De La Grande Bibliotheque de Tamriel
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By High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio, 2E 582
- “Our order came into possession of a tome that speaks of a mighty king named Ysmir the Forefather who ascended to the heavens to become The Warrior constellation. Do your archives hold any knowledge of this previously unknown king of men and dragons, who oddly shares a name with the Ash King? Do the other Guardian constellations have a similar mythic origin that you could reveal?" – Archivist Jimeee of the United Explorers of Scholarly Pursuits
- High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio says, “The association of figures of myth and legend with one constellation or another is a common theme across Tamriel: usually a hero or monarch is identified with the powerful aspects of whatever stars she or he was said to be born under. For example, St. Alessia, the First Empress, is traditionally associated with the constellation of The Thief, while her consort Morihaus took as his device the constellation of The Lord, and wore the Lord's Mail. So let us consider Ysmir, whose legend, as it happens, is known to me: did he ascend to the heavens to become The Warrior? That implies that the constellation was not there previously, which seems unlikely to me. Did he ascend to heaven by passing through his birthsign of The Warrior to achieve Aetherius beyond? Poetic, but possible, I suppose, at least for a figure of myth. Did Ysmir take The Warrior as his sigil because the Warrior represented his strengths, and was thus associated with that constellation even after his death (or passing, or assumption, or ascendance)? This seems to me the most likely explanation of all. However, others will certainly differ, and you may find their arguments more persuasive than mine."
- “What are the 'unstars' or 'not-stars' which are said to make up the constellation of The Serpent? Also, as the position of stars relative to each other (or at least to the Sun) is not fixed: if stars are holes in the sky, how do they move around?" – Feynn
- High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio says, “It is exactly this matter that has engaged some of our surviving Star-Gazers, a matter which they are studying under my direction. Though we have but an imperfect understanding of The Serpent, I believe the answer to your questions is implied in their statement: unlike the 'holes in the sky,' which are unmoving (at least in relation to each other), the so-called 'unstars' of The Serpent can move precisely because they are NOT stars. They resemble stars, however, in that they shine by night—but what is the nature of the light they are shining down upon us? It certainly isn't Varliance. What is it? Is it benevolent to mortals, or malevolent? These questions, I feel, are important, and much may depend on the answers."
- “I have a question about the constellation of The Shadow: with the exception of Sep the Serpent, we always heard that the stars are linked to Aetherius. But The Shadow seems odd, with the stories about the Shadowscales, and now I found this book in our archives called 'The Dark Husband' who links The Shadow with Sithis. Is that true? Is The Shadow a herald of Sithis? Is it really linked to Aetherius?" – Iszara the Restless, Singer of the Scenarist Guild
- High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio says, “Interesting, Iszara. I shall have to seek out the tome of which you speak. Certainly, in poetry and myth, The Shadow has been thematically linked by some with the unbeing and the void. However, some see The Shadow otherwise, as the mere obverse of Magnus' light, simply one of the many manifestations of the Anuic/Padomaic duality of the Mundus. In this regard, The Shadow would represent the void through which the stars shine—which once again associates it with the Abyss Beyond, albeit in a backhanded fashion. It is probably wisest to think about these aspects of reality as essences or qualities rather than personalities—though when we, as mere mortals, interact with them, our minds can only grasp them by perceiving them as personae."
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