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Talos, once known as Tiber Septim, Ysmir, or the Dragonborn, Heir to the Seat of Sundered Kings, is the greatest hero-god of Mankind, and is worshiped as the protector and patron of just rulership and civil society.

Tiber Septim conquered all of Tamriel and began the Third Era, as well the Third Empire. At his death he ascended to godhood as the God of War. Less prominent sects, such as the Talos Cult, were inspired by his apotheosis.

Known as Heir to the Seat of Sundered Kings, Ysmir, the Dragon of the North, and Dragonborn, he is also invoked as patron of questing heroes. He is referred to as the One in the phrase "The Eight and the One", as there were originally only Eight Divines before Tiber Septim ascended to godhood.

In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Tiber Septim makes an appearance as his avatar "Wulf".

Fourth EraEdit

During the Fourth Era, a war broke out between the Aldmeri Dominion and the Mede Empire, and this war came to be called the Great War which forced all races to take at least some part in it. The war concluded with the singing of the White-Gold Concordat. Two provisions in the treaty had serious impacts on what remained of the Empire, but one of the terms banned the worship of Talos. This allowed the Aldmeri Dominion (whose agents within Skyrim are known as Thalmor) to stamp out Talos worship and worshippers throughout the Empire. The banning of Talos worship soon produced the Stormcloak Rebellion in Skyrim, where the effects of the ban were most felt. If the Stormcloaks manage to win the Civil War, Talos worship will be returned to Skyrim and a shrine to him will be added in the Temple of the Divines in Solitude.

TriviaEdit

Talos has also been referred to as Ysmir by the Nords. Ysmir is also listed in some texts as being a name given to Pelinal Whitestrake.

How and if Tiber Septim became the god Talos is a matter of debate. In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, much of the conflict between native Nords (particularly the Stormcloaks) and the Aldmeri Dominion comes from the Dominion's claim that a mortal could not become a Divine, and thus Talos is not a god and should not be worshiped.
- In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the "blood of a divine" is needed to open the portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise. The blood used is from the Armor of Tiber Septim, which implies that Tiber Septim indeed became a god.
Tiber Septim is also not to be found in Sovngarde, alongside the other Nord heroes, during the Skyrim quest Sovngarde. This may further imply the claim that he became a god.
The deification of Tiber Septim, the first emperor of Tamriel, as Talos could be a reference to the deification of Caesar Augustus, first emperor of Rome as Divus Augustus.
The name Talos is of Cretin (Crete) origin, and means "sun." In ancient Greek mythology, Talos was the name of the legendary living bronze statue on Crete built to guard the island at the command of Zeus (who was worshiped as Zeus Tallaios in Crete).