Boethiah is the Daedric Prince of deceit, conspiracy, treachery and the unlawful overthrow of authority. Most of Tamriel considers her plainly evil, but the Dunmer see her as a god-ancestor and one of their Good Daedra. In Skyrim she appears in female form, and her cultists gather at the Sacellum of Boethiah east of Windhelm. She also has a shrine in the temple at Raven Rock on Solstheim (Dragonborn).
In Skyrim
Her quest, Boethiah’s Calling, is easily the nastiest Daedric quest in the game. To get her attention you lure someone who trusts you onto the Pillar of Sacrifice and kill them. Boethiah then possesses the body, looks the situation over, and pits her cultists against one another (or against you) to see who is worth her time.
The real job comes after: her previous champion has grown lazy and uses her gifts for his own fun, so she wants him erased. You find him at Knifepoint Ridge, playing king to a band of bandits. Boethiah asks you to wipe out the whole gang as quietly as you can, then take back her Ebony Mail. She grumbles if you charge in like an angry mammoth, but either way the armor is yours. It sits alongside the other Prince rewards on our Daedric artifacts page.
Lore
Boethiah rules the realm of Attribution’s Share. In the Merethic Era she preached to Trinimac’s followers that mortal life was a trial to endure, then tricked Trinimac into her mouth when he tried to stop her; the Chimer exodus followed. Together with Azura and Mephala she shaped the Chimer into a separate people, which is why the Dunmer still revere her. Her followers like big tournaments to the death, and she is said to act more openly than any other Prince. The Ebony Mail has passed through many hands, including the Eternal Champion, the Hero of Daggerfall and the Nerevarine.
She is also a bitter rival of Molag Bal, which you can see for yourself in his own quest.
Good to know
- An unused quest, Boethiah’s Bidding, would have had the Dragonborn assassinate Elisif the Fair. It was cut before release.
- Followers make the easiest sacrifice for her shrine, so choose carefully.
- Her parting line, roughly that whatever you will shall be, is about as close to a blessing as she gets.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim game files, written in our own words.
