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Hircine
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RELIGIOUS INFORMATION

PANTHEON Daedra

ARTIFACTS Savior's Hide

Hircine's Ring
Spear of the Hunter

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Hircine (in Daedric script, ) is the main

antagonist in The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon and the
Daedric Prince whose spirit is the hunt; the sports of
Daedra; the greatest game and the chase and
sacri9ce of mortals. He is known by the titles 'The
Huntsman of The Princes', 'The Father of Manbeasts'
and 'The Hungry Cat' to Khajiit.[1] The summoning
date of Hircine is the 5th of Mid Year. He is also the
creator of Lycanthropy.

By game

Hircine (Daggerfall)
Hircine (Bloodmoon)
Hircine (Oblivion)
Hircine (Quest)

Hircine (Skyrim)
Hircine (Online)

Background

“
The daedric prince Hircine is also known as the
Huntsman of the Princes, and the Father of
Manbeasts. He can call upon the Wild Hunt to
punish those who defy him.

SKYRIM LOADING SCREEN

Hircine, the Spirit of the Hunt's past, leads many to

argue. He himself was never mentioned or heard of in
the early histories of Nirn. Some scholars believe
because of this that Hircine was not one of the
original Daedric Princes and is, therefore, a spawn or
oUshoot, similar to Malacath. However this is often
shunned on account of Hircine creating
Lycanthropes, and the disease existing well into the
Merethic Era. Hircine also appears within the mortal
realm once every thousand years; but not to destroy,
like some princes, but to enjoy a great hunt known as
the Bloodmoon Prophecy.

Bloodmoon Prophecy

The Bloodmoon Prophecy is a legend of the Skaal, a

native group of Nords from Solstheim. It foretells the
Hunt of Hircine, an event which happens every era
when the Prince enters Mundus and releases his
Hounds upon the land. The Hunt is preceded by four
signs. The 9rst is the coming of the "Hounds," when
werewolves appear on the island. The second is the
"Fire from the Eye of Glass," a pillar of 9re which
appears on the surface of the frozen Lake Fjalding.
The third is the "Tide of Woe," a horker massacre, the
bodies of which then wash up all along the island's
northern coast. The 9nal sign is the namesake of the
prophecy: the "Bloodmoon," when Secunda turns
crimson from the blood of the Hunter's Prey.

After the four signs is something called the "Hunter's

Game," which varies from era to era. The game might
involve the hunting of an entire tribe or just one man.
After the hunt, Hircine returns to his realm for another
era. The most recent Bloodmoon Prophecy was in 3E
427. It took place within the Mortrag Glacier.

Popular opinion and

worship

Hircine as he appears during the events of Bloodmoon.

Hircine is one of the more worshipped or, to a certain

degree, accepted daedric princes. Although all daedra
are completely shunned by mainstream Imperial
society, he is often worshipped in greater numbers
compared to other daedra, even though he does not
necessarily care for it. He is the father of man-beasts
and is thusly worshipped by all kinds of lycanthropy-
infected creatures such as Werewolves, Wereboars,
Werebears, Werelions, and Werecrocodiles. He
respects and even praises these creatures if they
accomplish something in the hunt, a rare quality for a
Daedra. He is often seen as the most honored
huntsman to walk any plane of existence, and as such
is often looked up to by other hunters, 9shers, and
trappers.

Reachmen are particularly devoted to Hircine, and the

Prince is one of the most prominent spirits in their
mythology.[2] Oral traditions of the Reachmen
attribute 9ve aspects to Hircine; Alrabeg the Hunter,
Storihbeg the Man-Beast, Uricanbeg the Stag,
Gulibeg the Fox, and Hrokkibeg the Bear. Some
aspects also act as an emissary for Hircine's various
functions in Reachmen belief, primarily to the end of
culling the "weak" from the Prince's herd, for instance
Gulibeg is considered a trickster who deceives
mortals into foolish deaths, and Uricanbeg, as a stag,
functions to actually breed out "weakness".[3]

Personality

Daedric Princes are almost always looked on as evil

due to their destructive nature. While there is some
truth in this, this does not apply to all princes. Some
princes respect honor and fairness among their
subjects and are against dishonorable murder. Hircine
is typically considered to be in this category. While he
cannot exactly be seen as benevolent, he is very
honorable and always gives his prey a sporting
chance; he is even willing to be congratulatory to
those who were deemed as prey if they manage to
turn the hunt to their favor and become the hunters
in turn. He is not needlessly destructive like many of
his Daedric brethren. With those he does not care for
he is often neutral in his trades, unless they are his
prey.

