Oblivion talk:Easter Eggs/Archive 7

This is an archive of past Oblivion talk:Easter Eggs discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page, except for maintenance such as updating links.

Lorem ipsum

Just wanted to note that the text visible on said object is in Latin. Thought that that might be an interesting thing to add to the section on it. Brenman94 00:48, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Not that surprising, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum Jadrax 00:50, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Ah... I see now. I thought that the Latin was a bit...elementary... Thanks for clearing that up. Brenman94 04:02, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Morrowind reference that was overlooked

While i was talking to some people in skingrad, i asked about rumours to a man which i have completely lost the name of, and i lost my game.... he made a reference of a questionnaire from in the beggining of morrowind where it decides your class, it says you take a sweetroll and a group of thugs.... and this guy in skingrad had the same story. no one ever noticed it, i am the first! ALL HAIL ME!!! SIR SKRALL!!!!! ---Scott J. Marx/Eisenmann — Unsigned comment by 64.40.61.91 (talk) at 17:34 on 7 July 2010

Um, actually it was - take a look at the first point under 'Storylines', but thanks for spotting it! (Also, new headings are customarily put at the bottom of the page.) Empath 01:31, 8 July 2010 (UTC)

Through a Nightmare, Darkly not a Bible reference

I am pretty sure the name takes after the "Through a Scanner, Darkly", a popular science-fiction novel, but also including many popular remakes, such as the film adaptation. The book deals with various drug abuse and psychological evaluations, as well as many philosophical ideals, as well, which would explain the connection to Henatier and his dreams. The bible's verse, while memorable, doesn't seem to have as much reference. 75.120.233.94 20:27, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

The title may have been inspired from that book, but even the book takes it's title from the bible. The bible passage has also inspired many other titles also. -- Jplatinum16 20:56, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

Also, the Philip K. Dick novel you are referencing is simply "A Scanner Darkly"... annoying unsigned edit by anonymous user — Unsigned comment by 66.216.234.115 (talk) at 00:40 on 22 September 2010

Possible reference to Muse's Matthew Bellamy

The traitor to the dark Brotherhood, Matheiu Bellamont, could be a reference the frontman of Muse, Matthew Bellamy. Or maybe the designer's had no idea of the similarity of the names. Either way, it was a fun realization for me at least.

I don't believe that this is a real reference. It looks like the dev didn't realize the similarity.--^Corevette₇₈₉ 13:57, 26 July 2010 (UTC)

Blackwood = Blackwater?

I don't know about you lot, but I always thought the blackwood organisation in Oblivion was a reference to the modern Blackwater mercenary group, which was contracted for services to the US government in the Iraq war. Like the Oblivion equivalent, they also have a shady and controversial image. — Unsigned comment by 92.12.98.80 (talk) at 00:57 on 4 August 2010

Rumour about Strange creatures in Bravil Citizen's house?

I'm not sure if anyone knows about this, but the wizard living in Bravil, I think his name is Henatier, says that his friend has seen creatures around his house and he needs some help. I talked to this guy (I can't remember his name) but he doesn't say anything about these creatures. Just out of interest, I explored his house and it's perfectly normal, and there are no creatures in his house at all. Is this some sort of reference to another Elder Scrolls Quest or something?— Unsigned comment by 213.107.186.105 (talk) on 6 August 2010

Already here. --S'drassa ^•T2M 00:55, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Unmarked Cave "Secret" area?

I am currently "dungeon diving" so I can afford a house in Skingrad. My friend told me that Unmarked Cave has a good amount of treasure to loot. So I explored this cave and I think I must have missed something, as the next area "Maze" or something like that required a key. I explored the whole cave and I found no key at all. Have I missed something? Is there a quest I need to do to get in to the next area??— Unsigned comment by 213.107.186.105 (talk) on 6 August 2010

See here. --S'drassa ^•T2M 00:55, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Evil Dead series Easter Eggs

When you buy the house in Anvil and you do the quest with the ghosts, at the very end when the spirit is speaking to you he says "I live again!" and he says it exactly the same way Evil Ash says it in "Army of Darkness". also the Necronomicon (book of the Dead) is on the desk when you enter the room and it is written in blood. — Unsigned comment by 174.5.179.7 (talk) at 17:29 on 31 August 2010

While it's suggestive, there's not quite enough resemblance there that we can make the link. I mean, "I live again" could be a reference to the 1936 movie for all we know, and there are too many Necronomicon references in pop culture to count! If there were NPC names similar to the names of characters, cast or crew in the movie, then it would be a much clearer reference, and we could put it on the page. – Robin Hood↝talk 20:05, 31 August 2010 (UTC)

Palla/Lolita reference?

