Elder Scrolls Lore » Discussions

Two Parts of a Whole Make a Soul

  • January 9, 2013

    In Aurbis (the universe), souls take on an almost material substance in the form of an outlet of an ancient magic.  This substance can be harvested, applied, used, abused, enslaved, empowered, transformed and transferred.  Soul gems can be used to capture this substance, planes of Aetherius are created ad infinitum to house the souls of the dead, and Daedric lords can even enslave souls into their service.  So, here I will explore the uses and substance of souls in Aurbis.




    Nature of the Soul

    In The Elder Scrolls universe, the exact nature of souls is never explicitly described.  They can be captured and transformed into magic, yet they appear to lose any sense of identity or sense of self once ensnared.  They are not self-aware when transferred into a magical artifact, yet remnants and memories remain when apparitions are encountered in the world.  Some ghosts remember who they are, yet others are merely shells filled with a fragment of life force.  A soul could be enslaved by a Deadra, but depending on the conditions, the individual may or may not exist.  Yet, when a soul is left "unspoiled" it will travel into Aetherius, retaining its memories.  Or recycled in the Dreamsleeve to be reborn into a new person, though only fragments of the past life persist when this occurs.

    Thus, it is from these small, contradictory details that I suspect the following is true of souls in Aurbis:

    Souls are constructed of two aspects or parts.  One part is the pure energy of the soul that grants it the ability to pass through the planes of existence into Aetherius or the Dreamsleeve.  The second part is the consciousness of the individual who's body was the vessel for that energy.  In short, there is the Life Force and the Consciousness, and the two are bound together but can be separated rather easily.

    When souls are exposed to different conditions, the Life Force and the Consciousness can be affected in various ways...

    Death and the Afterlife

    When someone dies, assuming the circumstances of their death were not wholly objectionable to the deceased, the soul generally travels, unhindered, to the afterlife of that person's unconscious choosing.  This is generally affected by one's religious beliefs; for we see Nords who travel to Sovngarde, but Nords and other races who do not share this belief will not be found in that particular realm of Aetherius.  Where they go in Aetherius is of little consequence in comparison to how each soul arrives and in what condition.

    It is the Life Force that offers the Consciousness the momentum and energy to penetrate the planes of existence and arrive in Aetherius intact.  I believe this to be a dangerous journey for a form so fragile as the soul, for many interactions with the intact soul may damage and deprive the soul of its Life Force.

    The Dreamsleeve

    The Dreamsleeve, for example, is a plane in which souls are recycled into new bodies.  This is how some inhabitants of Nirn will experience the phenomenon of "past lives" and may explain the apparent immortality of some beings.  However, for most mortals, passage through the Dreamsleeve appears to rob the soul of some of its Consciousness.  It is possible that passage into the Dreamsleeve requires sacrifice of some of the soul's Life Force, which results in a depletion of that soul's Consciousness.  In effect, some of the memories and sense of self disappear when the recycled soul is placed in a new vessel.  The holes in the Consciousness of the old soul are, evidently, filled with the new body's experiences.

    Argonian's in particular may be subject to this symptom as the Hist trees immediately recycle the Argonian's soul upon death.  It is likely that such recycling and "collective" memory of previous lives results in the Argonian tendency to refer to each life as merely a phase.  Should the above be true, then each Argonian has already lived many lifetimes prior to their current, individual existence.  Small wonder it is, then, that the culture of Black Marsh is centered around a sense of a collective whole and acting as one unit.

    Losing the Life Force

    On the opposite end of the spectrum, an individual may also sell their soul in order to gain power or favor with deities.  These individuals experience the reverse effect of immortality.  Instead of losing pieces of their Consciousness or pieces of their Life Force, it appears that either the entire Life Force or Consciousness is taken.

    Should the Life Force be taken, the soul becomes trapped in the realm of the deity that purchased their soul.  For example, the servants of Nocturnal, the Nightingales, pledge their Life Force to Nocturnal in return for powers in life.  When a Nightingale dies, their Consciousness dwells in Nocturnal's realm to continue to serve her.  The memories and life experiences remain in this trapped soul, but they are unable to travel beyond that place of existence.

