elder Scrolls' Divinesplayed during the creation of Nirn. Aside from cultural biases, Aedric Divines and Daedric Princes actually don’t have much that really differentiates them. The only notable difference between them is that the Divines took part in the creation of Nirn, while the Daedric Princes did not. For that reason, the Divines are venerated by the mortal races of Nirn. The Daedric Princes chose to create worlds inside themselves, hence the realms of Oblivion. However, they prefer to interact with mortals because they find them interesting, unlike the Daedric beings they create.
The Divines do happen to interact with mortals, though on much rarer occasions. For example, inThe Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, the player meets several avatars of the Divines, such as Jon Hawker, the avatar of Zenithar, and Ama Nin, the avatar of Mara. The end ofThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s main storyline has Akatosh’s own avatar come into existence to defeat the physical manifestation of Mehrunes Dagon. However, these were all avatars, not the Divines themselves. This highlights akey fact aboutThe Elder Scrolls' Divinesthat some may not know.
Because of the Missing God, Lorkhan’s trickery, the Divines put too much of their own power into the creation of Nirn. They had not simply exerted themselves, but essentially inserted part of themselves into Nirn. While they were active for a short amount of time after its creation, such as when theykilledThe Elder Scrolls' Lorkhanfor his treachery, they would go into a state of dormancy afterward. It’s not that the Divines are dead, it’s that they are unable to interact with the world due to a lack of power. However, they still have enough power to manifest mortal avatars of themselves to mortals as they see fit.
The Elder Scrolls' Daedric Princesare very much prevalent throughout the world, having been responsible for many disasters. The Divines on the other hand, rarely if ever interact with the world as a means of saving it. For that reason, it is all the more fitting that they are considering the benevolent gods of the world, as they are figures of guidance, rather than ones that assist the mortal races. In that sense, Daedric Princes represent the temptations that could lead mortals astray from reaching their respective afterlives. However, this perspective is more so from a race of man’s point of view, as many other religions inThe Elder Scrollsare a bit more nuanced.
With all of that being said, it is likely that players won’t be seeing any ofThe Elder Scrolls' Aedric Divines taking part in any major storylines anytime soon. And while they’re all taking their naps that span thousands of years,Daedric Princes remain antagonists inThe Elder Scrollsgames, something that’s likely easier to achieve thanks to their more physical presence on Nirn.
MORE:The Elder Scrolls' Dwemer Are The Equivalent of a Legend of Zelda Race
