One common thing to do once you've studied enough of the lore is that you start wanting to put things together, like pieces of a puzzle. Collating sources and disaprate mentions of something will sometimes net you a whole new narrative. So far I've done it once and I'm working on another. This one I originally published on r/teslore back in January.
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I want to preface this by saying I'm still quite new in the lore space, but in the previous year I read extensively. This text was born out of a simple musing.
"The Nereid in the southwest fountain fell in love with a Dremora and followed him here through a river of memories that flows from Nirn to realms beyond. When she arrived, she found herself trapped. Now, the Dremora will not let her go."
- Vistha-Li, Fargrave
This is the quote that got me wondering whether it would be possible to travel between realms via water. The Imperial Mananauts and the Sunbirds of Alinor were all so preoccupied by going to Aetherius via the stars, but what if it is possible to reach the stars via the oceans? Effectively going up by going down.
First we need to confirm what oceans are in The Elder Scrolls universe. Before the War of Manifest Metaphors, Nirn did not have oceans. They are said to have appeared after the war according to the Anuad:
This war reshaped the face of Nirn, sinking much of the land beneath new oceans, and leaving the lands as we know them.
- The Annotated Anuad
Add to that what we know water itself to be within The Elder Scrolls universe;
“When a mortal dies, where do you think their memories go? I'll tell you—they go into the water. They become water. All the memories of Tamriel's history are stored in its waters.”
- Herald Kixathi
and the origin of the oceans suddenly portray the viciousness of the war. Enough of the Ehlnofey died to create oceans. Another water related phenomenon that is said to have occurred first after Convention is rain.
Kynareth is a member of the Nine Divines, the strongest of the Sky spirits. [...] She is also associated with rain, a phenomenon said not to occur before the removal of Lorkhan's divine spark.
- Varieties of Faith in the Empire
Khenarthi. Elder Spirit of the Heavens [...] For some tribes she also serves as a spirit of mourning, as it is written that when Lorkhaj died she hid herself in a storm and wept until Alkosh came to comfort her.
- The Sky Spirits
“Hear me, goddess of storms, and the bringer of rain”
- Kyne’s Challenge
So this brings us to the conclusion that the water and oceans on Nirn are a mixture of memories and the tears of an et’Ada. This connects us to the latest lore from The Elder Scrolls Online (Update 44):
“Everything is connected. People, objects, the sea.”
- Hyacinth
“Ever since I was very young, I could sense connections between me and other people. Between people and objects. [...] Through my deep magic I can sense the connection between people and objects. [...] I reached out through the connection we share and manifested a moment that happened [...] I pulled on our connection to see memories of her past, right? What if I try to push on that connection and use it to open a portal straight to her?”
- Tanlorin
These tidbits of dialogue points to emotions and memories connecting people’s souls not just metaphorically, but literally, and that that connection can be used to open portals by people well-versed enough in that kind of magic. So the possibility of using water to travel is already implied on the basis that water is memory and memories are a connection.
So let’s explore means.
My thoughts first went to the Dwemer. The people known for their science and technology, who mysteriously vanished, and who seemingly used to travel to other realms if Yagrum Bagarn is to be trusted.
“I cannot say what happened. I was not there to observe. I was in an Outer Realm at the time, and when I came back, my people were gone.”
- Yagrum Bagarn
Following the Dwemer line of thought I found Aetherbells, vessels that could “dive” through the realms of Aetherius and Oblivion, if rumour is to be believed. There is no evidence these ever existed, but assuming they did, their name does not invoke the image of a “spaceship” to me, rather it makes me think of diving bells, described by wikipedia as “a rigid chamber used to transport divers from the surface to depth and back in open water, usually for the purpose of performing underwater work.”
“Aetherbells? You mean Dwarven vessels that "dive" through the realms of Aetherius and Oblivion? Honestly, Amalien, do you have even a shred of evidence to support the idea that those even exist? These are clearly constellation markers.”
- Reginus Buca, Dwemer Star Chart antiquity codex
But wait, that source mentions stars and constellations in the same breath as Aetherbells, so clearly the celestial phenomena are important? Keeping to the Dwemer line, this brought me to the Oculary at Mzulft, and what Paratus Decimius had to say about it seemed to line up:
“From all our research, it seems they were intent on discerning the nature of the divine. This machinery, all of it, was designed to collect starlight, and then... I'm not sure.”
- Paratus Decimius
With the diving vessels and observation of the sky in hand my thoughts turned to Karstangz-Bcharn, or Weather Witches, Dwarven machines capable of controlling the weather. One such machine exists at Graven Deep.
“The logbook describes this island as a Dwarven machine. They wanted to control the weather. [...] This logbook suggests the Dwarves experimented with weather control here. Weather like huge storms.”
- Dhulef
This source suggests that the weather witch was for the purpose of creating storms, but what if it instead was used to create clear skies and thus a means to view celestial phenomena clearly, implying a connection between starlight and water that we will explore later. For now, we will stick with water. Assuming the weather witch was indeed to create storms, then those storms may have had the capability of creating whirlpools.
