» Fri Aug 03, 2012 2:57 am Author: Maria Suzanna, scholar
I have oft struggled to reconcile with myself the strange placement of Akatosh in the Imperial pantheon, as well as Shezarr's absence.Of particular concern is the relationship between Akatosh and the Amulet of KIngs. The book, "Trials of Saint Alessia" tells us that Akatosh tore out a handful of blood and sinew from his chest, and gave it to Alessia in the form of the Amulet of Kings. Obviously this is symbolic, as the Amulet's origin as an Ayleid soul gem is well documented, and yet even the symbolism seemed out of place, given that it has always been the mythological role of Lorkhan and his aspects to sacrifice his heart on behalf of creation. Adding to my confusion, the Amulet of Kings and the red diamond have traditionally been symbols associated with Shezarr: Pelinal Whitestrake, commonly held to have been an incarnation of Shor or Shezzar, took the red diamond for his emblem and, at least in legend, possessed a diamond-shaped hole where his heart should be.
It also seemed odd to me that Akatosh would favor the human slaves in the Alessian rebellion over their Auriel-worshipping Ayleid masters. What made Akatosh, an elven god, choose our ancestors, more aligned with Nordic belief systems than elven ones, in that bloody conflict? The priests of Akatosh hold that it was his wisdom and compassion that led him to action. But would compassion alone have inspired him to send a half-mad knight who indiscriminately butchered men, women, and children alike, solely on the basis of the shape of their ears? I think not. The moth priests are also silent on this matter, though whether that is due to the contents of the Elder Scrolls themselves or political pressure from the Elder Council, I cannot say. Therefore, we must wade into the murky quagmire of speculation in order to draw for ourselves a reasonable theory.
The answer, I think, lies in the uncertainty of the Middle Dawn and the Maruhkati Selective. What we know for certain is that they attempted to remove all elements of Auriel from Akatosh and create from that destruction a new god. We cannot say whether they succeeded, though the evidence appears to point toward the affirmative.
However, the Maruhkati Selective could not simply remove the aspect of Auriel from Akatosh. The result would be an abomination, a butchered bonewalker of a deity. How could such a being lead the Eight Divines, and who would want to worship it? Therefore, they had to draw from another source in order to replace those elements which were drawn from the Altmeri god. An Imperial god, who had always looked upon them with favor and would grant divine legitimacy to the rule of Cyrodiil. This god, I believe, was Shezarr. Consider it for a moment; what real difference is there between the god of endurance, invincibility, and everlasting legitimacy, and Shezarr, the spirit of all human undertaking? How else can a time god represent permanence and immortality in a world where the world is devoured every few eras and reborn, as the Nords and Redguards believe? The Dragonborn emperors of Cyrodiil are said to be blessed with the dragon's blood - what god has a closer symbolic link to blood and the heart than Shezarr?
Akatosh is Shezarr in scaled hide. He is still the dragon god of time, but has been given the will to manipulate its course in order to benefit man over mer, time and time again.
