On Oblivion Content . It is improper , however customary , to refer to the denizens of the dimension of Oblivion as " demons . " This practice probably dates to the Alessian Doctrines of the First Era prophet Marukh - - which , rather amusingly , forbade " trafficke with daimons " and then neglected to explain what daimons were . It is most probable that " daimon " is a misspelling or etymological rendition of " Daedra , " the old Elven word for those strange , powerful creatures of uncertain motivation who hail from the dimension of Oblivion . ( " Daedra " is actually the plural form ; the singular is " Daedroth . " ) In a later tract by King Hale the Pious of Skyrim , almost a thousand years after the publication of the original Doctrines , the evil machinations of his political enemies are compared to " the wickedness of the demons of Oblivion . . . their depravity equals that of Sanguine itself , they are cruel as Boethiah , calculating as Molag Bal , and mad as Sheogorath . " Hale the Pious thus long - windedly introduced four of the Daedra lords to written record . But the written record is not , after all , the best way to research Oblivion and the Daedra who inhabit it . Those who " trafficke with daimons " seldom wish it to be a matter of public account . Nevertheless , scattered throughout the literature of the First Era are diaries , journals , notices for witch burnings , and guides for Daedra - slayers . These I have used as my primary source material . They are at least as trustworthy as the Daedra lords I have actually summoned and spoken with at length . Apparently , Oblivion is a place composed of many lands - - thus the many names for which Oblivion is synonymous : Coldharbour , Quagmire , Moonshadow , etc . It may be correctly supposed that each land of Oblivion is ruled over by one prince . The Daedra princes whose names appear over and over in ancient records ( though this is not an infallible test of their authenticity or explicit existence , to be sure ) are the afore - mentioned Sanguine , Boethiah , Molag Bal , and Sheogorath , and in addition , Azura , Mephala , Clavicus Vile , Vaermina , Malacath , Hoermius ( or Hermaeus or Hormaius or Herma - - there seems to be no one accepted spelling ) Mora , Namira , Jyggalag , Nocturnal , Mehrunes Dagon , and Peryite . From my experience , Daedra are a very mixed lot . It is almost impossible to categorize them as a whole except for their immense power and penchant for extremism . Be that as it may , I have here attempted to do so in a few cases , purely for the sake of scholastic expediency . Mehrunes Dagon , Molag Bal , Peryite , Boethiah , and Vaernima are among the most consistently " demonic " of the Daedra , in the sense that their spheres seem to be destructive in nature . The other Daedra can , of course , be equally dangerous , but seldom purely for the sake of destruction as these five can . Nor are these previous five identical in their destructiveness . Mehrunes Dagon seems to prefer natural disasters - - earthquakes and volcanoes - - for venting his anger . Molag Bal elects the employment of other daedra , and Boethiah inspires the arms of mortal warriors . Peryite ' s sphere seems to be pestilence , and Vaernima ' s torture . In preparation for the next in this series , I will be investigating two matters that have intrigued me since I began my career as a Daedra researcher . The first is on one particular Daedroth , perhaps yet another Daedra prince , referred to in multiple articles of incunabula as Hircine . Hircine has been called " the Huntsman of the Princes " and " the Father of Man - beasts , " but I have yet to find anyone who can summon him . The other , and perhaps more doubtful , goal I have is to find a practical means for mortal men to pass through to Oblivion . It has always been my philosophy that we need only fear that which we do not understand - - and with that thought in mind , I ever pursue my objective .