Mara
Religious information
Associated religion	Imperial Cult
Pantheon	Nine Divines
Type of deity	Mother goddess Love goddess
Physical description
Gender	Female
Physical form	Men
Chronological and political information

[Source]

Mara, a goddess of the Nine Divines, is considered the mother-goddess and goddess of love. Some consider her as a universal goddess. Origins started in mythic times as a fertility goddess. In Skyrim, Mara is a handmaiden of Kyne. In the Empire, she is Mother-Goddess. She is sometimes associated with Nir of the 'Anuad', the female principle of the cosmos that gave birth to creation. Depending on the religion, she is either married to Akatosh, or Lorkhan, or the concubine of both. She appears in nearly every culture's pantheon in Tamriel. In Morrowind, Mara appears in the form of Ama Nin.

Worship

Ten Commands: Nine Divines has Mara instructing worshipers to: "Live soberly and peacefully. Honor your parents, and preserve the peace and security of home and family."

Temples

• Mara's main Chapel is located in Bravil.
• In Skyrim, Mara has a temple dedicated to her in Riften. Marriages are carried out in her name at this temple.

Arkay

Arkay the God describes a process by which Mara transforms Arkay, an ordinary shopkeeper, into a God, and his Apotheosis.^[1]

Since Mara may have been the wife of Akatosh, it is believed she may also be Arkay's mother. However, it is unclear whether Mara was, in fact, the wife of Akatosh, the wife of Lorkhan, or a concubine of both.^[2]

Verse

"Come to me, Mara, for without you, I might forget the ways of our fathers, and preening by the light of latest fashion, my words might tremble like the thin reeds of novelty in the tempest of enthusiasms."

Gallery

Mara's symbol, wrought in stained glass.

Mother Mara statue in Riften Temple of Mara

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Trivia

• "Mara" in Hebrew means 'bitter'. However, it seems more likely she was intended to represent Mary, Mother of Jesus. Further evidence lies in Mara's statuary, which depicts a young woman, wimpled and weeping. This echoes the famous weeping statue of Mary.

Sources

1. Varieties of Faith in the Empire
2. Ten Commands: Nine Divines
3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

References

1. ↑ Arkay the God
2. ↑ Mara. The Imperial Library.