Having read Lolita and Palla both, I fail to see any similarity. Could someone point out the parallells between Humbert's affiliation with a sexually active prepubescent girl, and the Illusionist's desire for a dead Redguard. In fact, the ending seems slightly more reminiscent of Lovecraft's works. Am I missing something here? 216.82.142.13 21:17, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Well I've never read the book so I can't judge on style, but the stories don't seem to bear the slightest resemblance to each other. I've deleted it. Thanks for pointing out a particularly stupid "easter egg". rpeh •T•C•E• 21:32, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Having just read Palla last night, I'm sure it's an easter egg. Just read this excerpt on Lolita. Notice the similarities in introduction? Palla is divided into two parts; so is Lolita. Also, Humbert, the protagonist of Lolita, "rents a room in the house of Charlotte Haze, a widow. While Charlotte tours him around the house, he meets her 12-year-old daughter, Dolores (also known as Dolly, Lolita, Lola, Lo, and L), with whom he falls in love at first sight. Humbert stays at the house only to remain near her." (from Wikipedia): exact twist of Palla. Of course, there isn't a dev statement confirming this, but it's good evidence. I say it goes back on as an easter egg. — Unsigned comment by Jplatinum16 (talk • contribs) on 3 September 2010

But Palla isn't an innocent 12-year-old girl, she's the mother! It's more like The Graduate (the protagonist was still studying at the Mages Guild) than Lolita. rpeh •T•C•E• 23:27, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

It's backwards: He falls in love with the mother of a friend, but Humbert falls in love with the daughter of one. And both loves are forbidden: one is dead, and the other is 12 years old. It wouldn't seem that similar otherwise except for the style of writing and structure of plot. I know it's not the best argument for it though. -- Jplatinum16 23:39, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Well... I've always tried to keep easter eggs to the definition, and I don't think this one fits. The trouble is that the human brain is a very efficient pattern-matching device and everybody thinks they've spotted a deliberate link when it's mere coincidence. In cases like this, I think it's probable that the writers copied a certain style from various books (there are several books that read like something out of The Lord of the Rings or The Silmarillion for instance) but at some point you have to draw a line. Do we want to include sections that describe how it was Tolkien that changed Elves from being a bunch of irritating, mischief-making drunkards to being noble, wise and generally better than humans? Do we want to want lengthy easter egg statements about the derivation of the word "orc"?

Proper easter eggs are things like this. A vague similarity in writing between two books isn't one.

I think it's time I gave up on this though. People keep adding the most tangential references they can find and I end up looking like a bastard for taking them off. Fine. Somebody else can take care of it from now on. rpeh •T•C•E• 23:54, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict) I'll admit I only skimmed Palla, but I didn't see strong references. I can see the forbidden love similarity, but that could apply to a million stories or more. Like rpeh, I can't really comment on the style front, but from the excerpt you supplied, I don't see strong links there either, other than the fact that it's in first-person, which is uncommon.

And rpeh, I may take a much more lax definition of Easter Eggs than you do, but I have to agree—lately, a number of the suggestions have been, as you say, tangential...to put it mildly. – Robin Hood↝talk 00:01, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

No, don't give up rpeh. Did Daveh give up when starting the site with only a few editors wanting to help? Since there isn't any concrete evidence, I won't re-add it. It seems that the subjective content on the wiki has grown out of hand, and I'd rather not feed into that. -- Jplatinum16 00:13, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Dubious Eggs/Tentative Links

I just had two ideas that may resolve some of the concerns about more dubious Easter Eggs, or references/relationships that don't fit the definition of an Easter Egg:

Structure it like the Lore era pages, where a title menu could offer "Strict", "Not an Egg, or Likely-But-Not-Proven", and "Anything anybody ever though might even remotely be a link". ;) (Obviously we'd want to find better titles than those...that was just to give the right idea.)
- Or maybe "Strict", "Likely", "Not Quite an Egg", and keep the really dubious ones off the page altogether.
I think this one's probably a bad idea, since it would be creating another perma-{{Quality}}-tagged page, just when we're doing our best to get rid of a bunch, but a simpler version of the above would be to just create a "Tentative Links" page and dump everything there that's not a clear-cut Easter Egg.

