Hermaeus Mora, the Elder Scrolls, CHIM and Black Books

After playing some Dragonborn DLC recently, I was struck with a theory. I will try to make this as coherent as possible as I am posting from mobile, and will try to format properly.

We all know that Hermaeus Mora, the Gardener of Men, Herma-Mora, etc. has long been a Daedra of a mysterious nature. He is the Daedric Prince of Forbidden Knowledge, and the Daedra of Fate. He is agreed to be leftover bits of Creatia from the formation of the Mundus, or scrapped blueprints of Magnus, according to The Imperial Census of Daedra Lords written by MK.

Now what do we know of the Elder Scrolls? Not much. We know that they appear to be sentient to a degree, appearing and disappearing at their own whim. They are described to be raw Creatia, among other things. They contain the set events of the past, aside from Dragon Breaks (stated in Where Were You When the Dragon Broke?), along with the ability to predict all possible future outcomes (tides of fate anyone?). So we have an obvious connection between the Kelle and HM.

Then we have the Black Books. They are described by Frea of the Skaal during the quest the Temple of Miraak as “This book… it seems wrong, somehow. Here, yet… not. It may be what we seek.” (From the wiki because UESP didn’t have that piece of dialogue). Many have describe the Elder Scrolls in like fashion.

Let’s now look at the apparent ramblings of mad genius with connections to HM, Septimus Signus, in the form of Ruminations on the Elder Scrolls. The first paragraph seems to imply CHIM. Just hear me out here.

Imagine living beneath the waves with a strong-sighted blessing of most excellent fabric. Holding the fabric over your gills, you would begin to breathe-drink its warp and weft. Though the plantmatter fibers imbue your soul, the wretched plankton would pollute the cloth until it stank to heavens of prophecy. This is one manner in which the Scrolls first came to pass, but are we the sea, or the breather, or the fabric? Or are we the breath itself?

Now, I believe that the answer is all of the options. I AM AND ALL ARE WE. Septimus is fishing for the answer of awareness of the Dream, and CHIM. That and the aquatic imagery fits with HM, an there are no coincidences in TES. Simple point, moving on.

Imagine, again, this time but different. A bird cresting the wind is lifted by a gust and downed by a stone. But the stone can come from above, if the bird is upside down. Where, then, did the gust come from? And which direction? Did the gods send either, or has the bird decreed their presence by her own mindmaking?

This I believe to be an allusion to the Hero, who writes the Scrolls in his actions. This is unimportant to this piece other than the scroll connection.

The acorn is a kind of tree-egg in this instance, and the knowledge is water and sun. We are the chicken inside the egg, but also the dirt. The knowledge from the Scrolls is what we push against to become full-sighted ourselves.

I believe this and the preceding paragraph to illustrate the I AM(NOT) interplay the Scolls give insight to. Once again, CHIM.

One final imagining before your mind closes from the shock of ever-knowing. You are now a flame burning bright blue within a vast emptiness. In time you see your brothers and sisters, burnings of their own in the distance and along your side. A sea of pinpoints, a constellation of memories. Each burns bright, then flickers. Then two more take its place but not forever lest the void fills with rancid light that sucks the thought.

This seems to be a clear example of a Zero-Sum to me, and the following paragraph tells to guard and prepare your mind for this knowledge to avoid the Zero Sum, and become a Ruling King.

Now, how does this tie to Mora and the Black Book? I believe, as parts of Aedra and the Mundus itself, both Mora and The Elder Scrolls are in-tune with the purpose of the Mundus. Amaranth via CHIM, and therefore both actively seek to assist. The Black Books are HM’s failed attempt to mimic the Elder Scrolls and their CHIM/Zero-Sum abilities (see the tendencies of Moth Priests to disappear). The rest of my proof lies in the Black Book Waking Dreams.

The eyes, once bleached by falling stars of utmost revelation, will forever see the faint insight drawn by the overwhelming question, as only the True Enquiry shapes the edge of thought. The rest is vulgar fiction, attempts to impose order on the consensus mantlings of an uncaring godhead. First,

This snippet shows us something that is seeking enlightenment. The True Enquiry is I Am vs I Am Not. So there’s my proof on that.

TL;DR: Black Books are Moras failed Elder Scrolls.

Edit: I would like to clarify that I am also proposing the HM/The Elder Scrolls are actively attempting to help mortals achieve CHIM/Amaranth. I would like to also cite that HM also originally (pre-Dragonborn) appeared as a wretched abyss in Skyrim. A mimic of the Void, and where better to undergo the sensory deprivation required of Amaranth? That, and Gardener of Men sounds like someone who is attempting to cultivate them into something more than mere mortals. Something cosmic. I think this is relevant because of the “no coincidences” element of the lore.