Akatosh

"Come to me, Akatosh, for without you, my resolution falters, and my pen is still and dry, though all the seas were full of ink, and the sky my parchment of dawn."

- Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition

Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time, is the chief deity of the Nine Divines, the official religion of the varying Cyrodiilic empires, such as the Septim Empire and the Reman Dynasty. He represents the qualities of endurance, invincibility, and everlasting legitimacy. Along with Lorkhan, he is one of two deities found in every Tamrielic religion. He is generally considered to be the first of the Gods to form in the Beginning Place. After his establishment, other spirits followed his example, and the various pantheons of the world emerged. Before the Ages of Man suggests that he and Auri-El are the same being and that Auri-El is simply the Elven interpretation of him, but the book further confirms that after Akatosh's formation, time began. Akatosh is considered the god-defender of the Empire.