Who are the Faith Militant? A History of the Faith of the Seven
By Ani Bundel
A couple of weeks ago, we sat down and looked at the faith of R’hllor and its relation to Westeros, Essos and the oncoming battle of Ice and Fire. But although the faith of the Red God looks like it’ll loom large in Game of Thrones’ future, there are more pressing religious matters to deal with on the continent of Westeros. I speak of the continent’s main religion, known as “The Faith of the Seven,” or often just “The Faith.” The worship of the number seven manifests itself in several ways, from the Septs, the religion’s seven-sided chapels, to the priests and priestesses, who are known as “Septons” and “Septas.” The Seven are a pantheon of gods and goddesses who each represent a different facet of life.
artwork via westeros.org
From left to right:
- The Smith: Represents Work, Labor, and the Crafting Arts
- The Crone: Represents Old Age, Wisdom, Prophecy
- The Maiden: Represents Innocence, Virtue, Purity
- The Warrior: Represents War, Strength, Courage
- The Mother: Represents the Earth, Fertility, Mercy
- The Father: Represents the Heavens, Judgement
- The Stranger: Represents Death, the Unknown
We know that there are many religions on the world of Ice and Fire, which some fans refer to as Planetos. The Faith of The Seven is a relatively new religion in the grand scheme of Westeros history. It came over with the Andals when they invaded the continent circa 6,000 BC (before Aegon’s Targaryen’s conquest). History records that the religion rose up among the Andals not long before the invasion, and it has been suggested that this newfound religious zeal was actually a partial catalyst for it. According to the Faith’s primary religious text, known as The Seven Pointed Star, those who make up “The Seven” walked among the Hills of Andolos, from whence the Andals invaded, in human form. Whether this is fact turned to myth or a more representative earthly style of religious belief is uncertain, but the latter seems more likely. (Think the Greek pantheon, where Zeus and company were often described as coming down to earth and getting involved in soap opera type shenanigans that resulted in women being turned into cows, or accidentally causing the Trojan War.)
Though the Faith of the Seven is one of the newer religions in this world, it has been one of the most successful. Upon the Andals conquering Westeros, the religion spread quickly, supplanting the worship of the “Old Gods” which has been the continent’s main system of belief since before the Age of Heroes. Part of the attraction is in the holy texts, which codified a level of mortality in society that was hithertofore left to each person to decide for him or herself. With the coming of the Faith of the Seven, things like gambling, prostitution, incest and kinslaying, though never officially outlawed, were seen as immoral, and the practices of such things curbed, if not completely stopped.
Moreover, the Faith introduced a widespread belief that things like wights and spirits could not harm a man as long as he was pious. This might explain why the religion caught on very strongly in the southern provinces, but did not penetrate so deeply in the North. It may have been four thousand years since the Long Night and the Night’s King, but the North has the reminder of The Wall towering over it, and the Stark words of warning: “Winter is Coming.” Northerners were more likely to have held on to the memory that wights and Others didn’t stop to ask one what god they worshipped before them limb from limb. (The other area where the Faith of the Seven never took hold were the Iron Islands, but that seems more about the Islanders’ stubborn insistence on keeping their culture removed from the mainland, and on sticking to their own ways and their Drowned God.)
In keeping with the Faith being a southern-based religion, the center of the religious order was founded in the city of Oldtown, which is located in the area known as the Reach, not far to the West of the Dornish border. The head of the order, known as The High Septon, and the council of the high-ranking Septons, known as the Most Devout, ruled from a building that was known as “The Starry Sept” until the War of Conquest ended in 1 AC.
After invading and conquering Westeros, the Targaryens attempted to simply adopt the Faith in exchange for the High Septon not fighting their arrival. But a generation later, the Targaryen’s penchant for incest created a conflict with the religion’s teaching, and that pact fell apart. This resulted in almost a decade of civil war which lasted from 37 AC, under the reign of Aenys I, to 44 AC, when Jaehaerys I came to the throne and offered amnesty, and a promise that the Iron Throne would always defend The Faith. With that agreement, the Faith of the Seven relocated the High Sept to King’s Landing. The relationship between the Targaryens and the Faith would continue under good terms from thereon out, with the two even becoming one for a time under the rule of Baelor I in 161 AC, a Targaryen who was a Septon before becoming King. He would go on to build the Great Sept of Baelor, which has frequently been featured on Game of Thrones.
The Faith of the Seven has several orders within it, including the Silent Sisters, the Begging Brothers, the Faith Militant, and the Contemplative Brothers. The Silent Sisters are one of the very few devotees of The Stranger, the least worshipped of the Seven. Unsurprisingly, their lives are given to handling and preparing the dead. Unlike other Septas, they go around fully veiled to preserve their identities. The Begging Brothers are wandering godsworn—think travelling priests who pass through villages and hear the prayers and wishes of those along the way. The Contemplative Brothers are monks, most of whom have taken vows of silence. They live in a small enclave. And then there’s the Faith Militant.
During this past season of the show, many viewers were confused as to where exactly this extremist order came from. The Faith Militant has been described as “having risen several times over the centuries,” though the modern history books only mention them once. Therefore, we might assume that the Faith Militant initially came about as The Faith’s standing army during the time between the Andals conquering Westeros and the Targaryen invasion. What we do know for sure is that the last time they were active prior to Robert’s Rebellion and the War of the Five Kings was during the aforementioned civil war during the reign of Anys I. When that war ended under Jaehaerys, the High Septon disbanded the Faith’s army as part of the treaty with the Crown.
Traditionally, there are two branches of the Faith Militant—the Warriors Son’s, known as the “Swords,” and the Poor Fellows, known as the “Stars.” One might think the Poor Fellows to be the less warrior-like of the two, but you would be wrong. Where the Warrior’s Sons are more professional fighters and swordsmen, and only accept anointed knight’s into their ranks, the Poor Fellows are the more blind-faith types—they’re the ones who carve the seven-pointed stars on their bodies. (In the books, it is said they carve them into their chests. The show modified that to carving it onto their foreheads, a la Brother Lancel.) With the High Sparrow bent on tearing down the One-Percenters of Westeros, if you will, it is unsurprising that the bulk of his newly restored Faith Militant is made up of Poor Fellows.
The real question, of course, is how the Faith of the Seven will respond to the coming of the Dragons, and the threat of the Long Night. Unlike the Old Gods, this religion wasn’t around the last time this happened during the age of Heroes, nor was it born of the myths that came from that fight, like the religion of R’hllor. Unlike those who worship the Red God, and whose religion is based upon the dualistic fight between good/evil (fire/ice), The Faith is not set up to handle things like magic, dragons, or wights. If anything, it was based upon a denial of these things. One would expect that, as the great battle that will conclude the series draws closer, The Faith’s denial will become louder. I personally cannot see the High Sparrow responding well to either Dany’s arrival or her dragons, nor to the threat that Winter brings. But we shall find out soon enough, I think. (That is, unless Kevan Lannister figures out how to remove the High Sparrow from power. But I doubt it.)