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Akatosh

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"Lord Akatosh lends you his might. When your own strength fails you, trust in the Nine."
―Sir Amiel Lannus[src]

Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time,[1] is the chief deity of the Divines,[2] the official religion of the human empires throughout much of Tamriel's history. He represents the qualities of endurance, invincibility, and everlasting legitimacy.[1] Along with Lorkhan and Mara, he is one of three deities found in almost every Tamrielic religion, with only the Dunmer, Orsimer, Argonian, and Kothringi not having a dragon god of time in their pantheons.[3][1] He is generally considered to be the first of the gods to form in the Beginning Place.[1] After his establishment, other spirits followed his example, and the various pantheons of the world emerged.[1] Before the Ages of Man suggests that he and Auri-El are the same being, but further confirms that after his formation, time began.[4] Akatosh is considered the god-defender of the Empire.

Places of worship

Chapels

See also: The Akatosh Chantry

In the province of Cyrodiil, his main chapel was located in the Cyrodilic city of Kvatch.[5] In addition, he was the most prominent of the gods represented at the Temple of the One in the Imperial City.[6]

The Temple of the Divines, housed in the city of Solitude in the province of Skyrim, contains a Shrine of Akatosh.

Blessings

At his chapels, Akatosh blesses parishioners with increased magicka and speed.[5] The book Ten Commands: Nine Divines has the following command from Akatosh:

"Akatosh says: Serve and obey your Emperor. Study the Covenants. Worship the Nine, do your duty, and heed the commands of the saints and priests."
―Ten Commands: Nine Divines

Temples built in his honor can be seen at the Arboretum, and the Temple of the One, both located in the Imperial City.[5] Arriana Valga, the Countess of Chorrol, is a devout follower.[7]

Wayshrines

Praying at any one of these will grant the Jaws of Akatosh spell.

Dragon Breaks

Main article: Dragon Break
Akatosh Stained Glass Circle

Akatosh's symbol wrought in stained glass.

A Dragon Break is an event where the timeline of the world of Nirn is suddenly split. They are known as Dragon Breaks because Akatosh, who is symbolised as a Dragon, is the god of Time and thus a break in the timeline can be viewed as breaking the Dragon, so to speak.

Only three Dragon Breaks have been recorded and verified historically, as—due to their very nature—the majority of people would be unaware of their occurrence. The first of these is referred to as the Middle Dawn, and occurred when the Marukhati Selectives "danced on the tower."[8] This was done to remove the merish aspects of Akatosh, which the Selectives found offensive.[9] It lasted for either 150 or 1,008 years.[10]

The second recorded Dragon Break was the so-called Warp in the West (or the Miracle of Peace), which was brought on by the building of Numidium in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall [11]; however, it is speculated that Akatosh, Mara, and Stendarr were responsible for this event.[12]

Amulet of Kings

Main article: Amulet of Kings
Statue akatosh

A statue of Akatosh in the Imperial City.

The artifact known as the Amulet of Kings was created by Akatosh. As lord of the Aedra, Akatosh took pity on the plight of Men, who were slaves of the Ayleids,[13] and drawing precious blood from his own heart, blessed Alessia with the blood of dragons. He also made a Covenant that so long as Alessia's generations were true to the dragon blood, Akatosh would endeavor to seal tight the Oblivion Gate for good and deny the armies of Daedra and undead to their enemies, the Ayleids.[14] Akatosh then gave Alessia the Amulet of Kings and the Eternal Dragonfires, which, when lighted, would restrict the Daedra to the realms of Oblivion. The Amulet contains a gem of Alessia herself, and eight other gems, one for each of the Eight Divines.[14]

The Remanada mentions the amulet and how it was a symbol of the Reman Dynasty and how it was lost during the Interregnum before being rediscovered by Tiber Septim.[15]

Avatar of Akatosh

Avatar of Akatosh Art

The Avatar of Akatosh.

During the Oblivion Crisis, the Avatar of Akatosh was summoned after the Hero of Kvatch and Martin Septim failed to light the Dragonfires in time before Mehrunes Dagon arrived on Nirn. Martin sacrificed himself and the Amulet of Kings to summon the Avatar of Akatosh. The Avatar fought Mehrunes Dagon in the ruins of the Temple of the One in the Imperial City, and after defeating the Prince of Destruction, turned to stone, becoming a reminder of what happened there.

It is unknown if the statue of the Avatar remained standing after the Great War when the Imperial City was invaded and occupied by the Third Aldmeri Dominion during the Fourth Era.

Representations

Gallery

Trivia

Appearances

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.
  1. ↑ Daggerfacts – The Imperial Library
Deities of Tamrielic races
Imperial Pantheon
Nordic Pantheon
Altmeri Pantheon
Bosmeri Pantheon
Dunmeri Pantheon
Redguard Pantheon
Bretony Pantheon
Khajiiti Pantheon
Argonian Pantheon
Ayleid Pantheon
Kothri Pantheon
Orcish Pantheon
Reachfolk Pantheon
Snow Elf Pantheon
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