Lore:Moons

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Masser and Secunda

Moons are astronomical objects within Mundus. They are said to be small planets, though this comparison is only defined by mortal comprehension, as they are truly infinite.[UOL 1] Members of the Mages Guild described them as islands in the sky.[1]

Nirn is generally thought to have two moons: Masser and Secunda. Masser is the larger of the two, being well over twice Secunda's size.[2]

Culture[edit]

Sentinel's crest

Altmer[edit]

Three is one of the Sacred Numbers, which the Altmer recognize as integral to the universe's existence. Three, in particular, represents the Prime Celestials, which are embodied by the Sun and the two moons.[3]

Certain Altmer claim that it's common knowledge that the moons were created by Sheogorath.[1]

Argonian[edit]

Argonian alchemy uses the phases of the moon to precisely align the calcinator in the alchemical process. During the full moon, the calcinator faces south and aligns with the Southron pole star, and every night after that, the calcinator rotates clockwise one twenty-eighth of the circle. The device has to be placed in a way where the moonlight shines on half of it. During the new moon, the calcinator should be fully exposed to the light.[4] There is a town in southern Black Marsh called Moonmarch, which was east of Soulrest and southwest of Blackrose.[5]

Argonians believe the origins of Masser and Secunda are tied to the fate of Argonian twins Izzik and Tweer, who wandered too deep into the bowels of an ancient Xanmeer.[6]

Breton[edit]

The ancient Bretons acknowledged a goddess of the moons named Secunda. Their modern-day descendants in the Glenumbra Moors observe the Moon Festival on the 8th of Sun's Dusk in remembrance of her.[7]

East of Camlorn is a village called Moonguard.[8] It was also the birthplace of one of the most legendary mages in Breton history, the Sage. He was also born under a rare eclipse.[9]

The sect of Bretons known as Druids showed reverence to the moons, who they referred to as Mara's Tear and Shandar's Sorrow.[10]

Dunmer[edit]

The teachings of the Tribunal Temple describe a civilization of grave ghosts on a moon, known as the Parliament of Craters. They were said to hold resentment toward the kings of Nirn.[11]

Khajiit[edit]

For the Khajiit, the moons have special significance in their culture. In Khajiiti legend, the motion of the moons constructs something called the "Lunar Lattice" or "Ja-Kha'jay" in Ta'agra, which protects Mundus from the rest of the Aurbis.[12] Khajiit are born in differing forms depending on the current phases of the moons. They will often refer to specific moon phases by the Khajiiti form it is connected to.[13][14] See Khajiiti Morphology for details.

There is an ancient legend about a master jumper from Quin'rawl named Anahbi, who leapt from Nirn and almost fell into Oblivion but was caught by Jone and Jode. Anahbi quickly took the light from Jone and leapt for Nirn again. The two moons followed suit and danced across the skies to grab her. When they caught her again, she stole the light from Jode and tried to escape again, but they were able to restrain her. Anahbi promised to never do it again if they returned her home, and as a reminder of her promise, her brow bore speckles of stardust.[15]

Maormer[edit]

The Maormer have a tale that relates the origins of Masser and Secunda to Maormer twins Chrysina and Ohmirril, who dove deep into cursed Sload waters.[6]

Nord[edit]

Nordic myth ties the moons Masser and Secunda to a pair of twins, Filnrig and Rhainna, who became lost inside of a magical blizzard.[6]

Members of the Companions refer to someone afflicted with lycanthropy as "moon-born".[16][17]

In the "Five Songs of King Wulfharth", Nerevar's dagger, Keening was described as "made of the sound of the shadow of the moons".[18]

Reachfolk[edit]

Certain Reachfolk clans, like the Crow-Eyes, were known to present stones bathed in moonlight as offerings to their spirits to renew the protective wards surrounding their settlements, like Karthwasten. These moonlit rocks symbolized purity.[19][20][21] Additionally, silver is referred to as "moon-kissed ore" by the Reachfolk.[22] Furthermore, some clans even derive their names from the moon, as seen with the Black-Moon Clan.[23] Hircine oversees pacts between Reach clans, approving of the deal if the union is worth committing to. The ritual calling upon Hircine to bless a pact involves several components. On occasion, within these rituals, phrases like "Two great packs seek the same full moon. Make them one, bound by common prey" are intoned.[24][25]

Redguard[edit]

The crescent moon is a symbol of cultural significance in the Kingdom of Sentinel as it was the banner of Grandee Yaghoub, the one who first founded the capital city in the early-mid First Era.[26] The moon on the banner is known as the White Moon.[27] King Camaron was also called the White Moon as a nod to this.[28] Before the Order of the Candle was the knightly order of Sentinel, it was the Knights of the Moon.[citation needed]