Lycanthropy

Hircine is the patron and creator of the lycanthropic

condition. Evidence of this is given when, during the
Bloodmoon, Werewolves (also known as Hircine's
Hounds) acted as the hunters while the inhabitants of
Solstheim were their prey. The individual that can
defeat the hounds is honored and would receive
favors by the Prince himself, and face Hircine's aspect
in one-on-one combat. He is believed by devotees
and Hircine himself to be honored to be the prey of
the Prince, though very few have survived this battle.

One artifact can suppress the bloodlust suUered

under the lycanthropic condition; Hircine's Ring.
Sometime before the Warp in the West, this ring was
reported resurfaced in the Iliac Bay. The ring makes
the Lycanthrope wielder able to turn to beast form or
back at will and suppress the hunger. During the
Bloodmoon in Solstheim, the enchantment somehow
was changed. The ring can allow any person to turn
to beast form at will, but for lycanthropes the
bloodlust is still there.

On a side note, the witches of the Glenmoril Wyrd

Coven of High Rock are known to be worshippers of
Hircine, and they will often perform a summoning for
anyone that can pay their price. The witches are also
able to cure anyone of Lycanthropy, an ability that is
alluded to in the book.

The infected person, with the assistance of the

witches, must perform a ritual called The Rite of the
Wolf Giver. It is an elaborate ritual of dark magicka,
requiring the sacri9ce of both besh and innocence.
Also, certain ingredients, which are petals of a
wolfsbane bower and one bunch of ripened
belladonna berries, are needed by the witches to
concoct a potion for the rite.

Artifacts

One particularly famous artifact of Hircine, and the

one he is most commonly associated with is the
Cuirass of the Savior's Hide.[4][5]

The book Tamrielic Lore has this to say about the

Cuirass:

"The Cuirass has the special ability to resist magicka.

Legend has it that Hircine rewarded his peeled hide
to the Jrst and only mortal to have ever escaped his
hunting grounds. This unknown mortal had the hide
tailored into this magical Cuirass for his future
adventures. The Savior's Hide has a tendency to
travel from hero to hero as though it has a mind of its
own."

This artifact has surfaced multiple times, such as in

Battlespire Crisis, where it is required to wield the
Spear of Bitter Mercy.[6] Another occasion when it
was shown was in Tel Fyr, the house of Divayth Fyr.
Divayth, an ancient House Telvanni Wizard and also
an artifact collector, was once able to procure the
artifact. He then invites Thieves to steal them from
the Corprusarium.[7] It then later appears in the
Oblivion Crisis, as a reward for completing the
Hircine's Shrine Quest.

Another artifact gifted by Hircine is the Ring of

Hircine, available in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The
ring allows the wearer additional werewolf
transformations each day. At the end of the quest,
the player must select to side with the werewolf or
the hunters. If the player sides with the werewolf then
they get the Ring of Hircine whereas siding with the
hunters gives the player the Savior's Hide. An
alternative is to side with the werewolf and to get the
ring and then kill and skin him before leaving the
grotto.[8]

The Rueful Axe was created by Clavicus Vile so the

father of a Hircine worshipper could cure his
daughter's curse by killing her.

History

Umbriel Crisis

In 4E 48, Prince Attrebus and Sul needed a fast way

to travel to Vivec City. Sul had made a trail which
ended in Morrowind to escape from Oblivion when he
was trapped in Umbriel. They decided to use an
inactive Oblivion Gate from the Oblivion Crisis to
access such trail, but they ended up in Hircine's
Hunting Grounds. Hircine and his beasts gave chase
to the intruders. Sul knew where the door that would
take them out of Hircine's realm was, so they
mounted the Khajiits from Faashe clan.

