On Magetallow and Enchanting

by Cingon of Leyawiin, Synod Adjunct and Teaching Fellow of the Binders’ Conclave at the Arcane University. Sponsored by the Company of Technical Alchemists, Imperial City Elven Gardens.

Introduction

In Imperial magic, magetallow has been used as a facilitator of Chironology and Praxography since at least the Second Era. The burning of magetallow candles is essential for the operation of the enchanting paraphernalia favoured by the Imperial Mages Guild and its modern-day inheritors, but this marvellous substance has been neglected by scholarship. * This work will deal primarily with the history and function of magetallow as pertains to the School of Enchanting, or Chironology. For other aspects of the enchanting process, particularly soul-trapping and the praxis of enchantment itself, a bulk of scholarship exists. In particular I would recommend Traven’s The Responsible Trafficking of White Souls, Fphyggi’s Secrets of Soul Gems, Turrianus’ Enchanter’s Primer, and Delmar’s Altars of Enchantment; Theory and Practice. On the subject of magetallow in Praxography, or Spell-Making, consult Stegine’s Complete Works of Praxography.

* Some other texts may prove useful. Consider Maurus’ Incomplete History of Sorcery in Valenwood, Andaryie’s Enchanting in the Second Era, and Chriditte’s Peculiar Preparations. If you are lucky enough to have access to a copy, The Anchorite’s Book of Binding may also be of some interest.

The Function of Magetallow

While this work intends in no way to be considered a practical text, I will begin by explaining in brief the precise function of magetallow in the modern process of enchanting, as without this understanding, the history and substance of magetallow can hardly be of interest.

The most vital component in any method of enchanting is a soul, generally contained in a soul gem. I will not delve into the creation or use of soul gems here, but have included a few recommendations of scholars who have done so. Let it suffice to say that the soul powers the enchantment in the same way that magicka powers a spell – it provides the raw energy that is to be expressed as a magical effect.

The function of magetallow then is not as a fuel or power-source. Instead, the burning of magetallow releases the potential magical energy stored therein in raw aetherial form. Much as Magnus and the stars express their pure magicka fields into the Mundus, so the far weaker flame of the magetallow candle expresses its field into the immediate atmosphere of the altar of enchanting, where it is quickly drawn into the conductive veins of the altar and directed into the item to be enchanted. The creation of this raw magicka field allows magical effects to be expressed much as spells are, using the trapped soul as a source but filling only the item, wherein the aetherial field has been generated. The main task of the enchanter is then to manipulate the field, and in so doing define the magical effect, and seal off the enchantment within the item, thus allowing it to persist indefinitely.

In short, the soul gem provides the power for the pseudo-spell, the magetallow creates a bounded microcosm of aetherius, radiating a field in which the pseudo-spell can be expressed, and the enchanter him- or herself, through wits and will, shapes the field to fit the item and the effect.

At various times and in various places, alternatives to magetallow have been used. The most popular, based on Ayelid sorcery, is the Jarol Apparatus (see Appendix I), and another, based on obscure Dwemeri magics, is perhaps only now being uncovered (see Appendix II). But the full range of methods is expansive, and beyond the scope of the present work. Consult Skink-in-Tree’s-Shade’s Varieties of Enchanting.

The Substance of Magetallow

We will now explore briefly the substance and production of magetallow. As the name suggests, it is a form of tallow, a rendered fat, most commonly formed into candles and burned to release its power. The earliest Magetallow was, perhaps disturbingly, tallow derived from the bodies of actual mages, whether slain in battle or ritually killed. Through a rare and highly technical spell not dissimilar to soul-trapping, the fat of the mage’s body was imbued with elements of his dying soul and his magicka potential which, when the fat was rendered and prepared with alchemical ingredients, could be released by burning.

Obviously, the Imperial Mages Guild has never endorsed the use of traditional Magetallow, and it is now exceedingly rare outside of Valenwood. Instead, the process was refined by Second Era mages, who developed what might be called “white” magetallow using the fat and souls of high-gradient animals or daedra. It is this white magetallow that is most commonly used today, with the majority being produced in the High Rock, especially the Kingdom of Daggerfall where the discipline of enchanting has a long history. Despite the move away from the traditional Bosmeri “black” tallow, the processes and most of the ingredients involved remain largely unchanged, only taking place on a far larger scale with more sophisticated instruments.

The History of Magetallow

It is generally agreed that the first use of magetallow in Tamriel was among the Bosmer in the late First Era. The production of magetallow seems to have arisen very rapidly in Valenwood, with references to magic candles appearing very soon after the alleged invention of enchanting by Raven Direnni. It is possible then that magetallow was originally used not for enchantment, but for other kinds of spellcraft, perhaps early Praxography. Additionally, since this was before the use of soul-trapping became widespread, the use of magetallow for enchanting was likely very different in the First Era. Maurus’ Incomplete History of Sorcery in Valenwood claims that the production of magetallow descends from Bosmeri tribal magic, drawing a parallel to the still-popular knucklebone charms (the knucklebones of enemy mages in which, it is claimed, a portion of their last spells are trapped), which he claims existed before the invention of true enchantment. It seems equally possible, however, that Bosmeri mages learned from other sources, namely the Sload of Thras. Altmeri and Bosmeri documents from the time record some contact between Valenwood and Thras, and the process of creating magetallow bears some striking resemblances to Imperial scholarship’s best guesses at the origins of Sload soap, which it is known was highly popular in Valenwood during this period. The enigmatic Sload have always been acknowledged masters of necromancy and the manipulation of souls, so it seems plausible that they might have been first to develop this potent technology.

Whatever the case, magetallow was not widely adopted in the rest of Tamriel until the early Second Era when, along with soul-trapping, it was ‘discovered’ by the early Mages Guild. As with soul-trapping, Vanus Galerion was suspicious and distrustful of magetallow and the magic with which it was involved – he abhorred all magic approaching necromancy, and regarded magetallow as an example of such. The candles were, however, undeniably useful, facilitating what would become modern Chironology, which far outstripped the rustic enchanting practices popular in the Guild up until then. Once the mages of the Guild were able to replicate the Bosmeri process without the use of black souls or human remains, opposition to magetallow melted away.

Chironology through Altars of Enchanting continued to coexist with ‘free-enchanting’ (see Appendix III) within the Guild until its last days, when the Traven Reforms made the final steps in pushing ‘free-enchanting’ out of the Guild. While this significant step is often overlooked when compared to the necromancy ban and Traven’s new membership policies, it was a dramatic shift and should be considered a part of his legacy as Archmage. The practice of Chironology may have benefited somewhat in the short term, but the policy also contributed to the sad loss of most of our knowledge of ‘free-enchanting’ and other methods (see Appendix IV).

In most of Tamriel, Chironology is now the main or only method of enchanting, and magetallow is thus ubiquitous. The Synod continues to employ Third Era Altars of Enchanting in the Arcane University’s Chironasium, and the College of Whispers, while conducting a great deal of secretive research into Dunmeri and Altmeri enchanting practices, is also mainly reliant on altars. In Skyrim, where neither organisation holds much sway, the mages of Winterhold rely on so-called “Arcane Enchanters”, effectively a far older and rather less effective model of altar, employing runes, daedra bones, and a range of other traditional Nordic mage’s tools alongside a considerable quantity of magetallow.

This being the case, it is imperative that magetallow be understood and appreciated, and that the Synod continues to extend credit to the researchers and experts who work to produce this most vital of substances and without whom the continued practice of the discipline of Chironology would surely be impossible.