User blog:Aquila2002/Redguard Culture, Religion and Lore.

Notice: This Blog is a Post I made over the Discussions that I decided to save in Blog form. The original post can be found here.

Context
As per a request (For FailedPro), I am making this Lore Post to hopefully teach/refresh some Lore upon the Redguards, their History, Yokuda and Religion.

Firstly, let's talk about the Religion and it's Pantheonic meanings; explaining the Gods and the Creation Myth. The Gods in the Yokudan Pantheon are as follows: -Diagna -Ebonarm -Hoonding -Ius -Leki -Malooc -Morwha -Onsi -Ruptga -Satakal -Sep -Tava -Tu'Whacca -Zeht Let us start off with talking about each of these dieties, their roles in the Pantheon and what they are most notable for.

Religion
"Diagna (Orichalc God of the Sideways Blade): Hoary thuggish cult of the Redguards. Originated in Yokuda during the Twenty Seven Snake Folk Slaughter. Diagna was an avatar of the HoonDing (the Yokudan God of Make Way, see below) that achieved permanence. He was instrumental to the defeat of the Lefthanded Elves, as he brought orichalc weapons to the Yokudan people to win the fight. In Tamriel, he led a very tight knit group of followers against the Orcs of Orsinium during the height of their ancient power, but then faded into obscurity. He is now little more than a local power spirit of the Dragontail Mountains." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

The above quote speaks for itself. Starting out it's worship in the Yokudan Pantheon, Diagna is most notable for her help in the fight against the Left-Handed Elves, supplying Orichalc weapons and such. Now she is worshipped as a local power spirit, a sort of third-party God that nobody acknowledges nowadays. Next is Ebonarm.

"All become suddenly still on the field of battle as both sides recognize Reymon Ebonarm, God of War, and the companion and protector of all warriors, also known as the Black Knight and his mighty steed War Master. He rides into the middle of the blood soaked field and dismounts. He is a very imposing figure. His very tall and heavily muscled body is encased in ebony armor. His ebony helmet does not hide the flowing reddish blonde hair and beard which appear almost as shimmering gold, nor does it shield the steel blue eyes that seem to pierce all they fall upon." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/The_Ebon_Arm

As obviously seen in the above quote from the source, Ebonarm was a "God of War", placing him in the powerhouse of the Yokudan Pantheon, although he brings nothing in the Creation Myth, the same with Diagna and a good chunck of the Pantheon. Next is Hoonding.

"HoonDing (The Make Way God): Yokudan spirit of 'perseverance over infidels'. The HoonDing has historically materialized whenever the Redguards need to 'make way' for their people. In Tamrielic history this has only happened three times -- twice in the first era during the Ra Gada invasion and once during the Tiber War. In this last incarnation, the HoonDing was said to have been either a sword or a crown, or both." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

So, viewing this quote, we can see that this Diety/Spirit was a big part of the Ra Gada invasions, and is what probably led them by Inspiration and will to fight. Without HoonDing, history couldv'e veen very, very different. Next is Ius.

"The statues one sees throughout Valenwood and parts of Hammerfell and Elsweyr that seem to be of a misshapen humanoid carrying a rod are of Ius, The God of Animals. The rod He carries has its origin in the tale of The Ox and The Evil Farmer. It seems that one day an evil farmer decided to kill all of his animals and have a big party. As The story unfolds, animal after animal is killed and prepared for a big meal. Lastly the farmer comes to the ox and prepares to slit its throat. The ox, not wishing to be anybody's dinner, prayed very vocally to Ius. This came out as a loud Moo, of course." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Ius,_Animal_God

Ius, The Animal God, is a sort of Hircine-Esque Diety in the Yokudan Pantheon, and this is seen in the story of the Ox. Quite a simple Diety to discuss. Next is Leki.

"Leki is the goddess of aberrant swordsmanship and daughter of Tall Papa. The Na-Totambu of Yokuda warred to a standstill during the Mythic Era to decide who would lead the charge against the Lefthanded Elves. Their swordmasters, though, were so skilled in the Best Known Cuts as to be matched evenly. Leki introduced the Ephemeral Feint; afterwards, a victor emerged and the war with the Aldmer began." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Leki

Now, The source above is contentious, but if it is true, this would make Leki quite an important diety, as she woyld ve the daughter of Tall Papa; a diety who we'll learn about later down the line. Next is Malooc.

