The Religions of Ice and Fire:
A Study of the Religions of A Song of Ice and Fire
The religion of The Old Gods is the oldest of the religions of Westeros. It has been practiced in Westeros since before the arrival of the first men on the continent. Prior to the arrival of the first men The Old Gods were worshipped by the children of the forest, a race thought to be lost. In the days of the children of the forest the religion of The Old Gods was spread throughout all of Westeros, from the southern coast to the farthest north. Following the arrival of the first men the religion of The Old Gods was persecuted. Over time the first men made peace with the children of the forest and all came to worship The Old Gods. It wasn’t until the arrival of the Andals, and with them The Faith, that the religion of The Old Gods faced a serious threat. The power of the religion was almost entirely wiped out in the south of Westeros, with most of their sites of worship being destroyed by followers of The Faith. It is from the followers of The Faith that this religion gets its name. The followers of The Old Gods have no name for them. They are called The Old Gods to contrast The New Gods, The Seven. This persecution by The Faith has made the religion of The Old Gods a religion that is predominately worshipped in the north of Westeros, with next to no worshipers or sites of worship in the south.
The Old Gods1,2
The practices of the religion of The Old Gods bear some resemblance to those of some pagan religions, particularly those pertaining to earth worship. In these religions the earth or natural phenomena is the thing that is worshiped. This group of religions encompasses a number of religions that focus on different aspects of nature. As such, the religion of The Old Gods would fit nicely into this group of religions. It is a religion focused on the worship of natural phenomena and centred on worship in a natural place. It brings the people of Westeros back into a natural setting for their worship. The religion of The Old Gods isn’t necessarily based on any specific pagan religion in the real world but it certainly shares characteristics with many of them and some basic beliefs2.
The religion of The Old Gods is a much less well defined religion than some of the other religions being practiced in Westeros. There are very few prescribed rituals and practices related to the religion of The Old Gods. There is no holy text associated with the religion with most of the information regarding the religion being passed down vocally through the telling of stories. Not only are the practices of this religion somewhat ambiguous, so are the gods. The Old Gods are not a well-defined group of beings, such as The Seven. Instead they are made up of the weirwood trees and the former children of the forest, who believed they could ascend into godhood on their deaths. What practices that are a part of religion largely take place in a godswood in the presence of these weirwood trees. In every godswood there is at least one heart tree, a special weirwood tree. These heart trees have a face carved into them. It is believed that the gods can see through the eyes of these heart trees, as such ceremonies such as wedding rites are performed before these trees. Any respectable community in the north of Westeros has one of these godswoods. In these godswoods followers of The Old Gods can seek their wisdom and guidance.
Map of The North, where The Old Gods are still worshipped. (GoT Wiki, 2013)
A face carved into a heart tree. (HBO, 2013)
The Godswood at Winterfell. (HBO, 2013)
Notes
1.A Wiki of Ice and Fire: Religion. (2013, August 17). Retrieved from http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Religion
2.Phillips, J. (1995). Paganism, past and present. Social Alternatives, 14(4), 16.