1. Mythic Era

Era Theme

The Mythic Era exists before recorded history, a time when gods, spirits, and mortals were not separate but intertwined. Myths describe it as the age of creation, when et’Ada shaped the world, some giving their essence to form Mundus while others remained as gods, demons, or spirits. The boundaries between myth and fact blur, leaving fragments of memory preserved in rituals, cults, and origin stories.

Primordial Chaos and the Void

Before Mundus, the Aurbis was an endless, shifting void where concepts and beings were indistinguishable. From this chaos emerged Anu and Padomay, the primal forces of stasis and change. Their interplay birthed the et’Ada, the “original spirits.” Anu’s stability sought order, while Padomay’s influence brought destruction and transformation. The tension between these forces defined the Mythic Era: existence itself was a battlefield, and every god’s nature reflected this duality. @Argonian creation myths recall this primordial void as the root of Sithis, the force of change and nothingness that remains central to their faith.

Creation and the Convention

The birth of Mundus defines the Mythic Era. @Aedra sacrificed themselves to stabilize the mortal plane, becoming the Eight Divines of later ages. Others refused and remained in Oblivion, remembered as Daedric Princes. The Convention at @Adamantine Tower on the @Isle of Balfiera is the central mythic event: there, the gods sealed Mundus’ structure and bound mortality to linear time. Magnus fled into the void, tearing holes that became the stars and sun, while Lorkhan, blamed for the world’s suffering, was torn apart. His Heart was cast down into Tamriel, later buried beneath @Red Mountain.

The Birth of Mundus

Lorkhan, trickster and instigator, proposed the creation of a new plane where the et’Ada could manifest permanence. Some spirits joined him, giving of their essence to create earth, sky, and seas. Others resisted, seeing the project as folly. Those who gave themselves became trapped as @Aedra, unable to leave the mortal realm, while those who refused became Daedra, free but excluded from creation. This division birthed the fundamental dichotomy of Tamrielic religion. The act of creation was both sacrifice and betrayal: elves mourn the loss of divine eternity, while men celebrate the gift of mortality as their inheritance.

The Convention and the Tower

As creation destabilized, the gods convened at Adamantine Tower on the @Isle of Balfiera. This meeting, called the Convention, set the laws of the mortal plane. Time was fixed as linear, birth and death as inevitable, and magic as the residue of divine sacrifice. Auriel, champion of the elves, led the punishment of Lorkhan, whose heart was ripped out and hurled into the mortal world. The Heart of Lorkhan, still pulsing with divine energy, became the foundation of @Red Mountain in @Morrowind. This event not only cemented mortality but also seeded future conflict, for mortals and gods alike sought to harness the Heart’s lingering power.

Transformation of the Spirits

During the Mythic Era, divine beings changed as much as mortals. @Boethiah’s consumption of Trinimac transformed him into @Malacath, altering his followers into the @Orsimer . @Meridia, exiled from the @Aedra for siding with the Daedra, claimed dominion over energies of light and corruption. Magnus, architect of magic, fled Mundus through the sun-hole, leaving his followers to create the stars as escape routes into @Aetherius. These transformations show that even gods were mutable in this age, reshaped by choice, betrayal, or cosmic law. Every race preserved these stories, framing them either as tragedy, triumph, or cautionary tale.

Early Spirits and Ancestors

Mortals trace their lineages to this era. Elves claim direct descent from the divines, calling themselves “Ehlnofey” or “Earth Bones,” beings who crystallized into the mortal races. Men preserve a different tradition, remembering their ancestors as wanderers, spirits shaped not from divinity but from struggle. The distinction between man and mer originates here, as do the enmities that follow both peoples through history. Beastfolk — @Argonians, @Khajiit, and others — also trace their mythic origins to gods, often tied to specific patrons such as Sithis, Y’ffre, or @Azura.

Origins of the Races

The first mortals arose during the Mythic Era, their forms shaped by divine precedent.

  • Elves (Mer): Claim descent from the et’Ada who remained in Mundus, their lineage traced directly to divinity. To them, mortality is a curse, a reminder of Lorkhan’s betrayal.

  • Men: Recall their ancestors as wanderers shaped by Shor’s protection, saved from Elven treachery. They view mortality as a gift, proof of separation from corrupt gods.

  • Beastfolk: @Argonians speak of the Hist as living memories of the primordial void; @Khajiit believe @Azura sculpted their forms from moonlight. Even Orcs trace their existence to divine transfiguration, cursed yet enduring.

