Was the Nerevarine a "literal" reincarnation of Nerevar, or is it just a figurative title? The presence of failed incarnates and things like that make it seem to be more of a thing to be achieved than the literal plopping of an old warchief's soul into some poor schmuck argonian or whatever.

You CAN BECOME the Nerevarine. It's more than just surviving. If you die, you're obviously not it. But if you survive but DENY it, then you're still not it.

Basically, it's all up to you.

Ideally, yes. In practice...depends. Some people here will tell you no, because the wise women tell you front up that you most likely aren't, and you have an option to deny that you are the Nerevar reborn when talking to Dagoth Ur. Not to mention Azura seems to have a hold on this prophesy by a great deal, and tells you after freeing the heart that you are free from your destiny of being the Nerevarine. Also, you don't drive out the imperial pigs and remove the Tribunal, but those last two may be contempt from the Ashlanders towards imperial and the Tribunal. Also, they tell you upfront that the prophesy is word of mouth, and information has been altered or lost.

On the other hand, you could really be Nerevar reincarnated, since all human/mer souls, when not bound to a daedra prince, is stripped of memories in the Dreamsleave. In addition, the wise woman could be wrong, since you are an outlander and may not like you that much, especially the idea of an outlander being the famed and vaunted Nerevar. Also, denying that you are Nerevar Incarnate could be just like denying anything, so I don't put too much weight on that part. Furthermore, you were able to wear the Moon-Star ring, but that could have been Azura's doing. Also, Ayam does say that you are Nerevar incarnate.

EDIT: Also what 946000 said about becoming it

It's a matter of choice. When the Nerevarine chose to be Nerevar Reborn, then he truly was. If the Nerevarine did not choose so - for whatever reason, like being a self-willed adventurer or an imperial agent - then he was not Nerevar Reborn.

This question's been answered very well, I'd say.

There can be another, however -

Was Nerevar himself a reincarnation or perhaps an Avatar of some higher being? Was he an agent of the Nine? The question does come to mind since Talos steps into human form to hand the Nerevarine a coin, and speaks of a personal grudge against Dagoth Ur. It's something that's been gnawing at my mind for some time.

ish...

The Failed Incarnates are all Nerevar Reborn (technically), but they refused to be the Nerevarine or were ignorant of the Nerevarine prophesies and/or died before fulfilling the Seven Visions, I think it is. There is a difference between being Nerevar Reborn and being the Nerevarine. In this way, if your character doesn't want to be the Nerevarine, then hell, he isn't. The beauty of the Nerevarine prophesies is the allowance of refusal of an Incarnate. Any Incarnate of Nerevar could have fulfilled the prophesies, but for one reason or another, they didn't. And if you so choose, you don't have to either. It is a fact that the player plays as an Incarnate of Nerevar, but it is a desicion of the player to become the Nerevarine.

This allows for whoever becomes the Nerevarine to be fully dedicated to the task ahead, instead of only having one go at saving Morrowind and failing forevermore because the Incarnatehad his/her own agenda and/or didn't feel like it.

I'm not sure that the Failed Incarnates actually had Nerevar's soul. Some failed because they were warriors only, others because they were spiritual leaders only and didn't know how to wage war, others failed because they were blinkered, not seeing the whole picture.

Or is it possible that the Failed Incarnates only had a fragment of Nerevar's soul? I'm not sure that's possible, though. Maybe it's all or nothing. The Nerevarine was the first incarnation to be equally competent in battle and intrigue.

To the Dunmer people (the many who accept you at least) and what the Dunmer will say in their histories, the Nerevarine is indeed supposed to be Nerevar Incarnate literally. Of course, since we can never know the full truth of whether you are Nerevar's incarnation or not (just like we never know in real life if a religious figure that is supposed to be a god, saint, etc. truly is), it is ultimately given up to the player to decide. History records will be vague, so everyone will always make up their own minds.

He is what http://imperial-library.info/obscure_text/nu-hatta.shtml has to say on the subject (a text on what various divine figures are exactly):
I include the description of Tiber Septim as contrast. In case you don't know already, he achieved godhood by a process called "mantling" where by, very roughly, if you imitate the actions of a god, you eventually become the god. This makes it clear that it wasn't intended for the Nerevarine to have become such just by doing a few necessary tasks, those just proved who he was to the Ashlanders and Dunmer. The Nerevarine was supposed to be Nerevar reborn into a new body, therefore he and only he could do the deeds that he did. Of course, it is always your decision as to what exactly went on.

What? Where did that happen?

Wulf at ghostate.

Being a reincarnated saint is high enough, even without getting into Ruling King stuff.

You are what you believe you to be+what Morrowind needs you to be-What you are yet to be come. I think.

It makes me wonder if one of the reasons the False Incarnates failed was that they were born in the wrong time. Maybe it wasn't their destiny to succeed in the particular times they lived.

Makes sense. It seems like, Oblivion Crisis aside, things went best for Morrowind by having the Incarnate to his or her thing AT THAT TIME. If it had happened earlier in their hitory their entire civilization could well have been either millitarily or culturally crushed. Now, with the Empire gone, they don't need to have the things the way they were, at least not as rigidly, and can maintain some semblance of their own culture.

I definately think thats part of it. IMO there could only have been one Nerevarine. It was destined to be your PC and nobody else. A thousand others could have tried to complete the 7 trials and none would have succeeded. What I'm saying is that the PC was the only one who even had the remote possibility of being Nerevar reincarnated. IMHO.

"Many fall, but one remains". And let's also remember that only Nerevar can wear Moon-And-Star. Even if we were probably wearing something better at the time of getting the artifact.