    In addition to selling one's soul, sometimes the Life Force is simply separated at the time of death should the death of an individual be particularly violent or unfulfilled.  In Skyrim, there was a Nord couple who died sometime in the midst of battle.  At their time of death, the Life Force became separated from the Consciousness, thus leaving that portion of the soul trapped on Nirn.  It is through the intervention of the player that Mara's attention is drawn to this phenomenon and enough Life Force is restored to those souls so they might transcend to Aetherius.  

    So it is possible for the Life Force to be returned to a Consciousness, but it may require the power of an Aedra or Daedra to aid in this endeavor. 

    Losing the Consciousness

    Of course, where it is possible to lose the Life Force, it is also possible to lose the Consciousness.  We see this most often in the undead and those affected by Soul Trap.

    For the undead, it seems a ritual is often needed to purge the Consciousness from the soul in order to retain the Life Force so it may continue to fuel a vessel.  However, when this occurs, the vessel is devoid on any sentient life beyond comprehending the will of its creator.  It is unlikely any "natural" process of death results in the body of a dead person retaining their Life Force, as that would be an unnatural severing of the two parts.  Most "natural" processes, whether they degrade parts of the soul or not, result in both halves remaining intact.

    In the case of vampires, the contracted "disease" (which is less of a disease of the body and more a disease of the soul) seems to accomplish this over the course of several days.  Though this is a better topic for another article, the disease could, in effect, mark the living individual for harvest by Molag Bal (the progenitor of vampires).  Like Nocturnal, when the Life Force is severed from the Consciousness, this Consciousness is trapped in Molag Bal's realm where it dwells in his servitude.  It is unknown what happens to the Consciousness when the vampire is destroyed.  Obviously, the Life Force escapes, but the severed soul may not be recovered and may remain trapped in Molag Bal's realm.

    The only exception to this, in the game Skyrim anyway, seems to be Falion's use of a filled Black Soul Gem to cure a person of vampirism.  The ritual is not described in the game itself or in any books, but perhaps Falion uses the trapped soul (we will get into soul gems in a moment) to "swap" that person's Consciousness for the vampire's.  Thereby trapping the soul-trapped individual's Consciousness in Molag Bal's realm, while returning the vampire's Consciousness to their body, purging the soul of the "mark" and freeing them from their "undead" state.

    Soul Gems

    During the events of Dawnguard, we actually get to visit a unique place called the Soul Cairn.  The Soul Cairn is an unaligned plane of Oblivion inhabited mainly by the spirits of the dead, lost souls, and beings who feed on the memories of those lost souls. [Events of Dawnguard]  The Soul Cairn is ruled by beings called the Ideal Masters, who once considered themselves mortals and are the makers of the realm. [Events of Battlespire]  During the first attempts in Necromancy, the Ideal Masters were likely the ones to have invented soul gems, perhaps incidentally creating the Soul Cairn in the process.

    So, the biggest question is what happens to a soul when it is trapped in a soul gem?  What happens to the Life Force and the Consciousness?

    Well, the events of Dawnguard actually describe a little of what happens.  It seems when a soul is trapped in a soul gem, the soul is contained intact in its entirety.  None of the Life Force or Consciousness is lost during the process.  Indeed, during a quest to restore Azura's Star, we see it is possible for someone to trap themselves and live inside of a soul gem, using the gem's preservative properties. [Events of Skyrim]

    However, when that soul gem is used, the Life Force is forcibly torn from the intact soul and used as a magical energy for other purposes.  Generally, this means enchanting an item with magical powers or raising the undead.  Occasionally, soul gems are used over time to power Dwemer constructs or create magical barriers.  Since soul gems are truly property of the Ideal Masters, the Consciousness, having no other place to go, is sent to the Soul Cairn.  It is here the Consciousness is trapped, and this half of the soul lingers with every memory intact.  Whether or not that Consciousness may eventually be freed is unknown.  Given the malevolent nature of the Ideal Masters, it is unlikely any mortal attempting to bargain for the release of a Consciousness will be able to escape themselves. 


    The soul in The Elder Scrolls universe is truly a fragile thing, capable of being rent in twain as easily as the vessel that bears it.  Perhaps you will now find yourself thinking twice before you trap the soul of that bandit attacking you.  Or agreeing to become a servant of any Daedric Prince.

  • January 9, 2013
    Great read, Kyrie! Souls have (and soul trapping) been something I haven't thought of. Really makes you think twice about soul trapping someone O.o
  • January 9, 2013

    I'd like to think the Aedra and Daedra sit down and play cards for my characters soul once he dies. 

