Guide to the Altmeri Panthion

Auri-El

(King of the Aldmer) The
Elven Akatosh is Auri-El. Auri-El is the soul of Anui-El, who, in turn, is the
soul of Anu the Everything. He is the chief of most Aldmeri pantheons. Most
Altmeri and Bosmeri claim direct descent from Auri-El. In his only known moment
of weakness, he agreed to take his part in the creation of the mortal plane,
that act which forever sundered the Elves from the spirit worlds of eternity.
To make up for it, Auri-El led the original Aldmer against the armies of
Lorkhan in mythic times, vanquishing that tyrant and establishing the first
kingdoms of the Altmer, Altmora and Old Ehlnofey. He then ascended to heaven in
full observance of his followers so that they might learn the steps needed to
escape the mortal plane.

Trinimac

Strong god of the early Aldmer, in some place more popular than Auri-El.
He was a warrior spirit of the original Elven tribes that led armies against the
Men. Boethiah is said to have assumed his shape (in some stories, he even eats
Trinimac) so that he could convince a throng of Aldmer to listen to him, which
led to their eventual Chimeri conversion. He vanishes from the mythic stage
after this, to return as the dread Malacath

Magnus

(Magus) The god of sorcery,
Magnus withdrew from the creation of the world at the last second, though it
cost him dearly. What is left of him on the world is felt and controlled by
mortals as magic. One story says that, while the idea was thought up by
Lorkhan, it was Magnus who created the schematics and diagrams needed to
construct the mortal plane. He is sometimes represented by an astrolabe, a
telescope, or, more commonly, a staff. Cyrodilic legends say he can inhabit the
bodies of powerful magicians and lend them his power. Associated with Zurin
Arctus, the Underking.

Syrabane

(Warlock's God) An
Aldmeri god-ancestor of magic, Syrabane aided Bendu Olo in the Fall of the
Sload. Through judicious use of his magical ring, Syrabane saved many from the
scourge of the Thrassian Plague. He is also called the Apprentices' God, for he
is a favorite of the younger members of the Mages Guild.

Y'ffre

(God of the Forest) Most
important deity of the Bosmeri pantheon. While Auri-El Time Dragon might be the
king of the gods, the Bosmer revere Y'ffre as the spirit of 'the now'.
According to the Wood Elves, after the creation of the mortal plane everything
was in chaos. The first mortals were turning into plants and animals and back again.
Then Y'ffre transformed himself into the first of the Ehlnofey, or 'Earth
Bones'. After these laws of nature were established, mortals had a semblance of
safety in the new world, because they could finally understand it. Y'ffre is
sometimes called the Storyteller, for the lessons he taught the first Bosmer.
Some Bosmer still possess the knowledge of the chaos times, which they can use
to great effect.

Xarxes

(God of ancestry and secret knowledge)
He began as a scribe to Auri-El, and has kept track of all Aldmeri
accomplishments, large and small, since the beginning of time. He created his
wife, Oghma, from his favorite moments in history.

Mara

(Goddess of Love) Nearly
universal goddess. Origins started in mythic times as a fertility goddess. In
Skyrim, Mara is a handmaiden of Kyne. In the Empire, she is Mother-Goddess. She
is sometimes associated with Nir of the 'Anuad', the female principle of the
cosmos that gave birth to creation. Depending on the religion, she is either
married to Akatosh or Lorkhan, or the concubine of both.

Stendarr

(God of Mercy) God
of the Eight Divines, Stendarr has evolved from his Nordic origins into a deity
of compassion or, sometimes, righteous rule. He is said to have accompanied
Tiber Septim in his later years. In early Altmeri legends, Stendarr is the
apologist of Men.

Lorkhan

(The Missing God) This
Creator-Trickster-Tester deity is in every Tamrielic mythic tradition. His most
popular name is the Aldmeri 'Lorkhan', or Doom Drum. He convinced or contrived
the Original Spirits to bring about the creation of the mortal plane, upsetting
the status quo-- much like his father Padomay had introduced instability into
the universe in the Beginning Place. After the world is materialized, Lorkhan
is separated from his divine center, sometimes involuntarily, and wanders the
creation of the et'Ada. He and his metaphysical placement in the 'scheme of
things' is interpreted a variety of ways. In Morrowind, for example, he is a
being related to the Psijiic Endeavor, a process by which mortals are charged
with transcending the gods that created them. To the High Elves, he is the most
unholy of all higher powers, as he forever broke their connection to the spirit
plane. In the legends, he is almost always an enemy of the Aldmer and, therefore,
a hero of early Mankind.

Phynaster

Hero-god of the Summerset Isles, who taught the Altmer how to naturally
live another hundred years by using a shorter walking stride.