I remember the temple in Markarth being comprised exclusively of females. Are only women permitted to maintain a chapel for Dibella? Is Dibella intended to be focused solely on women?


Also, it's obvious that, as an individual in the privacy of their home, one could do anything. My curiosity is related to society and its views in general.

I don't see why there wouldn't be Priests of Dibella. Love is universal, after all.

Actually, my interest in Dibella is the fact she seems to be a figure within the Forsworn pantheon, given the bloodsoaked idols seen in their encampments.

Indeed. You could imagine the stuff that they get up to.

In all seriousness though, I understand how "Beauty" can work into the Forsworn's belief system but these are the guys who factor in "Old Gods" like Hircine. It really gives Dibella a savage aspect, and really casts some doubt on the "goodness" of the Aedra.

Was it just the temple in Markarth then that didn't accept men?

She's also the goddess of music, art and beauty.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Rythe_Lythandas

It is especially odd considering the deals / reverence / whatever is going on with the Hagravens and the Forsworn. I suppose it is possible that the statuary was simply looted from raids because of its' value (you can find several in Riekling Caves as well), but it is an interesting idea. How does Dibella factor into the Breton pantheon in general?

one of the replacement priests in Anvils Chapel of Dibella back in oblivion's Knights of the Nine was male.. a Bosmer IIRC

I suppose you could find beauty in the grotesque, as opposed to focusing on the revulsion aspect that Narmira rolls with.

Dibella is one of those finicky gods we don't have a lot of information on regardless of the pantheon. There's a wonderful piece anolyzinghttp://laurelanthalasa.tumblr.com/post/91103958284/femininity-in-tamrielic-faith-part-3-nordic role in the Nordic pantheon (which personally, I think is a great interpretation of her), and...that's about the most we have. I expect the Bretonic Dibella is similar to the Imperial Cult (if not completely anologous), though Witch Cults and High Rock being what it is, something similar to what the Reachmen do isn't too surprising.

The lack of presence of men doesn't really mean anything. There's no men in Whiterun's Temple of Kynareth either, after all.

I thought about the pillaging element, but after finding Dibella's bloodsoaked iconography in multiple Forsworn camps, it strikes me she's part of the Forsworn's religious devotion.

Did you ever meet http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Acolyte_Jenssen? Anyway, at the temple in Markarth, they say "Unfortunately for you, we don't allow men/the uninitiated into the inner sanctum.". This is consistent with what they said in Morrowind about some Dibella cults beings devoted to women as well as art and "erotic instruction" as I recall. I think that Senna did suggest that they take students of either six, but I suppose they're not initiated and they're not allowed in the sanctum. That being said, I assume that the temples in Skyrim are autonomous. They don't appear to have anything to do with one another.

That could be said about just about all the Nine bar Akatosh and Talos. I like to think that Breton Dibella is an Imperialised, Nordic loan goddess, who syncretically covers over an obscure Nedic goddess with only superficial similarities.

I like the idea that the Reachmen worship duality of the deities. So they worship Dibella but at the same time worship the exact opposite of Dibella in order to keep it balanced, worship Kyne and worship the exact opposite of Kyne like Hircine. It's all about balance between what the gods teach, that's my theory on the Reachmen religion.

Oooh. I kind of like that idea. Like the Reachmen have amalgamed Aedra and Daedra. So Kyne/Hircine become one, and Dibella and Nameria become one.

Sounds cool!

Arya Stark's direwolf was named Nymeria.

Don't forget that the Forsworn also kidnapped the future http://uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:The_Heart_of_Dibella although if that happened by accident or not we do not know. The statue of Dibella there is also different from the Dibella statues found elsewhere

The Reachmen / Forsworn are very interesting. Are they meant to represent Paganism in the land?

One could always join the Order of the Lily to serve and protect the House of Dibella. The pay wasn't much but fringe benefits were most impressive or at least I never heard of a dissatisfied knight in the ranks.

Daggerfall certainly had a lot of guys in G-strings in the Dibella temples, and a lot of nvde women. it was inferred in daggerfall that the temple of dibella were big into orgies.

Considering that the Forsworn consort with hagravens, and that hagravens' existence seems to be predicated on loathing and profaning nature, and considering all the blood all over the Dibella shrine there, I doubt that Little Miss Sybil was brought there to be worshipped... Be glad that you got to her when you did.

Have we taken into consideration how worship may have morphed over time?

Also take into consideration that one single temple (in a different province than Cyrodiil altogether, don't forget) only officially accepting women ≠ men cannot worship Dibella. The Markarth temple only allowing priestesses doesn't mean there aren't priests in other temples, and it doesn't prevent non-priest and -priestess followers.

You make a valid point, they could all have Dibella statues just to desecrate them. To spite beauty and love with their profane magics