I'm not at all invested in either of these ideas—as I said, I think the second one's probably a really bad idea—but I thought I'd throw them out there as "food for thought" and see what comes back. – Robin Hood↝talk 20:40, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Let's not give people an easy route to adding nonsense. We get enough really, really stupid "easter eggs" already without letting people add tentative ones.

Incidentally, from the outrageous but true dept, did you know that UESP is the #2 Google search for "Powdered Deer Penis"? Before anyone asks, I was seeing whether or not the bloody stupid "easter egg" about Weebam-Na and his recipe should stay. It shouldn't, but I want to give people a chance to see this for themselves. rpeh •T•C•E• 20:52, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

I think that most of these 'easter eggs' are no more than coincidences. Possibly, one could grab a bunnch of them and put them on the talk page until they are confirmed. --Arch-Mage Matt ^{Did I Do That?} 20:58, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

First: ROFL@rpeh.

But more importantly... I'm not surprised at the responses so far, and I really don't even disagree with them. I think a lot of people clearly agree with rpeh and Matt that many of the so-called Easter eggs aren't. Truthfully, if you were to pin me down, I would agree that they don't fit the definition either, it's just that many people's usage of the term (clearly, including my own) has evolved away from the actual definition over time...or they just never knew the original definition in the first place and call every interesting little tidbit an Easter egg. I certainly agree that Lucien Lachance being similar to Lucien Lacroix, for example, does not even remotely fit into the same category as finding the X-Box logo made out of gold coins (which I think is a fairly clear Easter egg and it's not even on the page).

Like both of you, I agree that some of what's on here can be cleaned off entirely, as it's neither an Easter egg nor even an "interesting little tidbit". There are other things, however, like the Lorem Ipsum text that probably weren't put there deliberately, but are interesting nevertheless, whatever you want to call them. If we want to go with a stricter definition of Easter egg on the article page, then stuff like this could probably just be moved to more relevant pages (maybe Oblivion:Books in this example?) where it can readily be put under "Notes", as we've done with a lot of similar things, without having to worry about what to call it. I certainly think that most of the character and place similarities could be moved to their respective pages and taken off here. – Robin Hood↝talk 23:13, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Where spirits have lease

"Where silence has lease" is the name of a Star Trek TNG episode, although I think it gets it's name from somewhere else. Could it have come from there?— Unsigned comment by 220.245.171.164 (talk) on 3 October 2010

Unless that there's another similarity to the quest aside from the name it doesn't warrant a mention on the page. --S'drassa ^•T2M 14:15, 3 October 2010 (UTC)

Lovecraft References

i'm surprised there is nothing about the numerous lovecraft references sprinkled throughout oblivion? — Unsigned comment by 174.93.92.147 (talk) at 05:20 on 15 October 2010

There's at least one in the Literature section in regards to A Shadow Over Hackdirt. What others have you spotted? – Robin Hood↝talk 05:41, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

Another WWI Reference?

At the beginning of the quest "Lifting the Vale", Countess Narina Carvain recounts the ancient war fought between the forces of Akavir and the army of Reman I, which bears great similarity to WWI. The Akaviri became unexpectedly engaged on a second front after invading by a force thought to be no real threat and were starved of resources, resulting in their demise, not unlike the Germans. I can't really remember much else of her story but I do think it holds enough significance to be an easter egg... --211.30.99.92 11:24, 20 December 2010 (UTC)

That's nothing like what happened in WWI. The Germans knew they were going to be facing a two-front war, and the Schlieffen Plan was specifically designed to finish the war on the western front as quickly as possible. If Moltke hadn't diverted ten divisions to the east it might have worked, too. rpeh •T•C•E• 11:46, 20 December 2010 (UTC)

It's very close really ... did you read the full sentence that I wrote? - "The Akaviri became unexpectedly engaged on a second front after invading by a force thought to be no real threat".

