Lore:Dibella

Come to me, Dibella, for without you, my words must lie dull and leaden without the gilding of grace and sagacity to enchant the reader's ear and eye. — Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition

Dibella

Dibella, also known as the Lady, the Passion Dancer, Our Blessed Lady, Lady of Love, and Queen of Heaven,, is the Goddess of Beauty, Love, Affection, Beauty, Art, and Music. She is one of the Divines.

Mythology

According to the creation myth presented in the Anuad, Dibella and the Aedra (gods) were born from the mingled blood of the primal forces Anu and Padomay, and therefore have a capacity for both good and evil, in contrast to the Daedra, who were born solely from the blood of Padomay and thus have less affinity for mortal affairs. The formation of Akatosh, the God of Time, from the mingled blood of the brothers Anu and Padomay facilitated the formation of Dibella and the other gods as they learnt to structure themselves. Shezarr's Song, a Cyrodiilic creation myth, acclaims the creation of Mundus to the sacrifices of the Aedra. Dibella and the gods were subsequently bound to the Earth Bones as a result. Followers of the cult known as the Mythic Dawn deem Aedra like Dibella to be false gods, claiming she and others betrayed Lorkhan. Each heavenly body in the night sky is attributed to an Aedra. Dibella's is close to that of Mara, a love goddess more closely associated with motherhood in mythology.

Teachings

Dibella, the embodiment of beauty, teaches mortals to seek truth through beauty and worship. Those who follow the teachings of Dibella, and propagate beauty and promote harmony, are granted charm and grace. The Goddess teaches that mortals should give themselves to love, and commands them to open their hearts to "the noble secrets of art and love. Treasure the gifts of friendship. Seek joy and inspiration in the mysteries of love". Dibella holds no limit on the number of lovers one may have, but demands focus on the quality of the essence of love, not the quantity. She teaches that, "No matter the seed, if the shoot is nurtured with love, will not the flower be beautiful?", and blesses the love of those which is pure and untainted.

Followers of Dibella discourage relations with undead, such as vampires, following the teachings of Arkay's priests that vampires have impure spirits.

The Goddess is believed to make her will known through her Sybil, who is revealed to her priesthood via the ceremony known as the Exalted Protocol of the Dibellan Sybil. The ceremony is known only to the priesthood of Dibella, and is kept secret from the general population, including acolytes of other Divines. The newly-chosen Sybil may be a child, who would then leave her parents to live with the priesthood.

Worship

Dibella-inspired outfits

Dibella's doll masks (ESO)

Dibella's relationship with her worshippers is arguably more personal, in contrast to more formal relationships between other worshippers and their Divines. Dibella is known as the Divine who "pays Men in Moans". Critics of Dibella consider her overly lustful.

A number of cults dedicated to Dibella can be found in Cyrodiil, High Rock, Hammerfell and Skyrim, and are varied in their focus. Some cults of Dibella focus on women, artists or aesthetics, while others concentrate on erotic instruction. The latter practicing their "Dibellan Arts" have been known to bestow a Mark of Dibella upon the supplicant. When worshipers of Dibella wish to honor the Lady of Love by engaging in anonymous bestowal of affection, they don a porcelain Dibella's doll mask.

A temple dedicated to Dibella is often called a House of Dibella. A House will typically have three or four white cats within, as they are sacred to the goddess.

Worship in Black Marsh

The Temple of Dibella in Gideon

The majority of the Argonians of Black Marsh venerates the Hist, and, in the Second Era, worship of Dibella and the other gods was limited to a small minority of those who had assimilated to Imperial culture.

The Kothringi, the indigenous humans of Black Marsh, are known to have worshipped Dibella. They viewed her as part of a trinity known as Dibe-Mara-Kin, one of the "mothers in the Around-Us", together with Mara and Kynareth. Dibella was held in high regard by the Kothringi, and a Temple of Dibella was located in the city of Gideon in the Second Era.

Worship in Cyrodiil

Imperial depiction of Dibella

Imperial statuette of Dibella

An Imperial priestess of Dibella

Dibella is venerated as a member of the Cyrodiilic pantheon. In Cyrodiil, she has nearly a dozen different cults, whose beliefs emphasize a particular devotion to women, artistry, aesthetics, or erotic instruction. Priestesses of Dibella around Sancre Tor painted their ankles in the same fashion as the extinct Keptu circa 1E 2762.

A Chapel of Dibella was located in the city of Anvil in the Second and Third Eras. At times, the clergy of the Anvil chapel have practiced a morning ritual of dancing nude through the city streets, and within the Chapel, it was common to see bare-breasted priestesses or nude priests groping women. However, chapel practices have had more modest periods. In 3E 433, the Chapel was desecrated by Aurorans, Daedra in the service of Meridia, and several members of the priesthood were killed. At this time, wayshrines dedicated to the Goddess could be found throughout the countryside of Cyrodiil, and a statue honoring Dibella stood in the Arboretum district of the Imperial City. Imperial Priestesses of Dibella may travel around Cyrodiil at the behest of the goddess to act as healers for the sick or to assist supplicants in other ways as needed—as a doting mother, a lover, or simply a friend.

