Akatosh

Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time,Varieties of Faith in the Empire is the chief deity of the Divines,For my Gods and Emperor the official religion of the human empires throughout much of Tamriel's history. He represents the qualities of endurance, invincibility, and everlasting legitimacy. Along with Lorkhan and Mara, he is one of three deities found in almost every Tamrielic religion, with only the Dunmer, Orsimer, Argonian, and Kothringi not having a dragon god of time in their pantheons.The Monomyth He is generally considered to be the first of the gods to form in the Beginning Place. After his establishment, other spirits followed his example, and the various pantheons of the world emerged. Before the Ages of Man suggests that he and Auri-El are the same being, but further confirms that after his formation, time began.Before the Ages of Man Akatosh is considered the god-defender of the Empire.
==Places of worship==
===Chapels===
In the province of Cyrodiil, his main chapel was located in the Cyrodilic city of Kvatch.Events of In addition, he was the most prominent of the gods represented at the Temple of the One in the Imperial City.Guide to the Imperial City
The Temple of the Divines, housed in the city of Solitude in the province of Skyrim, contains a Shrine of Akatosh.
===Blessings===
At his chapels, Akatosh blesses parishioners with increased magicka and speed. The book Ten Commands: Nine Divines has the following command from Akatosh:
Temples built in his honor can be seen at the Arboretum, and the Temple of the One, both located in the Imperial City. Arriana Valga, the Countess of Chorrol, is a devout follower.Guide to Chorrol
===Wayshrines===
*Southeast of Skingrad and east of Silorn
*East of Anvil and just north of Fort Strand
*South of Bruma and north of the Orange Road
*Just outside of the southern wall of Cheydinhal
Praying at any one of these will grant the Jaws of Akatosh spell.
==Dragon Breaks==
A Dragon Break is an event where the timeline of the world of Nirn is suddenly split. They are known as Dragon Breaks because Akatosh, who is symbolised as a Dragon, is the god of Time and thus a break in the timeline can be viewed as breaking the Dragon, so to speak.
Only three Dragon Breaks have been recorded and verified historically, as—due to their very nature—the majority of people would be unaware of their occurrence. The first of these is referred to as the Middle Dawn, and occurred when the Marukhati Selectives "danced on the tower."Where Were You When the Dragon Broke? This was done to remove the merish aspects of Akatosh, which the Selectives found offensive.Vindication for the Dragon Break It lasted for either 150 or 1,008 years.The Dragon Break Reexamined
The second recorded Dragon Break was the so-called Warp in the West (or the Miracle of Peace), which was brought on by the building of Numidium in Events of ; however, it is speculated that Akatosh, Mara, and Stendarr were responsible for this event.The Warp in the West
==Amulet of Kings==
The artifact known as the Amulet of Kings was created by Akatosh. As lord of the Aedra, Akatosh took pity on the plight of Men, who were slaves of the Ayleids,Shezarr and the Divines and drawing precious blood from his own heart, blessed Alessia with the blood of dragons. He also made a Covenant that so long as Alessia's generations were true to the dragon blood, Akatosh would endeavor to seal tight the Oblivion Gate for good and deny the armies of Daedra and undead to their enemies, the Ayleids.The Amulet of Kings Akatosh then gave Alessia the Amulet of Kings and the Eternal Dragonfires, which, when lighted, would restrict the Daedra to the realms of Oblivion. The Amulet contains a gem of Alessia herself, and eight other gems, one for each of the Eight Divines.
The Remanada mentions the amulet and how it was a symbol of the Reman Dynasty and how it was lost during the Interregnum before being rediscovered by Tiber Septim.Remanada
==Avatar of Akatosh==
During the Oblivion Crisis, the Avatar of Akatosh was summoned after the Hero of Kvatch and Martin Septim failed to light the Dragonfires in time before Mehrunes Dagon arrived on Nirn. Martin sacrificed himself and the Amulet of Kings to summon the Avatar of Akatosh. The Avatar fought Mehrunes Dagon in the ruins of the Temple of the One in the Imperial City, and after defeating the Prince of Destruction, turned to stone, becoming a reminder of what happened there.
It is unknown if the statue of the Avatar remained standing after the Great War when the Imperial City was invaded and occupied by the Third Aldmeri Dominion during the Fourth Era.
==Representations==
*Akatosh – Nine Divines and Bretony Pantheon
*Auri-El – Altmeri Pantheon, Bosmeri Pantheon and Snow Elf Pantheon
*Alkosh – Khajiiti Pantheon
==Gallery==
Light the Dragonfires Akatosh Statue.png|The petrified Avatar of Akatosh in the Imperial City.
Ebonheart Akatosh statue - Morrowind.png|A statue of Akatosh in Ebonheart.
Akatosh card back.png|Akatosh, represented on the back of a card in .
Akatosh banner.png|A banner representing Akatosh, as seen in .
TESV Shrine Akatosh.png|A shrine to Akatosh, as seen in .
==Trivia==
*In The Four Suitors of Benitah, Kena Warfel Tomasin claims that it is possible to prove that Akatosh, Oblivion, and Nirn are the same thing.The Four Suitors of Benitah
*In the King Edward book series (readable in ), Akatosh appears as a Golden Dragon, and allows Edward to ride upon him.King Edward, Book I
*In dragon tongue, the name "Akatosh" is equivalent to "Bormahu", as stated by Paarthurnax after the completion of the Main Quest in .
** Similarly, Nafaalilargus translates the phrase "will of Akatosh" as "Fenjuntiid" in The Elder Scrolls Online: Dragonhold, suggesting that Akatosh's proper name in dragon tongue is "Juntiid" ("Time King").
*Akatosh was named after the Daggerfall beta tester Lawrence Szydlowski, who would sign off his posts with "also known as the old Smaug himself." The first letter of each word forms the letters "Akatosh."Daggerfacts – The Imperial Library
==Appearances==
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* Generic dialogue with Imperial Cult members in 
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* (as Avatar of Akatosh)
==References==
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Category:Aedra
Category:Deities
Category:Knights of the Nine: Characters
Category:Lore: Characters
Category:Nine Divines
Category:Oblivion: Characters