The Religions of Ice and Fire:
A Study of the Religions of A Song of Ice and Fire
The religion of R’hllor is the newest of the religions described in this site to be brought to Westeros. Like The Faith of the Seven, the religion of R’hllor was brought to Westeros from across the narrow sea in Essos. Unlike The Faith, the Religion of R’hllor has not yet had the time to establish itself at the beginning of the series. As such, the followers of R’hllor in Westeros are few and are focussed around a small numbers of priests that preach the religion of R’hllor. In Westeros this religion is seen to be an invading religion of sorts. Those who practice the other religions of Westeros consider R’hllor to be some sort of unholy being bent on destruction.
The Lord of Light1,2,3,4,5,6
R’hllor is known by many different names by his followers. He is known as The Lord of Light, in reference to the belief that he is going to bring about the end of darkness. He is known as The Heart of Fire, in reference to the prevalence of fire in the worship of him. He is known as The Lord of Flame and Shadow, in reference to both the use of fire in the religion and his supposed mastery of the shadows. To many of the nonbelievers in Westeros R’hllor is known simply as The Red God. This is most likely in reference to the use of fire in the religion but is also likely due to the favoured garments of the priests of R’hllor, which are typically red.
Those who practice this religion pray to R’hllor, but there is another god that is supposed to counter him. This other god is known as The Great Other to most. The purpose of The Great Other is to bring about the end of the light and plunge the world into eternal darkness. As such, R’hllor and The Great Other are in a constant struggle for the fate of the world. R’hllor seeks to bring the eternal light to the world while The Great Other seeks to bring about eternal darkness. In this dualism the religion of R’hllor is similar to Zoroastrianism. In Zoroastrianism there are also two gods which oppose one another; Ahura Mazda, who is supposedly the creator of the world and its supreme being, and Angra Mainyu, who is the bringer of chaos and evil into the world. These two beings are in a constant struggle much like that of R’hllor and The Great Other2.
In summary, the religion of R’hllor, The Lord of Light, is most likely based on the real religion of Zoroastrianism, or at least shares some of its key features. These features include the duality of it, pitting R’hllor against The Great Other, the importance of fire in the religion, and the importance of prophecy in the religion. These things don’t match up exactly, but it is safe to say that the religion of R’hllor is loosely based on Zoroastrianism.
A key component of this religion is prophecy. The key prophecy in the religion of R’hllor is that concerning Azor Ahai reborn. Azor Ahai was a great hero long before the events of the series. It is said in their stories that he rose up against the Others during The Long Night, a period of great turmoil in the world. In rising up against the Others he brought about the end of The Long Night and began a new period of prosperity in the world. It is prophesized that Azor Ahai will be reborn amidst another period of turmoil, such as that occurring in the series, to challenge the Others and herald in the eternal light of R’hllor. Certainly prophecy does play a role in Zoroastrianism; it was founded by the prophet Zoroaster. This feature is not unique to Zoroastrianism though as many religions have put some stock in prophecy in the past. The prophecy of Azor Ahai bears little resemblance to the prophecy of Zoroaster however5.
The religion of R’hllor is practiced largely through the use of fire. Most of the religious practices in the religion involve fire in some capacity. The red priests attempt to read the flames to see the future, an imperfect practice at best, as seen in the series. The burning of particular things such as royal blood can be used in the religion to try to influence future events. The religion promotes the burning of false gods and effigies in an attempt to please R’hllor. The most extreme practice of this religion is human sacrifice which naturally, is done through the burning of the victim alive. These sacrifices are used as gifts to R’hllor. While fire is an important part of Zoroastrianism, it is not used in the same ways. Zoroastrians believe fire to be a substance of purity and it plays a role in some of their rituals, but sacrifices and blood magic of sorts does not. The followers of Zoroastrianism may build fire temples to contain their sacred flames and they may look to them for insight but they do not use the fire in the same way as the followers of R’hllor3,4.
The Flaming Heart, a symbol of R'hllor. (GoT Wiki, 2013)
Thoros of Myr and Melisandre, two proponents of R'hllor in Westeros. (HBO, 2013)
The video on the right explains a bit about the religion of R'hllor in the series and its depiction in the HBO series6.
Notes
1.A Wiki of Ice and Fire: Religion. (2013, August 17). Retrieved from http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Religion
2.Clark, P. (1998). Zoroastrianism: An introduction to an ancient faith. Portland, OR: Sussex Academic Press.
3.DeMaris, R. E. (2013). Sacrifice, an ancient mediterranean ritual. Biblical Theology Bulletin, 43(2), 60-73.
4.Gruenwald, I. (2001). Sacrifices in biblical literature and ritual theory. Review of Rabbinic Judaism, 4(1), 1-1
5.Payne, R. (2013, June 8). Blinded by the Lord of Light: Magic, Religion, and “Proof” in “Game of Thrones”. Retrieved fromhttp://www.pajiba.com/think_pieces/magic-religion-and-proof-in-game-of-thrones-.php
6.GameofThrones. (2012, April 16). Game of Thrones: Season 2 – Burning of the Seven Gods (HBO).Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m4ArTZ3wiI