Oghma Infinium

Not to be confused with Oghma.

The Oghma Infinium (Plural: Oghmas Infinium)^{[UL 1]} is a powerful Daedric artifact belonging to the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora. It is an ancient tome of knowledge written by Xarxes, the wizard sage and scribe also known as "The Ageless One." The Oghma Infinium is given to Hermaeus Mora's champion upon completion of a specific task or quest. Once read, it disappears, returning to Hermaeus Mora's realm in Oblivion, Apocrypha.

By game[]

• Oghma Infinium (Arena)
• Oghma Infinium (Daggerfall)
• Oghma Infinium (Oblivion)
• Oghma Infinium (Skyrim)
• Oghma Infinium (Online)

Description[]

The Oghma Infinium is a book bound in different skins. The inside contains ancient writings and a runic wheel.

The tome was written by Xarxes, the wizard sage and scribe also known as "The Ageless One," and contains the knowledge of the ages as revealed to Xarxes by Hermaeus Mora.^[1]

History[]

Third Era[]

In 3E 389, the Eternal Champion acquired the Oghma Infinium from either Elsweyr or Skyrim.^[2]

In 3E 405, the Hero of Daggerfall received the Oghma Infinium as a reward for killing a noble for Hermaeus Mora.^[3]

In 3E 433, the Hero of Kvatch received the Oghma Infinium at Hermaeus Mora's Shrine after harvesting a soul from a member of each of the sentient races of Tamriel in a special soul gem.^[4]

Fourth Era[]

At some point, the Oghma Infinium was sealed inside an Dwemer lockbox, located in a cave northeast of Skyrim. To retrieve it, Hermaeus Mora tricked a follower of his, Septimus Signus, with the task of opening the lockbox by claiming it was the Heart of Lorkhan that was inside.^[5]

To open the lockbox, Signus needed the knowledge of an Elder Scroll. To this end, Signus sent the Dragonborn, who had come visited the cave in 4E 201, to Blackreach with a blank Dwemer lexicon to inscribe the information of an Elder Scroll on to. The information informed Signus that he needed the blood of a Dwemer to open the lockbox, but since the Dwemer were extinct, he opt to create a facsimile. He sent the Dragonborn to acquire the blood of various elven races so he could inject himself with the mixture and open the lockbox.^[6] Once the lockbox was opened, Signus was turned to dust and Hermaeus Mora granted the Oghma Infinium to the Dragonborn, hoping they would use the tome's knowledge and serve as his new champion.^[1]

Trivia[]

• Using Oghma as the word "knowledge" and translating the Latin phrase "Ad Infinium," the book's English title is revealed as "Knowledge to Infinity" or "Infinite Knowledge."
• In Gaelic mythology, Oghma (along with his sister Brighid) is one of the twin gods of wisdom and enlightenment. He specifically rules over literature and poetry.
• In Skyrim, a page of the Oghma Infinium features a symbol similar to a vegvísir.

References[]