Hi there,

I entered the TES universe in Oblivion, and later I bought a pack with Morrowind with a couple expansions, but to be honest, I found myself pretty lost, so I didn't last long (not because I didn't like it.. I was with some other games also, and couldn't give it the attention it deserved). Now I'm actively playing Skyrim (around 280 hours for now).

After all that happened in Oblivion, I was with the idea that the Daedra were the bad guys of the movie. So in Skyrim, as I started with a good-aligned character, I didn't want to know anything about them, and ignored quests that involved helping them.

Anyway, some of those quests came without warning, like the one on Solitude, where you get certain staff.

Yesterday, (SPOILERS incoming), I completed the quest about Sam and the drinking contest. I suspected about a Daedra involved when a big orb opened... but Sam could also be a powerful mage (the fortress was full of mages) so I entered it. I confirmed it was a Daedric quest when I found myself in that misty place with that strange music. He gave me a staff, and let me go.

Now, to the reason of this post. To my question. Are the Daedra really that bad, evil? Or are some of them.. lets say, not-so-bad?. This last guy was even funny with that drunk-voice, and all that people around drinking and eating. I wouldn't mind joining them and have some good mead and meat.

This morning while I was getting ready for work, I was thinking... Could it be that the Daedras are the "gods of Sins", while the others are the "gods of good things"?

Could someone clarify this a bit?

Thanks for your time.


PS: I plan on playing Morrowind some day. Even if I have the box I may pick it on Steam to get all the expansiones and updates. But unfortunatelly I won't do it until I'm done with Skyrim. Those are game to play fulltime.

The only one who can be accurately described as evil by human standards is Molag Bal. Nothing about him is good in any way.

No, I don't think you can call them evil. http://www.imperial-library.info/content/spirit-daedra gives a bit of an insight in how at least the lesser daedra reason. Sure, some of the princes cover subjects that are hard or even impossible to see as anything but evil, such as Dagon or Molag Bal, but then you also have the more ambiguous ones like Meridia. Purging of the undead seems nice and all, but she also bosses around the Aurorans, and those guys are [censored]s.
The Princes all represent ideas or concepts taken to their extremes. Any morality of these concepts is basically up to you to decide upon.

Also: Man, I envy you... having Morrowind unplayed ahead of you? You're in for a ride...

Pretty sure Mehrunes Dagon and Namira would be considered evil aswell. Vaermina too.

But in general no, the daedra are not all evil as such. They just see themselves as superior to mortal races.

They are not evil, atleast not by their own standards, Its never black or white... But always gray.
Judge their extremes with your standards and you'll see which are truly evil, for you atleast.

Thanks for the replies.

That's what I was starting to think... because in Skyrim I found myself several times agreeing a bit in some things with them. That's why I asked if they could be considered something like "gods of sins"... Sins are bad for some people, just because it's written somewhere, but for some other people, they are not so bad.

I don't like some of the Daedra I found, because they only deliver murder and death. Some others seemed just more.. normal, or that they just cared about them and their fun playing with the human toys in their own sandbox.

I was just confused because Oblivion was about the daedra, the oblivion itself, and all that "evil" around the world.

Daedra are just beings of change, while the Aedra are beings of creation.
A good example I like to think is if you have done the quest for Meridia, where you have to kill a Necromancer who has invaded her temple.
She's a Daedra, but not evil. She is also the Lord that the Spriggans serve apparently.

Just very anti-undead.

Ahhh, I believe the main antagonist in Oblivion was Mehrunes Dagon, Lord of Destruction and Ambition.
I don't remember much about the game to say what any sort of goal was or what exactly happened, I just know he is the Main Antagonist (probably).

It's all about perspective friend. Look up the description of each Daedric Prince, and decide if his "sphere" is evil. Dagon may be evil to Tamriel because he wanted to conquer it, but remember that all Dagon knows is Ambition and Destruction. During the Oblivion Crisis, the other Princes were probably laughing and making fun of him, saying "there goes that ambitious Dagon again!"

This has become a very popular question recently. But the obsession with good and evil, box-ticking pigeonholing the Daedra is getting tiring.

I disagree with classifying the Daedra in any way at all. In the same way we don't attribute morality to natural disasters, I don't think it helps to define the Daedra as such. After all, the entire supernatural strata of beings in TES are actually products of natural causes of the universe.

Natural disasters have no agency. They can't form contracts, accept summons, take revenge on puny mortals, play favorites, appoint champions, show emotion, reward worshippers, or punish treachery. Daedra can and do, and you can hardly blame someone for trying to attribute morality to an entity that looks like it has agency.

