Musings on the nature of Azura

= Musings on the nature of Azura =
Azura has been my favorite Daedric Prince for quite a while. Her role in the history of Tamriel is very significant, and compared to Molag Bal and Boethiah she seemed to be far less... brutish. Anyway, I became curious as to what she actually stands for, as I realized I wasn't totally sure. The following are my findings and hypotheses.
Azura is most often described as the Daedric Prince of dusk and dawn. She is also often connected to prophecy/fate, as well as magic in general. These surface-level descriptors are rather unsatisfactory if taken literally. I think it's highly unlikely that the primary domain of Azura is the literal time periods of dawn and dusk, especially when one takes into account the domains of other Daedric Princes. At their cores, Daedric Princes preside over certain ideas that cause change in the sentient races.
So what is Azura's "core"? Dusk and dawn are the balancing points between night and day (this is not an original observation.) They're the transitioning period between light and dark. Light and dark are very commonly symbolic of good and evil, and the night in general has an inherently evil connotation. Vampires, werewolves, the undead, all of these evil beings are associated with the night. With a reasonable amount of interpretation, one could interpret Azura as having the domain of balance between good and evil. But how does this relate to change, the primary defining aspect of the Daedra? Isn't balance the opposite of change?
No, it isn't. Balance of a sort is necessary for many kinds of change. Evil tends to propagate itself, an evil person will generally seek domination and the preservation of his/her own life and rule. Good is also self-spreading- the good that a person does gives an example to others and inspires them to do good as well. If someone is raised in a purely evil environment, they'll probably turn out either evil or submissive, neither of which would generate change in that environment. If someone is raised in a purely good environment, their lack of exposure to pain and suffering will leave them soft and oblivious to reality, which also tends not to be a good agent for change.
This is the meat of my theory: I believe that Azura's domain consists of the balancing of individuals or nations that overstep their bounds on both the sides of good and evil to prevent stagnation. The Dwemer were trying to use god-level power to selfishly make themselves immortal (if I understand correctly), so Azura used the dunmer to stop their plans from coming to fruition. Malyn Varen tried to achieve immortality at the cost of the lives of others, so Azura cursed him (didn't totally work) and eventually directed someone to kill him.
This, I believe, explains many of the associations Azura has as well. Prophecy is connected to the Hero's Journey- which requires trials as well as successes for the hero to fulfill his/her destiny. She sends visions to ensure that the "correct" path is followed that maintains the balance, that allows the individual to succeed but not without difficulty. This is also why she often seems to care about her followers- she ensures a balance of their suffering and reward. Do note that Azura punishes as extremely as the other daedra when she deems it fit or necessary.
A few other tidbits of her lore also seem to support my theory. Azura's role in creating the Khajit (assuming their legend is correct) gave them great benefit- which makes sense, considering that their race has to go through a LOT of suffering and discrimination in the future on an international scale. Azura's Star also seems to fit: While trapping a soul can hardly be seen as good, it's also not really evil when the soul isn't sentient.
I haven't thought this through too much, but I don't really know the TESlore too well either. I may have miscategorized some things, and it's possible that I made other mistakes as well. Or, someone might have already said all of this, or most of it could already be very obvious to a lot of people. What do y'all think? Critique, discussion, support, or even tangentially related information are all highly encouraged.-- u/lolzor99 | 7 years ago
----Azura