http://elderscrolls.com/skyrim/media/conceptart/shrine-talos/ is really interesting. For everyone who still has trouble grasping the Shor/Lorkhan/Lorkhaj/Shezzar/Reman/Talos/Sep(ish) is Alduin/Auri El/Alkosh/Akatosh/Satakal(ish) via their enantiomorphic relationship, the fact that cape of Shor turns into the tail of Alduin says everything.

The cape and tail aren't so important. Enantiomorph, it is. The figures' placement may be inspired by the Mexican coat of arms.

That's Shor? That's Alduin?

That cape is flowing into the snake-creature? I guess maybe. It could just be a misinterpretation due to perspective.

Why then is the picture titled "Shrine of Talos"?

Those are real questions. I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't know.

I'm very interested in these questions as well. When I first saw the picture I just thought "cool statue" and didn't think anything more of it. Skyrim will be the first TES game I've played where I've approached it with a lore-centric perspective from the start, instead of just dumbly playing for hundreds of hours before picking up on the lore details. I'm excited.

I'm not sure if the cape is really supposed to be flowing into the creature at the bottom, or if it's just the perspective creating that illusion. And in any case, I don't think there's anything to really indicate that the creature at the bottom is supposed to represent Alduin. I mean, I'm certainly not sure it doesn't, but that's not really what I'd imagine Alduin to look like.

Personally, it "just" looks like ol' Talos/Tiber stepping on some kind of snake/limbless wyrm, and is about to kill it (which would play into the idea of Tiber, being a Dragonborn, having hunted down and killed a great majority of the dragons in his time). I don't see anything to suggest a connection with Shor or Alduin. That it looks like the "cape of Shor turns into the tail of Alduin" is just the way the creature is positioned and the lack of outlines in the piece.

Right, the Emperor is depicted in statuary killing a serpentine monster. No symbolism there.

It could also symbolise an "out with the old, in with the new" mindset of the Empire: the replacement of the "old" regime (the Tsaesci potentates) in favour of the "new" (the Septim dynasty).

(Granted, there's a few years unaccounted for there, but it's the symbolism that's important: the Second Empire is being stepped on by the Third).

I like this idea. Even when Tiber Septim, Emperor Zero on anyone other hasn't been held responsible for end of Second Empire, which this statue would seem to suggest. Was there any known faction behind Assasination of 2nd Potentate? I recall it was some noble group, but i could be wrong. Could this be some event from Hjalti's/Tiber Septim's campaign against Nords or campaign with Nords?

To me it seems that Snake is just coiled under Talos. I don't get impression that cape and Snake would be one and another. Plus. There's no hole in chest of Talos. Something is there but it doesn't seem to be hole. So in that sense i don't get feeling of Lorkhan from that pic.

Yep, wouldn't want to put symbolism in our symbols.

:teehee:

well Talos is Shor mingled with some random dude they called Tiber. And what else would the snake be symbolic for? When the statue was carved it was aka rebelling against shor (which are really the same ideas), when Aka fought off Dagon, Shor became the rebel that he will be in Skyrim against the reigning king, Alduin.

Why is it Akatosh's cape? (Would understand Lorkhan's tail now that I read about it xD), Why does it symbolize him?
Wouldn't a bow or a shield be more appropriate for Akatosh?

I haven't noticed before how the cape is turning into the snake and it isn't probably intentional, but it's cool.

Bah, don't bog down my symbols with facts.

I was thinking less literal.

Can you ever forgive me?

In fact i initially put my "facts" in separate paragraph with idea to applaude your post and at same time, in separate paragraph, trying to present my own ideas without denying/question/supporting yours.



But i hit backspace couple times, and it resulted mess which seemed to ignore my initial idea.



So there.