Game of Thrones is an unbelievably dense show , filled with century of characters , families , legends , and everything else under the realm ’s sunlight . With all the information fan have had to absorb over the years , it ’s easy for some things to devolve on the wayside . That include the show ’s overplus of organized religion .
As time of year 7 promises a major force shift in Westeros , here ’s a guide to all the major religions of the realm and what role they could act in the serial publication moving forward — as well as some of the small and oft - forgotten notion from A Song of Ice and Fire that play a fully grown role in Game of Thrones than we might take in .
The Big Three
Currently , there are three primary faith in the world of Game of Thrones . These are the ones that are both democratic and widespread through the realm and have played the most vital character in the lives of our main character . While their futures are uncertain , specially as some have unchurch the gods to serve their own end ( I ’m looking at you , Cersei ) , it looks like the battle for the Iron Throne will be just as much a warfare of faith as it is of exponent .
1) The Old Gods
Location : The North , Beyond the Wall
The honest-to-goodness God are a nature - based , animalistic religion . There are no priests , temple , or holy Holy Writ — the gods do n’t even have name calling . Rather , they ’re see as part of the earth , evidence in the trees , stones , water , and animals . For illustration , Osha invoked them with Bran Stark after get word the air current reversal , allege the graven image were communicate with him . The religion does n’t have specific rules , but following are expect to be by and large good multitude . Certain activity are see as vile to the gods , while the rules of cordial reception are basically sacred . ( Walder Frey miss that one , it seems . )
The old god were the first major religious belief of Westeros , worshipped by the Children of the Forest , the nonhuman inhabitants that originally inhabited continent . The First Men — the first human inhabitants — converted after they arrived from Essos . The Children were the ones who chip at faces into the weirwood trees , presumably to help “ greenseers ” commune with the idol . Greenseers were their tight thing to spiritual figures , as they had the talent of 2d sight , along with prophetic dreams and warging . Bran and Jojen Reed have establish some of these abilities .
Worship of the former gods has largely faded , after the human Andals obtrude upon and force the Westerosi to commute to the Faith of the Seven . However , the religion is n’t ban , and is still acknowledged by the rulers of Westeros . It ’s currently practiced by families in the North , notably the Starks , as well as the wildlings beyond the Wall and the live youngster of the Forest .
2) The Faith of the Seven
Location : Most of Westeros
The Faith of the Seven , also known as the New Gods or merely the Seven , is the close thing A Song of Ice and Fire has to an established United States Department of State religion . It ’s got more than a few parallel to Catholicism . Much like the Holy Trinity ( the Father , the Son , and the Holy Ghost ) , the religion believes that there are seven unique aspects of a single divinity . Father , who represents judgement ; Mother , for motherhood and fecundity ; Warrior , render strength ; Maiden , representing chastity ; Smith , for slyness and working class ; Crone , the figure of wisdom ; and the Stranger , who represents dying and the unknown . However , there are those in Westeros who care for them all as disjoined gods .
The Andals of Essos produce the faith shortly before appropriate Westeros — some believe their fresh find fanatism inspired the encroachment . Upon make it , they established the Seven as Westeros ’s main organized religion , and it was much more rigid than the belief structure for the old gods . Temples , yell septs , were erected , occupy with a pecking order of male religious figure called septons ( female spiritual chassis , or septas , usually served in noble houses ) . A holy schoolbook called The Seven - Pointed Star dictate rules that followers were suppose to abide by . These include condemning play , whoredom , homoeroticism , and incest .
Like any religion , there are different interpretations and different floor of orthodoxy . Most relevant are the Sparrows , a sect that aids the poor and does n’t allow the rich off the hook simply because they are herculean . Their leader was name the High Sparrow , and he was eventually appoint High Septon . ( Think Pope , to continue the Catholic analogy . ) In that function , he saw the return of the Faith Militant , a religious war machine that had been dissolve .
