Anyone who has read A song of ice and fire, now mostly known generally as Game of Thrones, knows that George RR Martin has created more than your standard fantasy series, going deeper than most into the mythology and detail of the world/universe he made up from scratch, basing a lot on our world.
Like any good medival society, the people of Westeros and the other lands need gods, and where there are gods there is religion. The faith of the seven is Martin’s take on Roman Catholicism, creating seven images that represent seven aspects of the same god – From his good traits of compassion and strength to the most feared aspect – wrath and death.
There are other religions in this world – People who pray to the Old gods, the Lord of light, the Drowned god and the Many-Faced god among others. What is the true one? There’s more than a few hints that these gods may not exist, or they’re all just praying to the same deity under a different name. Just like in real life.
The Father
The father above represents judgement. When people in Westeros pray for justice, they pray to this bearded man.
The Mother
The mother above represents motherhood and nurturing, and is prayed to for fertility or compassion, seeing she is the embodiment of the concept of mercy.
The Warrior
The warrior represents strength in battle and is prayed to for courage and victory.
The Maiden
The maiden represents innocence and chastity, and is prayed to for protect a maiden’s virtue, if anyone actually prays to that sort of thing.
The Smith
The smith represents crafts and labor, some would say the god of work. He is prayed to when work needs to be done, for strength.
The Crone
The crone represents wisdom and is prayed to for guidance.
The Stanger
The stranger represents death and the unknown. No one in Westeros prays to him.
Art by Anita P.
