Corpus Tamrielicum - The Imperial Library

[30.12] King Edward XII
[30.12] KING EDWARD XII
King Edward, Part XII
by Anonymous
The dragon had paused, so Edward interjected, "Mother and I have been discussing the nature
of the gods recently, Akatosh, and she thinks that poetry would be a godly activity. What do
you think about that notion?"
"I am not so certain that one can attribute anything to the gods, Edward. They are another
example of an unbounded problem, of course, but also, their characteristics are just not very
well known to us."
"But surely one can determine things about any being that is a god?"
Akatosh replied, "I do not think that we can, at present; they are not like the Daedra, who
have a nature that is with them at their birth. That is, the Daedra capabilities are inherent in
them, and not are the result of any changes that have occurred to them."
Willow interrupted: "Akatosh, we can determine that the gods have a few basic
characteristics, can't we?"
Edward added "Of course, Akatosh - they are powerful beings who can perform acts that are
incomprehensible to us. That in itself must signify their difference."
Akatosh nodded and replied "I understand your point of view, but to a farming community on
Tamriel in our southern lands, that could also describe how they would perceive me. Perhaps
this is attributable to the fact that they seldom see a dragon nowadays, but it also does not
mean that I am a god ... neither does it mean that I am not a god."
Willow giggled, and said "Of course you're not a god, Akatosh" and Edward, smiling, nodded
agreement.
Akatosh replied "How do you know, Willow? I can understand that you would guess that I am
not a god, particularly since I am a dragon." He grinned, and then continued "But how can
you know that I am not a god?"
Edward scoffingly replied "Well, I know that I'm not a god anyway. And I've certainly never
seen you perform any godly acts, Akatosh - you also don't seem to have any worshippers
about either."
The Companions were smiling and generally agreeing with this, but Akatosh responded "But
that does not mean that I have no worshippers, nor does it mean that I cannot perform any
godly acts - it just means that you have not seen either of these. I am not yet certain that gods
and goddesses require worshippers to maintain their existence. And as I said, I can perform
magic that would look like 'godly acts' to many Tamrielians."
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