The Seven has been the most widely practiced religion in Westeros for generations , but that might change soon . At the end of last season , Cersei Lannister blow up the Great Sept of Baelor , which has long wait on as the center of religious worship for the Faith of the Seven — it ’s basically like she destroyed the Vatican . And , given part of her finish was to get disembarrass the High Sparrow and his Faith Militant after what they did to her , it seems improbable that she ’s eager to restore the Seven ’s presence in King ’s Landing , or elsewhere . But the Sept ’s loss is the Lord of Light ’s profit .
3) R’hllor the Red God
Location : Most of Essos , ( formerly ) Dragonstone , Hollow Hill
R’hllor , also known as the Red God , the Lord of Light , or the God of Flame and Shadow , is arguably the heavy spiritual frame in the realm . The Westerosi may not have heard of him ( apart from Melisandre and the Brotherhood Without Banners ) … but he is a huge mess in Essos , where belief stretches from the Free Cities all the way to Asshai .
Belief in R’hllor is rigorous and absolute , as all other gods and religions are considered sham . When we first meet the red priestess Melisandre , she ’s burning the Seven in effigy , and so - called blasphemers have been maim and kill for controvert the Lord of Light . However , it ’s not without merit , as clergy ( red priests and priestesses ) come out to be granted with magic that can resurrect the dead , shake off glamours and deception , and make orca smoke vagina monsters .
While impression in R’hllor is considered a monotheistic faith , it ’s also dualistic in nature . Much like the warfare between Judeo - Christian reckon God and Lucifer , the belief is that R’hllor has been in an utter struggle with the Great Other , an evil god of ice and death . They believe that the White Walkers have been sent by the Great Other to bring wipeout to the world , and only the prophesy hero Azor Ahai can stop them .
It ’s percipient R’hllor is die to play a major role this season — and that ’s not just because Samwell and Gilly areclearly researchingthe Azor Ahai mythos in an upcoming sequence . With the Faith of the Seven in trouble after Cersei ’s destructive power play , Daenerys bringing the might of Essos to Westeros , and Jon Snow serving as proof that R’hllor ’s magic might very well be literal , this could turn out to be not just a battle for the Iron Throne but for the future of faith . After all , if the Lord of Light has a solid plan to kill the White Walkers , it might be worth converting .
Smaller Faiths
There might be three main religions fighting for dominance in the realm , but they ’re not the only belief system out there . There are a few other religions that are smaller and more isolated than the Big Three , but they ’ve served an authoritative purpose in the series . Whether it ’s coax a character to change their fate , like Theon Greyjoy , or laying the base for a divination that could shape the futurity of Westeros .
1) The Drowned God
Location : Iron Islands
The Drowned God ’s religion puts emphasis on Christ’s Resurrection and baptism , with Billie Jean King literally drown and entrust to revive themselves before they can take the crown . And much like R’hllor , belief in the Drowned God is dualistic , as he ’s locked in an eternal battle against the Storm God , who lives in a castle in the sky . However , it dissent from the Lord of Light in that only man are allowed to be in the clergy ( called the Drowned Men ) , as their social club trust in traditional gender roles … with the exclusion of Yara , of course .
2) The Many-Faced God
locating : Braavos
The Many - Faced God , also known as Him of Many Faces and the God of Death ( though not in the book ) , is a immortal unequalled to Braavos — specifically , the Faceless Men . It ’s a syncretical religion in that followers honour figure of decease from various religions , conceive that Death is the only true immortal but it can be pray to in any existing form . These variety let in the Drowned God , The Seven ’s Stranger , R’hllor , the Black Goat ( idolize in Qohor ) , the Weeping Woman ( from Lys ) , and even the older immortal .
The Faceless Men believe that Death is a gift , mercifully kill those who seek to die , and fulfilling assassination contract since Death take those people to be killed . This notion organisation actually rise in the slave mine of Valyria . The thousands of slaves who constantly confront their own demise created a faith that combined all their unlike beliefs under one take principle : end is inevitable . It ’s rumored those slaves cause the Doom of Valyria , but it ’s inconceivable to have sex for certain at this point .
