Sheogorath is the Daedric Prince of Madness in the world of The Elder Scrolls. He is a powerful entity that revels in chaos and insanity. Thus, there are plenty of magical stories centered around him.
While Sheogorath is present in multiple Elder Scrolls titles, he’s most memorable in Oblivion, where he plays a prominent role in The Shivering Isles DLC. It’s in this game that the player gets to learn more about the Prince of Madness and how he came to be. By the end of the expansion, it’s even heavily hinted that the Hero of Kvatch becomes Sheogorath.
The Daedric Prince of Madness
The Daedric Prince Sheogorath of The Elder Scrolls lore is known by many names, such as Lord of the Never-There, the Madgod, and the Gentleman With a Cane, among others. He rules over the Shivering Isles, which is his personal realm of Oblivion, but also departs to walk among mortals every now and then. The book “Myths of Sheogorath” tells a few fantastical tales about the Madgod’s misadventures.
One story tells of how he created music by turning the body parts of a young woman into musical instruments. In another, he curses a king who outlaws any form of art in his land. The Elder Scrolls’ Sheogorath appears to the king and says, “I am Lord of the Creative and Lord of the Deranged. Since you have no use for my gifts of creativity, I have decided to bless you with an abundance of my other gift.” Following this, every child born in the king’s land grew up mad, even the king’s son, who eventually killed his father.
That said, Sheogorath wasn’t always like this. In The Shivering Isles DLC of Oblivion, the player learns that he used to be the Daedric Prince of Order, Jyggalag. A long time ago, Jyggalag was a powerful prince in The Elder Scrolls who held much sway over Oblivion. He was so powerful that the other Daedric Princes feared him. Thus, to limit Jyggalag’s abilities the other Daedric Princes transformed him into Sheogorath — the very antithesis of what he once was.
The Shivering Isles and Greymarch
When Jyggalag turned into Sheogorath, he became ruler of The Shivering Isles in Oblivion, which was likely Jyggalag’s old realm of Oblivion. The land was then split into two primary regions — Mania and Dementia. This stood for the Madgod’s split personality, and the two distinct “shades of madness.” Mania had rolling hills and bright landscapes, symbolizing the almost frenzied euphoria that came with madness. Meanwhile, Dementia featured a swampland, filled with fog and darkness, symbolizing an unhinged calmness that was also characteristic of madness.
There are other minor regions in The Shivering Isles, often populated by either mortals or daedra of The Elder Scrolls world. These include The Fringe and the small settlement of Passwall. However, the most notable is on the far east of the Isles: New Sheoth, the capital city. Much like the rest of the land, it’s also divided into the two sections of madness, and Sheogorath’s castle lies at the center. Finally, there are also strange, crystal-like structures scattered around The Shivering Isles. These are known as Obelisks of Order, and they play a part in a repeating event known as the Greymarch.
Greymarch occurs at the end of every era. Here, Sheogorath reverts to Jyggalag who then seeks to retake The Shivering Isles through brute force. The Obelisks of Order serve as power sources for the Daedric Prince’s minions, and so long as they are active, Jyggalag’s Priests will never die. However, once Jyggalag has thoroughly destroyed The Shivering Isles, he changes back to Sheogorath, who then spreads his madness across the land once more. It’s a never-ending cycle of spreading chaos and then destroying it.
Sheogorath is aware of this inevitable cataclysmic event and has tried different methods to stop it. In Oblivion, he seeks the help of a mortal champion in The Elder Scrolls — the Hero of Kvatch.
Sheogorath in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
Sometime in the Third Era, Sheogorath opened a portal to The Shivering Isles on the waters of Niben Bay. He was aware that the Greymarch was fast approaching and was looking for a champion to help him contain it. When the player first enters The Shivering Isles, they meet Haskill, Sheogorath’s chamberlain, who comments that his lord’s plan to stop the Greymarch is a foolish one. Regardless, he points the Oblivion player to where they can find Sheogorath and potentially become his champion.
To meet with the Madgod himself, the player must travel across The Shivering Isles until they reach New Sheoth. There, Sheogorath will send them on a number of tasks that will cement the player as his champion. This includes an Elder Scrolls quest wherein the player must become a Duke or Duchess of either Mania or Dementia. According to Sheogorath, gaining the title will give his people someone to follow while he’s gone.
Despite all the preparations, Sheogorath still transforms into Jyggalag and disappears, but Haskill informs the player that not all is lost. The chamberlain instructs the player to repair the Staff of Sheogorath as the person who wields the staff effectively rules over The Shivering Isles. Once this is done, the Hero of Kvatch battles against Jyggalag, defeating him and ending the Greymarch. With the cycle cut short, Jyggalag will no longer change back into Sheogorath. He’s free to roam the realms of Oblivion as he pleases.
Before Jyggalag departs, however, he speaks to the player, referring to them as Sheogorath. Haskill does the same when the player returns to the castle. He also explains that they’ve acquired all of the Madgod’s past benefits and duties, plus their artifacts, like the famed Staff of Sheogorath. Thus ends the main quest of The Shivering Isles DLC, with the player effectively taking on the role of the Daedric Prince of Madness. Given this, it is believed that the Sheogorath who appears in Skyrim is actually the Hero of Kvatch.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.