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| “ | Let me show you the power of Talos Stormcrown, born of the North, where my breath is long winter. | „ |
| ~ Talos |
Talos, also known as Tiber Septim, is the god of governance, war, and the Hero-God of Man as well as one of the Nine Divines in the Elder Scrolls series. Despite being the god of war, he is herald rather than criticized since he is known for bringing them to an end and promoting just rule and civil society rather than causing chaos like Ares. His status as one of the Divines is debatable subject of conflict in Tamriel in the recent years.
Origins[]
One of the earliest solid titles of Talos is "Tiber Septim" , though he is said to have been "Talos of Atmora" before that as he is said to be one of the first Nords to come to the land of Tameriel from the lost fabled northern land of Atmora. The Third Era began when he establish the Third Empire in Tamirel under the Septim dynasty. He did not however found the royal family, even though common scuttlebutt says so, he did however turn the humans from different kingdoms into an empire. The founding of the Cyrodilic Empire of Humanity actually takes place many years before his time, with their first queen and slave liberator Alessia. Though free the Imperials still dealt with land theft and invaders, the elven kingdoms who still did not see them as a true empire since they were just slaves who had overthrown their masters, the Ayleids/Wild Elves. So it was Talos, who united Cyrodiil and the other human kingdoms, then went on many campaigns to found it as an empire, a peer to the other countries taking them for granted. Though originally of the northern continent of Skyrim, he marched southward to Cyrodiil, and when he did became a citizen. His Imperial name was "Tiber Septim" so there is much debate on if his name is truly "Talos" - his birth name (maybe) or "Tiber Septim" his legal name and one he used to make a name for himself. Saint Alessia had made a pact with the Divines sealed in crystalized Dragonsblood, said gem existed for years as "The Amulet of Kings" - royal jewel of the Septim bloodline; This would help legitimize Talos as Emperor after his many campaigns, as he was known to be among one of few individuals bestowed as Dragonborn by the priest atop High Hrothgar. As such, even if he was not a descendent of Alessia, he is still seen as of the same blood. Upon his death, it was commonly believed that he ascended as a god, and thus was made the Ninth Divine.
Contradictions[]
Talos/Tiber Septim is given credit for many deeds that scholars have linked to the Nord warrior king Ysmir, and also Zurin Arctus - the imperial battlemage. One theory is that all three, Tiber Septim, Ysmir Wulfharth and Zurin Arctus are Shezarrines - essentially different aspects of the same over-soul, avatars in a fashion. This is hotly debated, but is the only consistency that can be found between Talos's various feats and why some mirror or were said to be portrayed by others years later. If it is true, even the original Tiber Septim was but one aspect of the Divine now called "Talos".
Elven belief is that the gods were tricked into tying themselves down to creation by the human god, Lorkhan. That though, they had extended the life-span of creation, they did not prevent it, and that now, linked to it, they shall end too. Lorkhan was killed, some say by the other gods in a rage, some say by the elven paragons, some say by his own hand as an arcane sacrifice to tie the gods to creation. The 8 other Divines are the greatest of these gods tied to creation and celebrated as paragons of creation, but there were thousands of other gods, just ones who had not done as much and so did not get the worship to take shape as idols, some became the very forces of nature - gravity, light, warmth, these are called the Ehlnofey or "The Earth Bones" by the elves. Others needed to keep making concessions as their powers ebbed without worship - taking physical form, gaining names, manifesting as flesh and blood, marrying and procreating to keep their legacies alive; This is where the elven species believe they come from, that they are the descendants of the gods, that they are in essence semi-divine being, reduced to mortal status due to being shackled to creation.
Due to this creation myth by the elves, (In particular the eldest of the elven races, the Altmer/High Elves) the notion of a human rising to the level of god-hood and before them is absurd on a fundamental level and blasphemous. For years, Talos was seen by elves as a false god, or perhaps at most honorary title for his great deeds in life. However after elven society was taken over by a faction of radicals - The Thalmor, this became their official stance, and Talos is viewed as an outright heretical god. Due to political machinations and a war, the Thalmor have instituted a peace treaty with Cyrodiil, known as the White-Gold Concordat, one of the many concessions made was that Talos be legally acknowledged as a non-god.
