How many realms are there in the ES universe and what are they? There's Mundus, Oblivion, Aetherius (I think)...?

i think u got the majors ones. but there are also the 16 D Prince's realms but those are all part of Oblivion.

They're not realms, not in the DnD sense of the word were each realm is separated in every way from another.

There is only one Aurbis, and it is divided into different regions. Aetherius, Oblivion and Mundus are the major 'realms'. But each Daedra also has his own 'realm', their god plane(t) in Oblivion.

It is also said that the Necromancer's Moon eclipses Arkay, but that's another Can of Worms.

Mainly because we know so little about it.

Im not sure, but when yagrum bagarn said he was away in some other realm during the disappearance of the dwemer, i dont think he was talking about one of the deadra prince's spheres
if someone remembers his dialogue I could be wrong

Yagrum Bagarn should be assumed to have been taking a vacation in one of the planes of Oblivion, which is a fairly easy realm to enter (relatively speaking).

Let's look at it this way: There are three major realms, which all have a certain parallel to real life - Mundus (Earth, Mortal Realm), Oblivion (Hell), and Aetherius (Heaven). Mundus is where the mortals dwell; Oblivion houses the Daedra (demons), and Aetherius is home to the Aedra (angels). By almost common sense, one should assume that Bagarn was not touring Aetherius; since the Aedra completely control Aetherius, they would not allow some godless scientist-like mortal like Bagarn to enter at all. It is much more likely that he was residing in Oblivion somewhere, because the Daedric Princes are much more accepting of godless, moralless (not to be confused with immoral) individuals.

Bagarn probably took a trip to Apocrypha, it seems that any Dwemer would enjoy the place.

You shouldn't make assumptions about gods of which mortals can't even get the appearance straight off.

Neither do the Daedra have that much control over Oblivion. It isn't hell where the Devil controls everything. It is akin to empty space, filled with plane(t)s. The Daedra have to send armies from planet to planet to do their will.

It's no different for mortals. The Empire had it's Battlespire located in Oblivion and both the Altmer and the Reman Empire have send people to Aetherius and brought back materials. Both projects stopped however as going to Aetherius is a costly affair.

So while you're probebly right about Yagrum being in Oblivion, not for the reasons you mentioned.

If Oblivion is nothingness, then what's outside the Aurbis?

Nothingness also?

I wasn't aware that oblivion was a empty lake of fire with nothing in it. (I assume your talking about the lake of fire and not lower hades) I also didn't know that the Aedra are subservient entities who follow someone stronger then them.

Nothing relevant exists outside of the Aurbis.



Mundus is described as being equally as hellish to mortal spirits as Oblivion, but depending on who you ask their take is different. That is you can cry about it like the elves or you can make the best for it like the men and beastfolk.

If Yagrum Bagarn went to Apocrypha, I doubt he would want to leave... however, it does seem like the most likely destination either way.

Secondly, the Daedric Princes aren't all that accepting of godless people- they are gods, just a different pantheon than the Aedra. They're not evil incarnate, they just possess an alien mindset that mortals will never be able to comprehend without their brains exploding or going utterly mad and babbling incoherently. Mehrunes Dagon for example, just appears evil because he's the prince of Destruction, Change, Revolution, Energy, Natural Disasters and Ambition. What else is he going to do on Nirn besides destroy?

Finally, Aetherius isn't heaven either. It's the realm of Magnus, true, but he didn't actually give up a part of himself to create Nirn and isn't technically an Aedra. Also, spirits only go there briefly before being reincarnated. The Aedra's realm is Nirn.

Okay, it's official. I'm a lore junkie. *swigs some Dagoth Brandy and takes a snort of Moon Sugar*
(which is actually rather accurate, as my Khajiit Nerevarine/Champion of Cyrodiil/Grey Fox/Divine Crusader/Sheogorath- my username's namesake- is the biggest drunk/Skooma addict out there)

EDIT: Fixed a slight inaccuracy about the creation myth

Sorry guys, didn't mean to cause this much controversy.

Firstly, I was giving an educated guess as to where Bagarn decided to spend some vacation days, nothing more.

Secondly, I only meant to give a "Realms for Dummies" look on the three distinct realms. I was wrong to say that Aetherius was the realm of "angels" and Oblivion was the realm of "demons" - I meant "more angelic-like beings" and "more demonic-like beings"... and I guess I'm still wrong about the residents of Aetherius, so nevermind on that one.

