Oblivion is a fictional realm inhabited by Daedra in The Elder Scrolls series of games. While Oblivion is often inaccurately described as "The Elder Scrolls version of Hell," the metaphor expressed in the game actually implies a complex supernatural cosmology. According to the lore of the The Elder Scrolls universe, Oblivion is the void surrounding Nirn, the mortal plane of existence. The planets, nebulae and other astral bodies in the sky are the mortals' view of the spheres of the Daedra floating in that void. Stars are holes on the inner surface of Oblivion through which the energy of Aetherius shines into the mortal realm. This is also true of the sun, which is known as Magnus. The exception is the constellation of the Serpent, Sithis, which is made up of unstars (through which, presumably, the energy of Oblivion shines into Aetherius).
Each of the Daedra has a different personality and sphere of influence, much like the pantheon of gods in a polytheistic religion. Each Daedra has his or her own plane of Oblivion. Oblivion refers to all of the dimensions of which the daedra occupy, which is contrary to the popular misconception that Oblivion refers only to the realm of Mehrunes Dagon. Daedra act according to their qualities as personified forces of nature and shape their region of Oblivion to fit them. Some mortals will worship a given Daedra which exemplifies traits they consider to be virtues.
An afterlife or the mortal belief in one is sometimes referred to in The Elder Scrolls lore, but to date its exact nature has never been confirmed. Mortals do not "go to Oblivion" after death. One of the theories is that mortals go to Aetherius, but mist fight their way through Oblivion, and if they cannot do that, they stay in Nirn as ghosts. This explains many things, such as the ghosts found throughout Tamriel. Daedra, for their part, are considered immortal, but if sufficiently weakened a Daedroth (singular) may be remanded to Oblivion, eventually to return to its own sphere.
The barrier between Nirn, the mortal realm, and Oblivion, have been protected in the past, and prevented from opening due to a series of barriers which, with each game, have been weakening; the death of the emperor and removal of the Amulet of Kings finally allows the barriers to be breached broadly. The main plot of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion involves the death of the Emperor, the subsequent opening of the gates, and the disastrous consequences as aggressive Daedra invade the mortal realm. At the end of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion the player closes the gates to Oblivion forever. This, however, is contradicted by the expansion pack The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles when the player can enter a gate into a different realm of Oblivion to do quests for a Daedra lord.
The character Mankar Camoran states in game that Tamriel, the main continent in Nirn, was once part of the oblivion realm of
Mehrunes Dagon, and that the invasion of Tamriel is in fact a "liberation". However, whether this is fact or
Deadlands
The realms of Oblivion best known to mortals closely resemble the common vision of Hell. Lava and fire are highly prominent, and the only structures consist of blackened buildings jutting up from islands of black lava rock. These realms, however, are the works of Mehrunes Dagon known as the Deadlands. As the Daedra Prince of Destruction, these environments are much to his taste, but the realms of the other Daedra Princes do not bear any resemblance to them — for instance, Sheogorath's realm of Oblivion, the Madhouse (also called the Shivering Isles), which is full of color and diversity as opposed to Dagon's realm which contains lava and fire. This realm was highly featured in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Shivering Isles
The expansion pack for Oblivion, Shivering Isles, adds a new worldspace, The Shivering Isles, Sheogorath's realm. It is divided into two sides: Mania, a colorful, relentlessly energetic area which represents the irreverently vibrant and creative side of madness, and Dementia, which represents the terrifying, delusional, depersonalised side of it. The Realm was designed to fit Sheogorath's ideals, and is named Shivering Isles simply because that's what he wanted to name it. This was originally the realm of Jyggalag, Daedric Prince of Order but after his curse was turned over to the new Sheogorath. The realm itself is constantly destroyed at the end of every era in an event called the Greymarch, where Sheogorath turns back into Jyggalag, destroys the realm then turns back to Sheogorath who has to rebuild it.
Ashpit
The realm of Malacath, Lord of the Outcasts and patron of the Orcish race, Ashpit is described as a land of endless, choking dust, where “anguish, betrayal, and broken promises like ash filled the bitter air.” Logically this makes sense; Malacath, as the patron of the downtrodden and shunned races and creatures of the world, would be lord of a depressing, smog-mired wasteland.
Moonshadow
The third of the realms visited by Morian Zenas, Moonshadow is the domain of
Coldharbour
The twisted, horrifying realm of Molag Bal, King of Rape, Coldharbour appears, in the words of Morian Zeras, “as if it were a future Nirn [ie the human world], under the King of Rape, desolate and barren, filled with suffering.” In some ways this second stop on Zeras’ journey seems to be the inverse of Mehrunes Dagon’s Deadlands, though it is certainly no less horrifying. As Zeras describes it: “The sky is on fire…the ground is sludge, but traversable. I see blackened ruins all around me, like a war fought in the distant past. The air is freezing.” The images encountered there are so horrifying they actually bring Zeras to tears, including the sight of the Imperial Palace, “splattered with blood and excrement.”
Apocrypha
The realm of Hermaeus Mora, Lord of Knowledge and Forbidden Truths, is described as an endless library where every book has a black cover with no title. Visitors to Apocrypha apparently feel as though they are completely alone in the library, while at the same time feeling the presence all around them of ghosts searching for information, continually rifling through the stacks and shelves.
Quagmire
Quagmire, the realm of Vaermina, Mistress of Nightmares, is a twisted, ever-shifting dreamscape where visitors are treated to horrifying nightmare after nightmare, as the realm constantly realigns itself. It is unknown whether this is at the direction of Vaermina herself, or whether the realm has simply taken on the personality of its Daedric Prince.
Hunting Grounds
The Hunting Grounds is the realm of Hircine takes the form of an island, much like Sheogorath's Shivering Isles. The Hunting Grounds however is filled with different species of lesser Daedra for the Prince to hunt.
Colored Rooms
The Colored Rooms is the realm of Meridia. Little is known of this realm besides it being inhabited by Auroran Daedra.
Attribution's Share
Boethiah's realm, also known as Snake Mount. The realm consists of twisted towers and immense maze gardens.
Sources
- The Imperial Library, The Definitive Guide to Daedra. [1]
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