Aetherius

Sovngarde, a division within Aetherius, that serves as the Nordic paradise.

"Aetherius is the sea of light, the Immortal Plane, the origin of magic."

―Girnalin

Aetherius, or the Immortal Plane, is the realm from which Aedra such as the Nine Divines originate. Aetherius is the source of magic and of all creation in Mundus. It can be construed as the inverse of Oblivion, from which the Daedra originate; conversely, Aetherius is the realm from which the Aedra are connected. Oblivion is considered the dualistic inverse of Aetherius.

It is the plane of pure magicka, and is the realm where magicka originates. Common belief is that souls ascend to this location upon death. The Imperial Geographic Society has this to say about it:

"It is aetherial energy that infuses our daily existence, from highest to lowest, and gives all the races of men, mer, and beast common purpose. Its magic brings the rain to the fields, love to our hearths, and scientific principles to our technological industries. It gives us the very Sun itself. Finally, Aetherius is the home to the Aedra, those cornerstones of the Mundus whose aspects we see in the temple, in lordship, and the high walk of heroes."

Realms within Aetherius

Though it is known that Aetherius contains a large number of planes within itself, only four are specifically known.

• Sovngarde
• Mantellan Crux – a self-contained prison for the Mantella.
• Sands Behind the Stars
• The Far Shores

Reaching Aetherius

It is substantially more difficult to reach Aetherius than it is to reach the void of Oblivion. The only two successful trips there occurred firstly during the Reman Dynasty, and secondly by the "Sun Birds" of Alinor. From the Reman Dynasty, the Royal Imperial "Mannanauts" were obtained, and from the Sun Birds, the Orrery of Firsthold. It is also rumored that the Dwemer may have reached Aetherius in the past, as well. Some believe that the stars, including Nirn's sun, Magnus, are laminar tears through Oblivion that were created by Magnus and the Magna Ge who fled from Nirn during its creation, that allow light and magic from Aetherius to reach Mundus. During the Alliance War the Vestige travelled to Sovngarde , a realm of Aetherius, through the portal at Skuldafn, to the Far Shores, another realm of Aetherius, through the portal at the Hall of Heroes, and visited a shard of Aetherius that became coterminous with the ruins of Ezduiin using Meldil's amulet. Also, the agent sent by Uriel Septim to Daggerfall to ensolve the murder of King Lysandus was transported to Aetherius by Nulfaga in Castle Shedungent in order of find the Mantella. The Last Dragonborn reached Sovngarde, to defeat Alduin in 4E 201.

Scenes that mention Aetherius

Daggerfall

The Hero of Daggerfall entered Aetherius' sub-realm Mantellan Crux to extract the Mantella for use against the Underking. The realm exists as a massive labyrinthine puzzle. Sheogorath is encountered here, in his parlor. Although, in later titles, Sheogorath became associated with the realm of Oblivion, Aetherius' converse, he was not included as such in Daggerfall.

Oblivion

In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Aetherius is mentioned in passing in the form of a Heaven Stone named Aetherius Stone. It is located northwest of Skingrad and slightly south of Bleak Flats Cave. Activating it Fortifies Magicka 50 pts and adds Resist Magic 20%.

Skyrim

The priestess at Helgen commends the souls of the Dragonborn and of the other prisoners to Aetherius, regardless of race.

When seeking entry for the first time to the College of Winterhold, the conversation with Faralda, the watcher of the bridge, may turn so that this response may be given: "I want to unravel the mysteries of Aetherius," to which she responds with acknowledgement that it is a noble goal to wish to understand the plane from which all magic comes.

Quests

• Journey to Aetherius – The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
• Sovngarde – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Songs of Sovngarde – The Elder Scrolls Online
• To Walk on Far Shores – The Elder Scrolls Online
• The Mallari-Mora – The Elder Scrolls Online

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (mentioned only)
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (mentioned only)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard (mentioned only)
• The Elder Scrolls Online

References

Notice: The following are unlicensed references. They are not copyrighted by a ZeniMax Media company, but can still be considered part of The Elder Scrolls lore and are included for completeness.