Hermaeus Mora Hermaeus Mora ( ) , also known as Hoermius , Hormaius , Hermorah , Herma Mora , the Woodland Man , and the Gardener of Men , is the Daedric Prince of knowledge and memory ; his sphere is the scrying of the tides of Fate , of the past and future as read in the stars and heavens . He is not known for being good or evil ; he seems to be the keeper of both helpful and destructive knowledge , although he usually sees all seekers of any knowledge as his servants . Background . Also called the Demon of Knowledge , he is vaguely related to the cult origins of the Morag Tong if only by association with his sibling , Mephala . He usually chooses to appear to mortals as a void of darkness , or as a grotesque mass of tentacles and eyeballs . Plane of Oblivion . As recorded in " The Doors of Oblivion " , Hermaeus Mora maintains a realm in Oblivion called Apocrypha , where all forbidden knowledge can be found . It is an endless library , with shelves stretching onward in all directions , stacks on top of stacks . Every book has a black cover with no title . Masses of ghosts move through the stacks , rifling through books , eternally searching for the knowledge they sought whilst living . This location appears in the DLC . It can be accessed via Black Books , which can give the reader special abilities . The halls are filled with Seeker s who read books and guard the realm . Some areas have Lurker s who also guard the realm and sometimes appear in the mortal realm , unlike the Seekers . The realm is filled with mist and fog as well as seas of acid - like water , encompassed by a dark green atmosphere . The only known residents other than various ghosts are Seekers , Lurkers and Miraak together with his dragons . Artifacts . Oghma Infinium . Hermaeus Mora is associated with the ancient tome of knowledge , the " Oghma Infinium " . Written by Xarxes , the scribe of Auri - El , the knowledge inside was granted by none other than Hermaeus Mora . The knowledge was then , in turn , passed over to Mehrunes Dagon , and was used to write the " Mysterium Xarxes " . In reading the Oghma Infinium will grant the reader five levels for each skill in one path of their choice ; Might , Shadow , or Magic . In , however , the choices are Steel , Shadow , and Spirit . The Eternal Champion , back in the time of Jagar Tharn , was able to retrieve the " Oghma Infinium " in the deep frozen wastes of Skyrim ; at that time Hermaeus Mora did not interfere . Then , the Hero of Daggerfall was recorded as the wielder of the tome , sometime in the late Third Era . Black Books . Black Books are tomes of esoteric knowledge that are artifacts of Hermaeus Mora , along with the " Oghma Infinium " . The Black Books are not just regular books ; when read , they transport the reader to the realm of Apocrypha . When the books are read inside Apocrypha , they transport the reader back to Solstheim , because Black Books can only be read in Solstheim . The books contain hidden knowledge that , when read , grants the reader great powers and abilities . Summoning . The summoning date of Hermaeus Mora is 5th of First Seed . The Hero of Daggerfall quested for the " Oghma Infinium " by summoning Hermaeus Mora . The Shrine of Hermaeus Mora is located on a remote plateau deep within the northwestern portion of the Jerall Mountains ( possibly due to the fact that he is within the Pantheon of Skyrim , thus being closer to where he is worshipped ) . After following the path of requirement , the Hero of Kvatch was then able to summon Hermaeus Mora , and was asked to bring one soul of each of the sentient races of Tamriel , so that his followers are able to perform a divination . The Hero was then awarded the " Oghma Infinium " , furthering their journey on the true path . Skyrim . Two hundred years after the Oblivion Crisis , the tome has once again become lost . Upon finding an Elder Scroll housed within an Oculory inside the Tower of Mzark , Blackreach , the Dragonborn returns to Septimus Signus , the crazed mage who told the Dragonborn where to find the Elder Scroll during " Discerning the Transmundane " and ' s Main Quest . Septimus had given the Dragonborn a Blank Lexicon which was needed to unlock the Oculory that the Elder Scroll was in . The Blank Lexicon is transformed into a Runed Lexicon , and while doing this , the Lexicon absorbs the infinite amount of unknowable information contained within the Elder Scroll . Upon returning the Lexicon to Septimus , the mage uses it to discover the way to open an ancient Dwemer vault . It turns out that Septimus is a follower of Hermaeus Mora , and had been told by the Daedric Prince that the vault contains an artifact of great knowledge and power , the Heart of Lorkhan . In order to open the vault , Septimus must have a sample of blood from all the races of Mer , or Elves . This means the blood of an Altmer , a Dunmer , a Bosmer , an Orsimer , and a Falmer to recreate Dwemer blood needed to open the lockbox . Upon accepting the hunt for these samples of blood , the Dragonborn is contacted by Hermaeus Mora , who appears to them in the form of a Wretched Abyss , or a collection of tentacles with one large eye , if is installed . Hermaeus Mora says that Septimus has been a useful tool , but his usefulness will have run out once the vault is open . To that end , Mora commands the Dragonborn to seek out the blood as requested by Septimus , but later after collecting the blood and returning to Septimus , upon opening the Dwemer vault , Mora dispatches the mage . It is revealed that the artifact that was hidden within the Dwemer vault is the " Oghma Infinium " . After collecting the " Oghma Infinium " , Mora once again appears as a void in front of the Dragonborn to name them as his new champion . As with previous incarnations of this tome , it functions as a skill tome that greatly boosts the skill levels of all talents relating either to warriors , rogues , or mages . Solstheim . Sometime before the First Era , the dragon Priest Miraak gave his allegiance to Hermaeus Mora in exchange for being granted the knowledge that would give him great power . With his new found power , Miraak turned against his dragon masters , but was confronted by Vahlok the Jailor , another dragon priest . The battle lasted for days and , despite the outcome being unknown , Hermaeus Mora supposedly intervened , pulling his champion into the realm of Apocrypha to save him . Miraak remained as Mora ' s champion , albeit using his powers to his own ends and plotting to escape Apocrypha . Sometime during the Fourth Era , the Dragonborn traveled to Apocrypha through the use of a Black Book , an artifact created by Mora to lure mortals into his realm . Mora then spoke to the Dragonborn and offered them the same power that was given to Miraak , as long as they defeated him . He also promised to teach the Dragonborn the second and third words of the Bend Will shout . The second word was given freely . However , the third word was granted in exchange for the Skaal ' s wisdom and the life of their shaman , Storn Crag - Strider . After learning the second and third Words of Power , the Dragonborn traveled back to Apocrypha and battled with Miraak at the realm ' s summit . Near defeat , Miraak attempted to escape death by submerging himself into the waters of Apocrypha , but was promptly impaled by Mora ' s tentacles . Miraak then died of his wounds , and his soul was absorbed by the Dragonborn . Mora then gave Miraak ' s status as his Champion to the Dragonborn .