Sheogorath

Sheogorath (in Daedric script, ) is the Daedric Prince of Madness. His realm in Oblivion is known as the Shivering Isles, otherwise known as the Madhouse or "The Asylums" by the Imperial Census of Daedra Lords. It is separated into two communities: Mania, the fantastic, colorful side, where art enthusiasts and insane revelers reside, and Dementia, the horrific, dark and ominous side, inhabited by those with the darker side of Sheogorath's blessings. Sheogorath is attended by his Chamberlain Haskill and the Nobles of his realm, the Duke and Duchess of Mania and Dementia. He is also the main antagonist in the Mages Guild questline in.

Biography
"Sheogorath is already inside each of us. You have already lost."

- Ravate

Earliest mentions
Sheogorath is one of the few Daedric Princes whose creation may be linked to the change or destruction of an Aedra; others include Malacath and Meridia. Aldmeri creation stories attribute his creation to the removal of Lorkhan's "divine spark." In one of these myths, he is described as the "Sithis-shaped hole" of the world. However, in an interview conducted by the Imperial Library, Haskill states this interpretation of the creation of Sheogorath may not be the case.

Assisting the Hero of Daggerfall
In search of the Mantella in the Aetherius realm known as the Mantellan Crux, Sheogorath appeared and helped the hero in accomplishing their goal.

Quick Summary
The Shivering Isles is explained by Haskill to be whatever Lord Sheogorath wills it to be; inside the gates of the exotic and twisted land boasts striking new wildlife (unseen on Nirn) and the oddest oddities of creatures, including Baliwogs, Grummites and the deadly Scalon.

The government is split into three factions: Duke of Mania, Duchess of Dementia and Lord Sheo himself. The names are self evident when looking at Dementia's Crucible and Mania's Bliss

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles
At the end of the Third Era, Sheogorath sent an invitation to Tamriel by way of a strange door in Niben Bay. The Madgod demanded a mortal Champion to face his foes. Throughout the course of the expansion, the Champion of Cyrodiil learns that Sheogorath is in fact Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order. He tells the Hero that at the end of every era he becomes Jyggalag again, and lays waste to his own Realm. After the Champion eventually defeats Jyggalag, he explains that in ancient times he was one of the more powerful Daedra Lords. The influence of his sphere was so great that the other Daedric Princes grew jealous and feared him. They cursed him to live as Sheogorath, the incarnation of the thing he hated most.

At the end of every Era, Jyggalag is allowed to take on his true form once again, and bring order to his realm, an event known as the Greymarch. After the Greymarch, however, he is transformed back into Sheogorath, who spreads madness upon the realm once more. The Champion can end this cycle by defeating Jyggalag during the Greymarch occurring at the end of the Third Era. This releases him from his curse, allowing him to remain in his true form instead of transforming back into Sheogorath. After defeating Jyggalag at the end of the expansion, the Champion is named the new Sheogorath.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
During the Fourth Era and Dragon Crisis Sheogorath is "on vacation" in the mind of Pelagius Septim III and his absence from the Shivering Isles is felt by his servent Dervenin who asks the Last Dragonborn to convince the Mad God to return to the Isles. The Dragonborn finds themself in Pelagius's mind, and dressed in a Fine Hat and clothes. After introductions, and delivering Dervenians request, Sheogorath explains to the Dragonborn that the only way to leave is to "cure" Pelagius's brain and tasks the Dragonborn to do so, and gives the hero the Wabbajack to help. After completing Sheogorath's tasks, Sheogorath agrees to leave and allowed the Dragonborn to keep the Wabbajack and clothes. He even asks that the Dragonborn "look him up" if they ever find themself in the Shivering Isles. He even takes Dervenin with him back to Oblivion.

Appearance
Sheogorath's avatar may surprise those who have only heard his name and of his Sphere. He often appears on Nirn as a well-dressed elderly gentleman, which many mortals do not expect. The reasoning behind his appearance is to lead unsuspecting mortals down the path to insanity, "The Golden Road." It is later believed that the Hero of Kvatch gains immortality by replacing him as the new Madgod. He reappears in in the quest The Mind of Madness, in which the Dragonborn enters the mind of Pelagius III in order to help Dervenin reunite with his master, who has been gone for close to twenty years. The Dragonborn must cure Pelagius' insanity in order to escape, and convince Sheogorath to return to the Shivering Isles.

The Dunmer
Originally, Sheogorath was one of the Daedric Princes whom the Chimer, now Dunmer, revered in their ancient ancestral worship. However, when the Tribunal Temple became the dominating religion in Morrowind, Sheogorath—along with Mehrunes Dagon, Malacath, and Molag Bal—became known as one of the "Four Corners of the House of Troubles." He was said to rebel against the Tribunal, and thus worship of Sheogorath became punishable by death. His role in Dunmeri culture is to test them for any psychological weakness, and is associated with the fear other races have of the Dunmer.

