Arkay, the God of Life and Death
The Mortal’s God, Arkay (or Ark’ay) is also popularly known as the God of the Cycle of Birth and Death and is one of the most revered of the Nine Divines of the Imperial Cult. He embodies the qualities of birth and death, with most of what the games focus on being specifically burials and funerary rites. However, he is not only the archetypal death god, as his association with life is also linked to the changing seasons. In fact, he may have once been a mortal man (hence The Mortal’s God), like Talos, and was later raised to godhood.
Origins
Out of all the Divines, it could be argued that Arkay has the most diverse differing opinions in his origin as an Aedra. Varying within time period and location, three major theories remain prominent in the Fourth Era.
The first theory states that Arkay was born a god, but is the son of Akatosh, the chief Divine and the God of Time. This may tie into his attribute as the God of the Seasons, where he is said to be responsible for the changing seasons in Tamriel (the world dying and being reborn).
The second, that he had formed when all the other gods formed after Akatosh and Time came into existence and was always a god and not related to the others.
The last popular theory states that Arkay was a mortal man. The author Mymophonus writes in his book, Arkay the God, that Arkay was a shopkeeper in his mortal life, with no outstanding qualities other than a “passion for knowledge.” As a result, he soon came to collect an impressive array of books on almost all subjects available.
He soon found a book promising the secrets of life and death, written in convoluted text and esoteric language. He became obsessed with deciphering the book and gaining its knowledge, to the point of abandoning his shop and everything else in his life. It was only until he had nearly deciphered the knowledge in the book that he was brought down by a plague and prayed to Mara for her mercy.
He begged Mara to grant him more time in life to learn the secrets to life and death. Mara asked him why she should make an expectation of him, and he promised that once he had gained this knowledge, he would share it with others. Mara asked him why it was there was life and death, and the mortal Arkay answered:
“There are far more souls in the Universe than there is room for in the physical world. But it is in the physical world that a soul has an opportunity to learn and progress. Without birth, souls would not be able to acquire that experience, and without death there would be no room for birth.”
Mara, satisfied that he was, at the least, beginning to see a speck of the truth, gave him two options. The Mother Mara told Arkay:
“Your choice is to either accept the death that is so close or to become a god with us. But a god is not an easy nor pleasant thing to be. As the god of death and birth you will spend eternity making sure that deaths and births stay in proper balance in the physical world. And, in spite of what you believe you understand, you will always agonize over whether your decisions are truly correct. How do you decide?”
Arkay accepted the offer, yearning for the knowledge he had sought, and thus ascended to the Divines sides and became an Aedra in his own right.
Arkay’s Commandment
“Honor the earth, its creatures, and the spirits, living and dead. Guard and tend the bounties of the world, and do not profane the spirits of the dead.”
The Ten Commands of the Nine Divines Anonymous
Verse
“Come to me, Arkay, for without you, there is neither breath nor beginning, nor can any man live, love, or learn without the spark of your spirit.”
Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition: Foreword Imperial Geographic Society, 3E 432
Worship and Shrines
His priests and other devotees in the games are outspoken opponents of any form of Necromancy and undead, seeing this as a perversion of the cycles of nature he governs. They deem that it is Ark’ay who brings us to our new lives and the one who ushers us out of it, and that cycle is not to be messed with. As such, his clergy do primarily reside over funerary rites, as they see it as their duty to protect the souls of our living brothers and sisters, as well as our ancestors, by preforming three consecrations: one at birth, one at death, and one to protect the departed souls from manipulation.
His shrines, when activated, bless the parishioner with increased health. In the province of Skyrim, every major city has a Hall of the Dead, a resting place for the hold’s deceased. Priests of Arkay reside in these Halls, which double as temples to the Mortal’s God, and Falkreath boasts Skyrim’s largest cemetery along with the most potent of Arkay’s energies.
UPG and Real-World Applications
Shrines or altars suggestions:
items that remind you of your late loved ones or role models
Red is also something I would suggest making a part of his space, since his depictions in stained glass, as well as the objects around his shrines, tend to have heavy reds.
Snowberries (or wreaths that greatly resemble snowberries) are often seen around his shrines in Skyrim, so holly or something similar would be appropriate (if you have pets, always be careful of any plants you keep in your home, please)!
Silver, since crafting a shrine to him requires silver ingots
Orichalcum is also needed to craft his shrines, but since this isn’t a metal that exists outside the game universe (the name may be related to an Ancient Greek alloy of unknown composition) lovely green stones and statues may make a lovely substitute!
As always, when it comes to shrines, do what feels most personal and powerful to you!
Honoring one’s ancestors would be an appropriate way to honor Arkay’s work. As a spirit worker myself, I find when interacting with ghosts/the spirits of late loved ones, Arkay’s energies help me keep focused and safe.
As the God of the Seasons, take some time to go out and observe nature and how it is always changing. Feel Arkay’s influence. Where I live, currently (the end of April/start of May at the time of writing) it rains multiple times a week. The trees are blooming with flowers and spring green buds on their branches. All the birds are back and they are singing constantly, along with seeing more deer, rabbits, etc. And it is constantly changing from in the 70s to in the 40s from one day to the next! Taking a moment to remember that all these things (except the rain, which is wonderful Kyne’s) are Arkay’s influence, for it is him that brings life back to the earth beneath us.
Sources: TESV: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls Wiki: Arkay, Pocket Guide to The Empire, Third Edition: Foreword, Arkay the God, The Ten Commands of the Nine Divines, Amulet of Arkay, Shrine of Arkay, Hall of the Dead (Falkreath)
