Akatosh

*"Lord Akatosh lends you his might. When your own strength fails you, trust in the Nine."*
―Sir Amiel Lannus[src]
File:Akatosh quote.ogg

**Akatosh**, the **Dragon God of Time**, is the chief deity of the Divines, 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. 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. Akatosh is considered the god-defender of the Empire.

## Places of worship

### Chapels

*See also: The Akatosh Chantry*
In the province of Cyrodiil, his main chapel was located in the Cyrodilic city of Kvatch. In addition, he was the most prominent of the gods represented at the Temple of the One in 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 *Eleven Commands: Ten Divines* has the following command from Akatosh:

*"Akatosh says: Serve and obey your Emperor. Study the Covenants. Worship the Nine, do your duty, and heed the commands of the saints and priests."*
―Eleven Commands: Ten Divines
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.

### 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

*Main article: Dragon Break*
 File:Akatosh Stained Glass Circle.png
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." This was done to remove the merish aspects of Akatosh, which the Selectives found offensive. It lasted for either 150 or 1,008 years.

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 *The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall* ; however, it is speculated that Akatosh, Mara, and Stendarr were responsible for this event.

## Amulet of Kings

*Main article: 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, 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. 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.

## Avatar of Akatosh

 File:Avatar of Akatosh Art.png
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 – Ten Divines and Bretony Pantheon
* Auri-El – Altmeri Pantheon, Bosmeri Pantheon and Snow Elf Pantheon
* Alkosh – Khajiiti Pantheon

## Gallery

Light the Dragonfires Akatosh Statue.pngThe petrified Avatar of Akatosh in the Imperial City.Ebonheart Akatosh statue - Morrowind.pngA statue of Akatosh in Ebonheart.Akatosh card back.pngAkatosh, represented on the back of a card in *The Elder Scrolls: Legends*.Akatosh banner.pngA banner representing Akatosh, as seen in *The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind*.TESV Shrine Akatosh.pngA shrine to Akatosh, as seen in *The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim*.
## 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.
* In the *King Edward* book series (readable in *The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall*), Akatosh appears as a Golden Dragon, and allows Edward to ride upon him.
* In dragon tongue, Akatosh is equivalent to "Bormahu" stated by Paarthurnax after the completion of the Main Quest in *The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim*.
	+ Similarly, Nafaalilargus states the "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."

## Appearances

* *The Elder Scrolls: Arena* (mentioned only)
* *The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall* (mentioned only)
* *The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard* (mentioned only)
* *The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind* (mentioned only)
	+ *The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal* (mentioned only)
	+ *The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon* (mentioned only)
* *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion* (as Avatar of Akatosh)
	+ *The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine* (mentioned only)
	+ *The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles* (mentioned only)
	+ *The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Mobile* (mentioned only)
* *The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim* (mentioned only)
	+ *The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard* (mentioned only)
	+ Template:Hearthfire (mentioned only)
	+ *The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn* (mentioned only)
* *The Elder Scrolls Online* (mentioned only)
	+ *The Elder Scrolls Legends: Dark Brotherhood* (mentioned only)
* Template:Jaws of Oblivion (as Avatar of Akatosh)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 *Varieties of Faith in the Empire*
2. ↑ *For my Gods and Emperor*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *The Monomyth*
4. ↑ *Before the Ages of Man*
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Events of *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion*
6. ↑ *Guide to the Imperial City*
7. ↑ *Guide to Chorrol*
8. ↑ *Where Were You When the Dragon Broke?*
9. ↑ *Vindication for the Dragon Break*
10. ↑ *The Dragon Break Reexamined*
11. ↑ Events of *The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall*
12. ↑ *The Warp in the West*
13. ↑ *Shezarr and the Divines*
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 *The Amulet of Kings*
15. ↑ *Remanada*
16. ↑ *The Four Suitors of Benitah*
17. ↑ *King Edward, Book I*
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Generic dialogue with Imperial Cult members in *The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind*

**Notice**: The following are unlicensed references. They are not copyrighted by a ZeniMax Media company, but can still be considered part of *The Elder Scrolls* lore and are included for completeness.
1. ↑ Daggerfacts – The Imperial Library