    Good read, always nice to learn more about the world which I spend so many hours in.

  • Member
    January 10, 2013

    Very nice and detailed 

    I don't think you mentioned the difference between lack and other soul gems- so following on from this could the difference  be because of this dual nature and black soul gems having both parts while other only have the life force? It fits with your saying the undead lose conciousness as they fill non-black soul gems; and seems to make sense for animals too.

  • June 29, 2013

    Kyrielle, what do you think about the souls that are promised to a Daedric prince?  Do you think that in some cases those Daedra recycle or use those souls to fuel whatever purpose they want, and do not necessarily preserve that soul's consciousness with it?

    In addition, do you think that certain burial rites, especially those associated with Arkay, are a form of protection for that soul, providing them safe transfer to their particular afterlife?  

    Could the Dreamsleeve be the place where those with no particular beliefs end up, or those perhaps that did not receive the appropriate burial rites specific to their culture?

    And technically if we see Nirn as being surrounded by the Void of Oblivion (night sky), which then is encompassed by Aetherius (viewed through the sun and stars), it would need some sort of protection if Aetherius is technically the goal?  From a cosmological perspective here...

  • June 29, 2013

    1.  It's quite likely that's what they do.  I'm not sure what happens to the consciousness, but could easily see them stripping away the energy within the soul to use it for their own purposes.  This might be a question that will actually be somewhat answered by ESO, given we will experience exactly what happens when a soul goes to Coldharbour and how said soul might be removed.

    2.  Yes.  I think that's the entire point of burial rites.  That's always been the point of burial rites here in the real world, so I don't see why it's any different in the Elder Scrolls.

    3.  That's possible.  But I'm not sure how rare or common interaction with the Dreamsleeve is.  We only know that it will sometimes recycle souls, but I don't know if that's reserved for Argonians (because the Hist appear to have direct access to it), Shezzarines, and other important figures or what.  However, keep in mind we also know that some who die don't always pass on.  Poorly executed burial rites, or none at all, probably result in undead, ghosts, and spirits.

    4.  Hmm...well, I tend to see Oblivion as a separate dimension rather than outright space.  But yes, a soul would need the proper guidance to ensure they took the correct paths through the "dimensional walls" to reach Aetherius.  I suppose that's part of the whole burial rites, thing.  Like giving someone directions or sharing the universes' secrets that cannot be understood properly until you're actually dead.  Arkay may also have some interest in offering protection for these souls as they pass.

  • June 29, 2013

    Thanks Kyrielle!  It is helpful for me to talk about these things, as sometimes I feel that I can go in circles in my own head and then nothing makes sense!  I agree with you about Oblivion being separate realms, but I have read that specific example being used as an explanation that seems to lend a more concrete visualization to these unseen realms.  Great article by the way, and even though I have not finished Gwaihen's journey, I can certainly see how thinking about your story led into creating this article!

  • July 12, 2013

    Kind of a random thought/question but I wanted to see your thoughts on this, Kyrielle.  When Bosmer transform into the Wild Hunt, are they essentially "downgrading" their souls to turn into these various creatures, or do you think their souls stay intact?  I think specifically if we were to soul trap one of these creatures, would they be a black soul gem?  I am also referring to the lore mention that many beasts roaming wild are perhaps creatures left over from the Wild Hunt.  Could this be part of the energy required in their transformation, the gifting of their souls into something more bestial that will not reach Aetherius?  I hope that I am making sense here, and I know that you have thought a lot about Bosmer.  I can understand not having definite answers, just wondering out loud (or on a keyboard). 

  • July 12, 2013

    Hmm, I think that's a reasonable assumption.  They don't seem to possess any sense of self after they transform, since they'll gladly eat each other and themselves and everything else that moves.

    I'm not sure what kind of soul gem they'd inhabit, or if they could even be soul trapped.  They are completely resistant to magic and physical harm, almost existing as incorporeal shapes, though strangely still bound by the laws of physics.  You cannot stab them with a sword, yet you can easily put them in a box.  (This is making me think of a very twisted version of Schrodinger's Cat.)  In a way, it's almost as if they turn into magic.

  • July 12, 2013

    They go back to the shifting things they were in the chaos don't they? In chaos, wasn't there nothing but magic? (as we understand chaos and aetherius) know what I'm saying?

    or am I missing the mark?