My GF posed this question to me the other day, knowing that I invest alot of enthusiasm into the lore of TES. Regrettably, I couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer. I have a difficult time thinking of creatures like Grummites or Baliwogs as Daedra. Hunger, sure, as they've been presented as such before. Other creatures, like Flesh Atronachs and Shambles, confuse me as well. They could be easily labeled a Daedra by name alone, but aren't they man-made constructs as opposed to manifestations of elemental energy, like Frost, Fire, or Storm Atronachs? Are Daedra bound to these constructs to make them animate?

So, are they Daedra like Scamps and Clanfears are Daedra? Or are they something else entirely? Nothing is really as it seems in Sheogorath's Madhouse...

If you're in a Daedras sphere it's most likely a Daedric creature or plant in a way even if it may look like something mundane.

What I mean is as you say nothing is really sure in their spheres.
But Scamps, Clanfears and such creatures are Daedras indeed.

Atronachs are Daedra as well.

Daedra does not mean monster, daedra isn't even limited to a daedric prince (think of the Xivilai and atronachs who are essentially free-roaming) the best classification for a daedra is something which is first and foremost immortal, they can come back after death. Second, and this has its exceptions, they will probably have an individual attachment to one or more planes in the realm of Oblivion. Therefore anything in the shivering isles, which can come back after death, can be considered a daedra. The baliwog and such have been shown as breeding creatures however, I do not think that daedra breed, so I don't think they are actual daedra, in the technical sense.

Daedra are also not native to Nirn and Mundus.

This is a very interesting point, relating to one of the Isles' creatures that I feel is quite "mundane". Daedra are immortal, and enter a continuous cycle of rebirth whenever they are banished. Grummites (and by possible association Baliwogs and Scalons) must reproduce, and are therefore not "immortal" in the same sense that a Dremora would be. Did Sheogorath create such a creature simply to be "maddening", or is the Grummite Daedris by very nature of it being created by Sheogorath? Did Sheogorath even create them, or did they simply "occur"?

I wonder if mundane life can spring forth from a Daedric environment, like life emerging on a volcanic, primordial Earth...sure, there are many realms which couldn't support life, like the realm of Malacath. But the Isles seem to be fairly verdant. It stands to reason that things could simply "spring forth", given enough time and an environment that promotes their growth.

Imported from Thras or Akavir?

Why not? If people can enter from Nirn, so could creatures.

That is true, for all the lore available to us, as long as there is one area still shrouded in mystery, that will always be a possibility. With places like Akavir remaining secret, a definite answer can't really be obtained.

It's perhaps worth mentioning that alot of NPCs in the Shivering Isles speculate on the Grummites being the "first" inhabitants of the Isles. This could indeed be supported by all the ruined architecture and statuary they congregate around. What could this mean? Could the Grummites predate even Sheogorath himself?

This lends itself to another argument entirely, one that had a major role in the Isles. Namely, did Sheogorath create the Shivering Isles, or did he just discover it and claim dominion there?

If you decentralize the universe from Nirn, (in other words, completely accept Mankar Cameron's supposition that Mundus is another Daedric Realm) then there opens the possibility of more Nirn-like realms with other mortals and such like Grummites.

Grummites do have some kind of intelligence. After all, it seems like they constructed some of the temples on the Isles. And even if not, they still constructed statues of themselves and worship them. Of course, this then suggests that the Grummites were more intelligent, but have since descended.

I think it's fair to say that the Grummites never had the necessary tools to manipulate stone structures like Xedefen - personally, I think the Grummites limited themselves to the root channels (where their camps can often be found) and the marshes. I believe the stone monuments were constructed by the first human/meric inhabitants of the isles, who may have worshipped the local fauna as divine (when they probably weren't). Of course, I base this on absolutely nothing. It's just personal speculation.

Though Mankar Camoran's theories were ultimately flawed, I suspect he's right about the differences between Oblivion and Mundus being fewer than most people think.

All the temples in the Isles are of manish/merish origin, the grummites just take them over. They do however build those totem poles and have some sort of religion, so they aren't entirely bestial. The http://www.imperial-library.info/bestiaries/bestiaryshiveringisles.shtml#Grummite provides a bit more detail.

I actually really like TES_Ronin's theory that the Grummites were simply created to be maddening.

After all, they're not all that insane in and of themselves, but how better to push the limits of our own sanity than by creating something which we mere mortals would consider impossible? A mortal creature in an immortal realm.
Sheogorath (and by that I mean the devs) must be having a good laugh at us right now.

Here's something, perhaps the grummites are daedra that use reproduction to achieve the same effect the wellspring has for the golden saints/dark seducers?

Perhaps his madhouse still survives somewhere?

Well there are humans living in the Madhouse, who were born there, who obviously aren't Daedra.

I think some are, but a lot of the various creatures are just animals.

Yeah but they wouldn't have been 'created' like the grummites. I'm sure they would have been 'invited' or taken in and then had children etc

You mean the Dreamsleeve?

Perhaps Sheogorath detests mortal scholars (and TES lore buffs besides) and their incessant desire to understand everything. Perhaps, once in a while, he adds a chaotic, unpredictable element to his realm such as the apparently-mortal Grummites. Why else would he have invited so many mortal men/mer into his realm to begin with? Daedra are unchanging, immutable. Mortals, however...they never get boring. =)

About Oblivion not being native to Nirn/Mundus. Mundus contains Nirn. And Oblivion is a seperate realm of existence.

I think you're on to something there.

I too have the impression that he likes mortals more than daedra. I mean, look at how his daedric servants behave. The Golden Saints have clear contempt for mortals and the favor they hold with their lord, while the Dark Seducers, on the other hand, while still likely viewing themselves as superior, are more willing to swallow their pride for Sheogorath, as the mortals are in the Isles by his will.