Difference between revisions of "The Faith of the Seven"

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'See: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/Concordance/Section/2.4./The Citadel: Concordance - 2.4 - The Faith]'
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''See: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/Concordance/Section/2.4./The Citadel: Concordance - 2.4 - The Faith]''

Revision as of 01:32, 24 April 2007

The Seven

The Seven is/are a septune god, a single deity with the following seven aspects: Father, Warrior, Smith, Mother, Maiden, Crone and Stranger. The religion is often simply called "The Faith."

  • Father, also called Father Above: The Father is prayed to for vengeance and justice.
  • Mother, also called Mother Above: The Mother represents motherhood and nurturing, and is prayed to by all women of childbearing capacity, and by those seeking divine compassion.
  • Warrior: The Warrior is the patron saint of footmen, knights and commanders all, and his divine influence on the field of battle is more often than not sought by those on both sides of the field.
  • Maiden: The Maid represents innocence and virtue, and is prayed to usually by unwed maidens, mostly.
  • Smith: The Smith represents all the crafts and trials of men, whether farming, smithing, or construction; anything done by hand is usually done after a quick prayer to him.
  • Crone: The Crone represents wisdom, and is prayed to for guidance
  • Stranger: The Stranger represents the unknown, but especially death. Those who find themselves ostracized by society often find solace in praying to this entity, easily identifying with the divine 'outcast.'

The Faith holds that there are seven hells as well as seven gods. The faithful hold seven constellations in the sky as sacred. As punishment, one of the faithful would serve as a begging brother for seven years. Even grace is taught to have seven aspects. Religion in A Song of Ice and Fire

The Faith has a great many moral teachings. It frowns on gambling, preaches against bastardy, and curses as criminal things like incest and kinslaying. Its central book of teachings is titled 'The Seven-Pointed Star,' which is divided into gospel-like sections, such as the Maiden's Book. Presumably, each of the Seven has his or her own book within the 'Seven Pointed Star.'

Adherents of the Faith use seven-pointed stars, crystal prisms, rainbows, and the number seven to represent the deity, and rites of worship heavily involve the use of light and crystals. The Andals brought the Seven with them into Westeros, and through their conquest it became the dominant religion of the continent, although markedly less common in the [The North|North]]. The Faith of the Seven has a highly organized church structure that is strongly integrated into the government and culture of Westeros.


High Septon

The Faith of the Seven is headed by the High Septon, a figure of papal authority, and a council of yet-undetermined size comprised of "Most Devout", which seems to be a vague analogue of the College of Cardinals, by whom a High Septon is elected. A High Septon abandons his name when elected.

Places of Worship

The places of worship of the Seven are called "septs", and every sept houses representational art portraying each of the seven aspects. In rural septs, they may merely be carved masks or simple charcoal drawings on a wall, while in wealthy septs, they are embodied by statutes inlaid with precious metals and stones.

The High Septon and the Most Devout are situated in the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing, a vast building of white marble with seven crystal towers, which serves as the seat of the Faith. Prior to being headquartered in King's Landing, before the advent of the Targaryens, the seat of the Faith was the ornate Starry Sept in Oldtown, constructed in black marble with stained glass windows set in pointed arches.

Clergy

Septons

Male clergy of the Faith are called "septons," and there are various orders of devotion amongst them, each concentrating their devotion on one aspect of the Seven. For example, there are septons sworn the Smith, and they wear small metal hammers on a thong around their necks. Monastic orders of septons can live in 'septries' (plural of 'septry'), self sustaining enclaves of sworn brothers who are called "Brown Brothers." Septons without a sept wander the countryside ministering to the smallfolk in exchange for food and shelter. They are sometimes disparaged as "begging brothers", and they wear a small metal bowl around their necks.

Septas

Female clergy called "septas", and there are various orders of devotion amongst them. There are orders of septas, called white, grey or blue septas, but it is unrevealed to which aspect of the deity each of them is devoted. There are convents of septas called 'motherhouses,' including a large one in Oldtown. Septas often serve as governesses in the households of the high nobility. A trial of a woman conducted by the Faith will have septas sitting among the seven judges. High ranking septas are counted as members of the "Most Devout", revealing that they have a voice in the selection of a High Septon, but it is unknown if a septa can be raised as High Septon.

see: Septa Mordane, Septa Nysterica, Septa Eglantine

Silent Sisters

A separate order of women with vows of chastity and silence called the "Silent Sisters" handles the bodies of the dead, but they are not regarded as septas. Silent Sisters are sometimes refered to as 'Wives of the Stranger.'

The Faith Miltant

Militant orders of the Faith have also existed at times in its history, the Warriors Sons, a knightly order comprised of the noble classes, and the Poor Fellows, drawn from the common folk. They are known as the "Swords" and "Stars" respectively, and were brutally repressed by Maegor the Cruel.

Tenets and Rites of Worship

Believers in the Faith pray to specific aspects of the Seven for help and guidance depending on their circumstances: to the Warrior for courage and skill in battle, to the Father for justice, to the Mother for mercy, to the Smith for making whole what is broken, to the Crone for wisdom, to the Maid for innocence and pleasure in life, and to the Stranger for death.

Candles are lit before the altars symbolizing each of the seven aspects, and hymns are often sung. In the naming of a child, seven oils are used to anoint the infant. Weddings are conducted standing between the altars of the Father and the Mother. Grandiose rites of worship contain choirs comprised of seventy-seven septas.

During trials by combat, the Seven are expected to intervene on the side of the just combatant. In order to become a knight, a squire must spend a nightlong vigil in a sept and become anointed in the name of the Seven; for this reason, there are few knights in areas where the Faith is not kept (the North, for instance).

See Also

See: Citadel: Concordance - 2.4 - The Faith