Acts of Possession - Daedric and Spiritual

Hello everyone. Now, possession isn't something we've usually seen or heard about in Tamriel - but there are a number of examples, past and present, which are very interesting and, sometimes, can bring up a few questions. Sometimes, it's caused by a Daedric force while others are caused by Nirn-bound spirits of the dead. Here, we'll begin on the cases of possession throughout Tamriel's history.

We'll start off with one of the more infamous cases - the Umbra Sword. Umbra was an artifact that not only contained a part of Clavicus Vile's own power, but also had a mind of its own. This weapon demonstrated its ability to manipulate and control its hosts to varying degrees - the unknown Orc in Morrowind who carried the weapon's name as his own is an example of only minor influence. He states that his true name is unimportant, and that his name may as well be that of his weapon - in this case, Umbra. Because he was able to sate Umbra's hunger for souls with ease, it seems to have exerted less influence over him than other wielders. An example of a more aggressive possession would be the case of Lenwin, a Bosmer found in Cyrodiil during the Oblivion Crisis. She found the blade and was able to use it easily at first - no signs of any change - but, as her former master Irroke the Wide said, she eventually began to seek out fights with villagers and murdered them with the blade - a bloodlust forming within her. She would also claim the name of the weapon as her own - Umbra, no longer the Bosmer girl Lenwin, but now an extension of this dark, hopefully destroyed artifact. And if found in Oblivion, she appears almost consumed by her bloodlust and the need to feed the blade in her seclusion - perhaps a way of Umbra forcing its wielder to sate its unending hunger.

But even outside of the blade, Umbra itself is capable of possessing mortals - at the very least those who are willing, in the case of his merging with the Dunmer known as Vuhon - their union causing Vuhon to forsake his name for the name of Umbriel, the infamous floating city that kills those who go through its shadow and raises those it kills from the dead.

Daedric Princes have also proven their ability to assume possession over mortals - living or dead. During the Umbriel incident, Clavicus Vile was able to briefly possess the body of Attrebus Mede, son of the Colovian Emperor Titus Mede I. Boethiah, as well, has demonstrated this ability in the Fourth Era - through sacrificed bodies, the Prince of Plots was able to speak to the Last Dragonborn and act through them like a puppeteer. If the other Princes can act through mortals or not is uncertain - they may certainly have the capacity to, but that is another thing entirely compared to the need or desire to.

Daggerfall provided one of the first cases of Daedric possession with the quest "The Obsessed Child". As for why it was named this... let's just chalk it up to a typo or glanced over detail. The quest involves a young Breton boy that has been possessed by a Daedroth which requires an exorcism. In addition to this example of Daedric possession, there is a reference to this act in the book "Withershins". ESO also reveals through a piece of contraband that there are special items inscribed with prayers to ward of possession by Daedric entities, and a few cases of possession by Daedric spirits with the Planemeld going on have been seen - one example being with a Bosmer mage named Behelir, who becomes possessed by a Dremora found in an ancient Ayleid ruin in Grahtwood.

Daedra aren't the only ones capable of possessing mortals though... for even the dead have shown the ability to make the living, as well as recently slain, their puppets. A few interesting examples from ESO include the case of a long-dead Nede named Nunex Faleria - whose spirit would then possess and control a large minotaur when his resting place, Fort Faleria, was disturbed by an excavation team. Another case involves a mysterious spirit known only as The Pale Sentinel - who was able to possess a number of dead Altmeri dragoons and attack the Vestige through these dead bodies. Then, there is a more humorous example of possession - though this is only if you choose to force such a fate onto another. A Breton named Stibbons, a servant to an adventurous noblewoman, can wind up the victim of a crown's curse - should he wear the crown, his soul becomes detached from his body and is drawn to the resting place of the crown, and another spirit winds up taking residence in Stibbons body... although there seems to be no issue due to the spirit in question only knowing how to serve.

However, there is one case which I've become very interested in since reading about these possessions in the lore... the Lich known as Erandur-Vangaril is an example of a far more interesting case of possession. Erandur the Lich was slain by his former friend, Vangaril, yet when he believed he succeeded in freeing the spirit of his former friend from his destroyed remains, he was unaware of what was truly happening... Remaining in Lost Boy Cavern as the spirit of Erandur assumed control lead to Vangaril becoming corrupted, assimilated, and controlled by the soul of Erandur - leading to the rise of a new Lich that takes on both of their names, hence Erandur-Vangaril. Such a case leads me to believe that a slain Lich can obtain a new form through living and dead mortal bodies. A Nether Lich, the form of a Lich whose corporeal form was destroyed, is bound to Nirn and seemingly unable to pass on. In theory, due to their knowledge from their living days all the way to their time as a Lich, as well as their ethereal state of being, a Nether Lich may very well be able to use a living vessel or a fresh corpse just like a wraith or angered spirit would should they be unable to re-create their original form.