"Malooc (Horde King): An enemy god of the Ra Gada. Led the goblins against the Redguards during the first era. Fled east when the army of the HoonDing overtook his goblin hordes." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

Gathering these quotes and citations, we start to note that the Pantheon, discluding the main Creation Myth Dieties, are quite war-like, which fits with the whole Ra Gada theme. Next is Morwha.

"Morwha (Teat God): Yokudan fertility goddess. Fundamental deity in the Yokudan pantheon, and the favorite of Tall Papa's wives. Still worshipped in various areas of Hammerfell, including Stros M'kai. Morwha is always portrayed as four-armed, so that she can 'grab more husbands'." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

This Diety is similar to Dibella in the Imperial Pantheon, and this is clearly portrayed by the above quote. As a fundamentalist, many Redguards worship Morwha, and as a Diety of fertility, we know when she is most worshipped. Next is Onsi.

"Onsi (Boneshaver): Notable warrior god of the Yokudan Ra Gada, Onsi taught Mankind how to pull their knives into swords." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

Another Pantheonic "God of War". Quite simple and self-explanatory. Onsi goes into the same category as Malooc, Ebonarm, HoonDing (to an extent) and possibly Leki. Next is Ruptga. Now we are going into the more notable Dieties of the Pantheon.

"Ruptga (Tall Papa): Chief deity of the Yokudan pantheon. Ruptga, more commonly 'Tall Papa', was the first god to figure out how to survive the Hunger of Satakal. Following his lead, the other gods learned the 'Walkabout', or a process by which they can persist beyond one lifetime. Tall Papa set the stars in the sky to show lesser spirits how to do this, too. When there were too many spirits to keep track of, though, Ruptga created a helper out the dead skin of past worlds. This helper is Sep (see below), who later creates the world of mortals." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

Aha! Finally! The main Pantheonic Diety of the Yokudans. Ruptga, also known as Tall Papa, is the Lorkhan-esque Diety of thos Pantheon, seen by the similarities of leadership and "creating life". He was also the very first to figure out how to get past the Hunger of Satakal, later being known as the "Walkabout". The Walkabout itself could be a similar type of Apotheosis-esque CHIM, but in a different manner alltogether. Maybe it could be used to get through Kalpa's? Next is Satakal.

"Satakal (The Worldskin): Yokudan god of everything. A fusion of the concepts of Anu and Padomay. Basically, Satakal is much like the Nordic Alduin, who destroys one world to begin the next. In Yokudan mythology, Satakal had done (and still does) this many times over, a cycle which prompted the birth of spirits that could survive the transition. These spirits ultimately become the Yokudan pantheon. Popular god of the Alik'r nomads." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

Speaks for itself. Satakal is notable to Anu and Padomay, and how Alduin is to destroy a world for a new one to be created. Satakal is also noted as the "Everlasting Snake", "Everlasting Hunger" or "The First Snake". The Name "Satakal" may be a mixture of two names, Satak and Akel, which fits into the Anu-Padomay comparison. Next is Sep. Keep in mind that "Eternal Hunger" is more of a term to represent Sep, and Satakal just happens to remind of that.

"Sep (The Snake): Yokudan version of Lorkhan. Sep is born when Tall Papa creates someone to help him regulate the spirit trade. Sep, though, is driven crazy by the hunger of Satakal, and he convinces some of the gods to help him make an easier alternative to the Walkabout. This, of course, is the world as we know it, and the spirits who followed Sep become trapped here, to live out their lives as mortals. Sep is punished by Tall Papa for his transgressions, but his hunger lives on as a void in the stars, a 'non-space' that tries to upset mortal entry into the Far Shores." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

Compared to the most believed Creation Myth, this representation of Lorkhan is pretty much direct. No "like Lorkhan", no "Lorkhan-esque", but just Lorkhan. Concieved as the Eternal Hunger, Sep represents Lorkhan in an Aldmeri type of view. As a trickster hungry of the energy of creation. This can be quite deep. Next is Tava.

