Survival through Natural Subversion and Dominance: Thoughts on the Ideals of Reachmagic
Hi all,
This started as a response to this thread, which eventually became long enough that I decided I should post it separately. What follows is my conception of Reachmagic, and how it relates to the metaphysics as we know it. Feel free to dissect and criticize any of the following. I will try to include links where relevant.
From what I understand, the Old Gods mentioned by the Forsworn are completely tied in with the concepts of (human) Survival and Dominance (over Nature) via Subversion. These concepts are manifested through their hunting prowess, cunning, and manipulation of the Nirnian Cycle of Life^(1). Being Reachmen, these notions are all tied up with some Merish (mostly Bosmeri) and Mannish (Nordic and Breton) ideals. Although much of their magic seems Daedric in Nature, I believe the modern, common perception on the (D)Aedra is coloring this view. Overall, it seems to fall into the umbrella term of Old Magic, but it's related to other types of 'ancient' magic (e.g. Ayleid flesh magic ) only in the sense that it's fallen out of mainstream use.
First off, the Cycle of Life: Kyne is the Breath of Life, the Wind that pushes Upwards, the fight for Survival, the Matron-Warrior. Namira is the Stench of Decay, the Entropy that pushes downwards, the base Need for Reductionism, the Foul Mistress. Peryite, the Taskmaster, is the heat engine that moves the cycle along, balanced both upwards Life and downwards Death like an alchemical process, the Entropic Force, Gradient of Perpetual Work, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the little-Dragon-that-could. Arkay is the boundary gatekeeper between Life and Death, the Soul Shepherd that permits lives to flow into and out of this process.
Reachmagic wrestles with the Cycle of Life; it is the manifestation of Survival against Nature, a Boethian subversion of Nirnian ecology if you will. Consider Hagravens: a fusion of bird (Kyne) with Man, a subversion of the natural order in exchange for extra power in Destruction (strongly entropic magic). This process requires a human sacrifice (Namira), and the transformed witch loses her former beauty^2 and humanity as well, all in the name of matronly protection and guidance for the tribe. In a sense, the ritual allows them to become a fused echo of both Namira and Kyne, with grief <—> death as the catalyst to the reaction.
The motives of Reachmagic are culturally ingrained in the Forsworn as well. Their practice of hunting and slaughtering animals hinders and furthers Peryite’s goals, as they are both culling animal populations, and stopping the spread of plague-ridden creatures (e.g. skeevers). This also highlights the ties to other Daedric Princes, namely Hircine, Mehrunes Dagon, and Molag Bal; the trophy animal head totems are prime examples of these ties which simultaneously show off the prize, destruction, and dominance of the Hunt which also wards off other intruders. The gore and animal sacrifice present on their altars and in their camps also reinforces these notions, but it’s unclear what exact religious purpose they serve as well.
The last piece of Reachmagic we know about is the Briarheart transformation process. This resurrection procedure demonstrates mastery over the Cycle of Life, and is an affront to Arkay as well; the immense power of the Forsworn Briarheart is a result of a mythic echo(3), as it is a re-enactment of the sundering of the heart of Lorkhan/Shor (Shorkhan for short). However, as with everything else discussed, this mythic re-enactment is then subverted. Shorkhan’s heart is replaced with a Briarheart, the core of a plant with alchemical properties(4). The fusion of rainwater (Memory + Kyne’s Tears) and sunlight (Magicka) fuels the quasi-Shorkhanic avatar with the grief of his own death, thereby creating the ultimate warrior that furthers the clan’s chance for survival.
All in all, there are still many loose-ends left from this perspective:
I want to emphasize that all of the above is filtered through the modern viewpoint of the Divines and the Daedric Princes; however, I believe that a practitioner of Reachmagic has a very different view of the world. How exactly do the Forsworn view the Aurbis? What is their take on the metaphysics? Could we reconstruct their myths based on their rituals? Can we really frame the Old Gods as Survival, Dominance, and Subversion?
How do the Glenmoril witches fit into all of this? Are they more dedicated to the Hunt? Is the combination of the Harbinger’s Flame with their heads what cure lycanthropy, or does their flesh have innate anti-lycanthropic properties? Are they a Subversion of the lycanthropic process with complete control over their transformation?
What is the role of the Forsworn king? Is the position more religious in nature, or is it more of a political convenience that further enhances their cultural survival?
Please share your thoughts, ideas, and questions! Let me know if anything needs clarification.
For example, the Armor of the Old Gods appears to be made of bear fur, human and deer skulls, bones, sabrecat teeth, and hawk/raven feathers. Furthermore, it gives bonuses to Sneak, Archery, Destruction, and Magicka, skills that are essential to guerrilla warfare, the only tactical method the Forsworn can use to survive.
The quest to find the new Dibellan Sybil shows that Hagravens seem to revere Dibella to some extent; hypothetically, they still mourn the loss of their youth and beauty. In-game, it seems as if most witches are young, so perhaps the Hagraven transformation is another subversion of the Dibella -> Mara -> Kyne process, where the step of Maran motherhood is skipped over in favor of Kyne-ly matronhood for the protection of the clan.
The Briarheart Invocation: “Heart of Thorn, Bones of the Wild, Life Forsworn, Rise from Death, Blood of our Blood.” There is also a soul gem present on the altar near Bard’s Leap, so it is possible that another soul is required for this process as well.
The properties relate to Blocking, Magicka, and Paralysis, qualities that I associate with Kyne as the grieving breath-giving shield-maiden; her mourning over being unable to give breath back to Shor haunts her and leads to the creation of rain.