The Mythic Era thus forged the eternal division of Tamriel’s peoples: who they were, who they worshipped, and how they justified their existence.

Mythic Geography

Tamriel’s landscapes are said to be literal remnants of divine battles. Mountains formed where Auriel’s bow struck the earth. Rivers flowed from Kyne’s tears as she mourned the loss of Shor. Volcanoes and craters marked the fall of divine hearts or the footprints of rampaging spirits. In Aldmeri myth, @Summerset’s crystal shores were crystallized by starlight during Magnus’ flight. In Nordic sagas, Atmora’s glaciers bear scars from Padomay’s strikes against the world’s bones. Whether allegorical or true, these explanations bound geography to theology, ensuring every valley or mountain carried sacred significance.

Early Pantheons and Cults

The Mythic Era gave birth to pantheons that persisted through all history.

  • Aldmeri Pantheon: Auriel, Trinimac, Magnus, and others were venerated as ancestors, with Lorkhan despised as betrayer.

  • Nordic Pantheon: Shor, Kyne, Tsun, and companions were celebrated as guardians of men, with elves cast as oathbreakers.

  • Daedric Cults: Even in this age, certain mortals and spirits allied with Daedra, treating them as patrons rather than enemies.

  • Beastfolk Traditions: Rooted in natural cycles, these faiths saw divine presence in every transformation of body, season, or moon.

Religion was not secondary but the essence of survival, for mortals believed every action mirrored the deeds of gods.

The Dawn of Magic

Magic itself originates in this age, born from the residual power of Magnus’ flight. The sun and stars became holes into @Aetherius, leaking magicka into Mundus. Early spirits and mortals learned to shape this energy, creating the foundation for sorcery, enchanting, and ritual. Elves treated magic as their inheritance, proof of divine ancestry. Men saw it as dangerous, tied to elven betrayal. Yet both recognized it as the greatest tool for shaping destiny. Later schools of magic trace their roots to these primordial discoveries: alteration from stabilizing chaos, destruction from harnessing raw force, and restoration from the divine spark of creation.

Mythic Conflicts

Legends recount titanic battles among gods and spirits: Auriel’s flight to @Aetherius, @Boethiah’s consumption of Trinimac, the rise of @Malacath and the @Orsimer, and @Meridia’s exile from @Aetherius. These mythic wars defined divine hierarchies and altered mortal fates. Entire landscapes are said to bear their scars: mountains formed from fallen titans, rivers from divine tears, volcanoes from divine hearts. Whether literal or allegorical, these stories explain Tamriel’s earliest geography and spiritual order.

Dawn Culture and Worship

Religion in later ages preserves fragments of this mythic past. The Aldmeri pantheon derives from ancestor-gods who took part in creation, emphasizing divine heritage and the tragedy of mortality. Nordic myth instead remembers Shor and his companions as champions who defended men from Elven betrayal. Beastfolk religions emphasize transformation, chaos, and natural law. In each case, the Mythic Era is not just remembered but relived through ritual, ensuring mortals remain connected to their divine origins.

Closing the Mythic

The Mythic Era ends with stabilization. The Tower stood, time flowed forward, and mortality became permanent. Creation ceased to be in flux and became a world of stone, sky, and blood. Yet the memory of divine proximity never faded. Later eras sought to recreate it: the Ayleids through Daedric pacts, the Dwemer through tonal manipulation, the Tribunal through divine apotheosis. Every attempt to transcend mortality is an echo of the Mythic Era, a longing for a time when gods and mortals were not divided.

Legacy of the Mythic Era

The Mythic Era ends not with a definitive moment but with the stabilization of the world. Time became linear, mortality permanent, and history measurable. Yet the influence of this age endures. Every temple, shrine, and cult references it, every dynasty claims divine sanction through it, and every war of faith reenacts its conflicts. To later scholars, the Mythic Era is both the source of all history and an unsolvable mystery — the point where myth bleeds into memory.

Cultural Memory and Mythic Retelling

Though no written records survive, the Mythic Era endures in story and ritual. Every culture retells the age in its own tongue: Nordic sagas, Aldmeri genealogies, @Argonian whispers of the Hist. These accounts contradict one another, but each reflects how peoples define themselves. To the @Altmer, the Mythic Era is evidence of their lost godhood. To the Nords, it proves their divine right to freedom. To beastfolk, it anchors their unique forms in divine will. Thus, the Mythic Era is not merely a prologue to history but the eternal source of cultural identity.