Sure, doing so would get dangerous very quickly in-universe, and expecting a Prince to act contrary its sphere, to act against itself, is a bit silly. But Bethesda's portrayal of Daedraic motivation hasn't exactly made the reality clear.

Like it has been stated before, it is all perspective. It is true in this game as well as real life.

I honestly believe that any Daedra can be concieved as "good". Take Molag Bal for instance, he seems like a pretty "bad" guy right? What if we ask a person who enjoys the act of domination or the enslavement of souls? That person wouldn't say he is "evil".

Another example, we will switch it up. Ask a necromancer what he/she thinks of Arkay. I gurantee you it has something to do with their dislike for his demand of keeping the dead, well dead.

All depends on who you ask in the end. Like another poster above me stated, don't let yourself be pidgeonholed into one viewpoint.

Praise be Molag Bal

I thought Arkay was a god/Aedra, but nervermind.

What makes the Elder Scrolls standing out of the generic fantasy universes is partly due to these god-like and weird beings that the daedra lords are. If you take time to read some books in game, you should learn a lot more about them, who's considered evil, who's not. Even some loading screens tips will tip you about it. They are generally considered to be rather evil mostly because they ask you to do some evil things such as luring people to their death, helping them to torture enemy, participating in some kind of man-hunt,... In Oblivion, they were obviously seen as a kind of rather original demons because it was Mehrunes Dagon, Lord of Change, Revolution, Ambition and Destruction that in hindsight actually managed quite well to live up to its reputation, even if it wasn't able to take Nirn for itself.
But sometimes, they ask you to deal with evil people anyway. Or other time, you'll see them dispose of their previous servants without any kind of remorse. If you like powerful artefacts, making their quests is often a good way to get a few of them.

There is no straight or simple answer to your question. That makes the Elder Scrolls lore the more interesting.

Like said, even the one most would consider evil, can be good. Pretty much everyone will see Dagon as evil, for his attempt to invade Nirn. Yet his other side, Ambition... Is it evil to have ambitions? I for one will always applaud people who have ambitions and the will to pursue them.

Molag Bal may also be considered the god of religious and ideological conversion and winning arguments. After all, changing peoples minds is a form of corruption.

Or purification.

That's the book. Mortals are like ants; could step on a few while traipsing through a meadow, but it isn't going to bother any Prince (unless its another daedra's worshipper--then it's like smashing someone's ant farm). Perspective is funny like that; no one notices the Hero until he's on you like a fire-ant.

Extremes indeed. Some call him Madness, but Sheogorath invented music. Granted, he did so after murdering a travelling dame and using her goldilocks as guitarstrings, her skull as a drum.

DEMESNE NAME SERVER FOUND...

PRISM-ALIGNED, PINGING....

WRAITH-TRENDIL ACCEPTED, PLEASE ENTER NYMIC NOW.

????????

THANK YOU. MEMOSPORE UPLOADED, INITIATING PLAYBACK...

"Fine Regards And Pleasant Swimming, Surface Dwellers, I am called [translation error 1008: insufficent syllabary], Elucidator of Adanomy at the Royal Underwater University of the Ghost Reef, Abecean Campus.

In response to your query on Daedric meta?thology, I have enclosed within this spore the results of a recent comprehensive survey of the powers of the void that I and m'collagues conducted with gracious assistance of the Royal Cephalomeric Oblivioneering Guild.

Enjoy it in as a gift of friendship from my culture to yours."

Mehrunes The Dagon: Inveterate fiend and a poor host, to wit.

Molag Bal: The most loathsome, vile, and voraciously rude entity I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. Evade and avoid.

Azura: Venial, proud, but otherwise gracious.

Meridia: A tad overzealous, to say the least.

Nocturnal: Too obscure even for speculation.

Boethiah: Largely benign to the modest.

Mephala: Dreadful nuisance. Avoid, if possible.

Peryite: Wholly benign, terrible conversationalist.

Sanguine: Immodest and immoderate, though largely harmless.

Vaermina: First-order Sadist. Caution would be advised, would it make a difference.

Namira: Unpleasant, though comfortable remaining undisturbed under her rock.

Clavicus Vile: Nefarious, but undone by the prudent.

Hircine: Benign to those who-dare-not.

Malacath: Savage and petulant, but wrathful only to those who would abuse the ostracized with further sanction.

Hermaeus Mora: A profane creature. Take his promises with the salt of the sea.

Sheogorath: Beyond all patterns. Approach with extreme caution.

END PLAYBACK.