Worship in Hammerfell

Dibella is the patron deity of the region of Tigonus, and is popular among Redguard women of Hammerfell. However, she is only venerated by the more cosmopolitan Forebears of Redguard society, who began to accept her into their pantheon under the Reman Empire. In the late Third Era, Houses of Dibella could be found in major urban centers throughout the province. They are led by a Patriarch and allied to the Benevolence of Mara, a religious organization dedicated to Mara and her teachings. The Order of the Lily was a knightly order dedicated to Dibella which protected her temples against its adversaries, such as the followers of Sanguine, the Daedric Prince of Hedonism.

Worship in High Rock

A Breton statue of Dibella

Dibella's Crescendo Tam, worn by Breton followers of Dibella

Dibella is the patron deity of the High Rock regions Koegria and Menevia, and is venerated as a member of the Breton pantheon. Circa 2E 582, the worship of Dibella was criticized and discouraged by some, notably Father Pitof of the Cathedral of Daggerfall, who warned of the "charms of Dibella". However, Houses of Dibella persisted in High Rock just as they did in Hammerfell. Members of the clergy in High Rock are known to dance nude in front of worshippers, and congregants may propose to become "ardor-partners" with each other.

Worship in Skyrim

Dibella as the Moth carved in stone

A Nordic statue of Dibella

In the totemic religion of Atmora, precursor to the Nordic pantheon, the Silver Moth has been considered to correspond with Dibella. This worship continued in Skyrim, where the Atmoran animal gods eventually became known by their modern names. Dibella is considered one of the Hearth Gods that watch over the present world as the Goddess of Beauty. Her worship is varied as individual cults venerate different facets of her spheres of influence. In some stories, she is acclaimed as the Bed-Wife of Shor.

The Cult of Mother Moth was an ancient religion of Atmora that revered Mother Moth as a symbol of patience, excellence, softness, and love. Followers believed she governed both light and shadow, with her many eyes watching over all of Atmora. Devotees honored her through nightly rituals involving fire and burnings, symbolizing their desire for light and their acceptance of darkness. They saw light as meaningful only through contrast with the night and believed that by offering their devotion through flames, they could satisfy Mother Moth’s insatiable hunger.

In the Fourth Era, shrines dedicated to the Goddess could be found both in the wilderness and in urban centers, such as at the Temple of the Divines in Solitude, and at the Temple of Dibella in the city of Markarth, which was highly esteemed. Reachfolk were known to worship Dibella and the other Divines in Karthwasten, as well as Markarth. In Markarth, the position of Sybil of Dibella was typically given to a Reachwoman selected as a child to spend her whole life in devotion and communion with the goddess. In 4E 201, Fjotra, the daughter of a Reachfolk couple in Karthwasten, was chosen to become Sybil.

Broken Tower Redoubt, the ruins of an old settlement which were occupied by Forsworn, housed a Shrine of Dibella within a sacrificial chamber. It is unclear if the Forsworn actively worshiped at the shrine.

Artifacts

Brush of Truepaint

Painted world created with the Brush of Truepaint

The Brush of Truepaint is an Aedric artifact supposedly created by Dibella. It is said that the bristles of the brush were woven from Dibella's own hair. The brush allows the wielder to enter a painting canvas and paint things life-sized, simply by imagining them.

Helm of the Crusader

The Helm of the Crusader

The Helm of the Crusader, one of the Crusader's Relics, was created by Dibella in the early First Era and granted to Pelinal Whitestrake, the Divine Crusader, to allow him to defeat and banish Umaril the Unfeathered, an Ayleid Sorcerer King. Pelinal, despite his victory over Umaril, was slain and the Crusader's Relics were scattered and lost for thousands of years. The helm was placed at the Shrine of the Crusader at Vanua, Pelinal's place of death, where it remained until it was recovered by the Hero of Kvatch in 3E 433.

Planet

The planet Dibella is one of the planets found in the skies of Mundus. Dibella is Mara's satellite and is orbiting around it. Mara itself is the satellite of Zenithar. As with all astral bodies seen in the skies above Nirn and their corresponding deities, the planet Dibella is believed to be the plane of the goddess Dibella as well as the goddess herself, as seen from the mortal plane. It is said to actually be a different plane of existence in its own right, infinite in size and mass, with its appearance as a sphere being only a visual phenomenon caused by mortal mental stress.

Gallery

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  Statue of Dibella (Oblivion Remastered)

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  Stained glass depiction (Oblivion Remastered)

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  A statue of Dibella (Oblivion)

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  A statue of Dibella (ESO)

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  Seal of Dibella (ESO)

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  An emblem representing Dibella (ESO)

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  A symbol for the House of Dibella (Daggerfall)

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  A banner of Dibella (Morrowind)

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  A banner of Dibella (ESO)

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  A Nordic shrine to Dibella (Skyrim)

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  Nordic amulet of Dibella

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  The Great Chapel of Dibella (Oblivion)

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  The Temple of Dibella in Markarth (Skyrim)

Notes

• Dibella lends her name to the beverage known as Dibella's Kiss Tea. She also lends her name to a material known as Dibellium, which is sometimes used by jewelers to enhance their products during casting.
• The word for "relating to Dibella" is "Dibellan".

Books

• Dibella's Mysteries and Revelations by Sibyl Augustine Viliane — A priestess recounts welcoming novices to the Great Chapel of Dibella

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.