Faith of the Seven

The Faith of the Seven is the principle religion of the Seven Kingdoms. It is little-practised beyond its borders.

The Faith holds that there is one god who has seven faces or aspects: the Father, the Mother, the Warrior, the Smith, the Maiden, the Crone and the Stranger. Each aspect represents one part of life or existence. The first six of them are prayed to for different purposes, but people do not pray to the Stranger, who represents death.

Both men and women can be priests of the Seven. Male priests are known as septons and female priests as septas. The Faith is ruled over by a council known as the Most Devout. The head of the Faith is known as the High Septon, who dwells at the Great Sept of Baelor in the city of King's Landing. Whilst septons and septas serve on the council of the Most Devout, the High Septon is usually male.

Churches of the Faith are seven-sided buildings known as septs, with each wall dedicated to one of the seven aspects. There are monastaries where larger numbers of worshippers gather, and these are known as septries. Septries often have vows of silence or other requirements, and are places of quiet contemplation. Many septons and septas are based at a sept or septry, but 'begging brothers', septons without a sept, wander the Seven Kingdoms and minister to smaller towns and villages which lack septs of their own.

The Faith of the Seven is dominant in the south of Westeros. The only regions where it is not practised are on the Iron Islands, where worship of the Drowned God holds sway, and in the North, where worship of the old gods of the forest remains strong. There many exceptions in both areas, however.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels the Faith is old, having originated on the eastern continent of Essos some six thousand years ago. According to legend, the god appeared as seven figures amongst the Hills of Andalos and preached to the people of the hills that they should move in a great exodus to the western continent and rule there. The Andals thus invaded Westeros and subdued much of the south of the continent, although they were unable to wipe out the worship of the old gods in the North. Over centuries and millennia the Faith accepted the co-existence of the other faiths.

When Aegon the Conqueror invaded and subdued Westeros three centuries ago, he gained the support of the Faith, who crowned him King and convinced the rulers of the city of Oldtown to open their gates to him. The Faith's support was critical to Aegon taking control of the continent. However, when he died and his son Maegor, born of incest which is proscribed by the Faith, took the throne they led a religious uprising against him. This uprising was eventually crushed by the Targaryen dynasty with great loss of life. The Faith's military forces, the Faith Militant, disbanded and the Faith have remained loyal supporters of the crown ever since.