The spells in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim generally make sense for their respective schools of magic, but Illusion goes above mere trickery into the realm of outright mind control. Destruction spells are variations of fire, frost and shock; healing and repelling undead fall under Restoration; and atronachs are more easily summoned through perks in the Conjuration school. But Illusion spells are something beyond what their simple name seems to imply.
Arcane skill trees in Skyrim follow the rule of three: Conjuration focuses on bound weapons, necromancy, and atronachs; Restoration is for wards, healing, and affecting undead. The three primary spells cast with Illusion are Calm, Fury, and Fear. At higher levels these upgrade to area of effect versions like Pacify, Frenzy, and Rout. Some of Skyrim’s other spells, like Muffle or Invisibility, are outliers that encourage hybridizing with stealth play styles like a Dark Brotherhood assassin.
This school of magic does seem to obliquely meet at least one of whatever options are listed in a dictionary, but Skyrim's Illusion spells are illusions that directly affect the mind. Since evolving levels of Calm, Fury, and Fear comprise the backbone of Illusion magic, they’re the most accurate indicator of how the school is meant to function. Calm spells lull targets out of combat, forcing them to sheathe their weapons and regard the Dragonborn as a friend. The only visual indication the player receives to verify whether a Calm spell is effective is a green glow around the enemy. It could be assumed that perhaps the Dragonborn is casting an Illusion to assume the appearance of the target’s friend or ally. Without any visuals to hint at this, however, Calm spells seem much more like some kind of hypnosis akin to the Bend Will Shout from the Dragonborn DLC, which seem somewhat definitively to be a form of mind control.
Lack of Visual Cues Makes Skyrim's Illusions Seem Like Mind Control
Like Calm, Fear spells cause targets to cease fighting. The difference is that rather than disarming and standing still, affected targets run and cower from the Dragonborn. While Fear doesn’t technically end combat, it does leave enemies open to attack without the ability to retaliate. While Calm spells outline targets in green, Fear spells outline them in red. Without any further visual cue, hitting an enemy with Fear feels like probing into their mind and convincing them that the Dragonborn is just too terrifying to fight.
Fury and Courage spells are the last two major spell types under the Illusion tree. Fury outlines affected enemies in red and causes them to fight each other, and Courage outlines allies green and gives them slight boosts to stamina and health. Courage also makes Skyrim followers immune to the effects of Fear, though since there don't appear to be any enemy NPCs that actually use Fear spells, Courage is rendered far less useful. It’s arguable that Fury spells are yet another instance of the Dragonborn causing an enemy to change appearance in front of an NPC’s eyes, but it still feels more like they’re being bewitched. The Courage spell is confusing in either direction: Skyrim's already-powerful Dragonborn is either using an illusion to make his allies look taller and stronger than before, or he’s affecting their minds to make them think as much. Since the Courage spell is essentially a durability buff, neither explanation makes sense.
Though Calm, Fear, and Fury spells all feel more innately like mind control than illusions, Bethesda could have changed the spells’ visual indicators to convey otherwise. Rather than simply put a red or green glow around affected targets, Illusion spells could instead make creative use of ghost assets already present in Skyrim. Calm spells could cover the Dragonborn in a glowing overlay resembling the enemy faction’s garb or appearance. Fury spells could morph enemies similar to everyone’s favorite Daedric Artifact, the Wabbajack. It would potentially seem more sensible for a guard to suddenly attack his fellow man if the ally transformed into a werewolf, for instance, even if the image were only superimposed. The end result of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s Illusion spells are effective and fun, but if their visual cues don’t change in The Elder Scrolls 6, perhaps Bethesda should simply call the school "Telepathy."