The Dwemer’s Fate as an Echo of Anu

It is often discussed how the different Aedra and Daedra fall into alignment with the original forces of Anu and Padomay, with those representing stasis referred to as Anuic and those favoring upheaval and change coined as Padomaic. Though in truth all things are a combination of Anu and Padomay, these terms serve to highlight the ideology of deities, marking which primordial concepts their behavior and actions align them most closely with. Many times the clashing of different powerful beings are seen as echos of the archetypal confrontation between Anu and Padomay, these meetings of titans gain further mythic significance from the reenactment of that original conflict. But as all creation has its roots in the actions of Anu and Padomay these echos could find embodiment in entire cultures, with factions representing the conflicting concepts as they contend against each other. The battle between the Dwemer and the Chimer at Red Mountain, it could be argued, is an example of Anuic and Padomaic races retracing the steps of the very beginning.

The Dwemer represent Anu in their beliefs, instead of worshiping the mixed Anuic and Padomaic Aedra/Daedra, they worship the unchanging and predictable concepts of logic and reason. No other society valued orderly thought as much as the Dwemer. The Chimer were the opposite, fully devoting themselves to the various fluid and changing Daedra, and their philosophy embracing contradictions and disorder. Their most highly revered Daedra, Boethiah, Mephala, and Azura, all revolve around upheaval, deceit, and change. When the Chimer gained the power of a God, they showed this devotion to revolution even further by creating a new type of deity. Doing away with the separation and distance of the past, the Tribunal set up to become Gods that walked among mortals, despite it defying all precedent.

So when the Chimer met the Dwemer at Red Mountain, it was more than just a meeting of armies, but a clashing of philosophies older than time. The consistent and unchanging laws of reason with the Dwemer, against the wild unpredictability of both the Chimer’s Daedra and their new ideas of divinity. The result of this contest of faiths mirrored Anu removing itself and Padomay from time, as the Battle of Red Mountain led to the elimination of both the Dwemer and Chimer (the Dwemer with their disappearance, and the Chimer in their becoming the Dunmer).

Now to examine the Dwemer as representations of Anu can give us insight into the event of their disappearance. If we except that Dwemer value order and stasis, the theory of them becoming the bronze skin of the Numidium gains credibility. For the Dwemer to become unified as one unchanging material, it would mean purging themselves of their Padomaic aspects left over from creation. This could explain why the Numidium appeared inactive. Perhaps the purpose at that point was not the creation of a new god but for the Dwemer to become a statue, the Numidium serving as the eternal standing representation of order. This theory is not without flaws, as obviously the Numidium did not remain a static symbol, but was traded and used by various peoples, something the Dwemer would of anticipated.

Instead lets turn our discussion to another popular opinion of the Dwemer’s fate, that they simply disappeared into non-existence. Many see this as the Dwemer’s great failure, the price for their atheistic hubris, but it seems that if their goal was truly stasis then their ceasing to be was really a success. Removing themselves from existence separated the Dwemer from all change, the most static state they could ever hope to reach. This could be the only real desirable end for the Dwemer, as they never would of hoped to reach Aetherius or Oblivion (home of Gods which they don’t worship), and a death when not committed to a deity would just lead to reincarnation back into the muddled irregular world of Mundus. When faced with the inconsistent and fluctuating nature of reality the Dwemer might have come to the conclusion that the logical course of action was to do as Anu did, and step out of being.