it would seem that the underlying assumption that Nords worshipping the divines in totem form is false.
Absolutely, that book is just another example of the usual Imperial imperiority complex . You can blame me for that, as I said I deliberately chose that direction in order to make the discussion more accessible. Here's Tom on that very issue, followed by my reply:
We're wrangling with a completely different mindset here. Why shove Imperial gods onto a culture that predates it? It only shows favoritism or suggests that the Imperial pantheon is the "true" way by which others are judged.
I hear you Tom, but we're doing this because another in-game source - The Dragon War says:
Certain scholars believe these primitive people actually worshipped the divines as we know them, just in the form of these totem animals. They deified the hawk, wolf, snake, moth, owl, whale, bear, fox, and the dragon.
So the scholars might be wrong but it's still fun to try, no? 
We're just going to have to disagree on the Nine. I don't think there have to matched perfectly, and they don't.
You're preaching to the choir about shoe-horning the Nine into the Animal Totems Tom, as you know from my Faces of Akatosh discussion. However, in this thread we aren't doing anything more than what Imperial scholars always have done, those would have you believe that Alkosh and Akatosh are the same being.
I'm glad you've given it a new lease of life though Vaal.
I'm with you about Tsun. I have no idea how he ignores the connection to the whale. Unless, he may view the whale bone bridge as a (Arkayish) path to the afterlife. Tsun guards the path, determining who may or may not enter the true Nordic afterlife - the Hall of Valor. In-game, bears are often seen on or near roads and pathways in the forest. Just spit-balling here, though. Getting into MK's head is a dangerous venture. :P My question is why wait until now, almost four years after the game's release, to start giving what appears to be serious answers to these questions.
There was some interesting thoughts on the Reddit discussion when this came out. Pilaf the Defiler liked the idea that Tsun is the Bear and the bear guards the Stone of Snowthroat which according to MK is a cave.
it would seem that the underlying assumption that Nords worshipping the divines in totem form is false.
Absolutely, that book is just another example of the usual Imperial imperiority complex . You can blame me for that, as I said I deliberately chose that direction in order to make the discussion more accessible. Here's Tom on that very issue, followed by my reply:
We're wrangling with a completely different mindset here. Why shove Imperial gods onto a culture that predates it? It only shows favoritism or suggests that the Imperial pantheon is the "true" way by which others are judged.
I hear you Tom, but we're doing this because another in-game source - The Dragon War says:
Certain scholars believe these primitive people actually worshipped the divines as we know them, just in the form of these totem animals. They deified the hawk, wolf, snake, moth, owl, whale, bear, fox, and the dragon.
So the scholars might be wrong but it's still fun to try, no?
We're just going to have to disagree on the Nine. I don't think there have to matched perfectly, and they don't.
You're preaching to the choir about shoe-horning the Nine into the Animal Totems Tom, as you know from my Faces of Akatosh discussion. However, in this thread we aren't doing anything more than what Imperial scholars always have done, those would have you believe that Alkosh and Akatosh are the same being.
I'm glad you've given it a new lease of life though Vaal.
I'm with you about Tsun. I have no idea how he ignores the connection to the whale. Unless, he may view the whale bone bridge as a (Arkayish) path to the afterlife. Tsun guards the path, determining who may or may not enter the true Nordic afterlife - the Hall of Valor. In-game, bears are often seen on or near roads and pathways in the forest. Just spit-balling here, though. Getting into MK's head is a dangerous venture. :P My question is why wait until now, almost four years after the game's release, to start giving what appears to be serious answers to these questions.
There was some interesting thoughts on the Reddit discussion when this came out. Pilaf the Defiler liked the idea that Tsun is the Bear and the bear guards the Stone of Snowthroat which according to MK is a cave.
