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Event Website
https://www.mythsoc.org/oms/oms-2023.htm
Start Date
8-6-2023 5:30 PM
End Date
8-6-2023 6:20 PM
Description
The planes of Oblivion from The Elder Scrolls (TES) series are not explicitly Hell; they are any dimensions of reality which are not under control of the Aedra, the benevolent spiritual entities. As a result, these planes may be totally unknown, pleasant, chaotic, or horrifying, depending on who is in charge, reflecting the personality of its ruler. These planes are at the heart of the franchise, and the intrusion of the planes of Oblivion and its inhabitants is a constant in the series. The planes of Oblivion are a reimagining of Hell as a place of potential, rather than evil. This reimagining calls on the player to use ingenuity or grow in power to a point where they can escape, free others, or even defeat the occupants of certain realms. The metaphysics of TES teaches us that the Aedra are good, but only useful in a very limited sphere of influence. In contrast to The Great Divorce, Hell and its occupants surround the Aedra on all sides. This inversion draws on occultism and New Age spirituality to call the player toward a soteriology of individual transcendence and acquisition of power. TES did not create its mythos in a vacuum but has crafted it in relation and response to a cultural paradigm. We need not be passive observers of spiritual realities, but can be active agents, seizing salvation from and overcoming powers of Hell for ourselves.
Included in
Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Comparative Literature Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, European Languages and Societies Commons, Literature in English, Anglophone outside British Isles and North America Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, Modern Languages Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Other English Language and Literature Commons
Planes of Oblivion in The Elder Scrolls
The planes of Oblivion from The Elder Scrolls (TES) series are not explicitly Hell; they are any dimensions of reality which are not under control of the Aedra, the benevolent spiritual entities. As a result, these planes may be totally unknown, pleasant, chaotic, or horrifying, depending on who is in charge, reflecting the personality of its ruler. These planes are at the heart of the franchise, and the intrusion of the planes of Oblivion and its inhabitants is a constant in the series. The planes of Oblivion are a reimagining of Hell as a place of potential, rather than evil. This reimagining calls on the player to use ingenuity or grow in power to a point where they can escape, free others, or even defeat the occupants of certain realms. The metaphysics of TES teaches us that the Aedra are good, but only useful in a very limited sphere of influence. In contrast to The Great Divorce, Hell and its occupants surround the Aedra on all sides. This inversion draws on occultism and New Age spirituality to call the player toward a soteriology of individual transcendence and acquisition of power. TES did not create its mythos in a vacuum but has crafted it in relation and response to a cultural paradigm. We need not be passive observers of spiritual realities, but can be active agents, seizing salvation from and overcoming powers of Hell for ourselves.
Comments
SESSION VI
5:30 PM—6:20 Eastern
4:30 PM—5:20 Central
3:30 PM—4:20 Mountain
2:30 PM—3:20 Pacific
9:30 PM—10:20 GMT