According to the UESP, this is the Pantheon of Skyrim religion:

-Alduin: Dragon God of destruction. Not much in common with Akatosh besides appearance
-Kyne: Much like Kynareth, except Kyne seems more warlike. Kyne is also the mother of the Nords. Wife of Shor
-Shor: Nordic version of Lorkhan, God of the Underworld. Betrayed and slain, but still influences the mortal world by sending immortal champions. Was also interpreted as a Warrior God.
-Ysmir: Nordic version of Talos. Could withstand the Greybeards mighty voice assault. Ysmir may indeed make an entrance, as it is said he much appeared like a dragon.
-Mara: Her role is somewhat diminished; she is a maiden of Kyne, yet still retains a motherly role
-Orkey: Counterpart to Arkay, more of a trickster this time. Cursed the Nords to a shorter lifespan
-Tsun: Died defending Shor. Likely no influence in today's religion
-Stuhn: Counterpart to Stendarr, though if there is a similiarity, it is not in compassion. Taught the Nords the value of prisoners of war
-Jhunal: God of hermetic orders, fell out of modern mythology, but that can always change.
-Herma Mora: Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora. In Skyrim, Mora acts as an adversary and trickster, nearly turning men into elves -Dibella: Likely retains the role of Goddess of Beauty
-Maloch: Malacath, Daedric Prince. Orcish God, foe of King Harold's heirs, and almost certainly Skyrim.


Now we know that in Skyrim, we are not going to be worshipping these Aedra like your typical Romanized/Christian faithful would. But Nords have been known to hold superstitions and easily cower before magic, etc. How do you think religion will be handled in Skyrim? And what's more, what kind of role should they play? Wouldn't it be badass to see "The Dragon of the North" in all of his glory?

I fully expect the Dovahkiin to be a Shezzarine--an incarnate of Shor--to stop Alduin.

Well, my lore isn't perfect, but Dragonborn could be an incarnation of Ysmir, considering that he IS the Dragon of the North

i am new to all of this stuff so this may be stupid. But do you think those gods will be the shrines in skyrim.. if there is shrines or are they always the same gods like sheograth and clavicus vile that get shrines

You speak of Daedric Shrines, as opposed to the Gods, whom are Aedric. Understandable though

once again stupid question. are aedra considered good and daedra considered bad or are they just different

It would be far more appropriate for the Dragonborn to be Shor. Shor is the natural enemy of Alduin. If anyone could stop Alduin, it would him.

I wonder the Imperial Cult will be in the game.

1) Aedra are typically defined as mostly beneficial towards mortals. Daedra can be beneficial, but also cause great harm and suffering. Azura is a Daedra whom could be considered 'good' by mortal standards.

2) Probably right. Still, I would LOVE to see the Dragon of the North in action

1) Their true difference is in their nature. The Aedra refer to those spirits that participated in the creation of the world and are thus very heavily bound to it. The greatest among them, the eight divines of the old Imperial cult, draw power from the attention and worship of mortals, and are thus inclined to work to their benefit. Talos sort of got grandfathered in by taking on Lorkhan's divinity, according to one theory. Michael Kirkbride, who's written lots of lore for the series, has indicated that within Mankar Camoran's wildly inaccurate tinfoil hat rantings there is perhaps a grain of truth, in that the Aedra may not be so beneficent as they seem. The main plot of Skyrim seems to indicate as much, with Akatosh's apocalyptic side coming into play.

2) Ysmir is Tiber Septim, who most likely mantled Shor/Shezzar/Lorkhan to achieve his apotheosis. Ysmir can also refer to Wulfharth, who was himself an avatar of Lorkhan, and was probably absorbed into the Talos entity along with Zurin Arctus as a result of the Warp in the West altering history. So it would be impossible to be an avatar of either, seeing as they're both simply reflections of Shor now, kind of like how Alduin is another face of Akatosh/Auri-El.

Aedra and Daedra are neither good or bad.

In a general sense that's true, but I'm certain most residents of Tamriel would classify Mehrunes Dagon as evil. Destruction can be a good thing (disturbing the soil by plowing it to plant crops, demolishing an old building to clear space for a new one, etc.) but Dagon tends to work on a "shatter everything, burn it, piss on the ashes, and then burn it all again" scale so there's not much that he's done specifically that could be considered "good," at least by most.

