The Seasons:
Morning Star — the Ritual
Sun's Dawn — the Lover
First Seed — the Lord
Rain's Hand — the Mage
Second Seed — the Shadow
Midyear — the Steed
Sun's Height — the Apprentice
Last Seed — the Warrior
Hearthfire — the Lady
Frostfall — the Tower
Sun's Dusk — the Atronach
Evening Star — the Thief
"The Stars Welcome You!"
​ It is common knowledge that the sun and stars are bridges to Aetherius, the magic plane, created when the Magna Ge followed Magnus in fleeing Mundus during the Dawn Era, thus tearing holes in Oblivion (that we mortals see as the night sky.) We Altmer deem the Empyrean light that shines through these holes to be sacred, and thus will often swear by it or invoke its blessing, or indeed, by the stars themselves.
However, it is less well-known that because the Altmer were the first to discover the influence stars had on the world — and are therefore very well versed with the different star constellations and their influences — Aednavorith (the study of genealogy and ancestry) places great significance on the time and date of birth of an individual. Indeed, Altmer will often specially conceive children on certain days so that they will be born under a particular constellation of stars.
The Mages Guild teaches that learning the secrets of the spheres and their celestial dance is a requirement for any self-respecting mage, and such studies begin with the constellations and their influences. Excerpts here are from The Firmament by Ffoulke, with annotations of additional information gathered from an ancient Ayleid ruin in eastern Grahtwood, the name of which is long forgotten, but is known today as the 'Ossuary of Telacar':
The Stars of Tamriel are divided into thirteen constellations. Three of them are the major constellations, known as the Guardians. These are the Warrior, the Mage, and the Thief. Each of the Guardians protects its three Charges from the thirteenth constellation, the Serpent.
When the sun rises near one of the constellations, it is that constellation's season. Each constellation has a Season of approximately one month. The Serpent has no season, for it moves about in the heavens, usually threatening one of the other constellations.
The Warrior
The Warrior is the first Guardian Constellation and he protects his charges during their Seasons. The Warrior's own season is Last Seed when his Strength is needed for the harvest. His Charges are the Lady, the Steed, and the Lord. Those born under the sign of the Warrior are skilled with weapons of all kinds, but prone to short tempers.
​The Lady
The Lady is one of the Warrior's Charges and her Season is Heartfire. Those born under the sign of the Lady are kind and tolerant.
Many possess an inner strength not obvious to those around them.
The Lord
The Lord's Season is First Seed and he oversees all of Tamriel during the planting. Those born under the sign of the Lord are stronger and healthier than those born under other signs.
The Steed
The Steed is one of the Warrior's Charges, and her Season is Mid Year. Those born under the sign of the Steed are impatient and always hurrying from one place to another.
With strong endurance, they tirelessly arrive where they are heading.
The Mage
The Mage is a Guardian Constellation whose Season is Rain's Hand when magicka was first used by men. His Charges are the Apprentice, the Golem, and the Ritual. Those born under the Mage have more magicka and talent for all kinds of spellcasting, but are often arrogant and absent-minded.
The Apprentice
The Apprentice's Season is Sun's Height. Those born under the sign of the apprentice have a special affinity for magick of all kinds, but are more vulnerable to magick as well.
They are blessed with its gifts and cursed with a vulnerability to its power.
The Atronach
The Atronach (often called the Golem) is one of the Mage's Charges. Its season is Sun's Dusk. Those born under this sign are natural sorcerers with deep reserves of magicka, but they cannot generate magicka of their own.
The Ritual
The Ritual is one of the Mage's Charges and its Season is Morning Star. Those born under this sign have a variety of abilities depending on the aspects of the moons and the Divines
The Thief
The Thief is the last Guardian Constellation, and her Season is the darkest month of Evening Star. Her Charges are the Lover, the Shadow, and the Tower. Those born under the sign of the Thief are not typically thieves, though they take risks more often and only rarely come to harm. They will run out of luck eventually, however, and rarely live as long as those born under other signs.
The Lover
The Lover is one of the Thief's Charges and her season is Sun's Dawn. Those born under the sign of the Lover are graceful and passionate.
The Shadow
The Shadow's Season is Second Seed. The Shadow grants those born under her sign the ability to hide in shadows.
The Tower
The Tower is one of the Thief's Charges and its Season is Frostfall. Those born under the sign of the Tower have a knack for finding gold and can open locks of all kinds.
The Serpent
The Serpent wanders about in the sky and has no Season, though its motions are predictable to a degree. No characteristics are common to all who are born under the sign of the Serpent. Those born under this sign are the most blessed and the most cursed.
Those born under its sign are enigmas, often the most blessed and cursed of all.
The Planets
The planets are the gods and the planes of the gods, which is the same thing. That they appear as spherical heavenly bodies is a visual phenomena caused by mortal mental stress. Since each plane(t) is an infinite mass of infinite size, as yet surrounded by the Void of Oblivion, the mortal eye registers them as bubbles within a space. Planets are magical and impossible. The eight planets correspond to the Eight Divines.
— Temple Zero Society, Cosmology
AKA - Akatosh (Auri-El)
KYN - Kynareth
ZN - Zenithar (Xen)
D - Dibella
MR - Mara
AR - Arkay (Xarxes)
JUL - Julianos
ST - Stendarr
​
MS - Masser
S - Secunda
The Moons
In short, the Moons were and are the two halves of Lorkhan's 'flesh-divinity'. Like the rest of the Gods, Lorkhan was a plane(t) that participated in the Great Construction... except where the Eight lent portions of their heavenly bodies to create the mortal plane(t), Lorkhan's was cracked asunder and his divine spark fell to Nirn as a shooting star "to impregnate it with the measure of its existence and a reasonable amount of selfishness."
Masser and Secunda therefore are the personifications of the dichotomy-- the "Cloven Duality," according to Artaeum-- that Lorkhan legends often rail against:
ideas of the anima/animus, good/evil, being/nothingness, the poetry of the body, throat, and moan/silence-as-the- abortive, and so on -- set in the night sky as Lorkhan's constant reminder to his mortal issue of their duty.
— Fal Droon, The Lunar Lorkhan
Nirn
Nirn (Ehnofex for 'Arena') is a finite ball of matter and magic made from all of the god planets at the beginning of time, when Lorkhan tricked/convinced/forced the gods to create the mortal plane. Nirn is the mortal plane and the mortal planet, which is the same thing. Its creation upset the cosmic balance; now all souls (especially the Aedra-Daedra/Gods-Demons) have a vested interest in Nirn (especially its starry heart, Tamriel).
— Temple Zero Society, Cosmology
