Lore:Stendarr

, also known as Stendarr the Steadfast,  is the God of Mercy, Charity, Well-Earned Luck,  and Justice.  He is also acclaimed as the God of Compassion,   and Righteous Rule by Might and Merciful Forbearance.  Stendarr is the Apologist of  ,  patron of the  ,    magistrates, rulers, and knights errant,  and one of the Divines.  
 
Origins and worship
Stendarr was originally worshipped as  , God of Ransom, shield-thane of  , but later developed into the current form of worship as a deity of compassion or, sometimes, righteous rule.  He is worshipped throughout   and is considered part of the  ,  ,  ,   and   pantheons.   
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Worship in Cyrodiil
The Imperials of the province of Cyrodiil venerate Stendarr and the Divine is considered part of the Cyrodiilic pantheon.  A Chapel of Stendarr is known to have been located in the city of Chorrol in the Second and Third Eras.   In the late Third Era, wayshrines dedicated to the Divine can be found throughout the countryside of the province.  A statue of Stendarr was featured in the Arboretum district of the Imperial City, the capital of Cyrodiil, in the Second and Third Eras.  

Worship in Elsweyr
Stendarr is worshipped as S'rendarr, the Runt, among the Khajiit of   and is regarded as the son of   and  .  According to the Khajiit, Ahnurr and Fadomai acclaimed S'rendarr as God of Mercy as he was the weakest child.  As God of Mercy, the Khajiit associate S'rendarr with compassion, charity and justice.  A Shrine of the Consummate S'rendarr was located in Jodewood in the Second Era until its priests were exiled for refusing to acknowledge the edicts proclaimed after the adoption of the Riddle'Thar Epiphany, causing the temple to fall into ruin and become occupied by bandits.  

Worship in Morrowind
The majority of the population of   do not venerate Stendarr,  however, in the late Third Era, worship of Stendarr and the Divines was practised by a small minority of   on the Island of  .  Worship of the Divine in Vvardenfell in the late Third Era was largely confined to its non-Dunmer population who could pray at shrines operated by the  , a missionary group, which combined worship of the Divines and provided services for all the Divines at shrines found at Imperial forts.  A shrine to Stendarr and the Divines was also located in the Royal Palace of   during this time.  Members of the   were said to "serve Stendarr" by taking on roles of protection.  Iulus Truptor, a member of the Imperial Cult, was called the "Stendarr Savant".  Another cult member claimed to have received visions from Stendarr guiding her to lost treasures.  

Following the collapse of the   in 3E 427, worshippers of Stendarr and the Divines formed the majority of   and Vvardenfell districts.  In the Second Era, during the Alliance War, a shrine to Stendarr, in the name of Stuhn, was located at the city of Mournhold. 

Worship in Skyrim
In the Fourth Era, shrines to Stendarr could be found throughout the province of  , in the wilderness and in urban centers, such as at the Temple of the Divines in  .  The  , a holy order founded after the   in 3E 433, had a chapter-house in Skyrim in the Fourth Era which was located south of the city of  .  The Vigilants of Stendarr followed the teachings of Stendarr, provided healing services to the population of Skyrim, and engaged in combat with Abominations.  The chapter-house was destroyed in 4E 201 and its occupants, including the Keeper of the Vigil and head of the chapter in Skyrim, were killed by the  , the predominant vampire clan in the province.  The holy order also utilized a watchtower known as Stendarr's Beacon during this time.  A shrine dedicated to Stendarr and the Divines was located at   on the Island of   in the late Third Era. 

Worship in the Iliac Bay
Stendarr is the patron deity of several regions in the  , including  ,  ,  ,  ,   and  , and is venerated by  s and Bretons alike.   Temples dedicated to the Divine could be found throughout the Iliac Bay during the late Third Era and were administered by the  , a religious organization dedicated to Stendarr and his teachings, which offered healing and training to the population of the Iliac Bay.  Only healers of the temples of Stendarr offered their services to both worshippers and heretics.  The Temple of Stendarr was led by a patriarch and was allied to the  , a religious organization dedicated to   and her teachings.  The  , also known as the Knights of Stendarr, was a knightly order dedicated to Stendarr which protected his temples against its adversaries, such as the  .  Stendarr is considered the most popular Divine among Redguard knights. 

Worship in the Summerset Isles
The Sect of Harmonious Masters of   was a sect dedicated to the teachings of Stendarr that emerged during the Second Era in the city of Lillandril.  The sect abhorred violence, offered healing and promulgated knowledge of healing spells to the general population.  The veneration of Stendarr is frowned upon by a minority of   who consider the god unworthy of the worship of the Children of    because of his role as the Apologist of Men.  Aritanwe of Lillandril, a notable member of the sect, refuted criticism of the veneration of Stendarr among Elves in Rituals of the Harmonious Masters. 