When he rebelled against the Tribunal, Sheogorath tricked the moon Baar Dau, inspiring it to hurl itself at the city of Vivec. Sheogorath justified his actions by claiming Vivec was built in mockery of the heavens. Vivec is then said to have frozen Baar Dau in its descent, and the moon swore itself to the Tribunal's service forever. Today, the Tribunal Temple requires a pilgrimage to this moon, called the Shrine of Daring.

The Khajiit
Sheogorath is one of the many prominent Daedric Princes in the culture of the Khajiit people. In the Khajiit myth of creation, Sheogorath is called "Sheggorath." He is known as the "Skooma Cat" in Elsweyr.

The Empire
Sheogorth's status as a Daedric Prince and as a member of the "Four Corners of the House of Troubles" has made his mainstream worship largely taboo. Throughout Tamriel, however, there are small shrines where the devoted worship the madgod in secret. However, there is one holiday that is at least loosely related to Sheogorath. The second of Sun's Dawn is when Mad Pelagius day is celebrated. According to Gwinas, on this day there are great festivals and invocations at the shrines of Sheogorath.

Artifacts
There are six artifacts made by Sheogorath which are known on the mortal plane. The best-known of these is the staff known as Wabbajack. It can transform a creature into something else, turn them into piles of cheese, or instant death, though it is impossible to predict the result, much like Sheogorath himself. This artifact can be found in the games Daggerfall, Oblivion, Skyrim and Online, after doing tasks for Sheogorath, as part of certain quests. Another artifact is the Gambolpuddy glove, which fortifies half of the user's attributes while draining the other half. Gambolpuddy is seen in Morrowind, where it was found under a pillow in Ald Daedroth. His third artifact is the Fork of Horripilation, a fork which drains the user's magicka. It was given by the Statue of Sheogorath in Ihinipalit, in St. Delyn's Canton's Waterworks in Morrowind. The fourth artifact worth noting is the Staff of the Everscamp. This unique artifact in Oblivion summoned four Everscamps who could be neither banished nor killed. The fifth artifact of Sheogorath is the Spear of Bitter Mercy which can summon a Frost Atronach wherever the holder of the staff points the staff. The last artifact, and Sheogorath's main symbol of rulership, is the Staff of Sheogorath, which freezes all foes in place. Another, lesser known artifact of Sheogorath is the Folium Discognitum, a book that contains the collected insights of madmen; capable of giving the reader immense power and knowledge.

Invocation
Sheogorath is one of the easiest Daedric Princes to summon. Although his official summoning date is the second of Sun's Dawn, Sheogorath can be summoned any time there is a storm occurring, or through an offering of a wolf or bear pelt. Another method of invocation is to leave an offering of yarn, lettuce and soul gems at his shrines in the mortal world.

Personality and traits
Sheogorath savors the act of driving mortals insane and/or making them perform actions which can be seen as trivial or silly. He is completely unpredictable, and often comments in nonsensical or otherwise socially unacceptable statements. He often refers to the removal of entrails and has a curious obsession with cheese, which is taken to near hysterical levels in Oblivion. Despite being completely mad, Sheogorath displays incredible intelligence and insight. He is invested in the affairs of Oblivion, as seen in being part of the compact of Sotha Sil in 2920 and his mention of attending the "parties" of the other Princes. He has also shown to be capable of not only manipulating mortals, but other Daedra Lords as well. Some famous cases include when he manipulated Malacath into killing his own son, defeated Hircine in a battle of beasts, and beat Vaermina at her own game.

Sheogorath's attitude reflects the madness over which he rules. He spreads the madness of the Shivering Isles in Nirn and beyond. As one of the "Four Corners of the House of Troubles," he is known for a rebellious streak. He speaks with an exaggerated mix of Irish and Scottish accents, which is likely to be a stretch from his usual voice for when he is angry. This may be a legacy trait from his appearance as an Irishman/Scotsman in an earlier Elder Scrolls game. As the Greymarch progressed, Sheogorath's accent became less and less flamboyant as he began to have "moments of clarity" the closer he came to becoming The Prince of Order. A region in Morrowind, Sheogorad, is named in his honor.

Duties of an Emperor
Sheogorath "More tea, Pelly my dear?"

Pelagius "Oh, I couldn't. It goes right through me. So many detractors and undesirables, naysayers, buffoons. My...My headsman hasn't slept in three days."

Sheogorath "You are far too hard on yourself, my dear, sweet, homicidally insane Pelagius. What would the people do without you? Dance? Sing? Smile? [laughter] Grow old? You are the best Septim that has ever ruled. Well, except for that Martin fellow, but he turned into a Dragon god, and that's hardly sporting. You know, I was there for that whole sordid affair. Marvelous time! Butterflies, blood, a Fox, a severed head... Oh, and the cheese! To die for."

