The Elder Scrolls universe contains many artefacts that engender awe and mystique, but none more so than the Elder Scrolls themselves. The franchise is named after these very relics, and the Elder Scrolls have had a massive influence throughout Nirn’s history, especially in the Last Dragonborn’s journey.
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Powerful and beyond the grasp of mere mortals, the Elder Scrolls are mysterious in nature, and attempting to read them comes at great cost. If you’re keen to find out more about the Elder Scrolls, its power, nature and its appearances throughout history, then you’ve come to the right place.
It is not known how an Elder Scroll came to be, but it’s understood that neither the Aedra nor the Daedra are responsible. Also referred to as the Aedric Prophecies (though this is most likely inaccurate), we get an approximation of what an Elder Scroll is from Paarthurnax, who described them as “fragments of creation” that both exist and do not exist simultaneously.
According to in-game lore, an Elder Scroll could be seen as a historical archive of Tamriel, comprising both past and future events. Within a Scroll lie various possibilities of how an event would come about, and its outcome. Every time a Scroll is read, the viewer will be presented with a different version of events.
It is only when a particular event has come to pass that the contents of the Scroll become unchanging and unable to be altered by either physical or magical means. As a result, an Elder Scroll is the most accurate account of an event, making these artefacts an archive of Tamriel’s history.
Interestingly, a Scroll can disappear and reappear at any given location without rhyme or reason. This is noted in the Fourth Era when all the Elder Scrolls stored in Cyrodiil’s White-Gold Tower disappeared and resurfaced in different locations across Tamriel.
The Cult Of The Ancestor Moth
The Cult of the Ancestor Moth is the only official group in Tamriel able to read an Elder Scroll, although that didn’t prevent others like Septimus Signus from trying. Moth Priests require extensive training to prepare them to read an Elder Scroll, but this does not protect them from the consequences.
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According to Dexion Evicus’ in-game dialogue, those who have read from an Elder Scroll time and again will inevitably suffer from blindness, or loss of sanity, just like what happened to Septimus Signus. Naturally, once blinded, they will forever be unable to read from an Elder Scroll again. Moth Priests understand the risks involved, with young novitiates tasked with taking care of Moth Priests who have gone blind.
The Ritual Of The Ancestor Moth
As mentioned before, a Moth Priest would make intense preparations prior to reading an Elder Scroll, taking months in advance. The process of reading an Elder Scroll is known as the Ritual of the Ancestor Moth, which we get to experience firsthand in the Unseen Visions questline in the Dawnguard DLC.
Once ready, a Moth Priest will journey to one of the Ancestor Glades in Tamriel with a Scroll in hand, but they must first use a knife to harvest bark from the Canticle Tree to lure the Ancestor Moths to them. Once done, the Moth Priest will use the sounds produced by the Ancestor Moths as a conduit to read the Elder Scroll.
There are, however, other ways of reading an Elder Scroll without risking your sight or mind. The Dwemer (or Dwarves) were able to build what’s known as a Lexicon, a device capable of parsing the contents of a Scroll and noting it down without incurring heavy consequences.
Major Appearances Throughout History
The Defeat Of Alduin
During the Dragon War, the ancient Nordic heroes Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, Felldir the Old and Hakon One-Eye were forced to use an Elder Scroll after realising they couldn’t defeat Alduin through their combined strength alone. They used an Elder Scroll to cast Alduin forward into time – creating a Time Wound as a result – which is what led the World Eater to reappear during the Fourth Era.
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The Last Dragonborn found the very same Elder Scroll tucked in the Tower of Mzark, using it to learn the Dragonrend Shout from its creators that they intend to use to defeat Alduin.
Due to its ability to divine future events, it’s suggested that a Scroll relies on time to either function or exist. This explains why dragons are more susceptible to a Scroll, as they are the creation of Akatosh, the dragon god of time. It also explains why a Dragon Break (a phenomenon also known as ‘un-time’ that creates parallel realities) could not be foretold in a Scroll.
The Tyranny Of The Sun Prophecy
In the Dawnguard DLC, the storyline revolves around the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy, which requires a Daughter of Coldharbour and Auriel’s Bow to rid the world of the sun for good, thereby creating the perfect world for the vampires. After Arch-Curate Vyrthur – one of the last surviving Snow Elves – had been infected with vampirism during the Merethic Era, he created the prophecy and split it between three Elder Scrolls, doing it as vengeance against Auriel for abandoning him.
The Last Dragonborn scours Tamriel for the three Elder Scrolls, finding one strapped to Serana’s back, the second from the Tower of Mzark in the main quest, and the last with Valerica in the Soul Cairn. All three Scrolls read together show the location of the Forgotten Vale, where Auriel’s Bow resides, and brings you one step closer to revealing Vyrthur’s treachery.
The Planemeld
An event which was featured in Elder Scrolls Online, the Daedric Prince Molag Bal mounted an invasion of Tamriel during the Second Era known as the Planemeld. But in order to accomplish this, Molag Bal required an Elder Scroll housed in the libraries of the White-Gold Tower, one which would pull Nirn into his realm of Coldharbour.
Although the Scroll was briefly in the possession of Molag Bal’s creature, Molag Kena, the Vestige saved the day and wrested control of the Scroll from the Daedra.
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