Lore:Varieties of Faith: The High Elves

The

(though few   outside the   accept the limitation of   to eight):

  (King of the  ):

The     is Auri-El. Auri-El is the soul of  , who, in turn, is the soul of   the Everything. He is the chief of most Aldmeri pantheons. Most Altmeri and  i claim direct descent from Auri-El. In his only known moment of weakness, he agreed to take his part in the creation of the  , that act which forever sundered the Elves from the   of eternity. To make up for it, Auri-El led the original Aldmer against the armies of   in mythic times, vanquishing that tyrant and establishing the first kingdoms of the Altmer,   and  . He then ascended to heaven in full observance of his followers so that they might learn the steps needed to escape the mortal plane.

  (Magus):

The god of sorcery, Magnus withdrew from the creation of the world at the last second, though it cost him dearly. What is left of him on the world is felt and controlled by mortals as  . One story says that, while the idea was thought up by Lorkhan, it was Magnus who created the schematics and diagrams needed to construct the mortal plane. He is sometimes represented by an astrolabe, a telescope, or, more commonly, a staff.

 :

Strong god of the early Aldmer, in some places more popular than Auri-El. He was a warrior spirit of the original Elven tribes that led armies against the  .   is said to have assumed his shape (in some stories, he even eats Trinimac) so that he could convince a throng of Aldmer to listen to him, which led to their eventual  i conversion. Trinimac vanishes from the mythic stage after this, to return as the dread   (Altmeri propaganda portrays this as the dangers of  i influence).

  (God of the Forest):

While Auri-El Time   might be the king of the gods, Y'ffre is revered as the spirit of "the now." According to the Elves, after the creation of the mortal plane everything was in chaos. The first mortals were turning into plants and animals and back again. Then Y'ffre transformed himself into the first of the  , or "Earth Bones." After these laws of nature were established, mortals had a semblance of safety in the new world, because they could finally understand it.

 :

Xarxes is the god of ancestry and secret knowledge. He began as a scribe to Auri-El, and has kept track of all Aldmeri accomplishments, large and small, since the beginning of time. He created his wife,  , from his favorite moments in history.

  (Goddess of Love):

Nearly universal goddess. Origins started in mythic times as a fertility goddess. She is sometimes associated with Nir of the " ," the female principle of the cosmos that gave birth to creation. For the Altmer, she is the wife of Auri-El.

  (God of Mercy):

God of compassion and righteous rule. In early Altmeri legends, Stendarr is the apologist of  .

  (Warlock's God):

An Aldmeri god-ancestor of magic, Syrabane aided   in the  . Through judicious use of his magical ring, Syrabane saved many from the scourge of the  . He is also called the Apprentices' God, for he is a favorite of the younger members of the  .

— Additional Deities with Significant Altmer Cults —
 :

Hero-god of the  , who taught the Altmer how to naturally live another hundred years by using a shorter walking stride.

  (The Missing God):

This Creator-Trickster-Tester deity is in every  ic mythic tradition. His most popular name is the Aldmeri "Lorkhan," or Doom Drum. He convinced or contrived the   to bring about the creation of the mortal plane, upsetting the status quo—much like his father   had introduced instability into the universe in the  . After the world is materialized, Lorkhan is separated from his  , sometimes involuntarily, and wanders the creation of the et'Ada. He and his metaphysical placement in the "scheme of things" is interpreted a variety of ways. To the High Elves, he is the most unholy of all higher powers, as he forever broke their connection to the spirit plane. In the legends, he is almost always an enemy of the Aldmer and, therefore, a hero of early Mankind.