Many Bethesda fans had long speculated that The Elder Scrolls 6 would be set in Hammerfell, High Rock, or, as in Daggerfall, a combination of the two provinces. That theory gained even more traction after E3 2021 earlier this month. Bethesda released its gameplay trailer for Starfield, which contained a conspicuous marking on part of the player's ship. Fans were quick to notice similarities between the strange shape and the outline of the Iliac Bay region spanning High Rock and Hammerfell on a map of Tamriel.
The gods of The Elder Scrolls universe from the Divines to the Daedric Princes are among the series' most interesting inhabitants. With Hammerfell seeming more likely than ever to to be at least part of The Elder Scrolls 6's setting, players could finally get a full introduction to one of Tamriel's strangest pantheons. Here's why The Elder Scrolls 6 could have some of the series' strangest gods yet, and who they might be.
The History Of Yokuda And The Lesser Gods
The Redguards of Hammerfell originally migrated from a continent to the west known as Yokuda. During the First Era, much of Yokuda is said to have sank into the sea. The surviving Redguards arrived on Tamriel's western shore and began a swift, bloody campaign to conquer themselves a new home. Although the Redguards went on to join the Empire, most held onto at least parts of the original Redguard Pantheon.
Diagna, also known as the Orichalc God of the Sideways Blade, is a Yokudan god who brought Orcish weapons to the Redguards. They used these to defeat their old Yokudan enemies, the mysterious Lefthanded Elves. According to legend, Diagna was an independent avatar of another god, HoonDing. HoonDing is known as the Make Way God, representing "perseverance over infidels." HoonDing is the god that helps the Redguards "make way" for their settlements by driving out other peoples. As a result this god was particularly important when the Redguards first arrived in Hammerfell, driving out the Elves and Orcs living there.
Continuing the martial trend, Leki is known as the Saint of the Spirit Sword. She is associated with non-traditional forms of sword fighting. It was the introduction of her techniques that allowed a champion to emerge from the Redguards to lead them to war against the Lefthanded Elves.
Malooc, known as the Horde King, was a hostile god who led the goblins against the Redguards in battle during the First Era. Morwha, known as the Teat God, is the fertility goddess of Yokuda. She has four arms to grab husbands, and has enjoyed some success since the Redguards migrated to Tamriel, with many worshippers across Hammerfell. Onsi is the Boneshaver, the god who taught the Redguards how to forge swords.
The Major Gods Of Yokuda
Ruptga, also known as Tall Papa, is the chief god of the Yokudan pantheon. He was the first to figure out "the Walkabout," a way to live multiple lives and avoid the cycle of Satakal eating itself. Satakal, also known as the Worldskin, is the Yokudan god of everything, and a merger of the concepts of Anu and Padomay, two broader concepts of beings that existed before the Elder Scrolls universe was created. Like Alduin, Satakal is the destroyer of worlds, which until the discovery of the Walkabout would also destroy spirits and gods as well.
Sep the Snake is the Yokudan version of Lorkhan, also known as Shor. In the myths of Yokuda, Sep creates the world when trying to find an alternative to the Walkabout. The spirits who went with Sep supposedly became the souls of mortals, trapped on Nirn. Tava is the Bird God, most famous for leading the Redguards to the island of Herne off the coast of Hammerfell after the destruction of Yokuda. As the Yokudans integrated into the Empire, Tava and Kynareth of the Nine Divines were merged. She is often worshipped by Redguard sailors and in port towns.
Tu'whacca is the god of souls, also known as the Tricky God. Originally the god of nothingness, the creation of the Walkabout gave Tu'whacca a new goal - to help shepherd the souls of the Redguards to the Far Shores after their deaths. As a result he is sometimes merged with Arkay, but not to the extent that Tava was integrated into Kynareth's mythos.
Zeht is the god of farms. In Yokduan mythology Zeht turned against his father after the world was created, which is used to explain why food is so hard to grow, particularly in the lands the Redguards have called home. They get some respite, however, from Zeqqi, the Madonna of Tears. Zeqqi is the water goddess, and she has mercy on those Zeht has forsaken.
A New Mythology For The Elder Scrolls 6
Introducing a fresh and largely alien pantheon could be a fantastic way for The Elder Scrolls 6 to break from the past and introduce a world which feels just as interesting and unexplored as Skyrim did when it released almost a decade ago. Although some of the Yokudan gods have faded into relative obscurity, major deities like Tall Papa, Sep, and Tu'whacca appear to still play major roles in Hammerfell.
In a series that has seen players literally visit the afterlife, the Yokudan pantheon could also inject a much-needed dose of ambiguity into The Elder Scrolls' Lovecraftian cosmology. Some of them have parallels in the Nine (or Eight) Divines, but many are forces to be reckoned with in their own rights, and blur the line between spirit, god, and demon.
The two major factions in Hammerfell are the conservative Crowns and the more forward-thinking Forebears. Although they united to drive the Aldmeri Dominion from Hammerfell in the Fourth Era, the two groups maintain different pantheons, with the Forebears integrating Julianos, Dibella, and Stendarr into their worship due to their good relations with the Second Empire. As in Skyrim, it's likely the gods of The Elder Scrolls 6 will be as much a matter of politics as they are religion if the game is set in Hammerfell.
The Elder Scrolls 6Â is in development.