These are all the things you have to know to understand the Old Gods in Game of Thrones.
Although the Faith of the Seven is the majority belief of Westeros, there are also other religions that some houses follow, and one of the best known is that of the Old Gods. This is something that seen mainly in the Northjust as it happens with the members of the Stark house and the savages that are beyond the wall.
Unlike the Faith of the Seven, the Old Gods are a more animistic religion that is closely related to elements of nature, and for that reason they are represented in sacred trees. This is a very interesting belief, so below, we explain in detail everything about the Old Gods of Game of Thrones.
What are the Old Gods and where do they come from?
Thousands of years ago, the Old Gods were worshiped by the Children of the Forest, although everything began to get complicated when the war against the First Men, who were one of the three ethnic groups that were in conflict, the others being the Andals and the Rhoynar. The First Men made peace with the Children of the Forest and made the belief grow, but once the Andals conquered Westerosthe religion of the New Gods of the Faith of the Seven began to predominate, which spread throughout the continent, leaving only the north with the belief of the Old Gods.
This religion is considered as animist, and it is that the greenseers that existed at that time were shamans able to communicate with animals and control them, as well as seeing through the eyes of the weirwoods that were distributed in various places sacred in the region.
What are weirwood trees with faces for?
Throughout the history of Game of Thrones and the House of the Dragon, several weirwoods with carved faces in different ways. These are sacred trees known as “heart trees” and represent the body of the Gods where people are going to give themselves up when they die to become part of the forest.
It is not known exactly why they always have a carved face, since it is a tradition of the Children of the Forestalthough it can refer to the presence of the Gods, since all prayers, oaths, and even marriages, have to be made in front of these sacred trees so that they are approved by the Gods.
The interesting thing about this religion is that there is no strict organization defined, clergy or evangelical movements as the Faith of the Seven does. Simply, traditions are maintained and certain rules to prevent the Gods from being offended by human actions.
Offenses to the Old Gods
As for the offenses that the Old Gods can receiveare the following:
- Incest.
- Murders between the same blood (between family members).
- Enslavement of any kind.
These would be the main things would negatively affect the Old Gods. On the other hand, hospitality and charity were rewarded to all those who respected these principles with the required standards.
For a long time, this belief remained intact until the Andals arrived. Before, many families had a Forest of Gods that had a sacred heart tree in the center of everything, as if it were a kind of church where they would go to pray and maintain respect for deitiesbut everything changed when the Faith of the Seven arrived and many of these weirwoods became mere trees for most houses in Westeros, except for the North area.