I just would like to have a lore response to Kyne's view on killing animals, such as wolves, bears, saber cats and the like. I'm kind of conflicted on my own answer because on one hand, you have a shout like Kyne's Peace that soothes wild animals but on the other hand, you have a quest like Kyne's Sacred Trials, where you hunt "guardian animals" or some such.

She most likely looks down upon killing animals just for sport, which is exactly what Hircine's sphere is. Killing in self-defense and hunting for sustenance are natural.

Okay. Thanks for an answer. I ask because my latest Skyrim build is a "priest-warrior" (basically a paladin) of Kyne and so far I've been using Illusion to try and not kill animals and it doesn't work very well. But knowing that does make me feel better about killing them. Might even respec since I don't kill them for sport.

There actually is a interesting essay on Kyne on the interwebs found http://laurelanthalasa.tumblr.com/, but I'll quote the part that is relevant to the topic.

Well, according to Nordic tradition, Kyne is a warrior at heart, Warrior-Wife and widow to Shor to be specific. She is unlikely to be squeamish when it comes to violence and, like any red-blooded Nord lass, she'd probably see death in honourable combat as a good way to die, whether the dead be man, mer, moose or mammoth.

As you pointed out, Kyne's Sacred Trials has you tracking down and killing a variety of animal guardian spirits (presumably without eating their ectoplasmic meat or tanning their spectral hide!) and Froki Whetted-Blade states that, "Kyne teaches us to respect the beasts and blesses those who will face their champions.".

If he is to believed, I imagine that Kyne would not condemn hunting for sport. She might commend hunters who seek glory in killing great beasts. But, the hunter must respect the animal, likely give it a fighting chance and honour it with a swift death.

I don't think that Kyne would, as legend has it, be one of the first divines to agree to the creation of the Mundus and remain committed to birthing it, if she was opposed to the notion mortal beings killing each other.

We can't see the big picture. Maybe she's happy to see her creations die because it brings them closer to her in death or something? That or they maybe provide game for hunters in Sovngarde...

Agree about not seeing the big picture. Frankly, I think it's likely that many Nordic beliefs about Kyne are based on coincidence. "Cousin Yrlof didn't burn the remains of that Horker he skinned, and he got caught in an avalanche, so Kyne must be angry at him!" Whereas Kyne in fact represents the random brutality of nature.

However, that sort of nature superstition is exactly how Kyne is worshipped. If people stopped caring about natural order and did start hunting animals to extinction and demolishing forests to make room for a new suburb of Solitude, then Kyne would be angry - not out of vengence or the defense of nature, but out of self-defense. Kyne only exists because of a certain attitude towards the wilderness, and as soon as Nords lose sight of it then she's simply no longer relevant.

So in short, I think respect is the key to Kyne worship. Potentially her devotees can kill animals for whatever reason they like, so long as they don't lose sight of the fact that they as humans are no different from their meat. Big Hircine parallel there: sending Werewolves to remind the civilized folk that the Hunt is eternal looks a lot like Kyne destroying villages with storms or wild beasts in order to teach folks a lesson.

Kynareth, however, is kinda different, partially because Cyrodiils are either farmers or city slickers and so probably view themselves as separate from or above the natural world.

I dunno, that sounds a bit too much like Hircine's sphere, IMO. Hunting for glory is turning hunting into a game, a source of entertainment. That's entirely Hircine's sphere.

Hmm. I don't think battle-minded Nords and by extension their divines would be averse to seeking a thrill in mortal combat. Not all wars and quarrels on Tamriel are truly worth killing for, the Fourth Era civil war in Skyrim for example, yet Nords involved are happy to seek a bloody end in the hopes of securing a place in Sovngarde. It may not be the most savoury element of Tamrielic culture, but I think, for several Nords (and Kyne as a result), a bloody death in combat is desirable regardless of whether the cause they fight for is just, non-violence is optional or if there even is a reason to fight.

I'm not saying this means all Nords are homicidal maniacs (their culture would implode if that were the case), but I think many would relish in the opportunity to die in battle, just war or no, and I think they might see hunting for sport as honouring wild creatures because it gives them the opportunity to die gloriously, rather than whither away with disease or age.