As one of the main sources of conflict in Skyrim, Talos is a very interesting historical figure for both the races of men and elves, as both sides have been influenced by the man in the past. As the Ninth Divine, Talos holds a lot of power over the races of men, particularly the Nords, who seem to view Talos as their one true god and a symbol that they can be greater than mortals.
Although the Thalmor try their best to stamp out anyone worshipping Talos, there are still many shrines in his name dotted around the map of Skryim, with many of them either out of reach for most people to find or littered with the corpses of dead worshippers who pledged their loyalty even with their dying breath.
10 He Has Many Names
One of the most confusing things about Talos is just how many names he has. While many other gods in The Elder Scrolls go by different names under different languages, such as Akatosh also going by Auri-El and Alkosh, Talos goes by multiple names even to the Nords. Aside from Talos, he is also known as Ysmir, most notably by Jarl Barlgruff, but the name that most in Tamriel know him by is Tiber Septim, the man who singlehandedly united the nations of Tamriel under a single banner and formed the Septim Dynasty, which lasted until the Oblivion Crisis some 400 years before the events of Skyrim.
9 Talos’ Worship Began As A Cult In Morrowind
Although Talos is a major aspect of Skyrim, his existence was shown all the way back in Morrowind, though not as a major deity to any one race. During the era of the Nerevarine and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, there is a cult to Talos that briefly appears in-game which the player character is tasked with destroying. Considering how close Morrowind is to Skryim, it should come as no surprise that Talos’s influence reached the land of the Dunmer, though it is curious that the Talos cult doesn’t appear anywhere in Skyrim during the events of Alduin’s return.
8 Didn’t Become One Of The Nine Divines Until Much Later
One of the most confusing aspects of the Imperial Pantheon, particularly for those new to The Elder Scrolls series, is the number of Divines that is said to exist. To the majority of Imperials in Skryim, as well as the Thalmor who want to quash Talos’ worship, there is only eight, but with Talos included, there are nine.
While this is in part due to the White-Gold Concordat, it is also because Talos’ status as a god wasn’t recognized by the Imperials until much later in the religion’s life, as Tiber Septim was still a mortal man when the Imperial Pantheon was being worshipped in its prime and wasn’t added to the lineup until long after his death.
7 His Link To The Oblivion Crisis
In order to summon the avatar of Akatosh, the ritual required the divine blood of the Septim royal family. Unfortunately, the entire Septim family had been assassinated just before the opening sequence of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and the Hero of Kvatch had to find the bastard son of Uriel Septim to complete the ritual. This divine blood is said to come directly from Tiber Septim himself, though he wasn’t technically a god while he was alive on Nirn and didn’t gain his divine status until well after his death.
6 How He Attained Godhood Is Up For Debate
Like many other aspects of religion in The Elder Scrolls, there are several events that are up for debate as to whether or not they actually happened, such as how Talos came to gain his divinity. Some scholars say it was divine intervention, with the Eight Divines gifting him the blood of a god and the right to rule over all others, while some believe that, due to his status as a Dragonborn, he absorbed the souls of every dragon he could find and gained immortality through their power. So far, there is no definitive answer, though considering how long Miraak was able to survive after absorbing so many dragon souls, the latter could be likely.
5 The Amulet of Talos Design
Each of the Divine’s amulets in Skyrim are modeled after their respective god’s altars which can be found around the world, though with some slight alterations in some cases. The Amulet of Talos, while based very heavily on the Shines of Talos, also has a link to real-world symbols from Norse mythology. Most notably, it is modeled on the symbol for Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, a god who also shares some similarities with Talos as a warrior god. Although many aspects of Norse mythology don’t transfer into The Elder Scrolls directly, this is one of the few that does.
4 Talos Worshippers Are Supposed To Convert Under Thalmor Law
Under the White-Gold Concordat, the Thalmor Agents who are sent to Skyrim are tasked with converting Talos worshippers to the original Imperial Pantheon wherever they find them. With this in mind, it seems counterproductive for the Thalmor to instead kill every worshipper they come across, though this is somewhat of a personal issue for the elves.
Thankfully, many in Skyrim have found a way to worship their god without drawing the attention of the Thalmor, though an added detail that is somewhat interesting is that, if the player is wearing an Amulet of Talos while talking to a Thalmor Agent, they will become hostile immediately.
3 His Real-World Link
Many of the Divines and Daedra in The Elder Scrolls are named after a real-world aspect, and Talos is no exception. In Greek mythology, Talos was a living bronze statue built to guard the island of Crete at the command of Zeus whose name also translates to ‘sun’ in Cretan. Talos’ backstory also shares some similarities to the Greek demi-god Heracles, who was born a man before ascending to godhood, not unlike Talos himself.
2 Why The Thalmor Hate Him
The reason why the elves hate men, and by extension Talos, goes all the way back to their creation myth. The Altmer, and by extension, the Thalmor, believe that they originated from the Divines and were once gods before the intervention of Lorkhan forced them into a mortal life, with much of their religion circling this aspect of their history. In the eyes of the elves, the fact that a mortal man can ascend to godhood goes against their entire belief system, with many older elves finding his existence an affront to their own.
1 Why The Thalmor Want To Stop His Worship
The many gods in The Elder Scrolls series are generally based on the older pantheons of religion, such as the Norse, Greek, and Roman gods. Many of these gods only gain power as a result of man worshipping them and their power will dwindle until they are no more powerful than a mortal if men don’t continue to worship them. This is the case for Talos, who, like all Divines, only has power while he is being worshipped. As Talos is a danger to the entire belief system of the Aldmeri Dominion, the best way to get rid of the threat is to stop his worship altogether, as that will reduces Talos’ power until he is no more Divine than your average Imperial.
