Mephala is the Daedric Prince of obfuscation and secrecy, known as the Webspinner, the Spinner, the Spider and the Androgyne. Some say her sphere is lies, sex, murder and secrets; others say it is simply too obscure for mortals. In Skyrim she does not get a shrine of her own. Instead she whispers from behind a locked door in Dragonsreach in Whiterun, where she goes by the Whispering Lady and has clearly been keeping busy.
In Skyrim
Her quest is The Whispering Door. The Ebony Blade has been sealed in a warded room in the palace, and only the Jarl and the court wizard hold keys. Mephala has been working on Nelkir, the youngest son of Jarl Balgruuf, feeding him secrets such as the fact that his mother is not the same as his siblings’, which has turned the boy sour toward his father.
When you look into rumours about the Jarl’s troubled children, Nelkir tells you about the door and the voice behind it. Mephala then speaks to you directly and asks you to open it. Inside waits the Ebony Blade, which grows stronger as you use it to kill people who trust you; she will sometimes comment when you do. See our Daedric artifacts page for the other Prince rewards.
Lore
Mephala is one of the three good Daedra of the Dunmer, with Azura and Boethiah. She taught the Chimer to evade enemies and kill in secret, and with Boethiah organised the clan system that became the Great Houses. Morrowind’s Morag Tong honour her as patron and founder. Some writers even suspect she is the Night Mother of the Dark Brotherhood, though nobody can confirm it, which is very on-brand. Her servants are the spider Daedra. In the Fourth Era, Elder Othreloth in Raven Rock names her as one of the Reclamations (Dragonborn).
Good to know
- She once dealt with Sanguine for twenty-seven tokens for her followers, which the Dark Brotherhood later stole.
- In Oblivion she rewarded the Hero of Kvatch with the Ebony Blade after setting two families at each other’s throats.
- Her spider Daedra servants are so fierce and irrational that even she cannot count on them to obey.
Details checked against community wiki articles and the Skyrim game files, written in our own words.