Hircine would not show up until after dark, when he

would attack with a pack of werewolves. They
eventually heard the voice of a horn sound incredibly
deep; Hircine was approaching. They were still 9fty
yards away from the portal, so Lesspa and the
remaining Khajiits sacri9ced to buy time for Attrebus
and Sul. They fought against Hircine, presumably
dying.[1]

Quests

Hircine, as summoned in Daggerfall.

In The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, the Hero of

Daggerfall contacted Hircine through the Glenmoril
Witches and won Hircine's Ring in exchange for
hunting a rogue Wereboar.

In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the Nerevarine

received one of his artifacts, the Spear of Bitter Mercy,
as a reward for killing a Giant Bull Netch with the Fork
of Horripilation. Although in this case, the spear was a
reward from Sheogorath, it is more usually associated
with Hircine. The Nerevarine fought and defeated
Hircine when he attempted to enter the mortal plane
in Solstheim. Hircine's typical lackeys on the mortal
realm Nirn are werewolves, which he directly talks to,
gives tasks, and rewards with additional powers.
Hircine hosts a great hunt every era, pitting various
prey of his choosing against one another. The exact
nature of each hunt varies from era to era.

Shrine of Hircine.

Several years later, in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, he

requested that the Champion of Cyrodiil hunt for a
unicorn's horn, oUering the Savior's Hide as a reward.

In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, it is revealed that the

Circle of the Companions are werewolves as a result
of Terrfyg, a Harbinger of the Companions, having
made a deal with the Glenmoril Witches for power in
exchange for Hircine bringing them to his Hunting
Grounds instead of Sovngarde upon death. The
Witches are slain by the Last Dragonborn, who uses
the head of one of them to posthumously cure Kodlak
Whitemane, the latest Harbinger, of his lycanthropy so
that he can go to Sovngarde instead of the Hunting
Grounds.

Later on, a Nord werewolf named Sinding stole the

Ring of Hircine in an attempt to control his
transformations. However, this plan back9red when
Hircine cursed the ring, causing Sinding to transform
at random, killing a child and ending up in jail. Soon
after, the Dragonborn met Sinding, who tasked the
Dragonborn to take the ring and free it from its curse
by hunting the White Stag, before escaping from jail.
Hircine then requested that the Dragonborn hunt
Sinding down and tear the skin from his body. After
confronting Sinding a second time, the Dragonborn
was left with the choice to kill him in order to receive
Hircine's favor and the Savior's Hide or to kill the other
hunters trying to get Hircine's favor and receive the
uncursed ring. Whichever option the Dragonborn
chose, Hircine will be pleased with the results; if the
Dragonborn helps Sinding, Hircine says that the
important thing is that a hunt took place, regardless
of who was the hunter and who was the hunted.

Trivia

Hircine means "of, pertaining to, or resembling a

goat."
Hircine in Bloodmoon is voiced by Jonathan
Bryce.
Hircine in Skyrim is voiced by Craig Sechler, who
voiced the male Altmer, Bosmer, and Dunmer for
Oblivion. Craig Sechler also voiced Gallus, and
Peryite for Skyrim.

Appearances

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (mentioned only)[4][5]
The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

An Elder Scrolls Novel: The Infernal City
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls Online: Horns of the Reach
(mentioned only)

The Elder Scrolls Online: Wolfhunter

The Elder Scrolls Online: Markarth (mentioned
only)

References

f. ↑ 1.0 1.1 An Elder Scrolls Novel: The Infernal City,

part three chapter seven
g. ↑ Great Spirits of the Reach: Volume 2
h. ↑ Aspects of Lord Hircine
i. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tamrielic Lore
j. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Modern Heretics
k. ↑ An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire
l. ↑ The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
m. ↑ The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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