Mara

This is going to be at least a 3 part series on how the Feminine is depicted in Tamrielic religion. We may touch on some of the non-Tamrielic religions as a counterpoint.

The Elder Scrolls is a remarkably egalitarian game universe, I have to give them their kudos. But egalitarian does not mean they ignore gender or even shy away from stereotypes. In fact, feminine archetypes are used throughout the lore, in clever and thought-provoking ways, avoiding controversy, but still brushing up against the sensibilities of feminists if you are inclined to use that lens.

And my generation had that lens surgically implanted back in the 90s.

This series was inspired by a bit of cognitive dissonance I experienced reading the 36 Sermons and Shor Son of Shor back to back. The Sermons flout every single gender stereotype out there, particularly in the context of C0DA, and then Shor Son of Shor takes an almost comical step back to the bronze age in terms of how gender is represented.

This is not intended as a feminist criticism of the lore, but more of a literary critique, in the hopes of giving insight and dimension to how female characters/deities are written and represented.

We will start with Mara, as depicted in the Nordic Pantheon, although with her, my observations are applicable across pantheons.

Mara, Handmaid to Kyne, Wife or Concubine to Shor and/or Ald

Being the Goddess of Creation, it is interesting to see her titles consisting of marital status and being a subordinate to a warrior Goddess. This is not unique. The power of Creation is so precious, dangerous and potent that those who do not have it (cough cough men) have always sought to control it. We see it in real-life religion, and real life legal institutions. And we see it in the Lore.

A handmaiden in a polygynous science-fiction context calls to mind Margaret Atwoods The Handmaid’s Tale. It is a dystopian world (America) where powerful Commanders and their powerful but infertile Wives employ fertile handmaids to produce babies for them. Despite being in charge of creation, the handmaids were always subordinate to the powerful Wives, and the Commanders. Their sexuality is rigidly controlled and monitored. Intercourse and childbirth is highly ritualised and the Wife is always present at every stage, because the Handmaid is simply an extension of herself.

Now in the Lore, Mara, as Tear-Wife to Shor, seems to be somewhat more empowered than the handmaids in Atwood’s universe, but the shared imagery bore recognition.

The Tear-Wife is able to make treaty with the other chieftains, notably Ald, who would represent the Aka/Auriel Time God and his faction. Creation has interplay with multiple beings, hence being the Concubine to both Time and Space. She created life with Ald, but created the world with Shor. As such, she is the stabilizing factor between them, the common factor. Mara ties everyone together.

Aye and here is the rub: As she is represented in the Nordic Pantheon, she serves and represents her nature best when she is not in charge. The crux of the struggle of the breeding woman, is it not?

The Yokudans, in the snippet we have about Mara from the Varieties of Faith in the Empire, depict her as having four arms with which to grab more husbands. This seems to assign her a somewhat more active and in-charge role, but lacking more scripture from their end of the things, there isn’t much else I can add. However I would not put it past the Yokudans to have a “Goddess of Having Your Cake and Eating it Too” and a “Goddess of Can’t Have It All”.

Mara embodies a quality that other deities either cannot or will not embody: Compromise for something Greater. The creative act, process through which life and matter are made is through compromise and sacrifice. It is a submission to the natural forces that are required of creation. You cannot seize it, you can only control it through acquiescence and surrender. Those of you familiar with the Wheel of Time will recognize Moiraine’s description of Saidar in this theme.

This is why she is the Tear-Wife. There is a cost to having such great power and ability. Arguably, being Creation itself, she is the most powerful being, the most important being. However, she shoulders a great burden. She has to watch her creations fight to the death, her co-creators battle each other in jealousy, misunderstanding and even hate. She has to rely on others to ensure that her creations can survive, and bear the brunt of their failures and deceptions.

The tears in her title are not only tears of maternal sadness; they are the tears of anger and frustration as well. Sometimes, they are tears of joy. She is the Arena, the vessel of all the events and the resulting emotion.

Like tears, creation and creativity are just another way to express emotion.

In my next installment, I will explore the Nordic Kyne, and go a little bit into why the Mother of Tears is not the same as the Tear-Wife.