The empire for many years kept this as it's official stance, but with the loophole that individuals could believe whatever they liked even if the empire took down all the state-sponsored temples to Talos. This all changed with the rise of Ulfric Stormcloak, who retook a hold for one of the Jarls (kings of Skyrim) on condition Talos be restored within it. Obviously the hold had no legal right to do so and tried to placate Ulfric another way, but he created a public embarrassment of the situation, one that got the attention of the Thalmor and forced the Empire to close their loop-hole and clamp down on Talos worship - they started with Ulfric and handed him over to the Thalmor for stirring up the whole ordeal. In the modern era Talos is no longer a God in Cyrodiil, though most Nords of Skyrim still worship him, as he is their native son. Even within the Empire, Talos is still seen as a great man and paragon, though most Imperials would rather view him as a god, they know doing so would result in his empire being besieged, and thus to maintain the legacy of Talos, they must forsake his worship. As the Empire was more important to him than his own name, and in life Talos was very pragmatic and shrewd of negotiation, the Imperials see honoring the treaty a bitter-pill but in essence doing so is honoring his spirit.
Many elves have speculated that Talos is Lorkhan reborn, for he mirrors Lorkhan's role to the gods, a heretical disruptor of the sacred in the name of "progress' and "stability. As Lorkhan is much more wildly liked by humans, for giving of himself and the gods to extend creation and for creating them, many humans take the insult with pride. It has been speculated that in-fact "Talos" - the over-soul, may just be Lorkhan reconstituted, and he is the true oversoul of Tiber Septim, Ysimir and Zurien Artus, though this is not confirmed yet in cannon.
Roles[]
In Morrowind, he makes a brief cameo under the avatar "Wulf".
In Oblivion, Talos is instrumental in the expansion Knights of the Nine. In the expansion, a long dead elven tyrant, Umaril the Unfeathered resurrects to re-conquer his territory - currently the entire landscape of the Imperial Province. Ghosts of the Knights of the Nine advise the Hero of Kvatch on how they beat Umaril last time, how to recover the nine-holy relics to do the same again. A prophet reveals a way to permanently destroy Umaril. Umaril was made immortal by Meridia - Daedric Prince of souls and light, normally a good entity, but seemed to owe Umaril for his worship of her when he began his crusade against the Divines and their followers. Meridia made Umaril unable to be permanently killed by mortals, Daedra or even the Eight Divines - binding his soul to the mortal world until it could regain it's strength and allow it to manifest a new body to inhabit after a few decades. The prophet points out that though this was done, it was done back when there were only eight divines, and so the existence of Talos as a ninth divine - side-steps Meridia's blessing upon Umaril. By praying to and invoking the power of all Nine Divines, with Talos as the final one, the Hero of Kvatch is able to slay Umaril's body and travel to the spirit world to sever Umaril's soul from the spirit plane, sending him into permanent death.
In Skyrim, after a major conflict dubbed The Great War, the Mede Empire signed a peace treaty with the Aldmeri Dominion, which had one controversial section that banned the Worship of Talos throughout Tamriel. In order to enforce the law, the Aldmeri Dominion's agents (the Thalmor) tracked down any worshippers and arrested them. Skyrim was most affected by this unfair law, and because of this, many rebelled against the Empire and formed the group known as the Stormcloaks under Ulfric, sparking the Skyrim Civil War. If they manage to claim victory, worship of Talos is restored to the province, as well as the province of Skyrim becoming it's own sovereign state.
Teachings[]
Talos was a warlord when alive and so he approves of the use of force. Talos was actually somewhat known for his blood-lust, but only towards evil creatures, he held no malice towards any innocents. Though often portrayed as an enemy of elves, Talos in-fact offered clemency to the elves he conquered, and his teachings emphasize that while enemies must be slain, one must put aside old hatred to enemies seeking mercy and parlay. Talos re-conquered Summerset, the homeland of the high elves, many times and put down their uprisings; He finally left them to their own rule once the high elves finally agreed not to attack the empire of men in Cyrodiil. As his first home on the continent was Skyrim, Talos is spoken of as the patron of Nords, though Imperials insist he is actually one of them. The general agreement is Talos was a Nord himself, but responsible for uniting the human slave-races. As Talos is the first and by most accounts, the only human to ascend to divine status, Talos worship considers acknowledgment of the Nine Divines essential to it's religious teachings. Though Talos worshipers acknowledge the existence of alternate god-like figures like the Magna-Ge, the Daedric Princes and Lorkhan, they view the Divines as the highest true gods. Belief in Talos and the Divines justifies the absence of their physical appearances despite their might as part of a compact with the Daedric Princes - that neither will physically manifest on Nirn. Because he used to be a general, established the Imperial Province and founded the Empire of Cyrodiil, Talos is highly associated with war, bust specifically in ending them.
Notes[]
- There is much debate on Talos's original name even among scholars.
- Like all the Divines, Talos is heavily Christian Saint inspired. Talos is most likened to the figure of Jesus Christ.
Gallery[]
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