The whirlpool in the Abecean called the Maelstrom of Bal can make ships disappear, and may be a portal into Oblivion, but the trauma of riding its waters would surely slay any who tried.
- The Doors of Oblivion
Likewise the Pillar of Thras is speculated to be a portal into Oblivion:
We did not consider it worth the risk to leap from the Pillar of Thras, a thousand foot tall spiral of coral, though we witnessed the sacrifices the Sload made there. Some victims were killed by the fall, but some, indeed, seemed to vanish before being dashed on the rocks.
- The Doors of Oblivion
Let’s also take a look at a specific trade going on from the Systres Archipelago:
The Systres Archipelago exports many raw materials and trade goods, but none more intriguing than the eltheric ammonites. [...] For reasons we still do not understand, these ammonites contain stores of raw magicka. [...] They also suffer arcane decay—losing potency within a month of harvest.
- Mysteries of the Eltheric Ammonite
Ammonites are a kind of fossilised shell, like the kind frequently seen in the realm of Apocrypha, whose master is Hermaeus Mora, most commonly known as the Daedric Prince of forbidden knowledge, but also of hidden shoals, whirlpools, and sudden squalls. Sailors refer to him as the Tide King and One-Whose-Tentacles-Rise-From-the-Deep, a being who lurks in the abyss and pulls ships into the depths. Those ships end up in Fathom’s Drift within Apocrypha. While ammonites in real life are an extinct group of marine animals, in The Elder Scrolls universe they seem strongly related to Apocrypha, combined with the fact that they lose their magickal potency within a month after harvest, after being removed from the proximity to the ocean, and presumably their connection to Oblivion, it can be surmised that these little fossils are tiny parts of Oblivion.
So what do all these things have in common? The Abecean Sea is connected to the Eltheric Ocean and all of these; Graven Deep, the Maelstrom of Bal, the Pillar of Thras, the Systres Archipelago, are situated in the same general area. Graven Deep is pretty far away from any known Dwemer settlement, but the Dwemer were not a people to do things without logic or reason. The location for Graven Deep was probably chosen with a specific purpose in mind. What other significant event happened in the Eltheric Ocean? The sinking of Yokuda. Could it be possible that the people who did not manage to escape the continent sinking were not actually killed but rather pulled into a different realm?
It is debated to this day what the nature of the disaster was that destroyed Yokuda. Tremors of the earth were not uncommon in the continent's history, and many argue that it was simply a natural catastrophic series of quakes at the foundation of the land.
- Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: Other Lands
Similarly, Thras is of interest here. Thras was allegedly sunk into the ocean by the All Flags Navy and its Coral Tower created a whirlpool which pulled The Lost Fleet into it. An imitation of the Coral Tower using coral from Thras, as well as The Lost Fleet, can now be found in Coldharbour.
After the Sload released the Thrassian Plague in 1E2200, which claimed more than half of the continent's population, the largest allied naval force in Tamrielic history sailed to Thras, slaughtered all the Sload they could find, and, with great unknown magicks, sunk their coral kingdoms into the sea.
- Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: The Wild Region
The blue light atop the coral tower began to pulse and bleed energy into the clouded sky. When the ground beneath our feet began to quake and tremble, no one had to tell us to run. The island began to crack and sink. The sea around Thras boiled as we rowed for our lives back to the Golden Era. We were hauled back on deck in time to watch the Coral Tower collapse into the sea. We noticed too late the current that pulled us towards it. As the eye of blue light atop the tower dipped into the sea it began to spin like a great wheel, and when it met the waves it formed a monstrous whirlpool. Half the fleet was drawn into it, our ship included.
- Journal of Tsona-Ei
Thras has been raised again by the surviving Sload, presumably by negotiating with the Daedric Princes, which the Sload are known to deal with. Thras even seems to fluctuate in size, either due to the tides or through less natural means.
The first maps we have from cartographers who sailed to Thras and returned to tell the tale show a group of sixteen islands, in a semicircle like a partially submerged coral atoll. Over the centuries other maps have been charted by spies, and the number and size of islands has varied, suggesting that the amphibious Sload have a volatile kingdom which fluctuates its land mass, either by the tides or some other, less natural means.
- Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: Other Lands
While this all seems to point to the fact that the ocean, and especially whirlpools, can function as a gateway to Oblivion, it says nothing about Aetherius. It is a sad state of affairs that Aetherial realms are rarely mentioned in sources aside from texts talking about afterlives. But we have the connection with the tears of KYNRT making up part of the cycle of water on Nirn. There is also a small but significant connection to the Magna-Ge, specifically the Nine Coruscations:
Sheza-Rana: The Cyan Star. The … of Water. [...] Energy that uplifts. [...] until Azura opens the Third Eye [...] Mystery, Memory, and the Unknown.