The Germans expected to easily pass through Belgium and crush France in 40-something days, however they faced unexpected resistance from the Belgians and the arrival of British forces, becoming unexpectedly engaged on a second front after invading by a force thought to be no real threat. Very similar to the story of the forces of Akavir don't you say?

On a side note, most historians these days argue that the Schlieffen Plan would not have succeeded even without von Moltke's modifications due to advances in technology and the over-reliance on the speed of marching infantry once in France, many of whom were unfit reserves. Just sayin'--211.30.99.92 07:13, 26 December 2010 (UTC)

Seems like more of a history discussion than game related...But anyway, I don't think that it is a clear enough reference to be considered and Easter Egg. --DKong27 ^{Talk Cont} 18:04, 26 December 2010 (UTC)

It's absolutely nothing like what happened in WWI. Please stop making absurd comparisons. rpeh •T•C•E• 08:26, 1 January 2011 (UTC)

Elven Armor and LotR

anyone notice how the elven armor and weapons look Very similar to the weapons the elves carry in lord of the rings? The armor of overlapping plates and curves blades are ver similair in shape, but with different pattern adornments. — Unsigned comment by 69.76.232.31 (talk) at 23:25 on 8 January 2011

I remember reading that Todd Howard said in an interview that the Lord of the Rings films strongly influenced him during the making of TES:IV. So it's possible that the similarities you listed are not references, but rather they are influences from LotR. --Tovenam 21:28, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

Still needs improvement?

This article seems pretty organized and taken care of, but is still on the,"Pages that need improving". What is it that this article is missing? Western3589 06:47, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

There are still several items on the page that could use a proper reference. rpeh •T•C•E• 06:53, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Ah, okay, and sorry for not putting a summary on the last few changes ive done here in the past 10 minutes. I used to edit on here awhile ago, im rusty. I'll do what I canWestern3589 07:00, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Improvement

"During the quest An Unexpected Voyage, your character is given the opportunity to claim, unsuccessfully, to be the ship's cook, mimicking dialogue from the Steven Seagal movie Under Siege"

I don't remember being that part of the quest, the general idea of the quest is inspired by the movie. So maybe changing this to," The quest An Unexpected Voyage, closely relates to the Stevean Seagul movie, Under Siege(1992), which involves a a group of mercenaries overtaking a boat while the main protagonist is unaware of the current event taking place.

Also is a plot synopsis to large of a verification to use for a small refrence to a certain scene in a movie? Western3589 08:00, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

It's definitely part of the quest. I think a plot summary is fair enough. rpeh •T•C•E• 08:04, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

I was referring to the claim of being the ships cook, during the quest. You can claim to be part of the gang, or imperial watch, but nothing about a cook, i think. However its been awhile since I've played the quest, so that's why I figured we should alter that line a little. — Unsigned comment by Western3589 (talk • contribs) on 19 January 2011

Yes, I know. It's definitely part of the quest. You can tell Selene "I'm just the ship's cook." to which she replies "There's no cook on board the Bloated Float! How dare you try and make a fool of me! After I deal with you, I'll feed your body to the slaughterfish!". rpeh •T•C•E• 08:25, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Can someone explain this easter egg?

Fafnir, the Nord guard of Summitmist Manor (and the alleged chest of gold within) is named for the greedy gold-guarding dragon of Nordic mythology in the Volsunga Saga.(ref)Volsunga Article(ref)

What? His name is consistant with other Nord names, and there is no reference to a dragon or the name Fafnir on the reference page. Can someone explain this? EDIT: My bad! Ill get used to signing eventually... --Catmaniac66 04:49, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

It is a reference because Fafnir the Dragon guarded a treasure horde and killed anyone who tried to claim it, Fafnir the Nord guards a house filled with people searching for a treasure horde, only to die in their search, so their roles are pretty much the same. Alpha Kenny Buddy 04:53, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

Exactly, this is exactly why I am trying to do the Easter egg page some justice and adding citations to the information, so these questions can be answered by simply looking at the verification. Western3589 05:00, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

Then you might want to find a different source, the link links to 1-8 chapters, in which there is no reference to Fafnir or a dragon, or gold.--Catmaniac66 05:04, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

My mistake, a link to Fafnir himself has been put in its placed. Western3589 05:12, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

Dagon Shrine / Samson Story?

