Religion

The setting of A Song of Ice and Fire is one where there are many faiths, and many faithful. Belief in high powers and supernatural threats runs deep through the culture of the known world and influence most aspects of life. In the Seven Kingdoms nearly all children are raised praising either the new gods or the old. Across the narrow sea children are often given to be raised to priesthood of one of the many deities worshipped there. Little is known about the actual deities and their powers. So far, only followers of R'hllor have been shown to channel real powers that influence the world directly.

Westeros

Relatively few religions have a significant following in Westeros. They include:

• The old gods are nameless deities^[1] of stream, forest, and stone.^[2] They were worshipped across Westeros by the children of the forest, and eventually by the First Men, some time after signing the Pact.^[3] Since the arrival of the Andals who brought with them their own religion, the old gods are no longer dominantly worshipped in the south of Westeros.^[3] Only in the north does a majority of houses still worship the old gods. North of the Wall, the free folk continue to worship the old gods. Although some accounts state that there are clans who worship different gods (dark gods beneath the ground in the Frostfangs, gods of snow and ice on the Frozen Shore, or crab gods at Storrold's Point), there is no reliable confirmation.^[4]
• The Faith of the Seven is the dominant religion in the southern part of the Seven Kingdoms. The Faith worships the Seven Who Are One, a single deity with seven aspects or faces.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]} For the less educated, this concept is often difficult to grasp, leading to the common belief that there are indeed seven different gods.^[6] The number seven is considered holy.^[11]
• The Drowned God, also called He Who Dwells Beneath the Waves,^[12] is a sea deity worshiped by the ironborn of the Iron Islands. The religion of the Drowned God is old, predating the Andal invasion. All attempts of the Andal invaders to supplant it with the Seven have failed. The Drowned God's nemesis is the Storm God.
• R'hllor, also known as the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, and the God of Flame and Shadow,^[13] is a prominent god in Essos with a small but growing following in the Seven Kingdoms, where he is more commonly known as the red god.^[14][15] Based on a dualistic, manichean view of the world, R'hllor, the god of light, heat, and life, is eternally at war against the Great Other, the god of ice and death.^[16]
• Mother Rhoyne, the chief goddess of the Rhoynar, is still worshiped by the orphans of the Greenblood, descendants of the Rhoynar.^[17]

Additionally, the Lady of the Waves and the Lord of the Skies were once worshiped on the Three Sisters before the Andals introduced the Seven.^[18] And there are the sea god and the goddess of the wind from the legend of Durran Godsgrief.^[19]

Essos

In Essos across the narrow sea, there are numerous different religions. In Braavos, one can find temples and shrines to almost every god one can imagine.^[20] Named religions include:

• Aquan the Red Bull, whose priests sacrifice calves.
• Bakkalon, the Pale Child favored of soldiers
• the Black Goat, a deity worshipped in Qohor.
• the Great Shepherd, the deity of the Lhazareen.
• the Hooded Wayfarer, a patron of the poor.
• the horse god, the deity worshipped by the Dothraki.
• the Lady of Spears, the deity of the Unsullied.
• the Lion of Night, a god preferred by rich men.
• the Many-Faced God of Braavos, whose followers believe to be the true face of all gods.
• the Merling King, a deity worshipped by sailors.
• the Moon-Pale Maiden, another deity worshipped by sailors.
• the Pattern, a labyrinth leading to wisdom.
• R'hllor and the Great Other, a dualistic religion spreading throughout the known world.
• Semosh and Selloso, brother gods with twin temples.
• the Silent God, who is worshipped at the Stones of the Silent God.
• the Stone Cow of Faros, a deity worshipped on Faros.
• Trios, a three-headed deity.
• the Weeping Lady of Lys, a favorite of old women.

Influences and Theology

Unlike J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire addresses religion in some detail and portrays several competing religions. More than any other novel in the series, A Dance with Dragons explores the different religions of Westeros and Essos. Each of the religions reflects its culture's temperament. George R. R. Martin based the series' faiths on real religions, tweaking or expanding them a little. However, no religion is presented as the true faith, although there are displays of power on many sides, nor do any have a monopoly on virtue.

Known influences include:

• The old gods are "based on animism and traditional Pagan beliefs of Wicca and various other Celtic systems and Norse systems", melted into one construct.^[21] They are nameless and numerous.^[22]
• The Faith of the Seven is based on the medieval Catholic Church, although it borrows other elements as well. The Faith's central doctrine of one God with seven aspects is partly based on the Christian Trinity: one God in the divine persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In the Faith of the Seven, God has seven aspects: three males, the Father, the Smith, and the Warrior, three females, the Mother, the Maiden, and the Crone, and the Stranger who represents Death.^[23][24] The Faith Militant, the Faith's military order, is loosely based on crusading orders such as the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller.^[25]
• Similarities between the religion of the Drowned God and the Norse mythology can be found. For example, the ironborn believe they will feast eternally in the Drowned God's watery halls after they die, similar to Norse warriors, who hoped to feast in Valhalla.
• The Mother Rhoyne religion is a polytheistic worshipping of the Rhoyne and many lesser river-dwelling deities such as the Old Man of the River and the Crab King. The Rhoynar may be inspired by the Roma.^[26]

Martin tries to slowly reveal how the many different kinds of magic in the Ice and Fire world may be manifestations of the same mysterious supernatural forces. This leaves readers free to wonder about the validity, teachings and supernatural power of the competing religions, allowing for a sense of wonder, for things that escape the net of explanation in terms of the physical sciences. Martin regards any religion's claim to truth with suspicion, as he does the claims of real religions. The series' gods, he said, are unlikely to appear deus-ex-machina in Westeros.^[27]

Prophecy

• See list of Prophecies.

References