Although heavily based on demons from several mythologies, the Daedric Princes of The Elder Scrolls series are far more complex than their horrifying designs would otherwise imply. The remnants of the divine beings who chose to not be involved in the creation of Mundus, the Daedric Princes instead created their own realm, Oblivion, and left the Divines to their own devices.
While some Daedric Princes, alongside several of the Nine Divines, draw inspiration from the gods of Greek, Roman, and Norse pantheons, many are much harder to find a real-world connection to. Some are either very loosely based on real-world mythology or are an amalgamation of several beings.
16 Azura
Due to Azura being the Prince of dusk and dawn, they may be linked to the Greek gods Astraeus and Eos, who were the god and goddess of dusk and dawn respectfully.
There is further reason to believe this is Azura’s influence, as Eos is the sister of Helios and Selene, the god of the sun and moon respectfully. Azura is most associated with stars, specifically, Azura’s Star, her artifact that the protagonist can obtain by working for her.
15 Boethiah
In appearance, Boethiah’s design takes many cues from renditions of both Mars and Ares, the Roman and Greek gods of war respectfully. However, due to Boethiah’s nature as the Prince of deceit, they also have ties to Dolos, the Greek God of treachery.
Boethiah may also be influenced by Severinus Boethius, a Roman philosopher who was tried and executed for treason in the 6th century for his involvement in trying to fix relationships between Rome and Constantinople.
14 Clavicus Vile
The Prince of trickery and wishes, Clavicus Vile, is a strange case when it comes to real-world influence. On the one hand, Clavicus Vile is linked in a very roundabout way to Venus and Sirius due to their title as the child-god of the Morningstar.
The morning star is a name given to both the planet Venus and the star Sirius, while Sirius is also known as the Dog Star and is a link to Clavicus Vile canine companion, Barbas. Their role as a Daedric Prince, however, suggests they have more to do with Mercury, the god of trickery and deals, than Venus.
13 Hermaeus Mora
Several Daedric Princes are influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft in their design, but none represent this more than Hermaeus Mora, the keeper of knowledge. Specifically, Hermaeus Mora’s tentacled design comes from Yog Sothoth, who appears in both The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Dunwich Horror.
12 Hircine
As a Daedric Prince heavily connected with Nordic culture, it is likely that Hircine’s influence came from Norse mythology as a result. Most notably, Hircine shares connections with Odin, as both lead a hunting party known as the Wild Hunt.
However, Hircine also shares some similarities with Artemis, the god of the hunt who is often seen alongside a stag, the form that the Daedric Prince often takes while engaging with mankind.
11 Malacath
As the patron deity of the Orsimer, it’s very hard to nail down where Malacath’s influences come from since the Orcs are based on the generic fantasy race rather than having a real-world connection.
For the most part, due to Malacath’s waring nature and love of combat, they are likely an amalgamation of several war deities across multiple mythologies.
10 Mehrunes Dagon
There are several links to the real-world with Mehrunes Dagon, most notably in their design, as it takes cues from several different cultural depictions of demons in mythology. However, the name Dagon comes from the Caananite deity Dagon, though that is where the similarities end as the latter is the god of fertility.
Dagon is also, funnily enough, the name of a god in H.P. Lovecraft’s story of the same name, though they have more in common with the Caananite deity than Mehrunes Dagon.
9 Mephala
Mephala is often associated with spiders and webs, with their minions even being called Spider Daedra. Their role as the Prince of obfuscation and secrecy does link them somewhat to Dolos, but it is more likely that they are based on the Moirai.
More commonly known as the sisters of fate from Greek mythology, the Moirai are associated heavily with webs of lives that interconnect with one another.
8 Meridia
Unlike other Daedric Princes, Meridia’s design is a lot more angelic than demonic. They are one of the few Princes who don’t take a monstrous form when interacting with mortals.
The fact that the Daedric Prince’s artifact, Dawnbreaker, emits a cleansing light that heavily damages the undead also suggests that Meridia is based on some kind of angelic being rather than the demonic counterparts of the other Princes.
7 Molag Bal
Molag Bal is, quite possibly, the easiest Daedric Prince to see where their influence comes from. Aside from their design clearly taking the same inspirations from depictions of demonic beings as Mehrunes Dagon, their name is also associated with two different deities.
Molag comes from Moloch, the Caananite god associated with child sacrifice, and makes a clear link to Molag Bal’s creation of vampires and the Daughters of Coldharbour. While Bal comes from another Caananite god, Ba’al, a god associated with storms and fertility.
6 Namira
As the patron of Tamriel’s cannibal population, it’s hard to find a link to real-world deities since cannibalism is such a taboo subject. However, Namira’s role as the Prince of shadows and darkness links nicely to Erebus, the Greek god of darkness.
Namira’s design and association with all things disgusting could also link her to common interpretations of witches, as well as Phthisis, a Greek demon associated with rot and decay.
5 Nocturnal
Nocturnal’s name clearly comes from the English word nocturnal, a fitting name for the Prince of night and darkness. However, they also have another link to Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck, as well as Hermes, the patron god of thieves.
4 Peryite
Although Peryite may look tough, as they normally appear to mortals in the form of a dragon, they are said to be the weakest of all the Daedric Princes.
While Peryite doesn’t link up with too many real-world deities, they could be the antithesis to Asclepius, the god of medicine who is often seen with serpents. Another possibility is the caduceus, a near-universal symbol for medicine.
3 Sanguine
Although their designs are wildly different, Sanguine, the Prince of debauchery, shares a lot in common with several trickster deities, including Hermes and Loki. However, it’s through Sanguine’s name that his true inspiration becomes apparent.
It is based on the French word sanguine, which refers not only to blood, its color, and many things associated with it but also to those who are impulsive by nature, as Sanguine has shown time and again to be.
2 Sheogorath
Sheogorath takes inspiration from many sources, though the most obvious comes from Dionysus, the Greek god of ritual madness, insanity, and festivity, among other things.
Sheogorath’s name, on the other hand, might be based on another of H.P. Lovecraft’s creations, the Shoggoth, who appears in the aptly named story At The Mountains of Madness.
1 Vaermina
Like Sanguine and Nocturnal, Vaermina’s name is clearly inspired by the English language and taken from the word vermin. However, Vaermina’s role as a Daedric Prince aligns them more with Epiales and Morpheus, the Greek gods of nightmares and dreams respectfully.
