So good people of this most honourable and wise center of Lore, I have heard the term "Shezarrine" before in these forums but I have never understood it... I searched "Shezarr" in UESP and found this about him:

Shezarr, god of Man:
Cyrodilic version of Lorkhan, a synthesis of Nordic Shor and Aldmeri Auriel. His importance suffered when Akatosh came to the fore of Nibenay religion. Shezarr was the spirit behind all human undertaking, especially against Aldmeri aggression. He is sometimes associated with the founding of the first Cyrodilic battlemages. In the present age of racial tolerance, Shezarr is all but forgotten. In 1E 266 the lost Shezarr, the missing sibling god of the Eight Divines, arrived at the White Gold Tower in the Imperial City and transformed the dying Alessia into the first of the Cyrodilic saints becoming the first gem in the Cyrodilic Amulet of Kings.
So, Shezarr is a sort of... Lorkhan? With another name?

But what does Shezarr got to do with the Shezarrine? Or is there nothing which connects them at all except the name?
I am a little confused...

The way I understand it, a Shezarrine is essentially an avatar or mortal incarnation or something like that of Shezarr, kind of like how the Nerevarine is supposed to be a reincarnation of Nerevar, I'm sure someone else will come in with a more detailed explanation, but I believe that's the basic idea.

The term seems to come up most often in the theory I sometimes see here that the Elder Scrolls protagonists are Shezarrines, where that theory comes from, I don't know, but someone who spends more time than me researching and speculating about imaginary worlds might be able to explain it.

Yeah, I thought it could be a reincarnation like the Nerevar/Nerevarine thing but still that doesnt really say much... It only seems odd, a reincarnation of Lorkhan (since it says that Shezarr is Lorkhan...?)? Or a reincarnation of some other god? Doesnt seem very likely in my opinion...

Mantling is explained by "walking like them until they walk like you," which is to say you do as they did to become them, in a way. You are still you, of course, which is why -ines tend to do a better job than the originals. For example:

Nerevar united the Ashlanders and House Dunmer, killed when attempting to ensure Heart is not used. Nerevarine united Ashlanders and Houses, then succeeded where Nerevar failed.

So it's not reincarnation as we understand it, which is why there can be "failed incarnates."

And a Shezzarine, being someone who mantled a god instead of a mortal, winds up being more of an avatar of the god in question than a reincarnation.

i still don't get it... Shezzarine is someone who is supposed to be a reincarnation of someone and mantles them but also mantles a god instead of a mortal and in doing so, winds up being both the reincarnation and the avatar of the god in question but more of an avatar of the god in question than a reincarnation?

if so... then i still don't see where from comes the the idea that all PCs are Shezzarines. i can see how that can be so for CoC, yes, and how one can get that idea. Nerevarine, on the other hand, was not mantling any god as far as i understand and neither did the PC of Arena and Daggerfall, as far as i understand. so i don't see how that applies to them.

I believe MK explained it this way: http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1064037-ine-what-does-it-mean/page__view__findpost__p__15459111 Which is to say, as that thread continues to explain, that is not so much to say that they are a reincarnation of that person/god, but that they are "from" or "of" that thing. So the Nerevarine would be "Of Nerevar". Another opinion is that it means "one who keeps guard over" or "an offshoot of". So, in essence, it strongly associates that person with the god, and in a Tes sense it applies to a basic reincarnation or mantling (though one may argue the finer points).



Indeed, mantling is a fancy way of achieving godhood, in which the mortal closely imitates what they are trying to become (in a sense). The "Walk like them until they walk like you" anology sums it up if you think about it. I think Talos was a mantling, wasn't it?

I'm not entirely sure that Shezzarine means a mantling of Shezzar, though I suppose it is possible. I always thought it was more of an avatar (mortal incarnation of said god) situation, whereareas Nerevarine was more into reincarnation.


So, anyway, a Shezzarine is one with strong ties to Shezzar (yes, it's basically the same thing as Lorkhan. Shezzar is just the Nedic (Cyrodillic) term for him), meaning that he is a champion of human-kind with certain divine powers. Pelinal, Talos, and many of the player characters do fit this bill (excluding the Nerevarine), though the PCs ambiguity prevents much certainty.


EDIT: Does Shezzarine have one z or two?

EDIT: Corrected

Shezzar is the Cyrodiilic Shor, less bloodthirsty to appease elves yet existent to appease men. He has been replaced by Talos, who is also a Cyrodiilic version of Lorkhan.

Lorkan is dead. However, Gods who die always come back in one piece. So the soul of Shor arrives on Nirn through mortal birth and acts as a final sub-gradient, when in fact he (and Aka) are the highest forms of life. ( Padomay, Anu, and AE don't really count as living) So his reincarnation is basically just a normal person with a really big soul. These reincarnations are Shezzarines. Known Shezzarines include; Pelinal Whitestrike, King Wulfhart (all four times), Zurin Arctus, Wulf, (probably) all the Hundings, (debated) The CoC, (more highly debated) all the Hero's.

More like Shezzar was forgotten, then Talos came along to serve as a replacement till Shor can make his grand re-entrance.

one and two r's

An 'ine' is an incarnate. A Nazarine is one who's taken an oath to be a Christ for his people. Christ-like in deed and word. Samson was born a Nazarine, but never told. In the same way, the pc is born a Nerevarine, but told much later in life. I believe that's what MK was saying there.

Then a Shezarrine is a Christ for his people. I don't know if it can be explained more clearly than that.

Both the Nerevarine and Shezarrine embody the Enantiomorph. Pattern?

Talos is speacial, in that he was the one to finally take the place of Shezarr, thus preserving the mortal plane. Without him, the current kalpa would eventually end. However, chief among the reasons he's exemplory, is he was born a mortal. Hjalti Early-Beard took the place of Shezarr, not by Divine Mandate - as the Temple of the Nine would so deceive you - but by courage to be selfish. No et'ada could emulate Shezarr better than Hjalti. No mortal ever followed the example of Alessia or Vivek better than he.

A long time ago, I saw a ruby playing with a child the size of a Shezzarine, abandoned. I was in Burma. My friends and I were working for the local Shezzarine, but in six months we never met anyone. Shezzarine.

Of corse you never met anyone; the Shezzarine had god's work to do.