The Spider Totem

I have started yet another playthrough of Skyrim and while venturing through the Rift something caught my eye, a Frostbite attacking a Fox, and I realized how common it is, and that I had seen that kind of behavior time and time again, and since Foxes are the totems of Shor, what the vehk is the Frostbite?

Mephala. As the Imperials call it. The Spider. As every traditional Nord knows the Demon.

The Spider, as the Snake, did not come from Atmora with the rest of our Gods, those two came from the Elves. But from the two, the Spider is the worse, so perfidious that Nords do not even praise her as the Snake and the Hare for the Tests they bring and the better Nords we become on the other end, but the Spider offers no such privileges.

All you adventurers have already met your share of spiders, be it in the corners of your childhood house, be it a giant spider in a cave during one of your travels. But if you have come to Skyrim and explore her many beauties will surely have met the fearsome Frostbite Spiders. Spiders that can reach the size of three grown-men, with razor-sharp fangs the size of a short sword. Spiders with a cunning and devious mind, prone to ambushing and all the things that no Nord should ever consider using.

From where the Snake came from is very unclear, but it seems to have come from a different number of cultures, but the origin of the Spider is quite clear: the Dunmer of Morrowind. From that demon-worshiping scum that the Spider came to meddle in the affairs of Men, from that fetid culture that came this hideous totem. The Dark Elves proudly tell of how the spider taught them the "arts" of secret murder, lies, deceit, assassination, and the list goes on and on. And they would make you believe such acts are "good" just as they call the demon, but do not be fooled. For all the Spider teaches are lies, do never trust one who pretends to teach you how to lie. What it teaches are the tools of cowards and those who have no drop of honor left in their bodies, a Nord with his head still on his shoulders should not ever consider such methods for setting his or her feuds.

A Nord must deal with matters head on, clearly defining the reason for the discontent, speaking clearly and directly, straightforward, lest you freeze in your own words, but the Spider tells you the opposite, it would like you to poison your enemy, wait for him to sleep and cut his throat without him ever knowing who delivered the killing blow and why. This is the way of assassins, not the way of either a warrior neither of a clever man, whichever path you, as an honorable lad or lass, would follow.

But the worst is not even its nature and preaching, it is the defiling of our most beloved God, Shor, the Fox. Many of you travelers have already witnessed it, but never paid any attention to it. Every time a Frostbite has the opportunity, it will hunt down foxes, mercilessly, and that is not a simple matter of food chain, it is a much deeper and mystical matter. The Spider has always been the enemy of our beloved Fox. Since the beginning when Shor created the land of Tamriel and Atmora for us to thrive in, the Spider has followed in his footsteps, trying always to corrupt the sons and daughters of Shor and Kyne, always doing its best to corrupt everything Shor left us and everything he worked for. Have you never wondered why Mephala’s most famous artifact is no other than an Ebony blade, crafted out of the blood spilled from our God during the Great Wars against the Witch Elves in the Dawn of Time? For this is one of her many plots. It should come as no surprise that such blade is known for absorbing the life essence of us mortals, offspring of Shor, and to pervert any and all mortals who wield it, making them turn against their own shield siblings, turning against all that which Shor envisioned for us. It is a defiance of the love Shor intended us to have between ourselves. It is defiance to our God!

So, my fellow Nord, the next time you see a Frostbite or whatever kind of spider, kill it! In the name of Shor! Remember all your relatives and companions who have died by the fangs of spiders and all who fell for the fangs of the Spider! Defend our God and his purpose! Let no spider crawl peacefully, kill them all before they can lay eggs! Join me in my crusade and let us end the perfidious defilement of Shor’s body, blood and purpose!