No offence taken =P
Ok so here's the explanation:
The acts of the Aedra are perpetrated by individuals, as Tom says and Chris suggests. However, the Aedra do take an active interest in Nirn as stated on the Elder Scrolls Wiki:
Prior to Alessia's pact with Akatosh, binding her soul to the Amulet of Kings, many Aedra and Daedra were able to fully interact with Nirn and its population. However, even during this period, these eight Aedra are not known to have manifested physically on the planet, but communicated through dreams and visions (as with Alessia). Their interaction with the world is relegated to blessings through their altars and shrines, and in extreme circumstances, through mortal avatars infused with their divine spirits.
In particular interest to me is "communicated through dreams and visions." It was not a mortal communicating in this manner (presumably) , it was the Aedra. If the Aedra are communicating through any means, it tells us that they are expressing their will. A being must be conscious to express its will, even if it cannot otherwise physically interact within a space (such as Nirn).
Kynareth sent her son, the Nordic demi-god hero Morihaus, to advise and aid Alessia.
Note, Kynareth sent. This was an answer to prayer.
Throughout Tamrielic history, especially in the sending of Lorkhan to convey his message and create the Amulet of Kings, Akatosh has had much influence. This again implies that he acted willfully, logically indicating sentience and consciousness. (of course the Amulet of Kings is disputed as a possible soul gem, but it is not the only reference to Akatosh that can be made.)
The Aedra, however, are a small group of individual spirits, each with their own identity and possessing a high degree of intelligence.
That quote is again from the wiki. The Aedra have their own identity and possess intelligence. One can only have such things if one is conscious.
The only reference that I can find about some 'unconscious god' is the Godhead, which may or may not just be MK screwing people over. And Anu.
Oh, and it is also stated somewhere among the mass of texts about Kalpas, that the Divines have learned the Walkabout and thus avoid being destroyed at the end of the Kalpa. While they may have gained that knowledge before the creation of Nirn, for them to be unconscious and continue to avoid being eaten at the end of the Kalpa (while not impossible) seems unlikely. Perhaps.
So... that's my story on that
No offence taken =P
Ok so here's the explanation:
The acts of the Aedra are perpetrated by individuals, as Tom says and Chris suggests. However, the Aedra do take an active interest in Nirn as stated on the Elder Scrolls Wiki:
Prior to Alessia's pact with Akatosh, binding her soul to the Amulet of Kings, many Aedra and Daedra were able to fully interact with Nirn and its population. However, even during this period, these eight Aedra are not known to have manifested physically on the planet, but communicated through dreams and visions (as with Alessia). Their interaction with the world is relegated to blessings through their altars and shrines, and in extreme circumstances, through mortal avatars infused with their divine spirits.
In particular interest to me is "communicated through dreams and visions." It was not a mortal communicating in this manner (presumably) , it was the Aedra. If the Aedra are communicating through any means, it tells us that they are expressing their will. A being must be conscious to express its will, even if it cannot otherwise physically interact within a space (such as Nirn).
Kynareth sent her son, the Nordic demi-god hero Morihaus, to advise and aid Alessia.
Note, Kynareth sent. This was an answer to prayer.
Throughout Tamrielic history, especially in the sending of Lorkhan to convey his message and create the Amulet of Kings, Akatosh has had much influence. This again implies that he acted willfully, logically indicating sentience and consciousness. (of course the Amulet of Kings is disputed as a possible soul gem, but it is not the only reference to Akatosh that can be made.)
The Aedra, however, are a small group of individual spirits, each with their own identity and possessing a high degree of intelligence.
That quote is again from the wiki. The Aedra have their own identity and possess intelligence. One can only have such things if one is conscious.
The only reference that I can find about some 'unconscious god' is the Godhead, which may or may not just be MK screwing people over. And Anu.
Oh, and it is also stated somewhere among the mass of texts about Kalpas, that the Divines have learned the Walkabout and thus avoid being destroyed at the end of the Kalpa. While they may have gained that knowledge before the creation of Nirn, for them to be unconscious and continue to avoid being eaten at the end of the Kalpa (while not impossible) seems unlikely. Perhaps.
