Lore:House of Dibella

Dibella

House of Dibella

"At the House of Dibella, we seek truth through beauty and the worship of the embodiment of beauty, the Goddess Dibella. Dibella smiles on those who give generously to our House. She grants charm and grace to donors. In proportion to their generosity, of course. We are always interested in new initiates to the House of Dibella, though only those possessing skills in the promotion of harmony. To be honest, very few qualify." — A Follower of Dibella in Daggerfall

The House of Dibella (archaically known as the Diblashuut) is the temple dedicated to Dibella the Blessed Lady, Goddess of Beauty and Love. They are generally the place of worship for Dibella. The priests and priestesses within are epicureans and orgiasts who aspire for the beauty of the form and mind. Their establishments are known to teach healing. The Order of the Lily is the House of Dibella's militant arm, and the Benevolence of Mara is considered their allies. The House of Dibella is considered enemies of the Akatosh Chantry, the Order of Arkay, and the cult of Sanguine. Members of the house are known as Dibellites.

Further Information

Dibella says: Open your heart to the noble secrets of art and love. Treasure the gifts of friendship. Seek joy and inspiration in the mysteries of love.
—Seventh Command of the Ten Commands

The House of Dibella has existed for thousands of years, roughly as far back as 1E 221. One of their everlasting missions is to preserve great works of art. And their scouts are spread across Tamriel attempting to keep this tradition. To this day, the House of Dibella has developed a detailed network of archaeologists, couriers, and dealers who are paid well in this pursuit.

Alabaster Dibella Statuettes depicting her emerging from her bath were produced at the House of Dibella in Anvil. The House of Dibella is keep three to four milk-white cats known as the Milady's Cloud Cat in their temples. They are considered sacred to Dibella, as they are seen as her representation in the animal kingdom. An alternate type of temple is called a Dibellaseum, a consecrated love-nest.

The ranks of the House of Dibella follow as such; Novice, Initiate, Acolyte, Adept, Curate, Disciple, Brother/Sister, Diviner, Master, and the Patriarch/Matriarch which typically leads the temple. but in the Chapel of Dibella in Anvil, it is overseen by the Primate. That is because the parishes of Cyrodiil form together as the Church, the main body of religion in the province. Each of the primates comes together as the Council of the Nine and represent their respective divine.

The House of Dibella has chapters all over Tamriel. It was present in every region across the Iliac Bay but the house was the main religious force in four nations; Koegria, Menevia, Pothago, and Tigonus. In Cyrodiil, they are based in Anvil, the province's only port on the Abecean Sea. In Skyrim, the House of Dibella occupies the temple in Markarth but it is unknown when it was established since it was previously the Shrine of the Hunt-Father under Reach-occupied Markarth in the Interregnum. In Black Marsh, the house runs a Dibellaseum on Gideon's main street, in a region of Blackwood where Dibella worship is historically prevalent.

There are several sub-factions within the House of Dibella, such as the Apothecaries of Dibella and Mixers of Dibella, who sell and create potions respectively. Summoners of Dibella, who can summon daedric princes on their summoning days for a fee, and the Teachers of Dibella, who offer training in skills that the House of Dibella take priority over in learning, which includes, daedric, etiquette, illusion magic, lockpicking, long blade, the nymph language, orcish, and restoration magic.

Order of the Lily

The Order of the Lily (or the Lily Order) is the militant arm of the House of Dibella, known to enforce the divine's will and protect the temple with their lives. They are said to be consumed with the propagation of beauty, giving them the willpower to protect themselves sufficiently.

The Sibyl

Each chapter of the temple revolves around the Sibyl (also spelled as Sybil), the spiritual leader of the House of Dibella, who directly preach the will and prophecy of Dibella. The process where a new Sibyl is chosen is called the Exalted Protocol of the Dibellan Sybil. It is said that Dibella herself will choose her Sibyl and create a divine revelation to a congregation, so they may retrieve them. Sibyls occasionally use silver finger cymbals assembled with Dibellan symbols in their rituals. In Markarth the position of Sybil was typically given to a Reachwoman selected as a child to spend her whole life in devotion and communion with the goddess.

Known Sibyls

• Augustine Viliane — Lived in Wayrest during the Interregnum, in 2E 582.
• Unnamed Sibyl — Lived in Gideon circa 2E 582, Sister Sibyl of Augustine Viliane
• Lady Siquine — Lived in Camlorn circa 2E 582
• Unnamed Reachfolk Sibyl — Lived in Markarth, but died in 4E 201
• Fjotra — Lived in Karthwasten and was brought to the House of Dibella in Markarth in 4E 201.

Known Primates

• The Third Era
  • Dumania Jirich (3E ? – 3E 433)

Gallery

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  The Great Chapel of Dibella in Anvil

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  The Temple of Dibella in Markarth

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  The Temple of Dibella in Gideon

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  Dancers in the House of Dibella

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  Sibyl Augustine Viliane

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  The Milady's Cloud Cat

See Also

• For game-specific information on the temple, see the Daggerfall article.
• For game-specific information on the knightly order, see the Daggerfall article.

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.