This has been itching at me for awhile now.

We have Arden Sul, Prophet and Presumed First Mantler of the Madgod Sheogorath. He was a widely, if not universally, loved and feared figure in the Shivering Isles thousands of years ago. He is now revered as the Prophet of Madness.

Let us look more closely at the companions of mighty Indoril Nerevar. We are told that he had two mighty champions. Dumac, the Dwarfking, and...Alandro Sul. The so-called immortal son of Azura. Hmm.

Then there is the Fourth Era Dunmer mage, who was known simply by this peculiarly recurring name. Sul, co-creator of the ingenium.

Now peer with me into the murky shadows of the Fifth Era. A document was sent from then to now alleging to be penned by one calling himself 'Jubal-lun-sul.' He goes so far as to indicate that he belongs to a House Sul.

What can it mean? What is this name, that echoes across history like an elusive strand of music? What connects these four figures, each of whom has been afforded a great deal of respect and significance in the scholarly arts? What is Sul?

What is 'Smith'?

Ya ask me, it's just a coincidence, and/or a common dunmer surname or sorts. Nothing special, like how there are plenty of famous Smiths around.

THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES.

Okay, then go with that Sul is the proverbial "Smith." I really don't see anything special, outside of some monkey truth stuff.

It doesn't strike you at all odd that the only Sul's we've heard about are major players in the lore?

Or that the name becomes a great House in the Fifth Era?

You know that the great houses, and the Morrowind houses in general, are named after the clan that started, right? Telvanni, Hlaalu, Indoril, Dres, Sil, and etc were all started by someone with that surname. Clan Sul likely rose to prominence in Morrowind and became one of the Great Houses. In all likelihood, Clan Sul had numbers, though rose in power during the eventually in the 4th and was a definite power in the 5th era.

You're no fun anymore.

...Or, it's an immortal spirit thing.

Common Dunmeris surname.

Come now, which is more likely? That Sul is an immortal, time-travelling spirit of unknowable origins and power, or that it's a common name?

I mean, really.

You forgot Sul-Matuul.

And Marobar Sul.

I'll go with common last name as my serious answer. Perhaps a line founded by (or named after) Alandro Sul.

This IS still the Elder Scrolls, right?

Sul, of course, meaning 'Netch'mer who feeds his betty's on the good merrow over on yonder foyada past the lazy green guar den" in Ald Dunmeris.

Not everything about the Elder Scrolls HAS to be some monkey truth. And frankly, the impact of it really gets badly diminished when everything MUST require some sort of out of there explanation.

But I'm just a very unfun person. I'll leave now.

Fine. Sul is a title granted to those performing the role of the Shield-Thane in their particular circle. Unlike the concept's southern variant, or it's northern cousin, the "dragonborn," Sul is neither maimed nor victorious, holding instead the space between. He has the potential of a king and the tenacity of a rebel, yet achieves neither (the debate over whether this is on purpose or by the accident of birth continues). The concept's closest relative in Cyrodiilic thought is the Alessian's view on the Underking. It can be, and is, granted to anyone from a good drinking buddy to a trusted general.

(Yes, I agree with Hellmouth. Frankly, the recent trend of making things up rather than providing an actual, sourced answer troubles me).

I made nothing up. I asked a question and was dissatisfied with the answer.

T'wasn't directed specifically at you. Or, well, I suppose it kinda was, though not wholly. Why are you dissatisfied with the answer, and what do you want us to do about it?

I asked the question in ignorance, understanding those four to be the only characters of that name. The significance of each in the lore struck me. I asked in the hope that those more learned in the lore than I might see the same connection and get to speculating with greater accuracy and information than I possess.

When confronted with the explanation that Sul is simply a common Dunmer name, it did not meet my initial expectations. I am prepared to accept it, mind you. I was carrying on about the probability of something greater in an ironic reflection of the Boring And Therefore Wrong argument I have heard so often. I did not, at that point, expect an answer.

There really is nothing, other than a dunmeri surname. If it is unsatisfactory, well, that's the nature of a surname plenty of dunmer have. It'd like expecting everyone with the surname "Hlaalu" to be some great hero or significant figure, despite there being a lot of dunmer with the surname "Hlaalu."

Would you really expect everyone with the name "Smith" to be significant in every endeavor?

Then color me foolish.

This is my foolish face.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.

Alas, Sul is but a Dunmeri surname. But if it's any condolence, SeriousFace, I too long have made the connection and wondered if there was a greater explanation.

Bah, you're no fun when it comes to the more profound additions to lore in the first place.

To be fair, that's all any of the extended lore is. Whatever position Michael Kirkbride used to have within Bethesda, his recent posts are essentially glorified fanfiction with almost no basis in any in-game lore. The lore forum would be a corpse without the trend of, as you put it, "making things up."

Arden Sul was Alandro Sul, who got Sheogorath to throw Lie Rock at Vivec to avenge his best friend Nerevar.