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Dibella! Godess of beauty and the erotic arts! You can't go wrong with that

(Sorry for posting on a dead topic, I just thought Dibella deserved some praise )

Talos and Stendarr are tied for me, I always play warrior types and in each backstory it involves extreme devotion to one or the other.

It's a hard choice between Talos and Akatosh, but I have to take Akatosh. I mean, Time and stuff.

Actually, guys, over the past eight or nine months since I picked Talos I find myself liking Kynareth more and more. She's done a lot for the mortal races.

^It's an assumption in and of itself to say the Aldmeri version was the original. The Ehlnofey worshiped the gods, too, but in what way is completely unknown. The Dragons clearly acknowledge the Aedra and the Daedra and may have made pacts with both. The Hist acknowledge Sithis but don't really care for much of anything else.

It's also believed the races of men arrived somewhere in the world at the same time as the Aldmer, but they developed more slowly and didn't meet up for a while. Apparently they had a more shamanistic outlook originally, as evidenced by what we know of Atmoran and Yokudan pantheons, and what very little we glimpse of non-Nordic Nedic beliefs. I'd be interested in knowing whether the Aldmeri religion is closer to the old Ehnlofey beliefs or if the Atmoran or Yokudan religion was. And where do the Akaviri play into all this? We know almost nothing of their beliefs except that they acknowledge Akatosh (their continent is named after him) and the Dragonborn.

edit: Besides, Alessia's version of the pantheon stuck around the longest for a reason. Except for a few minor tensions (Nords having trouble acknowledging Akatosh because he's an enemy god in more ways than one in their eyes, and then there's the apparent exclusion of Shor) it's the closest thing we have in-universe to a pantheon that contains deities almost everyone believes in.

An Altmer, a Nord and a Redguard can all find common ground on Mara. Even an open minded Dark Elf would acknowledge her and in fact several of her priests in Skyrim are of that race.

edit 2: And can you blame the Dunmer for accepting gods like Arkay, Mara and Zenithar after what they've went through? Their old ways didn't save Morrowind. I can sympathize with some of them wanting to emulate less devastated cultures. Although there are still more than a handful who follow Azura, Boethia and Mephala and there's even a journal of a guy mentioning he still believes in Vivec during one quest.

I like Akatosh the best simply because of his name .

i am not even interested in the rest of them that much ... especially since i started reading lore and discovered all the rubbish about Lorkhan

Kynareth. Nature, air and the Heavens. I'm all about nature. --The Greybeards revere her, too. Say she gave them the Voice.

Akatosh. ...I would not like him, I would consider him an absentee father figure, but he freaking descended from the heavens to save Tamriel from Mehrunes Dagon. Can't deny that, bro. Awesome.

Talos. United the Empire. Was a master of the Thu'um. And the Thalmor don't like him, so I say NAY. I'll worship Talos proudly, and kill all of your damn soldiers to boot! ...And no, I'm no Stormcloak supporter. Read the sig.

Mara. I love me some love.

...I don't feel the others are worth my attention. Julianos, shmeh. I'll learn on my own, thanks. Stendarr...I am not merciful. I kill everyone I feel is corrupt, debased, wicked, raise them from the dead, and kill them again! Dibella, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Her followers are all arrogant wh*res. Whom I kill frequently. Arkay... ...Mmm, I blaspheme against him too often. Raising the dead. Sorry, bro! Zenithar... ...I'd say that inspires greed. Hell, even from me. Amulet of Zenithar=lower prices, higher sales? Yeeep.

Yep, I even RP religion when I'm playing Skyrim. I collect my FAVOURITE Aedra's amulets, and cycle through them every so often.

Arrogant wh*res rock!

Yes! It's so clear to me, now!

Loving, hard-working parent? NO, HE IS A [&@%!].

Little girl? NO, SHE IS CLEARLY A [&@%!].

You are a genius, my friend, and you have shown me the light. Bravo.

I fear for the well being of those around you.

No, it's cool! I was using sarcasm. We can be friends now, 'kay?

I'm partial to Kynareth.

Talos. He is just the man.

You're really hung up on hating Lorkhan lore, aren't you?

Since you said you like Akatosh because of his name, here's two things you might or might not know:

Akatosh originated as a nickname for a Daggerfall developer:
Also
Known
As
The
Old
Smaug
Himself

Also, according to one dev, it translates to "Dragon Dragon" in Tsaesci.

Isn't it "Dragon Time"? Or is that the original language only?

Not much love for Arkay is there?

In Akaviri or Tsaesci it's "Dragon Dragon" according to Gstaff or someone similar who occasionally posts at Bethsoft. I can't recall whom. I'll ask someone at the Library in a day or two, but I'm not making this up. It's a very distinct memory because it made me laugh.

While that sounds humorous and redundant, think about what that means. He is to Dragons what Dragons are to mortals. He's a Dragon to Dragons, and the ones who mention him in Skyrim speak about him with reverence. Even Alduin.

Probably Kynareth followed by Mara, they seem the most loving and compassionate.

Yeah, Kynareth played a HUGE role in carving out the human nations. She's often considered one of the main apologists for Men among the Aedra. I liked how her lore was deepened in Skyrim. We always knew she taught humans the Thu'um, but now we know more about the circumstances surrounding that and it seems like an even more meaningful gift now.

Akatosh, if only because his avatar slapped the [&@%!] out of Mehrunes Dagon. Otherwise I'm not much interested in the Aedra. Stendarr, Akatosh and Zenithar are pretty cool, though.

I have to go with Julianos, simply because he represents wisdom and logic. I wish I could find more lore written about him. Most of the other Aedra have far more in-depth stories.
After Julianos I have to say Arkay the "Mortals God". He has quite an interesting story. Although there are two possible stories on how he ascended into godhood, both are pretty intriguing.

I also have a question. Would Mannimarco be considered an Aedra if he ascended into godhood and is the source of the Necromancer's Moon which, "eclipses Arkay and allows soul gems to ensnare those usually protected by the Divine?

If so then the Thalmor should stop complaining about worship of Talos simply because he was a "MAN" who ascended. They Have a high elf who did it too. It seems to me that they just wish not to acknowledge it because he has a much more sinister history.

I would really like to hear Pilaf The Defiler's opinion, or anyone else who could should shed some light on this subject.

Akatosh and Arkay, father and son have been my favorites since Daggerfall.

I'm sure there must be more to the Thalmor wanting to ban Talos worship than simply "he was once mortal". The Elves believe in several such gods. Not just Arkay. Auriel, Syrabane and Phynaster are all popularly believed to be mortal Elves at one point. The most superficial lore explanation is that Talos is a god of MEN, but I think there's even more to it than that. In their mind, he takes the place of Shezarr, a popular ancient god in Cyrodill who is their version of Shor. The Aldmeri Dominion view Shor as the entity Lorkhan and vilify him. They blame Lorkhan for tricking the gods into limiting themselves to create Mundus. They consider their current mortal condition a curse and a prison. This is entirely from an in-game source: the Monomyth, which still appears in Skyrim. Many fans believe Talos is what is known as a "Shezarrine", a term that appears in the Song of Pelinal to describe Pelinal Whitestrake. This entity is mentioned as being the same person as Ysmir in another source - Before The Ages of Men. If you add all this up, it seems like Tiber Septim may also be a Shezarrine, which many of us believe to be an aspect or champion of Shor, the missing God of Men. Such a being is blasphemous to the Thalmor who despise their physical limitations and blame Lorkhan, so outlawing Talos worship to them is a blow against the cult of Shor.