Elder Scrolls: 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Mehrunes Dagon
In the world of The Elder Scrolls, there are many divine beings and creatures. Seventeen of these are called Daedric Princes, and they inhabit a plane known as Oblivion. Often portrayed as demons and evil beings of sorts, Daedric Princes are known for being tricksters and violent creatures. However, they have powerful artifacts in their name and can give their champions incredible blessings.
One of such Princes is Mehrunes Dagon. His role in The Elder Scrolls is quite major compared to a lot of the other Daedric Princes, due to his appearance in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire. Here are 10 facts that players of Skyrim may have not known about him.
10 Meddles With Mortals
Mehrunes Dagon is one of those Daedric Princes who loves getting involved in mortal affairs. In fact, he's considered an enemy to all mortal beings and seeks to bring destruction with him wherever he decides to go.
On numerous occasions he's tried to enter the world of the living, known as Nirn in The Elder Scrolls lore, and conquer it for himself. Mehrunes Dagon does this primarily because it brings him sheer joy, but also because he firmly believes that the world of the living is but another dimension of Oblivion, and therefore belongs to him.
9 Conspired Against The Emperor
During the reign of Uriel Septim VII, Dagon was part of a plot that could have nearly brought the entire continent of Tamriel to its knees. The Emperor's Battlemage known as Jagar Tharn was eager to gain power, and joined Dagon in a plot to set up a coup in Cyrodiil.
The plan was to trap the Emperor in Oblivion, so that Tharn could transform himself into a clone of Uriel Septim VII and take his position on the throne. Luckily, these plans were stopped in due time, but one can wonder the extent of the disaster it would have brought about.
8 Responsible For The Oblivion Crisis
Mehrunes Dagon is perhaps most famously known for his appearance in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It was in fact him who was behind the entire Oblivion Crisis, as he sought to open a portal in the Imperial City and launch an attack on mortals to finally gain control of what he believed was his.
However, even though his loyal followers were able to assassinate the Emperor himself, the Hero of Kvatch was able to protect the Imperial City. As a result, Akatosh banished Dagon back to the plane of Oblivion, ultimately ruining his plans — for the time being.
7 Lives In A Separate Plane
Not much is known about Oblivion. We know that it's a plane beyond the mortal world, the opposite of Nirn. It's said that Oblivion was a place for beings who refused to partake in creating Mundus, which encompasses the mortal world and Aedra. In other words, a plane that rejects and looks down upon humanity.
Mehrunes Dagon is said to inhabit a very special plane of existence in Oblivion. This plane is called the Deadlands, a place filled with lava and scattered constructions that resemble towers and bridges.
6 Part Of The House Of Troubles
The Dunmer actually include Mehrunes Dagon into parts of their belief system. They believe that when Saint Veloth and the Chimer arrived to Morrowind, they were also joined by four Daedric Lords. One of those was Mehrunes Dagon, who represents to the Dunmer the difficult lands and environment of Morrowind.
Dagon is actually one of the four corners of the House of Troubles, enemies of what it considered good and virtuous. However, occasionally these Daedric creatures might test one's fate, which makes them essential to the Dunmer belief system.
5 Inspired The Mysterium Xarxes
Like other Daedric Princes, Mehrunes Dagon has a few artifacts attached to his name. One is a book known as the Mysterium Xarxes, a type of holy tome which is used by Dagon's very own cult, the Mythic Dawn. Its contents are mostly a mystery, but it is said that to decipher them is to know how to show true respect to Dagon.
In Skyrim, the only hint of this famous book is located in Dawnstar and is being held by Silus Vesuius. He only possesses one page of the tome, which implies that it has been mostly destroyed or that someone had tried to burn it previously.
4 Made Mehrunes Razor
Of course, the Prince responsible for chaos and destruction would have something more to his name than just a book. In fact, a mysterious yet highly coveted dagger known as Mehrunes Razor has traveled the lands of Tamriel for centuries now.
The dagger is so significant it was once said to have created a power struggle within the Dark Brotherhood. The Razor is so powerful it can kill with a single swipe, which was why in Skyrim its shattered pieces are hidden separately, so that no man may ever fix it again and wield such power.
3 Froze His Previous Champion
Each Daedric Prince will often choose a champion to do their bidding in the mortal world. Mehrunes Dagon, although he looks down upon mortals and wants to constantly invade and hurt those in Nirn, is not different in that regard when he chose Msirae Faythung as his champion.
However, after doing something that left Dagon deeply upset, Faythung was frozen solid into a statue for all eternity. It wasn't until the famed Hero of Kvatch stumbles upon his tomb that he's awakened from his slumber.
2 His Weapon Appeared Twice Before
Earlier we mentioned Dagon's highly coveted dagger, the Razor. This weapon has actually appeared in a few games before being available in Skyrim. In Daggerfall, the Hero of Daggerfall is given Mehrunes Razor by Dagon himself after they've slain a Frost Daedra.
In Oblivion, the Hero of Kvatch can also find Mehrunes Razor and recover it within a tomb located in Sundercliff Watch. It's also here that Dagon's previous champion is frozen alive, and must be slain in order to unearth the Razor successfully.
1 Inspired By A Real Deity
Mehrunes Dagon sounds terrifying, and probably for good reason. It's believed that he's actually inspired by a few references from real life. Namely, the ancient Mesopotamian deity Dagon may have acted as an inspiration for the name itself, although the actual deity is portrayed as a god of fertility.
H. P. Lovecraft also provides an image of Dagon, although he appears much less inviting as a giant fish-like monster that rises from the seas. This may have also given the developers some ideas on what to name this Lord of destruction after.
Post a Comment