A Treatise on the Subject of Daedra Worship, 1st Edition, 2016 1st Edition, 2016 | Page 13

He is associated with natural dangers like fire, earthquakes, and floods. In most cultures,
though, Dagon is merely a god of bloodshed and betrayal. 32
Dagon's plane of Oblivion is known as the Deadlands. As the name suggests, they are barren
wastelands, consisting of blackened isles in a sea of lava. Clannfear 33 and Scamps 34 are
among his servants, along with Dremora 35 . 36
§19 – MEPHALA, whose sphere is obscured to mortals, also known by the names
Webspinner, and Queen of the Eight Shadows of Murder. 37
Unlike many other Daedric Princes, who almost always appear as the same gender, Mephala
appears as either male or female depending on whom the Daedric Prince wishes to ensnare
(though she's typically female). Mephala's only consistent theme seems to be interference
in the affairs of mortals for amusement. Mephala's sphere seems to indicate a careful plan
carried out through executions, each life a portion of a massive web. Mephala sees the
affairs of mortals as a weave; pull but one thread and the whole thing unravels. She is also
associated with more simple concepts—lies, sex, and murder. 38
Her realm of Oblivion is the Spiral Skein. It is metaphysically constructed in a similar manner
to a wheel. At the centre is the Tower, known only as the Pillar Palace of Mephala, since its
true name is too awful to be uttered. The Spokes are called the Eight Strands of the Skein,
and the spaces in between are each devoted to a different sin. The first is a cavern devoted
to lies, filled with pedestals pretending to hold up the sky. The second is made up of
cramped chambers representing envy, while the third is maggot-filled grottoes filled with
seductive light. The fourth contains eternally dark tunnels of fear; the fifth, a place of
betrayal; the sixth, an arena of murder. The seventh space is home to arcades of avarice and
appetite, containing all things mortals would kill or die for, while the eighth is a flaming
skein of fury, representing the death that comes to all mortals.
Mephala's realms are said to be numerous and obscured, collected together by vast strands
of magical ghost-web. All of them are devoted to her spheres of sex and secret murder. 39
31
The Book of the Daedra
http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Mehrunes_Dagon
33
Clannfears are dinosaur-like Daedra that resemble a lizard with a large, bony crest on their head and a sharp
beak and talons. They may represent common, wild animals in Oblivion; See
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Clannfear#Clannfears
34
Scamps are the weakest Daedra encountered in Oblivion; See http://uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Scamp#Scamps
35
Dremora are a warlike Daedric race commonly associated with Mehrunes Dagon. They are commonly
encountered throughout the planes of Oblivion. Dremora are known to be intelligent, sentient beings.
36
http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Deadlands
37
The Book of the Daedra
38
http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Mephala
39
http://uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Spiral_Skein; “Rumours of the Spiral Skein”. First appeared in-game in The Elder
Scrolls: Online (2015)
32