Hello,

From reading through UESP, Imperial Library and many lore-buffs' posts, I've come to understand several of the tenets of the elder scrolls creation myth, such as the Wheel, the punishment of Lorkhan, Magnus' exit holes etc. However, a lot of the stories beg the question - are they true? I know that they are written down and collaborated by many stories, but isn't there the possibility that they are all myths?

Some of the creation story must be true, after all, we can talk to Daedra, and witnessed blurring of realms in the oblivion crisis, but some of the finer details such as the stars and planets, couldn't they be nonsense? Is there room for our science in TES (The Dwemer created dynamos, seen in Morrowind, so some of it must hold true.)?

Thoughts?

All of 'em are true.

Especially the bits that contradict each other.

(No, really. The power of belief or mythopoeia is very important in TES. The Dwemer did not practice science, 'tis a common misconception. They practiced technomancy.)

The Daedra who bother to comment on the creation myths (Malacath¹, Dyus and Haskill²), tend to imply that they're not completely true, if not outright wrong.

[1] Lord of Souls:

http://www.imperial-library.info/node/2234

The key word is necessarily. That they are true is absolutely necessary.

Otherwise, we'd have lost to Mankar.

I don't see why. That the firmament exists doesn't mean that the Aedra created the world themselves, or Akatosh literally created the dragons etc. A lot of people seem to quote Vivec as if he is infallible, but he is extremely vague and overly-complicated in his explanations, and while that's fun and lends itself to the CHIM philosophy, I've always found that if you can't explain something simply you don't know it well enough. Maybe Vivec isn't even sure?

I mean, let's say that there are multiple planes of existence, there's evidence for that, that's definitely true. The towers could be true too, but whose to say Mundus' plane isn't otherwise scientific? It could have an extra force of magic, but otherwise science could work the same? We see stars, the sun, Nirn rotates?

There has to be some science going on in TES. I mean, gravity works, and so, evidently, does electromagnetism and solar flares (auroras above Skyrim). Also, all plants seem to posses magical properties. Why? Because they photosynthesise, and since light gives magical properties in TES when thy photosynthesis they intrinsically become magic?

Why they would have lost? Akatosh was created by mortal belief.

As for the science bit, there is "science" but it's all magic. Just as the sun is a hole and the moons are a decaying god, I'm sure gravity and the aurora borealis over Skyrim have magical/metaphysical implications. All science is more magical than "natural". Quite a bit more flexible than our world.

Not that I like mythopoeia really. In some cases it's alright.. but the embracing of contradictions make so many things more convoluted than they have to be.

Actually, there might be something more to the auroras. Originally, there was somehttp://www.uesp.net/wiki/File:SR-concept-6877490289.jpg that has the PC learn words not from the word wall (you still have to find them however), but from the borealis in a similar manner Wulfharth did when Shor battled Alduin. I've also half convinced myself that they actually originate from Sovngarde, though that's just my fancy.

I wish I knew why there was a broken word wall in Sovngarde.