It's rather nice to see that this concept will probably play a role in Skyrim's main plot. I can only hope it's well-reflected outside of it as well.

Thats becasue they are stupid and dont understand what he does.

Except for Shor/Shezarr/Lorkhan. He failed so that we know what not to do, and gave his heart to the world. Also, he hates mer, and that's pure good to the nth degree.

Also, the nords do hold Shor to the highest esteem, and I fully expect Shor to be quite relevant, as he is the other side to this conflict with Alduin. Also, as some have suggested, I hope the dovakiin ends up being an avatar of Shor, and has his heart ripped out of his chest, mimicking what happened during the world's creation.

He assists a man with trapping the Emperor in the waters of Oblivion, steals an entire academy away into Oblivion, and tries to dissolve the barriers that separate Oblivion from Nirn so that he can lead an invasion to burn down cities and slaughter mortals in great numbers, their blood watering the soils of a new world, one of endless destruction over which Mehrunes Dagon rules with an adamantine fist.

So, yeah, they're well aware of what he does, and they don't like it.

I hope to see Shor finally be the center of worship.

Shor/Shezzar/Lorkhan is a "dead" god that has practically become one with Nirn itself. The Nords venerate him as creator and god of the underworld (in a sense) but nobody really worships him the way they do the other divines.

I meant I hope (and I expect to) here them talk about (and venerate) him a lot, rather than forgetting him (and replacing him with Talos, who has Lorkhan elements) like the Imperials.

Agreed, and I have no doubt that they will. Shor is the closest thing to the chief deity of the Nords, and with Alduin coming to eat the world, who else would you turn to?

I think Mehrunes Dagon has also been associated with revolution and starting anew. Basically, he's an in-game manifestation of Todd Howard.

One thing that worries me, though. Todd says they use the UESP (they said wiki, so I'm thinking they meant UESP and not the Imperial Library) for lore in http://www.oxm.co.uk/26165/interviews/exclusive-inside-the-elder-scrolls/

The UESP states of multiple pages that the Heart of Lorkhan is evil. I hope Bethesda knows the UESP is wrong here and doesn't treat Shor as evil.

I know they use that as a reference, but I would hope they know that. Since they wrote the lore.

I expect them to. Just a little paranoid.

Do we even know how many of the older (Redguard-Morrowind era) writers are still on board at the company? I know we still have senior artists and designers like Ashley Cheng and Mark Lampert, but the only writers I really know by name are Julien, Tedders, and Ken Rolston. They're all out, so...

As I understand it, and as others have said.

The Aedra are the lords of creation, as such they are considered "true gods" they rarely get directly involved with the affairs of mortals and either can't or won't get directly involved with the daily affairs of mortal lives.

The Daedra are the lords of change, they don't actually create anything, they just change what's already there. As such they are not "true gods" but they are worshiped as such. They often get directly involved with the affairs of mortals in one way or another. Though they may sound annoyed when you summon them, the fact you can summon them at all is proof of this.

Both approaches have positive and negatives.

Aedra are akin to Jehovah, in that they're more about letting mortals make there own decisions, and the freedom to make there own choices. However they can be seen as distant, and uncaring. Which leads many to Daedra worship.

Daedra can show a concern for there followers, but they also see followers as some kind of possession and can use and abuse them as pawns or playthings.

The quest's Daedra set you on can often reflect how they feel about mortals.

Some of the Daedric princes have noble traits, specifically Azura and Malacath, who do show concern for their charges. Or Meridia, who's goal is to abolish the undead.

Other's are pretty much neutral on the subject, specifically Nocturnal, Sanguine, Peyrite, Hermaeus Mora, Namira, and Clavicus Vile to a certain extent.

And others you really have to look hard to find any noble qualities as they totally embrace "mortals are playthings to be stepped on" Hircine, Mehrunes Dagon, Mephala, Boethiah, and Molag Bal all fit this bill.

Sheogorath is a complete wild card, and trying to determine his true motives, is like trying to comprehend the meaning of life while on crack.

With all that said....The Queen of the Night Sky, and that sixy Daedra with the Scottish accent better damn will be in this game.