A Vehk Egg Scramble Part III: An Egg With Four Corners
In the last chapter of the Scramble, I made the speculation that the events described during the Pomegranate Banquet could be seen as allegory for mortal Vehk being abused before maturity, and that he carried the psychological baggage of the abuse past his apotheosis into godhood. I know I said that Part III would focus on the children of Vivec and Bal’s union, but I currently haven’t had the time to devote to gathering sources to complete a good enough write up. So as an interlude I would like to take some time and discuss the Four Corners of the House Troubles, the “Bad Deadra” of the Velothi religion, and how they relate to the Vehk egg.
“The Rebel Daedra, Molag Bal, Malacath, Sheogorath, and Mehrunes Dagon, refused to swear fealty to the Tribunal (Blessed Be Their Holy Names), and their worshippers were cast out. These Rebel Daedra thus became the Four Corners of the House of Troubles, and they continue to plague our tranquility and tempt the unwary into Heresy and Dark Worship.” Cited from the text Anticipations. Then in Sermon Thirteen of the Lessons, “Surround it with the triangle and you begin to see the Triune house. It becomes divided into corners, which are ruled by our brethren, the Four Corners: BAL DAGON MALAC SHEOG.”
The Four Corners were the testers of the dunmeri religion, gods of the false paths that were believed to have to be overcome to stay on the path directed by the triangle gate of the Tribunal. Let’s look at what each Deadroth represents that Vivec himself would have to overcome to become a vessel worthy of bearing the Amaranth.
>BAL
The Prince of Domination, Rape, Brutality, and Rage. In chapter 2 we identified Bal as mortal Vehk’s childhood abuser. As the corner of the House of Troubles Molag Bal represents all the people and things that makes us victims. The abusive parent, the tyrannical government, the slave driver, the robber holding you up for your hard earned money at knife point, the beast who mauled you in the wilderness. Once Bal has touched you don’t survive it without loosing something precious, or being changed in some way at your core. For the Vehk Egg to overcome Bal is more than foiling him, it’s to undo the change you suffered at his hands, both physical and psychological.
>DAGON
Mehrunes Dagon is the Prince of Destruction, Revolution, Change, and Ambition. For our purposes he represents the false path of Revenge. To walk the path of Dagon is to strike back violently against those that lorded over you, and to do so publicly. Stab the politician in the heart in front of the assembly, the Blood feud, staging a revolt killing indiscriminately. This path is reacting to those who wronged you in such a way as to cause destruction, and will only serve to bring destruction back on you. This is how his path differs from Mephala’s, through secrecy and subtlety you avoid reprisal. Kill your abuser in the marketplace, you’ll be tried for murder. Do it in the night by manipulating someone else to comit the deed, or better yet get them to hang themselves, it’s righteous justice. To overcome Dagon, the Vehk Egg will need to let go of the feelings of resentment towards those who wronged him and used him, and quell the desire to get even.
>MALAC
Malacath is the Prince of the Ostracized, the Rejected, and the Bloody Curse. Not a stretch of imagination to say this prince’s sphere influenced an abused hermaphrodite, turned street-rat prostitute like mortal Vivec is depicted in What My Beloved Taught me. Walking the path of Malacath is to allow the bad things that happened to you to separate yourself from others. To view yourself as damaged goods, make yourself a pariah through victimhood. It’s a path to despair, self destruction, and suicide. To overcome Malac is to rejoin society. The Vehk Egg will need to forgive itself for being born different, then for not for only being the victim of its abusers, but for all the actions he preformed while playing the pariah.
>SHEOG
The Prince of Madness represents the psychological baggage and dysfunction the abused suffers after being violated. In chapter 2 I compared Vivec’s headlessness during the Pomegranate Banquet and his Provisional House to Depersonalization Disorder. Sheogorath also represents anxiety, agoraphobia, PTSD, hysteria, mood swings, and pretty much all psychological symptoms someone will develop as a result of trauma. To overcome Sheo is to treat and cure your lingering madness. In curing himself, the Vehk Egg’s trauma will finally subside and stop influencing him.
These are the corners that shaped mortal Vehk into what he was when he met Neravar. Even in godhood he still hadn’t fully buried them. For Vivec’s marriage to Jubal to be based truly on LOVE, and produce the Nu-Man, the Vehk Egg would need to make itself round. The shape the egg needed to birth a new world would have to be without corners. The first steps toward this would be to reconcile the children born of him in the union with Bal. That will be the next subject to be featured in A Vehk Egg Scramble Part IV, it may be some time before the next chapter is complete, so until next time….
Links to other Chapters
Part IV: Children of Egg Trauma, the First Four
Part V: Remaining Beaten Egg-Children
Edited for Spelling and doubled and missing words