The Religions of Ice and Fire:
A Study of the Religions of A Song of Ice and Fire
The Faith of the Seven, sometimes known simply as The Faith, is a religion derived from the worship of The Seven. This religion is not native to Westeros. Instead it was brought there approximately six thousand years prior to the events of the series by the Andals from Essos. This still makes it a relatively new religion on the continent as compared to The Old Gods. As such, The Seven are sometimes referred to as ‘The New Gods’. Not much is known of The Faith in Westeros prior to the invasion of Aegon the Conqueror approximately three hundred years prior to the events of the series. Aegon himself adopted The Faith as his own religion, but many other kings did not leading to periods of growth and decline. Maegor the Cruel, for example, repressed The Faith in an attempt to bring about its end. However, Baelor the Blessed, known as the Septon King, brought power and legitimacy to The Faith, as well as building one of the most important structures of The Faith in Westeros, The Great Sept of Baelor in King’s Landing. This history of the faith could be seen as paralleling that of Christianity in England. While the specifics are different, the overall trend is similar. At the beginning of the series The Faith is in relatively high regard with the king. This only continues to grow as the series continues.
The Faith of The Seven1,2
Geographically, The Faith, is located mostly in the south of Westeros, those areas located south of The Neck. There are adherents of The Faith in The North but most of these would be transplants from the south or their families. This leads to some level of conflict between the Northerners, who worship The Old Gods, and the Southerners.
The Seven is made up of The Father, The Mother, The Warrior, The Maiden, The Smith, The Crone, and The Stranger. These are not seven individual gods but instead are the seven face of one god. Each face serves its own purpose within the religion and each of them are prayed to for different reasons. The Father is prayed to by those seeking justice. The Mother is prayed to for fertility and compassion. The Warrior is prayed to for courage and The Maiden is prayed to so as to protect maidens’ virtue. The Smith is prayed to for strength and The Crone is prayed to for Wisdom. The Stranger is rarely prayed to as they are meant to represent death and the unknown. Within The Seven there can be seen to be complementary sets of gods; Father and Mother, Warrior and Maiden, Smith and Crone. Each of the faces balances the other in its set. This brings some semblance of balance to the entire set. In many ways this group is meant to be representative of the Holy Trinity in the Christian tradition2. In this case instead of there being three entities, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there are seven distinct entities. Instead of a trinity it is a Seven-pointed Star. The parallels here are clear. The Faith is similar to Christianity in more ways than this though. It is also quite similar in structure to The Catholic Church.
The Faith of the Seven revolves around a book called The Seven-pointed Star. This book is biblical, not only in its teachings but also in its form. The book is divided into gospel-like sections devoted to the teachings of each of The Seven. The Faith is similar to The Catholic Church in more ways than their book of worship. In Westeros, the workings of The Faith revolve around The Great Sept of Baelor in King’s Landing. This is where the High Septon does his work within The Faith. In this he would be akin to a pope in the Catholic Church. It is from here that he sends out church doctrine to the lesser members of the church, the septons and septas, which practice in and attend to local parishes. These people perform regular services as well as being able to perform wedding and funeral rites. In this they are akin to priests within the Catholic Church.
In summary, The Faith of the Seven draws many parallels to the Catholic Church. It shares some aspects of its history. It has a division of a god into multiple different facets. It has a comparable structure. All of this speaks to the Catholic Church being, at least in part, an inspiration for The Faith of the Seven in the series.
Inside the Great Sept of Baelor(HBO, 2013)
The Seven. (HBO, 2013)
The Seven-pointed Star. (HBO, 2013)
Notes
1.A Wiki of Ice and Fire: Religion. (2013, August 17). Retrieved from http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Religion
2.Bohn, E. D. (2011). The logic of the trinity. Sophia, 50(3), 363-374.