- Props to the TES lore-makers for creating dieties which do not follow classic demon/angel guidelines and moralities.

@ Jara (or any other "lore junkies" :read: ): just to get my thinkng straight, would you say that Oblivion is home to "demonic-like / completely alien entities" and Mundus is home to both mortals and the "more angelic-like / good-guy-ish" dieties? I'm not actually sure anymore what relationship Aetherius has with the other realms or what Earth religion-equivalent it would be...

No, not really. Deities do represent virtues, but they're not always "good-guy-ish."

I think people is to hasty when jumping on the "Aetherius-does-not-equal-Heaven" train - because it does, at least to the people of Tamriell. To them, Aetherius is Heaven, where the gods reside, and Oblivion is Hell, a very, very bad place to be. We know "better", but they don't.
So you're right, in a way, and it's a good explanation even if it's simplified - kinda like the one about CHIM being the CS



It's more than that; the Aedra does not simply represent virtues, but things the common folk need to get on with their lives - farming, commerce (or just making a living), laws and governing, family, and six. These are all things that benefit the common people.
They also stand for the more or less involuntary parts like life/death and nature (which we all know is grim and relentless), and for battle, because times are always hard for the poor, drafted peasant. Well, for all soldiers, really.

edit: So, being uncertain on the nuances of the word "virtue", I wrote the post anyway and didn't check it out untill I allready posted, like the moron I am. Seems it means a little more than I thought - I was to stuck on the "valiant, holy knight" side of the word.
Not that it matters much - I was merely trying to expand on you post, rather than argue against it, even though I know realise the wording kinda make it seems like I disagree with you.

Villfarelse:

I'm just gonna annoy you by saying that only the Imperials see Aetherius as their Heaven, to others it doesn't seem to be afterlife but merely a place where the gods reside that can be reached by mortals, like say Mount Olympus.

I meant Cyrodiil, of course.

Quote: "I must surely be dead, and in the halls of Azura to look upon such a vision. You are so beautiful, my dear Dunmer maiden"
Now for dummies: "I must surely be dead, and in the halls of Hell to look upon such a vision. You are so beautiful, my dear maiden"
Elderscrolls is to complex to do lazy dumming.

So Oblivion is not Hell, it is simply an alien realm separate from Mundus and Aetherius. Gotcha, thanks.

By Oblivion, I am not referring to any of the Daedras' "Realms", but to the void that is Oblivion.
The Daedric Planes simply lie within that void.

edit: on second thought - this difference would not matter much to the people. But, even though your quote was said by a Dunmer, I could imagine most people visualising Azura's realm in a similar fasion. The influence of more "hellish" or "Satan-like" Daedra like for example Molag Bal, Dagon, Sheogorath and Clavicus would be much bigger and impending, though.
With this in mind, Azura would also come off as more a kind of cold and decieving beauty, especially in comparison to the warmth of Mara and beauty and loveliness of Dibella. This would make Azura the "seducer", instead, which also is a kind of hellish archetype.

I always imagined Azura's realm of dusk and dawn would be quite nice.

Did bethesda wrongly make sheogoraths realm in Shivering Isles?? It wasn't hellish to me, I quite liked it.

Why would it be hellish?

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. While Sheo does not have "satan-like" attributes per se, he is still not a very nice figure. SI, being made in the same style of Oblivion, doesn't really seem to take the whole "insanity" thing very seriously. Buzzing bees are very cute and all, but not exactly what most people visualise when thinking about madness.
Haven't played SI, though, so I'm just basing in on what I've seen and hearsay.


Succubus style. Though, I'm not saying her realm would be "hellish". Very beautiful, probably.
Actually, I'm not saying any of the planes would be all fire and lava pits - that is not what I meant by "hellish".

That was the point, he has a crazy (and some might say bad) side, and a more normal (good) side. Mania was all colorfull and beatifull, where as Dementia was gloomy and crass. Basically the lands of Shivering Isles reflected Sheogorath's personality.
Either Azura or Meridia would be the coolest to see.

I Agree, Sheograth does seem to be "bipolar" which is what the lands seem to be, unbelievably happy,and unreasonably gloomy. The reason the land reflects his personality in such a black and white manner is because he is bipolar, because he is the lord of insanity, and bipolarism, is a mental illness, that has been known to drive people insane and be called insane for the illness.

Not to mention that he quite literally has a split personality...