Sithis (god)
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Sithis is one of the two primordial beings responsible for the existence of the universe. Sithis is the patron idol of the Dark Brotherhood.
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[edit] Deity and Godhood
Many comments in the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from NPCs and books point to the fact that Sithis is a being (or at least a metaphorical and abstract philosophy) of great and terrible power. He is often mentioned in conjunction with the murder contracts given in the Dark Brotherhood, and is thus thought to be the deity of death, but this is not so. Sithis is mentioned as the Void, the emptyness of everything. He is not the God of Death, nor even Undeath or the Afterlife. Sithis is the deity of "nothing". Sithis is the Void, Sithis is nothing. Sithis is the embodiment of nothing. He can not even be considered to embody negativity, or dark, because technically that would be opposite positivity, or light. He is not a God of Evil, or even a god. He is the personification of nothing.
[edit] Description
Sithis is distinctly different from any of the other divine beings worshiped across Tamriel. As Vicente Valtieri correctly states, "Sithis is no Daedra, and dwells not in the realm of Oblivion. No, Sithis is something altogether... different." Neither is Sithis an Aedra, nor does he appear in the regular pantheon of any known civilization in the world.
No clear physical description of Sithis exists, as he does not directly interact with the mortal world (with the possible exception of the Night Mother), although some members claim to hear the Dread Father speak to them right before they take a life. Members of the Dark Brotherhood often describe Sithis in vague or figurative terms; Lucien Lachance once described Sithis as "a perfect, cloudless midnight, cold as winter ice and shrouded in shadow.", while Vicente Valtieri describes him as "the darkness of time immemorial". The Brotherhood also uses the title "Dread Father" to refer to Sithis, who has also been called simply "The Void".
[edit] Role in Creation
Much of the information in this section can be found in the book The Monomyth [1], which appears in the game Morrowind, but not in Oblivion.
Though the creation myths of the races of Tamriel often differ dramatically, one of the few constants is that all have a being analogous to Sithis. This being is also known by the names Padomay and Akel, and is always the counterpoint to the being Anu. (This is where the name Anuad, referring to man's creation myth, derives from.) Anu is the unchanging stasis that exists before there is anything. Sithis is the dynamic force of chaos from which all change springs. Sithis does not simply "cause" things to change. Sithis is change, and his very existence alters the stasis of Anu. The interaction of these two beings spawned the original divine spirits, from which the Aedra and Daedra would eventually derive.
Thus, Sithis occupies a somewhat dual position in the mythology of Tamriel. As the driving force behind the existence of the Aedra, and thus indirectly the mortal world, Sithis is revered as "The Creator", as the being responsible for the very existence of everything. On the other hand, Sithis is literally nothing, an unending and uncontrollable change. This state of perpetual chaos is more closely associated with the realms of Oblivion and the Daedra than the now-stable world of the mortals (though, as mentioned, Sithis himself is neither Aedra nor Daedra).
[edit] The Dark Brotherhood
While most of Tamriel acknowledges Sithis key role in creation, the Dark Brotherhood actually reveres Sithis as their patron and father. Even among the Brotherhood, there is precious little information available about Sithis, and no explanation is made as to why "The Creator" would also fulfill the role as "The Dread Father". According the Brotherhood tradition, Sithis married the founder of the Brotherhood, the Night Mother, and had five children by her. It is unclear if this is intended to be taken literally, but it's interesting to note that there are six skeletons in the crypt of the Night Mother, and five of them are much smaller than normal skeletons.
The Brotherhood's actions are always taken in the name of Sithis, and each of their Five Tenets warns that violating the rules will risk "the Wrath of Sithis". The "Wrath of Sithis" is actualy a specter that you must defeat in order to re-join the Dark Brotherhood. Whether Sithis himself has ever appeared to unleash his wrath is not clear. It is interesting to note that high ranking Dark Brotherhood members can violate the tenets at will and suffer no consequences. The association between Sithis and the guild of assassins would seem to imply that Sithis is somehow evil, but Sithis, even moreso than the Daedra, is so dramatically different from the mortal plane that the concepts of "good" and "evil" cannot possibly apply.
[edit] Shrine of Sithis
Since Sithis is neither Aedra nor Daedra, no active cults of Sithis worship exist in the traditional sense. (The Dark Brotherhood reveres Sithis, but in a more abstract way than typical daedra worship). As such, there are not many Shrines of Sithis to be found, at least on the Tamrielic continent. Only Deepscorn Hollow (available from The Vile Lair official plug-in) contains such a shrine, as the Hollow was the former home to a ranking Dark Brotherhood member. The blessing given by this shrine, to sufficiently infamous players, is the only known direct interaction Sithis has with the mortal plane.