- The Nine Coruscations
Though they came from diverse waters, each Get shared sole purpose
- Mythic Dawn Commentaries 4
For further connections to the Magna-Ge it’s also possible to look at descriptions of Meridia across several sources.
as we speak to Merid-Nunda regarding the light, for she is the scintilla that fears not darkness, and swims the waves of pull and spin ….
- The Exegesis of Merid-Nunda
Vivec was borne by ribbons of water, which wrote their starward couplings in red.
- 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 37
Merid-Nunda: The Red Star. Harbinger of Dawn. [...] Mirror of the Lie
- The Nine Coruscations
Merid-Nunda rose, wiping golden blood from her lips. She glanced around and saw that Dagon and Molagh were both gone, but there was no sign as to where. Behind her sang the Varliance Gate, a doorway that led to so many possible futures for her.
- The Bladesongs of Boethra
Khajiit legends make Meridia’s interest in the Varliance Gate very clear, at the same time she is loosely related to water through vernacular and the rainbow. This brings us to the connection with starlight that I mentioned earlier. The Dwemer were clearly up to something relating to the stars what with their oculory and orrery, but as far as starlight, varliance, is concerned another ancient race comes to mind: the Ayleids.
In the lore the Ayleids have no precedent of travelling to the stars as far as I could find, but there are plenty of references to their reverence of varliance and their use of meteoric glass and iron. One of their most mysterious inventions is the Ayleid Wells, which fits well with the aquatic theme.
Ayleids Wells are scattered across Cyrodiil's landscape. Their siting is a mystery; they are not associated with any known Ayleid cities or settlements. It is presumed that, in some manner, they harvest magical power from starlight.
- Magic From the Sky
“But why … wells? The meteoric iron lining the heart of these installations is exceedingly rare. Of all the shapes they could have forged, why this one? [...] Most researchers believe meteoric iron wells emit mystic power back to the sky. Purely for religious purposes? Or is that energy … I don't know … going somewhere?”
- Azandar al-Cybiades
Further the Wells are theorised to be placed along ancient lines of magical power. While these theories have not been substantiated in lore, a parallel can be drawn to the Mundus Stones.
The constellations each occupy their own magical domains, as evidenced by the observable energies that emanate from Mundus Stones and their ability to instil power into individuals. We do not know who erected these stones (which can be found across all the provinces of Tamriel) or for what purpose, but their magical resonance tells us clearly that each constellation's signature is quite unique. This raises questions: were the individual constellations deliberately formed by the Magna-Ge, imparting their essence into the trans-constellatory light? Is each constellation a window into a different Aetherial realm, such as Sovngarde or the Far Shores? [...] A survey of the Warrior stone uncovered strong Aetherial currents travelling from the stars into the stone and radiating outward, implying a cross-Tamrielic web.
- Mysteries of the Mundus Stones
Taking the Wells emanating power back into the stars with the constellations potentially being windows into Aetherial realms, creates the supposition that portals could be formed and that the Wells’ original purpose wasn’t to restore magicka but rather to act as gateways. While immensely interesting at face value this seems to have little bearing on my original question whether water could be used as a way to travel to different realms. However, there is one little curious tidbit of lore that can be interpreted as a connection to this:
“This is a treasure trove of Dwarven astronomical scholarship! The three orbiting spheres could be guardian equation-bodies, but we should at least consider the possibility that they are Dwemeric Aetherbell beacons.”
- Amalien, Dwemer Star Chart antiquity codex
If the Aetherbells were used to dive into the ocean, it could be as simple as the beacons being light sources, but if they were used to dive why have star charts? What if these were beacons for starlight? I posit that the Graven Deep weather witch was used to force clear skies, while the Aetherbells dove into the ocean, and using the realm-travelling capabilities of the ocean as fuel and the starlight beacons and star charts as navigational tools, the Dwemer figured out a way to travel to both Oblivion and Aetherius.
One final thing to ponder is the fact that the Dwemer knew how to create Temporospatial Claudications, where entrances on Nirn would effectively take you to a pocket realm. While more mundane explanations (like portals) could exist for how they went about creating these in the first place, it is not entirely unfeasible to imagine that they travelled to other realms via Aetherbells and then, from there, created doorways to Nirn to make the journey less complicated or taxing.
Ragnthar has numerous entrances spread across Tamriel. It is literally a space-out-of-space, twisted out of reality. Its physical location is actually unknown! Observations made within the site suggest it once was situated within the mountains of Hammerfell, but a precise origin point has never been determined. What is known is that by stepping across the threshold into Ragnthar, you leave Nirn. And no one knows why. For indeed, the greatest question posed by Ragnthar is: why? Why would the Dwemer expend the enormous amounts of magical energy required to remove a complex from known reality? I call this effort a "Temporospatial Claudication," literally a twisting of time and space.
- The Strange Case of Ragnthar
Somewhat relevant as well is Ragnthar’s supposed original location in Hammerfell, seeing as the Dwemer settlements in Hammerfell and Stros M’Kai are the ones geographically closest to Graven Deep.
Is space travel via water possible? I believe the answer is yes, if you ask the Dwemer.
