Skyrim: Hircine’s Spear Of Bitter Mercy’s Brutal Elder Scrolls Origins

The Spear of Bitter Mercy is an ancient artifact mentioned in many titles of The Elder Scrolls series that has a particularly brutal history. This weapon was crafted by the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon and is said to be so deadly that even a single touch from the Spear of Bitter Mercy would be enough to kill any being aside from the most powerful of High Daedra Lords. It bears this threatening inscription:

“Spear of Bitter Mercy, Lightning in the hand, My point bites deep, I end the chase, Even the mightiest are unmade by my touch.“

Mehrunes Dagon infused this weapon with his power to be used in the ritualistic Great Hunts, the favorite sport of the Daedra, and is meant to only be utilized by those bound to the rules of the Hunt. The spear came to be most strongly associated with Hircine as he is the Spirit and the Lord of The Hunt. The Spear of Bitter Mercy will reject any user deemed unworthy to wield it, just as many of the best Daedric artifacts in Skyrim.

Alrabeg the Hunter is one of the Five Aspects of Hircine and wielder of the Spear of Bitter Mercy. The Aspects of Hircine are described like the fingers of a hand, they represent extensions of Hircine’s influence. Alrabeg is known to come to Nirn from the Hunting Grounds to bring prey to new forests or to enjoy a good hunt.

The Tale Of Thane Icehammer In The Elder Scrolls

One legend of the Spear of Bitter Mercy’s cruel nature tells of Thane Icehammer, a Nord who lived in eastern Eastmarch sometime in the fifth century of the First Era before Red Mountain had erupted on Vvardenfell for the first time. As told in The Legend of Thane Icehammer from Elder Scrolls Online. He was said to be jovial and wise, known by many for his reliably good cheer. The Thane took an extended hunting trip north to the Yorgrim River Basin and returned a changed man. No longer his familiar boisterous self, he was now dour and short-tempered, becoming even more so with each passing week.

While out hunting, Icehammer had unknowingly slain several different types of Elder Scrolls were-creatures. This greatly angered Hircine, who is often referred to as the Father of Manbeasts and likewise calls all were-creatures his children. In retaliation, Hircine attacked Thane Icehammer with the Spear of Bitter Mercy, breaking off one tip of the spear in the man’s side. The power of the spear lodged in his abdomen caused Thane Icehammer to begin losing his mind.

Matron Icehammer, displeased by her husband’s new bitter disposition, sent for an acolyte of Kyne to investigate. She observed Thane Icehammer’s behavior for one day and one night, asking him questions to try and determine what had made him so angry. Hours into the investigation she noticed a stain on his tunic had been slowly growing all the time they’d been together and ripped away his shirt to reveal the festering wound. No signs of healing were apparent despite months having passed since his encounter with Hircine, bestower of werewolf powers in Skyrim, and the tip of the spear reportedly glowed from its position in his flank. With his secret out he lamented, “He [Hircine] said I should never have hunted the were-creatures, but how was I supposed to know what they were?“

Thane Icehammer flew into a rage and struck the acolyte of Kyne, killing her. Matron Icehammer was horrified by her husband’s actions and demanded the local watch apprehend him, though he fled they chased him west into the nearby ancient burial vault. As the watch prepared to follow him inside, Matron Icehammer interrupted saying he was a monster that wasn’t worth risking their lives over and suggested they seal him alive inside the vault instead. He may still lurk his burial tomb, fueled by a powerful Daedric artifact that won’t let him die and a maddening pain.

Additional Accounts Of The Spear Of Bitter Mercy In The Elder Scrolls

The Spear of Bitter Mercy was involved in uncharacteristic treachery near the end of the Imperial Simulacrum. Mehrunes Dagon’s forces attacked the Battlespire, a training facility for battlemages, and an apprentice, a protagonist in The Elder Scrolls series, found himself the prey in a Great Hunt. Herne minions of Mehrunes Dagon were the huntsman, with one in particular named Egahirn given the honor of killing the prey as it was his first Hunt.

These Great Hunts are also referred to as the Ritual of the Innocent Quarry and involve many checks and balances to ensure a fair Hunt for both the huntsman and the innocent quarry, as the event is only considered honorable if these guidelines are met. One such Law of the Hunt dictates the prey must be given a reasonable chance at escape. This requirement is usually fulfilled by the inclusion of six keys the prey must collect in order to escape the Hunt unscathed.

Egahirn decided to shamefully defile the sanctity of the Hunt by hiding one of the six keys needed to escape the Hunt on his person, unfairly dooming his prey. This decision ultimately led to his downfall through the use of another of Hircine’s Artifacts, the Saviour’s Hide, present in Skyrim, which protects its wearer from attacks by oathbreakers. The apprentice wearing the Saviour’s Hide was able to gain control of the Spear of Bitter Mercy and slay Egahirn to eventually escape the Hunt and return to Nirn.

Despite being an enigma to the people of Tamriel, the Spear of Bitter Mercy has managed to spread its influence far and wide as a symbol of Hircine’s power. Although its canonicity is up in the air, the Creation Club add-on Goblins reveals that the Spear of Bitter Mercy mysteriously appeared in the hands of a goblin hunter named Gogh around 4E 201, who became fiercely protective of his prize. The spear rejected anyone else that attempted to wield it.

His tribe would one day run into an orc stained blue by the native Steel Blue Entoloma mushrooms. The goblins believed him to be an Aspect of Malacath, one of Skyrim’s most underrated Daedric Princes, due to his bright blue appearance. The goblins made him their shaman and began obeying his word as law. Eventually, Gogh would discover the orc reapplying his blue dye to keep up his stained appearance, the orc shaman sentenced him to death for what he had witnessed. Gogh would be rescued from his fate by The Elder Scrolls’ own Dragonborn and offer up his services with the Spear of Bitter Mercy as payment for saving his life.

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