"Tava (Bird God): Yokudan spirit of the air. Tava is most famous for leading the Yokudans to the isle of Herne after the destruction of their homeland. She has since become assimilated into the mythology of Kynareth. She is still very popular in Hammerfell among sailors, and her shrines can be found in most port cities." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

Tava is another Diety that symbolises Imperial Pantheonic Dieties. Tava goes in the same correlation as Morwha. Next is Tu'Whacca.

"Tu'whacca (Tricky God): Yokudan god of souls. Tu'whacca, before the creation of the world, was the god of Nobody Really Cares. When Tall Papa undertook the creation of the Walkabout, Tu'whacca found a purpose; he became the caretaker of the Far Shores, and continues to help Redguards find their way into the afterlife. His cult is sometimes associated with Arkay in the more cosmopolitan regions of Hammerfell." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

Tu'Whacca, another of the Creation Myth Gods/Dieties that falls into place with the Imperial Pantheonic Correlation; this time seen as an Arkay figure. One notable contrast is that Arkay is noted as a Man-God, which meant that he became a God from being Human, whereas Tu'Whacca is more of an Et'Adic Diety. Finally, we have Zeht.

"Zeht (God of Farms): Yokudan god of agriculture. Renounced his father after the world was created, which is why Tall Papa makes it so hard to grow food." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Varieties_of_Faith_in_the_Empire

This may be an indirect reason as to why places like Hammerfell and Stros M'Kai are quite infertile. This is another side-God of the Pantheon.

Culture and Lore
With the Pantheon simply explained, let us get on and explain a few sources about the Redguards and such.

"Indeed, the kings of the Covenant take the Remans as their model, claiming to be the spiritual heirs of the Second Empire." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Guide_to_the_Daggerfall_Covenant The Guide to the Daggerfall Covenant, a book found in TESO, explains how the Covenant came to be, explaining such things as how they base themselves as a "Second Empire to the Remans".

Whilst the source doesn't proclaim that much about the Redguards, it is wise to note that the Redguards were a big part of the Covenant, and so if you have any time, I suggest reading the source for more information of the coming of the Daggerfall Covenant. "Forward, soldiers of the Covenant! Freedom for all peoples in the name of the Divines! For a new Empire and a new era of law and justice!" - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/True_Heirs_of_the_Empire

The Redguards have an interesting History of Architecture, Art and War, and this citation is a great proof of that: (Mixing this in with the Pantheon explained earlier makes a lot of sense for this type of culture)

"Hunding belonged to the sword-singers. This element of empire society grew from the desert artisans and was initially recruited from the young sons and daughters of the high families. They built the first temple to the unknown gods of War and build a training hall "The Hall of the Virtues of War". Within a few generations the way of the sword - the song of the blade - had become their life. The people of the blade kept their poetry and artisanship in building beautiful swords woven with magic and powers from the unknown gods. The greatest among them became known as Ansei or "Saints of the Sword". Each of these began their own training schools teaching their individual way of the sword. Those Ansei of the highest virtue wandered the country side engaging in battle, righting wrongs, and seeking to end the strife." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Redguards,_Their_History_and_Their_Heroes

Now that we are clear on the Pantheon and how it's connected heavily to Redguard culture, let us discover more about Yokuda.

"The continent of Yokuda is no more, but it was once a place where rocky, barren hills were matched by the fecund combination of sophisticated agriculture, politics, and warfare. It was a harsh environment, training the Yokudans well for their lives in Tamriel. The Yokuda civil wars of the 4th and 8th centuries prepared them for their future conflicts, and the unwelcoming desert of Volenfell only yielded fruit and grain because of the experience the Yokudans had in their even more arid homeland. It debated to this day what the nature of the disaster was that destroyed Yokuda. Tremors of the earth were not uncommon in the continent's history, and many argue that it was simply a natural catastrophic series of quakes at the foundation of the land. Others suggest that it may have had human origins: during the last civil war, a renegade band of Ansei called the Hiradirge were said to be masters of stone magic. When they were defeated in battle in 1E 792, the argument goes, they had their revenge on the entire land, destroying what they would never rule." - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Pocket_Guide_to_the_Empire,_Third_Edition:_Other_Lands This may explain how Yokuda may have sunk, and refers to Stone Magic, which is something that has come up throughout the sources all the way back to the Creation Myth, possibly.

I hope I have taught, or refreshed people's knowledge, on Redguard Religion, Culture and Lore.