Pelagius "Yes, yes, as you've said countless times before."

Sheogorath "Harumph! Well, if you're going to be like that, I think its best I take my leave. I said a good day to you, sir, I said good day!"

Pelagius "Yes. Leave me to my ceaseless responsibilities and burdens."

Reunited with master
Dervenin: "Master! You've taken me back! Does this mean we're going home? Oh, happy times! I can't wait to..."

Sheogorath: "Yes, yes, that's quite enough celebration. Let's send you ahead, shall we?"

Note: The preceding conversations only occur when the Dragonborn is inside the mind of Pelagius.

Online

 * "Look Haskill! Forky's back! It's so nice to see him again! Oh. And good to see you too, mortal. I guess."
 * "The game is a foot. Or a leg. Or all manner of severed limbs!"
 * "Ah, my little mortal. I'm a man of many personalities, but tell you what? They're all very fond of you."
 * "Catch? Such an untrusting soul. If there were a catch, I'd say it's that two of my guests are murderous cannibals."
 * "It's been so long since we had guests. You would have loved my old Uncle Leo, back in the day. Charming dinner conversation, when he wasn't bringing up old girlfriends. Literally, regurgitating them. Nasty habit."
 * "Why do I need a reason for everything? Mortals, mortals, mortals! Always needing a reason to do things. For example: people think light chases away the shadows! I prefer to think that without a few lights, there'd be no shadows to enjoy."
 * "I should make you fight Narwhals on the open ocean. I should make you run a gauntlet of angry Argonian concubines! But I won't. Book's yours."
 * "No need to worry your pretty mortal head. The Wabbajack, it unleashes the potential in everyone. The unrecognized essence of artistic beauty that swells and beats within the— Look, you want the book? Whack some folks with the Wabbajack."

Trivia

 * Sheogorath's dialogue in Skyrim may suggest that he is the Hero of Kvatch; that the character became Sheogorath in the events of the expansion. This is referenced twice by Sheogorath, first with his mention of having been at the Oblivion Crisis "for that whole sordid affair" and also with his mention of his position being passed down from him to himself every few thousand years.
 * He also mentions butterflies, blood, a Fox, a severed head, and cheese. These likely reference the beginning of Shivering Isles, the Blood of the Daedra/Divines main quest, the Gray Fox of the Cyrodiil Thieves Guild and the severed head of Mathieu Bellamont's mother. The cheese may be in reference to Sheogorath's Daedric Shrine quest in Border Watch. However, it is also possible that, being an insane Daedric Prince, he was able to watch the events.
 * An interesting point to note is that there is no certain reason for Sheogorath to watch the Cyrodiil affair. He, being a form of Jyggalag, is one of the most hated Daedric Princes among the Daedra. Dagon is unlikely to converse with him. Also, he only chooses to mention the events of Oblivion, and not that of Morrowind, Elder Scrolls Online or Arena. Sheogorath's intention was, according to Haskill, for the Hero of Kvatch to mantle him.
 * If the player attacks Sheogorath in Oblivion, they are frozen in place, as Sheogorath calmly says, "You really shouldn't have done that." and tells them to "Enjoy the view." The player is then teleported into the sky above the Shivering Isles, causing them to plummet to their death.
 * Sheogorath is the highest-leveled NPC in.
 * Once the questline is started, if Sheogorath is summoned at his shrine, he will be very disgruntled, saying, "Why are you summoning me? You have things to do. Things I told you to do!" He will, however, give the quest.
 * Sheogorath's accent is said to be a mix of both an exaggerated Scottish and Irish accent by his voice actor, Wes Johnson.
 * It is possible that Sheogorath's line "A good day to you sir. I said good day!" is an reference to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
 * The setting in which Sheogorath is first seen in Skyrim resembles the Mad Hatter's tea party from Lewis Carroll's most famous work, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
 * Due to his nature as a Prince of Madness, Sheogorath's name may be derived from H. P. Lovecraft's Shoggoth.
 * Sheogorath mentions a "Stanley," who he says is a talking grapefruit from Passwall. This could be a reference to the video "Stanley and the Pineapple," in which a man named Stanley meets a talking Pineapple.
 * Sheogorath is one of the only Daedric Princes known to have had an affair with a mortal, namely Relmyna Verenim
 * If Sheogorath is summoned using Console Commands in, and forced to go into combat, he will use Expert level Destruction spells and can conjure a Dremora Lord.
 * Sheogorath is the only character in Oblivion to have a beard.
 * In the Myths of Sheogorath, it is mentioned that Sheogorath invented music by killing a woman and using some of her body parts as instruments.