Just came to mind while I was playing... is the soul of the creature or humanoid released after the stone is used or the soul of the poor being is forever consumed and cannot be sent in the afterlife? Seems pretty cruel to me

Zul

Trapping a human soul? Yes very evil.

Trapping an animal soul? Dunno....never thought about it.

As a specific quest in Skyrim wonderfully details, the Humanoid who's soul has been trapped is literally, inside the stone, weapon or armor. So, for me (and I like to think I'm a good character, mind you), I think about this often, and when someone pisses me off good, into a black soul gem they go.

I'm pretty sure it just stops them from being reincarnated (or going to Sovngarde, I suppose), but I'm faaaaaaaar from an expert on souls.

"M'aiq was soul trapped once. Not very pleasant. You should think about that once in a while."

This question gets into pretty controversial theories of enchanting and the nature of souls, but I think the simple answer would be no: as the practice of enchanting stands in the Fourth Era, the soul would be released to Aetherius or Oblivion after it was used to recharge an enchantment (its accumulated magicka would be siphoned off, and the active principle, the bit that collects - or produces - magicka would be freed). If it was used to create an enchantment, it would be trapped in the object until it was destroyed or disenchanted (debatable these days, since they don't recharge on their own, but I'ma go with this). Other methods of enchanting could be different.

I make sure those bandits and mages who attack me in the wilderness really get the point that they shouldn't have tried to kill me.

Yes it is evil, and yes you should be ashamed if you've done it.

The relationship between souls and gems and weapons has constantly changed between games. In Daggerfall if the weapon (or supposedly soulgem) broke the soul would be released. In Morrowind souls recharged themselves, giving the idea that they kept a constant flow of energy to themselves and were essentially enternal. Oblivion and Skyrim made it so souls can be used up, whether the result of this is the destruction of the soul or its release (no longer being needed) can't be said. I like to attribute it to different methods of enchanting.

It's all relative. The Mages Guild takes a strong stance on necromancy, and the College of Winterhold is just "meh". There's also that Redguard in Cheydinhal I think who gives a pretty good rundown of the Redguard opinions on magic.

According to him it's evil to trap souls and manipulate peoples' minds, and he's one of the more liberal Redguard. The Redguard in Hammerfell are probably more fearful of magic and prejudiced against mages than the Nords.

Just love how straight forward Daggerfall is with soul trapping. In the same game, those thing that are trap in those soul gem, once out, are piss as hell and will try to kill the one that use them for their own pleasure.

Yet it's the Redguards who soul-trapped their own Prince A'tor.

I think it releases the soul to Aetherius, but it's still considered "Evil" because it's effectively enslavement and torture for the duration of the enchantment.

It's possible that the "recharge" mechanic of Morrowind only requires the soul for the initial charge, and that you can channel ambient magic into the weapons (Possibly excess magicka from your own soul) into charged weapons, instead of relying on the initial soul - which gets released once it's had a full expenditure.

Well said! lol

To the Op I don't think trapping human souls is evil if they were evil in the first. For example bandits, but going out of your way to trap innocent people is very evil.

Forgive me, as I never played Redguard. Did they soul trap him against his will though? What were the circumstances surrounding it?

General consensus in past games has been that it's pretty darned evil. However, the closing of the gates and subsequent shortage of Grand Daedra souls seems to have caused most people to make a compromise with evil. In other words, it's evil but convenient, so hey, look the other way. Times change. You're living in a time when it's looked down on significantly less than it has been in the past. Very few people rise above the morality of their era, so if your character does it, that's pretty much par.

My character (who has been around long enough to remember when most denizens of Tamriel had better morals) doesn't do it, which seriously cuts into her enchanting.

By Grand Daedra souls, are you referring to the Sigil Stones? I've never thought of them being souls before. Always thought they were some form of padomaic creatia balled up into a... ball. But they are pure evil. I've spent hours reloading games in front of Sigil Stones hoping for that light enchant or fire/frost/shock shield. One time it made me late for a math test. Like I said pure evile.

I love the Sigil Stones regardless because they helped me understand Tower and Stone theory. I'm not sure if it was intentional on the dev's parts or mere coincidence that the Daedric pocket realms were stabilized by stones sitting at the tops of towers.

Cut theory apart on dotted line ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

I wouldn't mind being turned into a fuzzy pair of warm slippers. Unless I kept my sense of smell. And taste.
oh. oh dear.

I'd like to keep my arms and legs and squishy organ bits too. Too bad you can't soul trap a person and make another person with their soul.

I just got the joke. Gee wiz. My eyes are shutting, and my brain is stopping, but I'm still chuckling.

Your relativism shows that you are clearly one of those who should be ashamed.

Wow! You're right: I remember many discussions on the morality of trapping souls. Things have changed.

I guess I should be embarrased to admit that I'm currently roleplaying a character who has no problems trapping souls to power his weapons. My fall from grace is complete.

Now that was cool! If I remember correctly, once the soul was released, it attacked you. I think. I feel old.

He's refering to daedra powerful enough that their sould would fully charge a grand soul gem (golden saint mainly and mayeb a few other kinds)

I eat dragon souls 3 times a day. Why should I worry about the wants and needs of lesser beings?

You know whats really odd. According to Skyrim, a weapon's charge doesn't go away if the user is endowed with abilities that manipulate their magicka. E.G. 100 percent less cost to cast destruction spells = destruction type enchantments on weapons never drop. So is it safe to say that in Skyrim at least the charge of a weapon only correlates to the users own magical abilities, which would probably mean that the soul is released apon enchantment?

Oh who cares, I'm just going to run around with my infinite charged swords and not worry about my morals.

Well.. the whole thing with permanently reducing the cost of magic to 0 is kinda flimsy isn't it ?

There has to be a law of conservation somewhere.

Negating the requirement of magicka from Aetherius by wearing some enchanted ring...
That and instant advancement beyond fantasy science of achieving infinite source of free energy.
So I'm just going to throw that into weird gameplay conventions, "dumbing down since daggerfall"

They're still drawing on the magic of the soul in the weapon - They can just use it so efficiently at that point that they use an infinitesimal portion of the soul's charge to activate the weapon. If they relied on the user's magical ability, it would drain from the users Magicka Pool instead of the charge of the weapon.

That makes no sense. So by your explanation the weapons properties are changed because of the person touching it? Person A picks it up and the soul is magically stuck their FOREVER because that person can force the soul to stay there forever! Person B pick it up and YAY after a few "uses" the soul is finally released left to go where it should, whether that is better or worse than being trapped inside a weapon, who knows.

Oh wait no, I have a better explanation.

I love how you try to put a real explanation on it, like yeah I'm just going to retcon how soul trapping works. I mean I have to defend the best installment of the series!!! Not only that, but you actually state it as fact, not even opinion, lol. How pretentious. This a gameplay mechanic that Bethesda never thought about. It has nothing to do with lore, nothing to do with souls and how they are affected from being horrifically trapped. Its just a minor very very minor showing of how Bethsda is slowly caring less about things "making sense" and more about creating a game that is popular for "everyone".

Like I could maybe, just barely maybe understand if there was an enchanting perk that made the soul stay there for infinity. But by wearing a piece of clothing that affects your destruction magic? Not buying it what so ever.

Sigil stones and Sigil towers. Know what the Sigil is? *Hint* It's one syllable and means starlight to some.

I cut on the dotted the line, now do I have to have it signed by a parent?