Old Gods
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
The Old Gods are nameless nature spirits which are mainly worshiped in the North though pockets of adherents remain in the southern regions.
[edit] History
The Old Gods were first worshiped by the children of the forest. After the First Men invaded Westeros and made peace with the children, they discarded their previous faiths in favor of the children's spirits. When the Andals conquered the south of Westeros, they brought their Faith of the Seven with them. The spirits were dubbed the Old Gods and the practice of their worship became limited to the North.
[edit] Faith
The religion of the Old Gods has no organization, clergy, evangelical movements, or holy texts, but some traditions are passed down by their followers. Various actions, such as incest and kinslaying, are considered offensive to the gods. Weirwood trees with faces carved into them, called heart trees, are considered sacred. Prayer, oaths, and marriages are often performed in the presence of a heart tree. The faces were carved into the weirwoods by the children of the forest, but their meaning or purpose is not completely understood by humans. Once all noble houses had a godswood with a heart tree in its center, but many families that no longer follow the Old Gods have converted their godswoods into secular gardens.
[edit] References and Sources
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Westeros. |
