What are the races' views on gods of other pantheons? Do they acknowledge their existence? Do mortals know that the Aedra are shaped by belief? Does each race believe that their version of the gods is the true one or are they aware that it is only the version they created?

Imperial scholars often seem to hold the opinion that the gods of each culture are all reflections of one thing. For instance, considering Alduin the Nordic equivalent of Akatosh.

I don't know what any of the other races/cultures that worship the similar gods think, though.

We just did this. Read the responses in this thread:

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1436045-of-gods-and-goddesses/

Completely different. That thread laid out the facts. This thread will lay out the in-universe perspective of those facts.

He isn't wondering which pantheon is real, he's wondering how the cultures of Tamriel regard one another's pantheons.

You're right. I should have paid more attention to OP.

As far as I can tell though, each culture seems to regard their own beliefs as objectively right and the beliefs of the other races as wrong. Except for maybe the Imperial Pantheon, which is a compromise of sorts. The Khajiit insist that there pantheon is totally unique, despite the similar names. The Altmer (Thalmor) refuse to recognize Talos as a god. The Dunmer broke off from the Aldmer originally because they disagreed with them religiously.

I think an interesting question is, is there an objective religious truth in TES that is separate from any of the beliefs held by in world characters? Could anyone ever learn how things ACTUALLY are? Or is everything just an interpretation?

I'd assume each culture chooses to ignore such beliefs, but what would I know? I mean, I did ask those questions in the link mentioned several replies up.

But how can the other races deny the existence of such places as Sovngarde, when the Dragonborn goes there in the MQ? Altmer, Bosmer, Orsimer, Breton, Imperial, Dunmer, Argonian, Khajiit... it doesn't matter who you are, if you're Dragonborn you just went to Sovngarde, so there's no denying the existence of Shor, Tsun, etc.

While the Dragonborn might have been there, it's not like anyone else would believe him (Well, nords might). No one believed the Nerevarine when he claimed he murdered Almalexia. (Although he got the blame for Almalexia and Sotha Sil's deaths in the end, if the Third Edition pocket guide is anything to go by [presumably, someone found the bodies]) Until people find the portal to Sovngarde and open it, the common scholarly understanding will probably place the final battle as happening at Skuldafn, or barring that, in the sky. Then Odahviing will be written out of history because some bastard thinks the Dragonborn riding a dragon is absurd.

The way the Imperials recognize other pantheon's gods is by making parallels with their own. For example, Alkosh/Auriel/Akatosh/Alduin are all different but Imperial scholars have them as the same entity. The ancient Romans did the exact same with the Germanic gods when they started to record their culture (ie Thor = Hercules).

Interestingly, even as Imperial scholars acknowledge that their pantheon is an amalgam created by their first empress, they also insist that they worship the "right" amalgam. Clearly everything is simply a localized copy of their correct worship, even if they have historical proof that their gods were, to some extent, invented. Or perhaps they deny that their gods were invented, but acknowledge that the collection of eight that make up the Divines pantheon had never been put together in that way before Alessia. Regardless, Skyrim's presentation of the Imperial view of Alduin is pretty damning.

As for other cultures, while the Dunmer of the late Third Era are in a somewhat unique position due to their gods being former mortals who gained divinity through their deeds, I think their view of other "spirits" is worth looking at. The one quote that comes to mind starts out by asking if the Imperials are right to worship the Divines: "They are powerful, but are they good?" The quote follows up with the Dunmer saying something to the tune of, "We used to worship the Daedra, but now we worship the true gods, the Tribunal, and the Daedra serve them." In other words, the Dunmer view other people's gods as generalized spirits, making no distinction between Aedra and Daedra (why else put the quote together in this fashion?). Since Aedra and Daedra are Aldmeri terms, and the only pantheon we know of that considers this distinction to be the division between gods and demons (besides the Imperial amalgamation) is the Aldmeri/Altmeri system, I have to guess that the rest of the world probably feels similar: They have their gods, and the other people's gods are just spirits that they've decided to worship... the idiots.

See I actually get the impression that the Dunmer think the Aedra aren't good. They think they're bad.

Boethia and St. Veltoh told them that the Aedra were liars. I don't think they were just lying about Lorkhan's test. I think they are trying to interfere with Lorkhan's purpose, which is the Endeavor.


Some seem to believe that the Aedra are keeping us trapped. That they are preventing us from succeeding in the Endeavor.

And from Mankar Camoran, who is crazy but still got to read Mysetium Xaraxes, which comes from the Oghma Infinium which is the secret knowledge of the universe. So maybe he kinda knows something:


I'm thinking the divine shell that prevents us from taking the mantle is the Aedra. They use souls as flesh for their Bones. They are liars and they are preventing us from reaching CHIM and Amaranth.