Has noone noticed that the Dagon Shrine quest in the main quest line is remarkably similar to the Samson story? Delilah takes away Samson's strength (to enter the shrine you let the Mythic Dawn person take all of your items) then their ruler (Camoran) takes Samson to their Temple of Dagon (Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon!?!?) for a sort of religious ritual (like killing Jeelius) where he brings the temple down (the statue falls to pieces when you take the Mysterium Xarxes). Also, Dagon was a false Philistine god, in opposition to the Hebrew God (like the Daedra in relation to the Nine Divines). Coincidence? I think not. And if just the name "Through A Nightmare, Darkly" makes the list, why shouldn't this?

Whoops I forgot to sign when I created this ---- Calark108

Well, Samson does die. I think this is too much of a stretch to be added, but we can leave it here. Also, if you click the signature button second from the left at the top of your talk page response it will sign, date, and link your name for you.--Catmaniac66 05:15, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Well, yes, Samson does die. But taking the Mysterium Xarxes can easily lead to death for a character who relies heavily on his or her equipment, due to the followers. It is also mentioned in the Mehrunes Dagon article that his name may be a reference to the Philistine god Dagon. Oh and thanks for the sig help; it's actually second from the right. --Calark108 05:25, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Damn it, I knew that! Still, I would say that the general consensus is that this is too far of a stretch. Plus, if you die, the game is over and you load a new game, so technically you cant die (continuity wise). Also, in a talk page conversation/discussion, use ":" to make a tab so people can see where new points begin much easier. Use 1 more colon that the previous statement used.--Catmaniac66 05:29, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Okay fine, I guess it is a bit stretchy but still I like it :) and this is actually my first topic to edit on this website so your help is proving quite useful, ty --Calark108 06:25, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Forrest Gump

Hi, i don't know if this is listed anywhere but there was this one orc (or nord, same voice) and he said "You can tell a lot about a man by the sword he carries" and that's what a guy in forrest gump said about shoes.

Kvatch

I just wanted to point out, that the pronunciation of the town Kvatch matches the German word "Quatsch," which roughly translates to 'nonsense,' 'rubbish,' or 'crap.' I wanted to point this out, as when you hear Kvatch spoken of during the game, if you keep in mind the German word's meaning, it makes just about all the conversations exceedingly humorous. --Baseit 00:12, 5 March 2011 (UTC)

There has been a concession that formal names that sound similar to words in other languages are not Easter Eggs, unless some deeper meaning is found to be connected to it. --DKong27 ^{Talk Cont} 00:47, 5 March 2011 (UTC)

Boromir

When talking about Boromir, they don't mention the fact that the man who acts as Boromir in Lord of the Rings is the man who acts for Jauffre here in Oblivion. It may be the easter egg of the character that was like not put in the game or something? I don't really know what they meant in that easter egg anyway, but Sean Bean plays Boromir in Lord of the Rings and also plays Master Jauffre. And I'll sign my post but don't know how it says to do this. (There's nothing in here, just a cookie! 01:31, 21 March 2011 (UTC))

No he plays Martin. JackTurbo95 12:20, 3 April 2011 (UTC)

Constantinople

Just wanted to say that the Roman Capital Constantinople was founded in 326 AD, not BC. — Unsigned comment by 216.186.211.236 (talk) on 3 April 2011

Fixed - although you're welcome to make changes yourself. rpeh •T•C•E• 07:00, 3 April 2011 (UTC)

Doors Of Oblivion - Easter Egg

The in-game book The Doors of Oblivion is most likely a reference to Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception. Aside from the extremely similar titles, they have a similar theme. Huxley was a known supporter of the drug LSD, and his book "Doors" is a compilation of his experiences on LSD and how reality is more than what we know, and that our minds contain doors to other planes of reality. The similarities are honestly astounding. — Unsigned comment by 216.96.250.143 (talk) at 10:26 on April 5, 2011

Prev: Archive 6

Up: Oblivion talk:Easter Eggs

Next: Archive 8