Lore:Daedric Princes

(also known as Daedric Regents  Daedra Lords     and the Second Litter''' to the Khajiit  ) are the most powerful of the Daedra, and thus most commonly worshipped as gods.   Each has a particular sphere, which it is said to govern.   Daedric Princes may assume a typically masculine or a typically feminine form, sometimes both.  They are usually referred to as Princes regardless of what gender they appear most frequently as. In all, there are seventeen powerful Princes known to mortals: Azura, Boethiah, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora, Hircine, Jyggalag, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Mephala, Meridia, Molag Bal, Namira, Nocturnal, Peryite, Sanguine, Sheogorath, and Vaermina . 

Each Daedric Prince, with the exception of Jyggalag, is said to have their own plane of Oblivion, over which they have control.  The limits on their planes, powers, and influence are not readily understood, as there are over 37,000 other planes (such as the   and the  , as well as chaos realms and pocket realms) over which they exert little or no control.   

The Daedric Princes seem to view Men and Mer as little more than minor amusements, occasionally applauding the actions of mortals when they exceed their expectations. They do not know the mortal sense of "good" and "evil", and usually have extremist tendencies, which is why Men and Mer fear them greatly. However, several princes do seem to take genuine pleasure in tremendous acts of devastation, in particular Boethiah, Molag Bal, Vaermina, Mehrunes Dagon, and Peryite.

Although the beings are considered evil by most, they are widely worshipped in the realms of Tamriel. Elaborate shrines are created to honor the Daedra as gods. They often take a keen interest in their worshippers, and it is speculated that this is either because of the obvious ego-gratification of being somebody's god, or because the Daedra like to keep an eye on potential future subjects (assuming people of demonic disposition enter Oblivion after death, that is; there are as many afterlife theories as there are religions in the world). Mainstream religious authorities discourage Daedra worship, and often mount witch-hunting expeditions to drive out Daedra worshippers from the local area. During these encounters, they are often surprised at the marginal sanity that comes of worshipping the Daedric Princes. For the most part, however, dealing with the Daedra, one gets the distinct impression of being mused over as a person peering under an upturned rock may momentarily wonder at the lives of the bugs living ignorantly there.   

The Daedric Princes can be summoned, and there is a popular notion that the summoned lords will then give the summoner a quest or task to fulfill and that the quest, once completed, will make the questor richly rewarded. Mostly these tasks are merely for the entertainment of the Daedra. However, this is probably not true of most Daedra summons, and the summoner would do well to consider the consequences of his actions in advance. A consecrated shrine is the most reliable conduit for contacting a Daedric Prince, though there are other ways to make contact with the powers of Oblivion. 

While Aedra and Daedra are precisely defined, there are still some beings who challenge this dichotomy in some respects. Malacath, who legend holds was once the Aedra  , is particularly hostile to other Daedra; he even created  , Bane of Daedra.   According to  ,   is a Daedric Prince whose sphere is  .  However, this is uncorroborated, and little is known of the mysterious Trickster deity; while some stories suggest Lorkhan was impervious to death, similar to a Daedra, he is also credited with helping to bring about creation (in fact, it was allegedly his idea).   Obscure stories also question the origins of Meridia  and Mehrunes Dagon. 

For information on other Daedric creatures, see the entry on Daedra.
 

Azura
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Boethiah
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Clavicus Vile
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Hermaeus Mora
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Hircine
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Jyggalag
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Malacath
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Mehrunes Dagon
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Mephala
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Meridia
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Molag Bal
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Namira
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Nocturnal
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Peryite
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Sanguine
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Sheogorath
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Vaermina
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Notes
 
The God of Worms, Mannimarco was rumored to have ascended as a Daedric Prince,  however it appears his apotheosis was ultimately of a different nature.  
The realm of Deadlight is said to have been the home of a forgotten Daedric Prince who was destroyed by Mehrunes Dagon during an ancient war. 
Among many theories regarding nature and origins of Bearers of Fargrave some refer to them as four ancient warring Daedric Princes. 

References