^^ That and I doubt the other "Incarnates" would have survived the Curse of Flesh. What makes the PC Incarnate different from the False Incarnate is that he can truly NEVER die.

Lets not also forget that the first trial narrows down the actual people who could even try being the Nerevarine. "A person born on a certain date to uncertain parents". Then you have the Corprus thing to deal with. I seriously doubt that, even if the false Incarnates had access to Divayth Fyr's studies into Corprus, they would survive.

The Nerevarine is truly an Incarnate simply because he is truly tied to life. This whole situation basically involves the hero being tied to life, making it impossible for that hero to lose until he has fulfilled his purpose, no matter what goes into his way. Basically the hero is just one lucky bastard that manages to blunder his way through something without really thinking about it.

I always found it unusual that they were considered possible candidates for Nerevarineness when from their own stories they were niether "Dragon-born" or "far-star-marked" as said in http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/lost_prophecy.shtml. Considering this is one of the criteria fulfilled when you're born they would have needed to already possess these qualities. Possibly it was misinterpreted, or the information suplied by the failed incarnates was incomplete, or perhaps the Lost Prophecy was incorrectly recorded. Whatever the reason, I find it unusual.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Wulf.


He gives you a very useful ability, but lore wise he's a very important character who raises more questions than he answers.

Perhaps his grudge with the Sharmat is meddling with the energies of Lorkhan's heart but he makes it sound much more personal than that, almost as if some aspect of him were personally wronged at some point.

It's highly possible that both Wulf AND the Nerevarine could be Shezzarines, and in the same room at the same time, in my opinion. Why not? Aspects of Shezzar supposedly exist in multiple places and even times all at once. Pelinal for instance, was said to exist in the past, present and future all at once.

Shezzarine is getting thrown around a lot sometimes. I personally doubt they are either way. Let's be one "-ine" at a time, okay?

Anyhow, any god, tied to the Heart or otherwise, would be pissed. Messing with cosmic energies is bad for all concerned and most who are not. Also, it could be simply the knowledge that because of the Sharmat, the heart must be destroyed and as such his Empire must soon fall.

Bingo. The False Incarnates probably did have Nerevar's soul, but because they failed the prophesies by one way or another, they couldn't have been the actual Nerevarine.

Incarnate + death = not the Nerevarine.

Incarnate + staying alive + refusing/not knowing Nerevarine's responsibility = not the Nerevarine.

Incarnate + staying alive + accepting prophesy/responsibility = you are the Nerevarine.

The prophesies basically say that three things: 1) the Nerevarine will have the soul of Nerevar, 2) he/she will choose to shoulder the responsibility, and 3) he/she will not die. If you pass 1) you still may fail 2), if you pass 2) you may still pass 3). But once you pass 3), then you are considered the Nerevarine. It's kinda a grey area...

No. The False Incarnates were just that. False.

When you try wrapping your head around the idea of prophecy and destiny intertwined, you start seeing that the prophecy could really only refer to one person in particular. To enhance this idea, lets look at The Stranger:

When earth is sundered, and skies choked black,
And sleepers serve the seven curses,
To the hearth there comes a stranger,
Journeyed far 'neath moon and star.

What the Stranger implies here about the Nerevarine is that he will come when Ash Storms will cover the majority of Vvardenfel, and at the time when Dagoth Ur will be at his strongest. He will not be of the land (the true Nerevarine was an Outlander, and many of the False Incarnates are Morrowind-born) and he will be protected by his own destiny "under moon and star". This means that he will be destined to reclaim the station of Nerevar and the mere fact that he is destined will protect him from death until he accoplishes that task.

Though stark-born to sire uncertain,
His aspect marks his certain fate.
Wicked stalk him, righteous curse him.
Prophets speak, but all deny.

This part of the Stranger, quite bluntly, says that the Nerevarine will be certainly born (as in, on an exact foretold date) to uncertain parents. The next line is quite vague to me, but I interpret to mean that Azura (or an equally equivalent symbol) will be the only one who can truly mark him as the Incarnate (this could be how Moon and Star comes in). The rest is quite simple, as the wicked do stalk the Nervarine (monsters attack him in his sleep) and the righteous do curse him. The prophets (more like the Wise Woman) will speak of this outlander to be the true Incarnate, but none will believe them.


Many trials make manifest
The stranger's fate, the curses' bane.
Many touchstones try the stranger.
Many fall, but one remains.

This is quite a straight forward passage. As the Incarnate follows his path, he will face many trials that will test him. These trials will be the outlanders fate to overcome, but the curses' (which can be meant to be the Sixth House) bane, as most of these trials involve their destruction. He will overcome the requirements of the Nerevarine and Hortator and will be marked as the true Nerevarine. And the last, final line is perhaps the most vague of the entire thing. It could mean that many "hopeful" Incarnates will fall, but only one true Incarnate will remain. But it could also mean that as the true Incarnate follows his destiny, many will be destined to die and, in the end, only the true Incarnate will remain. The former interpretation is a real longshot that really only comes from the first reading, but it could still apply.


The Nerevarine Prophecies are really just a foretelling of the hero destined to destroy Dagoth Ur and restore Morrowind. As far as I'm concerned, Nerevars soul is not in the Incarnate. But, as far as how souls go, it is quite possible that it is.

I guess its like this: The dam hero is one of the many times reincarnated. Conditions needs to be met:
*Born on a certain day under uncertain parents

How many times have our hero not reached Vvaredenfell after reincarnation? Its a big question. Besides, all the flase was people attempting the path and as they said: "They where not".