Mythology
According to the creation myth presented in the Anuad, Stendarr and the aedra (gods) were born from the mingled blood of Anu and Padomay, the good and evil primal forces, respectively, and therefore have a capacity for both good and evil, in contrast to the daedra, who were born from the blood of Padomay, and thus are only evil.  The formation of Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time, from the mingled blood of the brothers Anu and Padomay facilitated the formation of Stendarr and the gods as they learnt to structure themselves.  ''Shezarr's Song, a Cyrodiilic creation myth, acclaims the creation of Mundus to the sacrifice of Stendarr and the gods whose sacrifices were embodied as eponymous planets.   Stendarr and the gods were subsequently bound to the Earth Bones as a result.  It is said that the Divine accompanied Emperor   in his later years in the early Third Era.  The Warp in the West, also known as the Miracle of Peace, in 3E 417 is attributed to Stendarr, Mara and  .  

Teachings
:"Those who don't believe in mercy must believe in fear."'' –Corbyn Rangouze, Priest of Stendarr 
Stendarr, through his priests, resolutes, and templars, makes his will known to the mortals of Tamriel,  and commands them to "be kind and generous to the people of Tamriel. Protect the weak, heal the sick, and give to the needy".  Stendarr offers mercy to all mortals and he welcomes heretics, the afflicted, the hopeless and the forgotten.  The Divine cherishes and protects all mortals regardless of whether they acknowledge him or not and he does not distinguish between worshippers and heretics.  The priests of Stendarr act as a conduit and he provides guidance and assistance to mortals through them.  Mortals who open their heart and soul to Stendarr's mercy and seek his benevolence are healed and gain understanding of the love Stendarr holds for all mortals, particularly those less fortunate.   He also offers help in the form of healing as Stendarr can mend any wound, stay any disease, and soothe any broken soul.  

Stendarr bestowed upon mortals the gift of magic and the ability to employ it,  with which mortals can seek Stendarr's wisdom through the use of restoration magic in his name.  Invocation of Stendarr grants the wielder the ability to cloak themselves in a righteous aura of blessed light, which has been adapted by the priests and resolutes of Stendarr to form either, a piercing beam resembling a spear, a form of armor or shield, or for use as a tool for healing.  However, the mercy of Stendarr does not extend to the enemies of mortals, who are referred to as Abominations, and the Divine considers them abhorrent and unnatural, and deserving of extermination without mercy.  Vinicius Imbrex, Archbishop of Chorrol, defined four kinds of Abominations - daedra, lycanthropes, the undead and vampires - in The Four Abominations.  Stendarr is known as the Divine who "suffers Men to read". 

Precepts of Stendarr
Stendarr commands all mortals to make themselves vulnerable to his will and follow his precepts:
Never refuse aid you are capable of providing.
Go among the infirm and the wounded wherever you find them.
Offer prayer to Stendarr every day.
Do not hoard wealth or indulge physically. 

Artifacts
Gauntlets of the Crusader
The Gauntlets of the Crusader, one of the Crusader's Relics, was created by Stendarr in the early First Era and granted to Pelinal Whitestrake, the Divine Crusader, to allow him to defeat and banish Umaril the Unfeathered, an Ayleid Sorcerer King. Pelinal, despite his victory over Umaril, was slain and the Crusader's Relics were scattered and lost for thousands of years.  The gauntlets were later recovered by Sir Casimir, a Knight of the Nine, in the early Third Era and remained in his possession until 3E 139.  The murder of a beggar at the hands of Sir Casimir in the Chapel of Stendarr in Chorrol in 3E 139 led Stendarr to deem Sir Casimir unworthy of his artifact and the gauntlets fell to the floor where they lay until coming into the possession of the Champion of Cyrodiil in 3E 433. 

Stendarr's Hammer
 
Ring of Stendarr's Mercy
The Ring of Stendarr's Mercy is a ring that was linked to the Amulet of Kings and Sancre Tor, the ring served as a key to a ward of Stendarr protecting the Amulet in  . It was used by the Vestige to retrieve the Amulet alongside Sai Sahan. 

Gallery
 

Notes
The Little Moon God   ( ) is also known as Stendarr's Sorrow.  
Followers of the Divines use many variants on a common threat: they offer Stendarr's mercy, for they themselves will not give any.  
Stendarr lends his name to the beverage known as Stendarr's Vigilance Ginger Ale. 

See Also
Books


References