The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's Sheogorath is a whimsical and enigmatic figure that shows up time and time again throughout the franchise. As the daedric prince of insanity, he embodies his sphere in every way possible. Since his first appearance, he has been a fan-favorite among the fans, being one of the most popular daedric princes.
Sheogorath's appearance in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is a bit different from his last few appearances. Though it is the same Sheogorath personality-wise, it is widely believed that this current iteration is the main character from The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, who "mantled" Sheogorath. While there is certainly a good amount of evidence to support this, there is also evidence to the contrary.
What Is Mantling?
Before moving further, it is important to explain what mantling is, as it is the method the Hero of Kvatch presumably used to become Sheogorath. The Elder Scrolls' mantling concept is a form of apotheosis that involves embodying a god in every aspect. This means adopting their mannerisms, attitude, and beliefs to the point where there is no difference between the individual and the god. This is what happened to the player character in the Shivering Isles DLC, as by the end of the DLC the player has become Sheogorath by taking on his role and performing his duties as the daedric prince of insanity.
Skyrim's Sheogorath seemingly makes reference to this in a few of his lines, such as the mentioning a gray fox, severed head, and Martin Septim becoming the avatar of Akatosh to fight off Mehrunes Dagon. He also mentions that he was there for the whole "sordid affair," which strongly suggests that he is speaking from the experience of someone who influenced those events. The gray fox is a reference to the Gray Fox character from the Thieves Guild quest line, and the severed head reference is from the Dark Brotherhood quest line. This is all seemingly a reference to the idea that Sheogorath is the Hero of Kvatch, however it also suggests otherwise.
Why Sheogorath May Not Be The Hero of Kvatch
Throughout almost every Elder Scrolls game, there have been multiple series of faction quest lines the participate in. For example, Skyrim has the companions, dark brotherhood, and a few more the player can work with. However, this does not necessarily mean that the player canonically does every quest line, only that the quest lines do indeed happen. It may be unreasonable to believe the player character from Skyrim becomes the leader of every major faction while also keeping a consistent character.
For that reason, it is also unreasonable that the same character would accomplish the main story of Oblivion while also completing the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild quest lines. The Thieves Guild has a strict no kill code and often protects the poor from harm. Oblivion's Dark Brotherood, on the other hand, is much more malicious, as it resembles more of a cult of murderous maniacs than it does an organized faction. The idea the player character would do both while also going on to save the world from Mehrunes Dagon then helping the original Sheogorath with his problems in the Shivering Isle DLC might be a bit too much to believe.
All of these events happened, there is no doubting that. However, they could have all been done by different people. The Hero of Kvatch isn't the only adventurer that exists in Oblivion, after all. The events of the other quest lines could have been carried out by other characters, resurfacing as rumors that the character who goes on to do Oblivion's Shivering Isles quest line learns about. This would explain why Sheogorath says he was "there for the whole sordid affair."
Why Sheogorath Could Just Be The Hero of Kvatch
It is also important to recognize the intention of the writer's decision when they created the dialogue for Sheogorath. Though it is important to consider the continuity of previous player characters, writers have the ability to override that. The Elder Scrolls has plenty of major retcons across its games, like how the region of Cyrodiil itself was supposed to be a jungle before The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion was released. But the writer's intention for Sheogorath was to clearly hint at past events involving the player character in Oblivion, almost as if to remind the player of quests they may consider nostalgic.
Even if this wasn't the case, there is still an argument to be made that the player character from Oblivion did indeed complete all the quest lines mentioned by Sheogorath. Sheogorath is the daedric prince of insanity, and this shows up most when talking about his duality. His realm of Oblivion, the Shivering Isles, represents this clearly. It has two opposing halves: Mania and Dementia. The Mania half represents his more whimsical and fun side that he shows to players, which often can come off as charismatic and hilarious. The Dementia half of his personality represents his darker side, reminding players of the fact that this is indeed the daedric prince of insanity.
With this duality in mind, it puts quite a few of the actions of the Hero of Kvatch into perspective. If they indeed "mantled" Sheogorath, embodying his duality, then joining both the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood makes much more sense. The Thieves Guild is much more light-hearted, aiding the poor and refusing to ever kill. The Dark Brotherhood is much darker, killing purely for money or sometimes just for fun. Through the game's quest lines, the Hero of Kvatch could have embodied The Elder Scrolls 5:Skyrim's Sheogorath and became him.
While it is likely that Skyrim's Sheogorath was most likely meant to be the Hero of Kvatch, it is nice to know the contrary could also be truth. The Elder Scrolls franchise prides itself on half-truths, which is what makes theory crafting such a popular activity within its community. Perhaps it is another one of Skyrim's mysteries that will go unexplained.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available for PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
