iirongauntlet: religions of asoiaf — The old gods are nameless deities of stream, forest, and
iirongauntlet: religions of asoiaf — The old gods are nameless deities of stream, forest, and stone worshiped in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and beyond the Wall. They are so named because the Faith of the Seven (the "new gods") replaced them in all but the north of Westeros, where their religion is still practiced by northmen, crannogmen, and free folk. Westerosi of various faiths commonly swear by the old gods and the new. The free folk beyond the Wall believe that the gods are everywhere – in the rocks, streams, birds, and beasts – and that they take the deceased down into the earth and trees. The maesters teach that the weirwoods are sacred to the old gods. However, worshippers believe the old gods watch through the trees. It is said that the old gods only have power where the heart tree faces can see, and since the destruction of most of the heart trees in the south they have no power there. It is said that the sigh of the wind and the rustle of leaves are the old gods speaking back to worshippers. Worshippers of the old gods believe that no man can tell a lie in front of a heart tree, as the old gods know when men are telling a lie. Through the eyes of the weirwoods, the old gods judge the people in front of them. As such, an oath might be made in front of a weirwood tree, or with a hand placed in the mouth of the weirwood’s face. It is said that the children of the forest carved faces in the trees during the dawn, centuries before the coming of the First Men across the narrow sea. -- source link
#musings