Mara


 *  Not to be confused with Nir

 Mara is the goddess of love and mother-goddess in the Nine Divines pantheon. Her origins started in mythic times as a fertility goddess. In Skyrim, she's Goddess of love while in the Empire, Mother-Goddess. She is sometimes associated with Nir of the "Anuad", the female principle of the cosmos that gave birth to the creation. Depending on the specific religion, she's either married to Akatosh, Lorkhan or she's concubine of both. She appears in nearly every culture's pantheon on Tamriel. In Morrowind, she appears in the form of Ama Nin.

Worship
Mara has instructed her followers to: "Live soberly and peacefully. Honor your parents, and preserve the peace and security of home and family."

Temples
In Cyrodiil, Mara's main chapel is located in Bravil.

In Skyrim, Mara has a temple in Riften in which marriages can be carried out.

Connections to Arkay
Some sources, specifically the book Arkay the God, describe a process in which Mara transforms Arkay, an ordinary shopkeeper, into a god and his apotheosis.

It is possible that Mara was Akatosh's wife which would confirm she is Arkay's mother. However, it is unclear whether she was wife of Akatosh, Lorkhan or concubine of both.