R'hllor

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Red priestess performing the night ritual by Jen Zee©

R'hllor, also known as the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the God of Flame and Shadow[1], is a prominent god on Essos, but has only a few followers in Westeros, where he is more commonly known as the Red God. His symbol is a fiery heart.

Beliefs

The Religion, is based on a dualistic, manichean view of the world, R'hllor, the god of light, heat, and life; and its antithesis the God whose name should not be spoken, the god of ice and death.[2] They are locked in an eternal struggle over the fate of the world, a struggle that according the ancient prophecy from the books of Asshai, will only end when Azor Ahai, the messianic figure will return wielding a flaming sword called Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and raise dragons of stone.[2]

Clergy

Clergy of the R'hllor religion are called "Red Priests", due to the loose, crimson robes they wear. Red priests may be male or female. In the east, they are a common sight, where the faith of R'hllor's influence is more widespread and children are sometimes given to temples of R'hllor to be raised into the priesthood. The temples also buy children as slaves who are known as Slaves of R'hllor and raise them as priest, temple prostitutes, or warriors. The warriors that protect the greater temples are called the Fiery Hand.

Temples are known to be in Braavos, Lys, Pentos, Volantis and small temple in Oldtown for the sailors who visit there.

Known Priests of R'hllor

Rituals

Every evening, red priests light fires and sing prayers at their temples, asking R'hllor to bring back the dawn. Followers often gaze into flames in an effort to receive visions of the future. It is believed that R'hllor will occasionally answer the prayers of his followers by granting visions and abilities such as raising the dead.[citation needed] Some rites performed by the red priests include sacrificial immolation.

Trials by combat are an accepted practice in the R'hllor faith; prayers before the combat ask R'hllor to give strength to the just party. "The night is dark and full of terrors", is a common phrase in prayers to R'hllor.

History

The worship of R'hllor is a religious tradition on the continent of Essos, but has not gained much popularity in Westeros. Recent efforts to spread the faith to Westeros include the red priests sending Thoros to King's Landing to convert the fire-obsessed Aerys II. This attempt failed after Thoros was unable to impress Aerys with his fire magic.

Like other types of magic, the magic of R'hllor seems to have faded after the last Targaryen dragons died, but with the return of the dragons in the east, the abilities of R'hllor priests have strengthened. Thoros, while serving at the temple in Myr, did not experience any form of new-found powers. However, since the return of the dragons he has resurrected Beric Dondarrion during a traditional R'hllor burial ritual. Melisandre's powers have been augmented since her arrival at the Wall.

Recent Events

Two new circles of worship formed in Westeros, following a red priest of R'hllor. Thoros and Beric founded the Brotherhood Without Banners, an outlaw organization bound in part by their worship of R'hllor. At Dragonstone, Melisandre wielded fire magic and convinced Stannis Baratheon to claim the mantle of Azor Ahai. However, after the final death of Beric and the defeat of Stannis at the Blackwater, Thoros and Melisandre's influence over their congregations waned.

In Qohor the followers of R'hllor tried to burn the Black Goat.

In Volantis, Benerro preaches that Daenerys Targaryen is Azor Ahai reborn and encourages many to support her.

Quotes

There are no gods but R'hllor and the Other, whose name may not be said.

Moqorro

References and Notes

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Westeros. The list of authors can be seen in the page history of Westeros. As with A Wiki of Ice and Fire, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.