I'm planning a new character for Skyrim (a Nord whose patron god is Kynareth) and for his backstory I'd like to know everything there is to know about the Kynaran Order. Especially where they're based. I checked both the Imperial Library and UESP, but didn't find a lot.

I too play a Nord devoted primarily to his mother Kyne. I think the main thing you gotta do is respect nature, don't go shooting birds and murdering giants all day. Pray primarily at shrines of Kynareth, wear an amulet of Kynareth or Kyne's token. Probably don't become a werewolf.

First off, are you worshiping the Imperial hippy chick goddess, Kynareth, or are you worshiping the War-Wife of Shor, whose breath is the wind, and bestowed the gift of Thu'um to the nords, Kyne? There is a difference, mind you.

There is no big difference. In game, we have Froki an old Nord devotee of Kyne who's very nature loving and eschews "hunting" for the sake of butchery. It's more of a native american take on hunting. On a word wall for Kyne's Peace, we have an ancient Nord inscription that says: "Here lies (the) body of Hela,
friend to all beasts, servant of Kyne. May she find rest in the Forest of Dreams."

Then we have the hippy Greybeards.


I think this idea that Kyne is just some thundering warrior goddess is just one sect of Nords who are too stupid to glorify anything else. Just like people do with real religions. Make their gods into petty beings, like themselves.

Not quite sure how its petty mate. I mean, 'lol nature goddess' isn't exactly spewing originality in of itself. Hell, even in Varieties of Faith itself, Kynareth is still heavily associated with the sky.

It's petty because their gods (at this point) merely take on a bunch of combative qualities. Nothing wrong with combat in itself, but it appears that it's mostly what they care about. They've reduced themselves to just a warrior like, honor based culture. When there are more strains in their history that point to more than that. Their lack of Jhunal is another sign. They've lost a connection to logic. The way they champion Ysgramor is another sign - he's just a guy who came in the Return and killed a bunch of Elves. But the actual Ysgramor sounds more complex - he was scholarly and cultured enough to develop a writing language for his people. Nords themselves don't talk about that. And the same kind of oversimplification has happened to Kyne, I think.

edit: It's a bit like the Klingons in Star Trek. They oversimplify themselves as well, but there's much more to them in their past.

Actually, my question was about the Kynaran Order, not the goddess. I'm assuming they're in Daggerfall; other than that all I know about them is a short description I found at UESP. Most of all I want to know where their order is based.

They were always like that mate. Hell, they were even more gung ho about this sort of thing post return. Half of them weren't even willing to aid Wulfharth just because they had to work with the Orcs and Chimer prior to their assault of Red Mountain. I mean, you honestly think they practiced magic for the pursuit and love of knowledge?

I have a hard time personifying The Eight so I usually just look at them as stand in gods for the corresponding gods of other cultures. If I'm playing a Nord and I pray at a shrine of Kynareth I'm praying to Kyne, if I'm a Bosmer it's Y'ffre, Imperial and it's just Kynareth. It makes it easier to RP that way.

I think Nords back then were settled in their stupidity already. I think we'd have go back to the Merethic age to find what the Atmoran form of their gods was. Even by Alessian times, Pelinal spit at the Nords for "profaning Shor's name". He didn't want to even hear them reference it or associate himself with how they viewed things (of course, he was easily pissed off by anything it seems). It's said the only person he tolerated when it came to "gods" was Alessia. So at that point, you're already having a guy like him looking elsewhere.

Link, I'd suggest that the HQ of the Kynaran Order would be the Imperial City in Cyrodiil, which is the origin and focal point for the Imperial Cult. We really don't know much about those religious orders present in Daggerfall, however, because all eight were combined into a single church: The Imperial Cult in Morrowind, later known as the Nine Divines in Oblivion and the Eight Divines in Skyrim.