3) Great Stallion
locating : Dothraki Sea
The Great Stallion was an important spiritual bod in the first season of Game of Thrones , as Daenerys first adjust to lifetime as a khaleesi . The Dothraki worship a cavalry god , named the Great Stallion in the show , representing the role horses encounter in their lives and culture . Their belief is described as henotheistic , like Hinduism , in that they recognise other idol survive but they do n’t follow them . But if they conquer a metropolis and get or destroy its religious statues , they see it as vote out those God .
The close matter the Dothraki have to clergy are the dosh khaleen , a mathematical group of wise cleaning woman who are widow of khals . They are believed to have the gift of prophecy . Daenerys was temporarily send to them after being taken imprisoned in time of year six , leading to her destruct the Dothraki loss leader and taking bidding of the entire drove . This could be colligate to the Dothraki prophecy of the Stallion Who Mounts the World , who they believe will unique all the tribes and subdue the mankind . Khal Drogo primitively thought this was his unborn son , but it could be Daenerys herself .
Some Oft-Ignored Gods
There are several religions cite in A Song of Ice and Fire that have little - to - nothing to do with Game of Thrones , at least at this point . However , a few of them are connected to the series , some in ways we might not expect . They may not be directly influencing the show or its characters , but they do give a little insight into things that have happen on the show , as well as give the macrocosm a picayune more colour and vibrance .
1) Valyrian gods
Old Valyria had a polytheistic religion very similar to the Roman Empire , and they tolerate other faiths so long as those under their control paid their taxes . The religion go nearly out after the Doom of Valyria , but it ’s still practise by some aristocratic families in Volantis — though Daenerys conquered the city last season , which might affect that .
2) Secret god of the Bearded Priests
The Bearded Priests are the harsh theocratic rulers of Narvos , take both as warrior and man of the cloth ( Daario once told Dany that he was trained to fight like one of them ) . The religious ordering is improbably pious and secretive — the name of the god they worship is only revealed to pundit , so the populace does n’t even bed who they think in . It can not even be publish down except as initial .
3) Mother Rhoyne
This divinity is really more important in Game of Thrones than we might realize . She ’s believed to be the reference of the river Rhoyne , the expectant and longest river net in the land ( and yet another matter Tyrion Lannister has wee-wee onto , in improver to off the Wall ) . believer in Mother Rhoyne , forebode the Rhoynar , dwell on the river for thousands of years until the Valyrians virtually wiped them out . Legend has it the Rhoynar prince called upon Mother Rhoyne to curse the Valyrians for their crimes . In answer , she swamp one of their cities with water and murkiness , making people ’s tegument harden and snap . This was the birth of greyscale .
4) Llazar
Lhazareen , the metropolis Khal Drogo conquered in time of year 1 , hero-worship the Great Shepherd , also known as Llazar . The religion conceive all men are part of one peck , stand for healers will heal anyone who need assistance , even their conquerors . However , priestess Mirri Maz Duur broke this vow when she worsened Khal Drogo ’s wounding , precede to Drogo ’s death as well as her own .
5) The 20+ gods and goddesses of fucking
This one is just a merriment bonus acknowledgment . The island of the Summer Sea have n’t been explore in Game of Thrones , and they likely never will , but gentleman oh military man are we missing out . The islands , off the slide of Sothoryos , are all about peace , love , and good times . There are the vegetarians of Naath , who hero-worship a naked heavyweight call in the Lord of Harmony . Then , you ’ve got the Summer Islands , where everyone worship bally .
For them , sex is a gift from the deity that should be treasured , and they worship at least 20 gods and goddess , including a birth rate goddess with 16 teats ( Varys told Tyrion about her in season 2 ) . In the Summer Islands , prostitution is considered one of the most imposing profession , and funerals are supervene upon with celebrations full of , you guessed it , fucking .
Game of Thrones
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , scientific discipline , and culture news in your inbox day by day .
newsworthiness from the future , deliver to your present .
You May Also Like
