A Pilgrim's Guide to Skyrim
The land of Skyrim is home to a vast array of religions, shrines, temples, and cults to gods and heroes of all sorts. The dominant faith, of course, is the faith of the Empire’s Nine Divines. Of all the Divines, the Nords hold a special place in their heart for Talos, the Hero-God of Mankind. The people of Skyrim also have a special reverence for Kynareth, Mara, and Dibella, who are sometimes referred to as the Hearth Gods. Many of Skyrim’s cities hold temples to these gods, and the landscape is dotted with shrines dedicated to their worship.Although the Nine Divines are the favored deities of Skyrim today, this has not always been the case. Pilgrims who travel Skyrim sometimes find sites dedicated to the gods of long-lost civilizations. Along the northern coast of Skyrim sits the ruins of a Falmer temple dedicated to the god Auriel. And the border between Cyrodiil and Skyrim still holds the occasional Ayleid shrine to gods such as Syrabane or Magnus.
The Dark Elves exert a surprisingly large influence on the religions of Skyrim. The great Shrine to Azura, constructed in the years after the eruption of Red Mountain, can be seen from Winterhold to Windhelm. Refuges erected many other, smaller shrines to the Reclamations of the New Temple, the Daedric Princes Azura, Mephala, and Boetheia, at various places along their path as they travelled from Morrowind to Skyrim. They also brought other gods with them, the Daedric Princes they refer to as the Four Corners of the House of Troubles. Although the Dunmer believe these Bad Daedra exist purely to test the faith and resolve of mortals, there are of course some who worship them in secret. With my own eyes I have witnessed strange rituals performed in service to the Dark Warrior, Boethiah, in the mountains to the east of Windhelm.
Other Daedric cults have surfaced in Skyrim from time to time. Travellers from Falkreath often bring with them rumors of a White Stag, an aspect of Hircine who appears before worthy hunters and welcomes them to the chase. The hags of the Glenmoril Coven also revere Hircine, as do many of the Reachman in the hills surrounding Markarth. There is a great shrine to Meridia, the Lady of Infinite Energies, that can be seen from Solitude's walls, and many travelling knights have gone in search of her blessing there. And finally, there are persistent rumors that students from the College of Winterhold worship Hermaeus Mora, the Prince of Knowledge, in a secret sanctuary in the ice flows of the Sea of Ghosts. Whether these rumors are true cannot be ascertained at this time.
Postscript - Unfortunately, this book was published before the White-Gold Concordat, and thus reflects some of the backwards practices of the time. Like all good citizens of the Empire, the people of Skyrim have happily accepted the Eight Divines and no longer worship Talos.
-- L.V.
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