A Model of the Godhead and its Contents - Addendum III: Mythopoeia and CHIM
Yet another minor addendum to my model, only intended to briefly explore some interesting ideas in its context.
This time around, I've had a thunderbolt of inspiration courtesy of /u/Hollymarkie's comment on my thread about Towers and mythitecture:
Symbolism abounds!
Mythopoeia is (according to me, anyhow) the ability of mortal stories to alter and fracture and shape the AE of the Aedra and Earthbones, who died as part of the creation of Mundus, became comatose and shifting and many-faceted. They gave up agency, or had it stolen from them, depending on who you ask, and so they cannot choose to define themselves, even as they form the underlying rules and themes of the Mundus.
And, as discussed in my mythitecture theory, the Towers form the various collective AE of the mortal denizens of Mundus, as their plot threads stabilize and shape the nature of the Aedra and Earthbones. The Towers are giant mythopoeia machines, essentially, carving out the aspects of the Aedra by force of cultural belief and story.
Now, take Mundus as a symbol of Aurbis, the Wheel within the Wheel, as usual (and note that Anu-as-Amaranth died to form Aurbis, and split into many aspects). At the Aurbical level, from the apex of the Tower, from the state of Love under Will, Aurbis can be shaped. What does that look like at the Mundane level? What symbolizes CHIM within Mundus? The conscious manipulation of mythopoeia, of course. It's right in the title of this thread. And there's also the obvious connection between the use of Tower label for both phenomena.
From the apex of a mythic Tower, one can shape Mundus, and from the apex of the Tower, the Wheel turned on its side, one can shape Aurbis. What constitutes the apex in the case of a mythic Tower? Probably depends on the Tower, but in the more literal cases, the actual top of the structure; being within it does not suffice, just as being within Love does not suffice on its own. And this corresponds with the apex of the Aurbical Tower, which, as mentioned above, is the state found by taking the Triangular Gate, that is, the achievement of Will. Love under Will; Will is on top.
So, if Mundus is designed as a symbolic roadmap to Amaranth, through CHIM, what better way to reveal the possibility of CHIM than to reproduce it in miniature? To demonstrate the changing of a world through willpower and belief, with tools that look an awful lot like the mechanisms of CHIM?
Sidenote: The various apotheoses of Talos are very interesting to dissect in this light. Which came first, mantling Lorkhan, CHIM, or the enantiomorph? I'd wager the lattermost came first, that Talos became a conscious mythic Tower, then felt Love through that state, survived via Will, and followed this up by finishing the formation of the Empire, thereby becoming Lorkhan but remaining distinct through Will. And yes, I mean all of Talos. Not just Septim. The enantiomorph fused their souls, and they know it; what one is, they all are, in my opinion. (Speaking of the enantiomorph, consider how much more prepared Talos would be to take the Triangular Gate, the Royal Enantiomorph, having already undergone an enantiomorphic event before feeling Love. And think about what that might mean for the Nerevarine's chances at success in the Endeavor.)
I think that's about it. Pretty straightforward this time. The mythopoeic effects of manipulating the Towers symbolize CHIM.