So... that's my story on that
I understand this idea of the Serpent being linked to Lorkhan, however I do not like the idea of the Serpent being Lorkhan in entirety. I instead prefer the earlier possibility given of the Serpent being a part of Lorkhan.
I say this because it would throw into confusion the ideas of Shor, the Dead God, etc. due to the (seemingly) purely spiteful / evil nature of the Serpent.
I understand this idea of the Serpent being linked to Lorkhan, however I do not like the idea of the Serpent being Lorkhan in entirety. I instead prefer the earlier possibility given of the Serpent being a part of Lorkhan.
I say this because it would throw into confusion the ideas of Shor, the Dead God, etc. due to the (seemingly) purely spiteful / evil nature of the Serpent.
I can also provide the example of the quests given by Mara's priestess in Skyrim.
People pray to Mara. Mara hears them. Mara conveys message to priestess. Priestess finds champion.
Note the part where Mara is the one answering the prayers by sending her priestess the message to deal with it somehow. (through a dream I think? I cannot remember the quest completely right now).
I think this deals with Tom's statement :
what their followers believe the God's will to be.
In this quest, the follower does indeed believe that it is Mara's will for love. However, it was a very direct message. The Priestess would not have known about the situation unless the goddess had told her. The same thing with Alessia and her dreams.
However, I do suppose in terms of the Mara situation you could argue the Aedra could act as unconscious "Prayer Satellites" xD but I believe in light of the evidence I gave above such as Alessia's dreams, this hypothesis wouldn't be very viable. But I don't know, you might surprise me.
Also, why worship unconscious beings... if they were unconscious, they wouldn't know you were worshipping them... so the majority of the Tamrielic peoples surely don't believe the Aedra to be unconscious, just simply unable to physically interact themselves.
Please forgive any constant repetition on my part.
I can also provide the example of the quests given by Mara's priestess in Skyrim.
People pray to Mara. Mara hears them. Mara conveys message to priestess. Priestess finds champion.
Note the part where Mara is the one answering the prayers by sending her priestess the message to deal with it somehow. (through a dream I think? I cannot remember the quest completely right now).
I think this deals with Tom's statement :
what their followers believe the God's will to be.
In this quest, the follower does indeed believe that it is Mara's will for love. However, it was a very direct message. The Priestess would not have known about the situation unless the goddess had told her. The same thing with Alessia and her dreams.
However, I do suppose in terms of the Mara situation you could argue the Aedra could act as unconscious "Prayer Satellites" xD but I believe in light of the evidence I gave above such as Alessia's dreams, this hypothesis wouldn't be very viable. But I don't know, you might surprise me.
Also, why worship unconscious beings... if they were unconscious, they wouldn't know you were worshipping them... so the majority of the Tamrielic peoples surely don't believe the Aedra to be unconscious, just simply unable to physically interact themselves.
Please forgive any constant repetition on my part.
Slayer, the wiki is a mistake. UESP is where it's at The difference? UESP is managed by people who care whereas the wiki doesn't have the same level of dedication.
Because this topic is running here an in the Lore Questions thread, I suggest it needs it's own topic on the subject because it seems to be both topical and debate worthy, especially now as we are entering the interpretation phase of theology and metaphysics.
You wanna do it Slayer or Chris?
Slayer, the wiki is a mistake. UESP is where it's at The difference? UESP is managed by people who care whereas the wiki doesn't have the same level of dedication.
Because this topic is running here an in the Lore Questions thread, I suggest it needs it's own topic on the subject because it seems to be both topical and debate worthy, especially now as we are entering the interpretation phase of theology and metaphysics.
You wanna do it Slayer or Chris?
Where do you stand on the Nede/Nord issue Vaaljorn?
I'm inclined to believe that the Nedes were the common ancestor of the races of men and, therefore, Nords.
Where do you stand on the Nede/Nord issue Vaaljorn?
I'm inclined to believe that the Nedes were the common ancestor of the races of men and, therefore, Nords.