And I just read it, but there must be more.

Also, are we even sure the "soul" contains the personality/consiousness of the body? Couldn't it just be the "battery" of animated flesh and bone?

There really isnt much more on Soul Gems. At least not entirley about them. You can read Feyfolken, but its fiction.

Not really...In some cultures around the world (not Tamriel) animals are not even thought of as having souls. In others they are believed to have souls, but are still viewed as property and thus their soul's and live's are not sacred in any way.

I would argue that any creature that fears death is self aware.

What's the difference between a life time jail sentence and collecting a soul with a soul gem?

Nothing.. so I don't feel it gruesome. And I could go philosophical going like 1000 years in a real time nirn may be 1 second to that soul.

Now just like a lifetime jail sentence a innocent may be sent to jail.

I use only Black soul gems...

I buy/steal all i can find then go a killing rampage to fill them.

It sounds like the "soul" is really just a person or creature's life force as part of a person's soul can supposedly "leak" into a soul gem:

I'm beginning to think that the Dwemer vanished into the huge stones in Blackreach after a certain Wizard did that experiment at the college and... well, you know what I mean.

I like to think that the souls are in a TES version of The Matrix. They are not being tormented... Just used as batteries.

See, although it's by no means conclusive, that article tends to make me interpret the term "soul" in the context of "soul trap" and "soul gem" as meaning life force rather than consciousness or self. Meaning that when you trap the soul of an animal or even a person, you're simply trapping the life force released at death, and not trapping their consciousness or self or identity, the things we mean in modern times by the term "soul", within the gem.

I.e., you're simply collecting life force that would otherwise be wasted or simply disperse into the stuff of Mundus and using it for your own purposes, rather than actually trapping a soul and keeping it locked in a purple rock, unable to proceed to whatever afterlife awaits it.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Enchanter%27s_Primer

This seems to go into a bit more detail on what happens when a soul is used.

More reading

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Palla,_Book_II

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Twin_Secrets

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:A_Tragedy_in_Black

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Feyfolken

FIFY

I give my rabbit plenty of attention

Lmao, I'm happy to here that.

Rabbits need attention and exercise, something they cannot get in a soul gem. That's why I think it's immoral

They get plenty of attention and exercise!

I'm not saying that yours do not. Just stating how these shows it's immoral to use a soul gem on them

I like to think that its just the energy the soul creates as it passes through the soul gem or that it is released upon use

cause yes trapping that mudcrab inside an axe for all eternity just seems horrifyingly hellish.

Back in daggerfall, they just came back out and took revenge on you when you're out of charges.

That would make more sense wouldn't it?

Again, that would assume that the self or consciousness of the animal is trapped within the gem, as opposed to just their energy released as they died.


This is kinda what I think, myself.

Even in an enchanted item they get plenty of attention and exercise!

Lmao that justgavee me the image of a Mage stroking his gem before taking it out for a walk

I have attained CHIM, therefore whatever I do is moral.

...We're not allowed to talk about that kind of behavior on these forums.

hmmm.... I should have a free BSG for Ulfric. Then I can have his soul when I kill him.

Of course, he may not like that when I run into him in Sovngarde on the way to fight Alduin... Might complicate things a bit...

Too bad making enchanted underwear isn't possible...