The Aurbical Abacus was a Yokudan relic designed to track the movements of the moons, among other astronomical objects, and calculated the exact change in seasons. It was an artifact associated with Zeht, the god of agriculture, and kept in a tomb in Hew's Bane before it was later destroyed.[29]

Vampire[edit]

The moondial in Castle Volkihar is perhaps the only one in existence. It was originally a sundial built for the previous owners of the castle, but Valerica of the Volkihar Clan persuaded an elven artisan to change images of the sun to phases of the moons.[30]

One of Tamriel's most rare and dangerous artifacts is the Vampiric Ring. It was created in ancient times by a cult of vampires in Morrowind. Its rarity comes from the fact it only appears every few hundred moon cycles.[31]

Werewolf[edit]

Some strains of lycanthropy cause the afflicted to transform into a werewolf under moonlight,[32] or specifically a full moon.[33] Some of these werewolves worship the moons, but this practice has been considered a parody of true lunar faith.[34]

Other[edit]

Some sailors believe the moons were enormous atronachs, who wrestled for the amusement of the Daedric Princes, which is what causes thunderstorms.[1]

Masser[edit]

Masser

Masser, also known as Jode, Mara's Tear and Zennji in Ta'agra, is the greater of Nirn's two moons and is acknowledged as one of the attendant spirits of the mortal plane. As such, it is both temporal and subject to the bounds of mortality. Masser, which exists as a separate plane, has long since perished; it was Masser's death which led mortals to perceive it as having both texture and limited size, as well as a reddish hue, all of which are the results of its decay from its former investiture of pure white.

Secunda[edit]

Secunda

Secunda, also known as Jone, Shandar's Sorrow (also spelled Stendarr's Sorrow) and Zennrili in Ta'agra, is the lesser of Nirn's two moons and acknowledged as one of the attendant spirits of the mortal plane. As such, is both temporal and subject to the bounds of mortality. Secunda, which exists as a separate plane, has long since perished; it was Secunda's death which led mortals to perceive it as having both texture and limited size, as well as imperfections of color, all of which are the results of its decay from its former investiture of pure white.

Dark Moon[edit]

The alignment of Masser and Secunda

The Dark Moon (or Dark Moons), also known as the Dead Moon, the Hidden Moon, the Hollow Moon, the Ghost Moon, and the Den of Lorkhaj, is rumored to be the corpse of the Missing God, Lorkhaj. Due to the two moons, solar eclipses can happen in Tamriel several times a year and are known as Vampire Days. During a dark eclipse, however, both moons eclipse the sun, and this alignment reveals the "third moon" (or "missing moon"). This event is significant to the Khajiiti people's spiritual duality. On the upside, their spiritual leaders known as Manes are born during this occurrence. However, those born under the dark eclipse are sensitive to the moons, and thus are subject to the call of the Dark Heart, which could turn them into dro-m'Athra. The Bent Cats themselves show reverence to the Dark Moon, and are referred to as Children of the Dark Moon. Their steeds, the Rahd-m'Athra, are thought to hail from the Dark Moons. Khajiit deviants may mark themselves with tattoos reminiscent of the dark moon to show their defiance of social conventions.

Necromancer's Moon[edit]

The Necromancer's Moon, also known as the Revenant, is a moon and the divine body of the God of Worms, Mannimarco. It was created by the Warp in the West in 3E 417 when Mannimarco used the power of the Mantella to fuel his transfiguration and apotheosis.

The Necromancer's Moon eclipses the planet Arkay every eight days, preventing its light from reaching Nirn for 24 hours. This celestial phenomenon is known as the Shade of the Revenant, and casts a purple light down on certain locations across Tamriel during this period. The purpose of this eclipse is to foil the divine laws of Arkay, allowing Mannimarco to be the only god of life and death. The Cult of the Black Worm worship Mannimarco as the God of Worms, and construct altars to him at these locations to harness the Shade of the Revenant for use in creating black soul gems.

Baar Dau[edit]

Baar Dau

Baar Dau (also known as the Ministry of Truth, Prison Moon, or Lie Rock) was a celestial rock or moonlet which hovered above Vivec City in southern Vvardenfell. According to the prevailing legends, it was flung from the Void by either Sheogorath or its own malevolence, but was prevented from crashing into the city by the Tribunal god Vivec. Vivec allowed it to remain looming above the city so that if its people ever ceased to love him, the rock would fall and destroy them. Other lesser-known tales and theories vary widely as to Baar Dau's origins, with one identifying it as a former Magna Ge named Una, another insisting that it was an egg from which would one day emerge the nightmarish offspring of Vivec and Molag Bal, and yet another claiming that it was Malacath's dung.

Notes[edit]

  • Masser is a color-modified version of real-life photos of Mars. Secunda's real-life base is less clear-cut, but it may be based on Triton, the largest moon of Neptune.

References[edit]

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.