Is Arden-Sul just a way to convey in-game foreshadowing of the rituals of the Maniacs and the Demented, or is there more to him? Since the Isles recycle themselves each era, we're lead to believe that Arden-Sul might be the very first Duke of Mania, Dementia, or perhaps both. But keeping with the theme of recycling souls and identities and time, could Arden-Sul be our player character? Probably not, since "Sul" seems to be a Dunmer surname. However, the Zealots believe that Sheogorath is a living god and that Arden-Sul is Sheogorath in mortal form. Since you(I) are(am) also Sheogorath, does that not mean that we are also Arden-Sul? Only if the Zealots are right, I suppose. If the Heretics are right, we're just a dirty imposter. Which we are. Hmm...

Is there any more information on this enigmatic character?

I think that Jyg realized that it was pointless. He knew that he'd barely have the time to destroy everything that he'd become Sheogorath once more before being able to rebuild the Realm as Jyggalag wants it to be.

Both Sheogorath and Jyggalag want to break this cycle. Sheogorath to protect the Realm as it is, Jyggalag to be freed from the curse. Sheogorath's gambit helped Jyggalag understand that to break the cycle, he had to no longer behave as he did every time. So what was the thing he did every time and thus should refrain from doing this time? Retaking over the Shivering Isles.

So, he renounced them. He abandoned them. He's giving you all his madness and all the part of him that is Sheogorath, and will stay away, far away, from the Isles in the future.

But he still kept much of his power. And he's a Daedric Prince. What is he going to do in the void of Oblivion? Why, create a new Realm of Order, of course. One that will be untainted by the history of madness of the Isles.
Now this is but one way of looking at it. Another way is that the cycle is not broken and that Sheogorath was lying, knowingly or unknowingly, when he was saying that such or such thing never happened before. I refer you to Arden-Sul, Agnon, and the myths of the Heretics and Zealots about how Sheogorath is a mortal usurper... Since the Realm is the Prince, what if Jyggalag going in the void simply means that he dissolves and reform as the Shivering Isles? And as such, slowly reemerge as Sheogorath as he melds with and takes over Sheogorath's previous mortal champion?

It's simple, really, if you don't think about it.

Not much really. AFAIK it is generally accepted that Arden-Sul is the PC mantling Sheogorath, and thus is at the beggining, even if not. Of course I might be wrong. Note that if this is taken as more or less fact then there CAN NOT be more info on him. Even the fact that he's a he is already somewhat odd if you think about it. The dunmeri naming is also quite strange.

Maybe Arden-Sul was mad-god before Sheo/Jyg.
Maybe he was some sort of prophet to Sheogorath.
Maybe he is you.
Maybe he is Sheo/Jyg.

To my fellow TES fans re Sheogorath's Future,

Although this thread is about his future, let us speak for a moment about the Past of the Prince of Madness.

(Oh yeah, man...here we go. How's this idea for weird? -->)

Remember how the Vehk that was mortal didn't really happen once he became divine, instead becoming the deity that had been there from the beginning? A Dragon Break, I believe it's called.

The Prince of Madness prior to SI was named Arden-Sul.

The PC becomes a Prince of Madness named Sheogorath....and BAM...Sheogorath has been the Prince of Madness from the beginning.

Just like the tatters of the "true tale" of the Tribunal still flitted around in Morrowind, so do the lost remnants of the old Prince peek out through the notion of the dead Arden-Sul. Since a Prince of Madness is both Mania and Dementia, there are two tales about this great guy.

Now, we all know that "Sheogorath" has been the Prince through all the Elder Scrolls games,...but do we (as the PC) simply remember it that way now?

Reminds me of when the Gray Fox says "I just told you my real name three times, but you don't remember it." ...

The in-game books Zealotry of Sheogorath and Heretical Thoughts allude to Sheogorath having a mortal aspect named Arden-Sul and being a flesh and blood mortal respectively. Look at it this way, and, mind you, this is just an off-the-wall thought that I had and wanted to share:

What occurred in SI was that the Prince of Madness, Arden-Sul chose you to become his champion and [so on and so forth]. Arden-Sul was the Madness persona to Jyggalag's Order. The PC comes along and completes the MQ of SI, thereby doing the mantelling and all that. What happens at the moment of mantelling is that, all of a sudden, no one remembers that "Arden-Sul" was the Daedric Prince...it is now you, Sheogorath, and always has been in this new timeline. The name "Arden-Sul" is not completely erased from memory, though. In fact, some people remember the old Prince as a Duke of Mania. Some remember him as a Duke of Dementia. Some, such as the Zealots, remember him as the mortal (because he's dead now) aspect of "Sheogorath" (the Prince from the beginning in their eyes). Others, such as the Heretics, remember you, the PC, slightly from the pre-mantelling days. Something subconscious perhaps that makes them think that you are NOT a true god, that you are a mortal driven mad from consorting with the Daedra, which, by the way, is exactly what happened to the PC.

Don't forget...."Good Gods come and go, but all Lords eventually fall. A God can wake up mortal." The Ravings of Fenroy

The four notions presented by the in-game books are:

Mortal
Mania Duke
Dementia Duke
God

They represent all the possible stages in SI. Reminiscent of the Daggerfall Dragon Breaks.

So complete is the Break that even you, the PC, remember the Prince of Madness as "Sheogorath", although you do remember being mortal.

This theory doesn't touch on the Sheo=Jygg problem though, just what happens/happened to the Prince of Madness.

Oh yeah, thanks for the kind words, Proweler.

One final thought. In the text of Ravings of Fenroy, the verse goes like this:

Just You wait and see
Good Gods come and go, but
All Lords eventually fall
A God can wake up mortal.

Notice that all the capital letters spell "JYGGALAG"? I don't believe that that is a coincidence.


___The Word Merchant of Julianos

Since you(I) are(am) also Sheogorath, does that not mean that we are also Arden-Sul? Only if the Zealots are right, I suppose. If the Heretics are right, we're just a dirty imposter. Which we are. Hmm...

Why are there native mortal creatures in a realm of Oblivion?