Talos

"Talos says: Be strong for war. Be bold against enemies and evil, and defend the people of Tamriel."

- Ten Commands: Nine Divines

Talos, known as Tiber Septim, Ysmir, Dragonborn, and the heir to the Seat of Sundered Kings, is the God of Man and War, and is considered one of the greatest heroes of Mankind. Much of his life as the mortal Tiber Septim is shrouded in legend and hearsay, but one feat is undisputed: he became the first person to successfully unite all of the nations of Tamriel under a single Empire. Upon his apotheosis as the god Talos, the Eight Divines are said to have rewarded him for his accomplishment with a place by their side as the Ninth Divine. Talos is worshiped as the protector and patron of just rulership and civil society, as well as the patron god of warriors and heroes.

Background
Tiber Septim conquered all of Tamriel and founded the Third Empire and the Septim Dynasty that would rule it for centuries, marking the beginning of the Third Era. Prior to his death he is believed to have ascended to godhood as the God of Man and War. Less prominent religious sects, such as the Talos Cult, were inspired by his apotheosis.

Talos, Ysmir, or Dragon of the North (a name given by the Greybeards of High Hrothgar to accompany his birth as Dragonborn) is a patron of questing heroes. He is referred to as the One in the phrase "The Eight and the One", as there were originally only Eight Divines before Tiber Septim ascended to godhood.

In, Tiber Septim makes an appearance as his avatar "Wulf."

Fourth Era
During the Fourth Era, a war broke out between the Aldmeri Dominion and the Third Empire, and this war came to be called the Great War. The war concluded with the signing of the White-Gold Concordat. Two provisions in the treaty had serious impacts on what remained of the Empire, but one of the terms banned the worship of Talos. This later allowed the Aldmeri Dominion (whose agents are known as Thalmor) to stamp out Talos worship and worshipers throughout the Empire. Emperor Titus Mede II publicly stated in a publication that mortal men such as Talos were never meant to achieve apotheosis. It is for this very reason that the Emperor, and indeed the Empire itself, recognizes that allowing the worship of Talos was a mistake and publicly declares its support of removing Talos worship from Tamriel. It is unknown whether this public renunciation of Talos' divinity is an act to appease the Thalmor or if this is the Emperor's sincere belief. Though Talos' worship is currently banned by the Empire and many of his shrines have been taken down as a result of the White-Gold Concordat, that hasn't stopped the Nords of Skyrim from revering him. The banning of Talos worship soon produced the Stormcloak Rebellion in Skyrim, where the effects of the ban were most felt. If the Stormcloaks manage to win the Civil War, Talos worship will be legalised in Skyrim again and a shrine to him will be returned in the Temple of the Divines in Solitude.

Trivia

 * How Tiber Septim became the god Talos is a matter of debate. In, much of the conflict between native Nords (particularly the Stormcloaks) and the Aldmeri Dominion comes from the Dominion's claim that a mortal could not become a Divine, and thus Talos is not a god and should not be worshipped.
 * In, the "blood of a divine" is needed to open the portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise. The blood used is from the Armor of Tiber Septim, which implies that Tiber Septim indeed became a god.
 * In the Blessing of Talos is what allows the player to follow Umaril the Unfeathered into the spirit world and destroy his very soul preventing him from being reborn in Oblivion and returning again. The blessing also allows the player to return to his body afterwards, further evidence of Talos' divinity.
 * At the end of, the player is met by an aging Imperial named Wulf, who bestows on him/her a power called "Favor of the Emperor." If Lalatia Varian is asked about this, she will tell the player that this is a manifestation of Talos; similar manifestations of Mara and Zenithar occur in the Imperial Cult quest line.
 * The deification of Tiber Septim, the first emperor of Tamriel, as Talos could be a reference to the deification of Caesar Augustus, first emperor of Rome as Divus Augustus.
 * The name Talos is of Cretan origin, and means "sun." In ancient Greek mythology, Talos was the name of the legendary living bronze statue on Crete built to guard the island at the command of Zeus (who was worshipped as Zeus Tallaios in Crete). In addition, Talos is similar to another Greek figure, Heracles, as he too was a mortal who ascended to divinity.
 * Talos is also the name of a deity in Forgotten Realms, a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
 * The Talos of Forgotten Realms is also known as The Storm Lord. The name Talos Stormcrown may be referential to this title.
 * It is possible that after the events of Talos replaced Reymon Ebonarm as god of War. Since Reymon Ebonarm is never heard from again and Talos began his existence as a God back then.

Appearances


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