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About this mod
My attempt at a restoration of the Old Nordic Religion.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
- Donations
Skyrim is in turmoil because the Stormcloaks believe their Nord way of life is at risk, while the Imperials believe Skyrim is a part of the Empire, and must follow its laws and customs."
- Loading Screen, TES V: Skyrim
We agree with the general notion that there are eight gods, more or less, but we view them quite differently and call them by different names."
- Divines and the Nords, High Priest Ingurt
What's wrong with the Divines? -"They're stolen idols! Imposter gods, sold by silver tongues. No thank you. Froki will not forget Kyne or her Sacred Trials."
Tell me about Kyne."Those sycophants in the Temple would call her Kynareth. Just a pale shadow of the truth, like all the Temple Divines. Kyne! Blessed Warrior-Wife. Shor's widow, sacred to any true Nord hunter. She's the mother of men and beasts, and her veil is the storm."
- Froki Whetted-Blade
Old Holds
Old Holds is a mod series designed to give more character and distinction to the Holds of The Pale, Winterhold, Eastmarch and The Rift, collectively known as the Old Holds. Inspired mainly by the previous conceptions of Skyrim and the Nords, the series aims to bring noticeable aesthetic, cultural, political and religious differences and make the region stand out from the more Imperialised Western Holds.
Clan Names and Titles
Little Shrines of Talos
Library of the Nords
Return of the Skalds
Old Holds is a mod series designed to give more character and distinction to the Holds of The Pale, Winterhold, Eastmarch and The Rift, collectively known as the Old Holds. Inspired mainly by the previous conceptions of Skyrim and the Nords, the series aims to bring noticeable aesthetic, cultural, political and religious differences and make the region stand out from the more Imperialised Western Holds.
Clan Names and Titles
Little Shrines of Talos
Library of the Nords
Return of the Skalds
Old Holds - Priests and Shrines of the Nordic Gods
If there's one critique that the lorebeards have regarding Skyrim, it's that Bethesda dropped the ball with their implementation of the Nordic pantheon and religion. Sure, 200 years have passed, and that's plenty of time for "Imperialisation" to take place, but what we're left with is only scraps and fragments of some really interesting and cool lore that was discarded for little reason. Indeed, religion and conflicting belief systems are one of the key themes of the ES series as a whole and it's a pity it wasn't further fleshed out. Arguably, this is what the civil war should have been about, that the Nords were fighting for the survival of their beliefs and traditions against an encroaching and over-bearing Empire, as can be seen in the loading screen quote above. Note: Some mods have tackled this problem before. The ones I know of are: Nordic Gods Replacer, Skyrim Nordic Pantheon, Remember the Old Ways and especially Children of the Sky and The Old Ways - Nordic Religion. I recommend checking all these out and making your decision as to which ones best suit your load order.
Anyways on with the mod!
What this mod does:
- Changes the names of the shrines in the Old Holds to that of their Nordic counterparts (see below).
- Decorates the shrines with accoutrements and attributes of that deity. Each deity gets an associated weapon and item that adorns their shrines.
- Changes the outfits of the Nord priests and priestesses to more archaic and primal clothing.
What this mod doesn't do:
- Touch the shrines and priests of the West.
- Change the magical effect of the shrines (makes it compatible with Wintersun etc. out of the box).
So just who are the Nordic gods? If you're starting from zero, I recommend that you go and read The Nords' Totemic Religion , Varieties of Faith and Divines and the Nords and watch this excellent video by Fudgemuppet if you haven't already. Done then? Let's go through the gods from most to least popular and how they are represented in this mod.
Kyne - the Hawk. Goddess of Storms, the Kiss at the end. Since the death of Shor, his widowed wife has become the de facto head of the pantheon of the Nords. Indeed, in Nordic thought, she is believed to have created the race on the top of the Throat of the World and is seen as their constant helper. Her shrines are often in the higher reaches, and she is beloved by warriors and hunters. Weapon: Bow and arrow (thunder and lightning, hunting). Item: Hawk feathers.
Shor - the Fox. Bloodthirsty warrior-chieftain version of Lorkhan. Killed by the elven gods and now reigns over Sovngarde. As one of the "Dead Gods" he is no longer worshipped though he is often sworn by. HOWEVER! A relatively recent god by the name of Talos (sometimes called Ysmir) seems to have supplanted Shor in the hearts and mind of the Nords (scholars call this Mantling). Talos is obviously quite important to the Nords, especially those in the Old Holds, perhaps because of the affection they once held for their Chieftain. To this day, Nords can be seen leaving fox pelts at shrines of Talos but if you were to ask them why they were doing what they are doing, they'd probably answer: "Because we've always done it". Weapon: The claymore (weapon of the chieftain, compare with the statue of Talos). Item: Fox pelt.
Mara - the Wolf. Handmaiden to Kyne. Motherly goddess of marriage and fertility. Weapon: war-axe (the claw of a wolf). Items: Wolf pelt, rings.
Dibella - the Moth. Concubine to Shor. Goddess of beauty, erotic love, poetry and prophecy. Weapon: sword (elegant and pleasing, but dangerous). Items: flowers, luna moth wings.
Stuhn - the Whale. Shield-thane to Shor. Precursor to Imperial Stendarr, god of Mercy. Stuhn is a favourite of warriors and fighters. He taught the Nords how to take prisoners of war. Weapon: the shield (protector god, forbearance). Items: Nord War Horn, Goblet, Mead.
Jhunal - the Owl. Precursor to Julianos. Patron of secrets, runes and hermetic orders. While his worship has certainly declined through the centuries, he remains important to Clever Men, mages and wizards. Weapon: Staff. Items: Scrolls.
Orkey - the Snake. God of death and life. Precursor to Arkay. In the lore, he appears almost as an antagonistic character to the Nords. He is not actively worshipped but instead invoked and appeased during funerals and burials. The Priesthood of Orkey is a maligned but reluctantly-accepted part of society. Typically, the outcasts of society are drawn to its ranks where they tend to the dead and ponder the mysteries of death. Weapon: the Dagger. Items: Health potions and health poisons, skulls.
Tsun - the Bear. Shield-thane to Shor and brother to Stuhn. He died defending Shor against the elven gods and is now thought to guard the entrance to the Hall of Valor in Sovngarde. As a "Dead God" he is not actively worshipped, though fondly remembered and warriors hope to see him when they die.
Alduin - the Dragon. The World-Eater. Whether you believe Alduin is Akatosh or that He Ent , it matters little. He is no longer worshiped by the Nords since the end of the Dragon war, when the Dragon Cult and its priest ruled over them with an iron fist. However, some brave adventurers, who chanced the ancient burial chambers of Dragon Priests swear that they saw shrines to the Great Dragon therein. Weapon: the mace (deadly and destructive). Item: Soul gems.
Phew! That took me a while. If you're still with me I commend your interest and attention! I've put all the locations that have been changed or modified into an article.
Requirements:
- Anniversary Edition.
Recommended Mods:
ESLified.
Future Plans
New models for the shrines.
Addition of new priests.
Patch for Children of the Sky and Shrine of Kyne
New models for the shrines.
Addition of new priests.
Patch for Children of the Sky and Shrine of Kyne