Westeros
Relatively few religions have a significant following in Westeros. They include:
Essos
In Essos across the narrow sea, there are numerous different religions. In Braavos, one can find temples and shrines to almost every god one can imagine. Named religions in Essos include:
Unnamed religions include:
Valyria
In Valyria they worshiped many gods the Targaryens named at least four of their Dragons after Valyrian gods:
Yi Ti
Other regions
The Seven
Members of the Faith worship the Seven Who Are One, a single deity with seven aspects or faces. For the less educated, however, this concept is often difficult to grasp, causing them to often believe that there are indeed seven different gods.[5] Depending on their need, worshippers pray to specific faces of the Seven. The seven faces are:
The Father, also referred to as the Father Above, is depicted as a bearded man, with a stern and strong face. Judgement is said to belong to the Father. Additionally, he protects “his children”. He is often prayed to for justice, and the phrase “may the Father judge [him/her/them/you] justly” is often said among followers of the Seven. Additionally, one might pray to the Father asking him to defend someone in battle, the strength to seek justice, and the wisdom to recognize it.
The Mother, sometimes also called the Mother Above, is a loving and protective aspect of the Seven. She is often asked for mercy, and to keep loved ones safe. Offerings can be made to the Mother when a woman becomes pregnant, to praise the Mother for giving the gift of life.
The Warrior is always depicted with his sword, and protects followers of the Seven from their foes. The Warrior is often prayed to for courage, as the septons teach. Most men make offerings to the Warrior before battle, while others might say a prayer. Additionally, people might beseech the Warrior for a favorable condition during battle, to watch over soldiers, give them strength, keep them safe, both in battle and outside of battle, and help warriors to victory. He might also be asked to bring peace to the souls of the slain and give comfort to those who are left behind. A septon might ask the Warrior to lend his strength to the arm of the man whose cause is just during a trial by battle, The phrases “may the Warrior defend you” and “may the Warrior give strength to your sword arm” are frequently given.
The Smith, depicted with his hammer, is the mender of broken things who puts the world of men to right. Septons teach to pray to the Smith for strength, and sailors might make offerings to the Smith prior to launching a ship, as to keep their ships safe. Others might pray to the Warrior for protection. Followers of the Seven can show their devotion to the Smith by wearing a small iron hammer about their neck.
The Maiden, also called the Maid, is a beautiful, innocent looking young woman. People might pray to the Maiden to keep young women safe. A mother can pray to the Maiden to lend courage to her daughters and guard them in their innocence, while a bride might light candles in thanks if a suitable marriage offer is made. A woman may ask the Maid for forgiveness when admitting to having used sex to convince men to do her bidding.
The Crone is an old, wizened and wise woman, whose statues often show her with a raised lamp in one hand. People pray to the Crone for wisdom[ and guidance.
The Stranger is neither male nor female, yet both at the same time. He is the outcast, the wanderer from far places, less and more than human, unknown and unknowable. His face is the face of death. He leads the newly deceased to the other world. Those who feel like outcasts might light a candle for the Stranger.
Organization
Training
According to a semi-canon source, the Faith has great centers of religious training, such as the Great Sept of Baelor. Not all septons are well educated, however.
Priests
The male and female godsworn of the Faith are called septons and septas, respectively. Upon taking their vows, they set aside their last names, even if they come from noble families. Septons often wear white robes, seven-stranded belts of different colors, and a crystal about their necks. They lead worship with incense, censers, and songs. Septas typically dress in white robes with woven seven-color belts. They sometimes wear hoods, but not always, and their hair can be seen. Septas may serve as governesses in noble households. Septa Mordane, for example, serves House Stark.
In villages which are too small to support a septon, a septon from a neighboring village might visit twice a year. Other times, a "wandering septon", a septon who travels from village to village without a specific sept at which he serves, might visit these small villages. These septons perform holy services, marriages, and forgive sins. While the septon is visiting the village, the people must provide him with food and a place to sleep.
High Septon
The head of the Faith is the High Septon, the Father of the Faithful, the voice of the new gods on earth. The Most Devout, a council of the highest-ranking septons and septas, elect the High Septon, usually from among their own ranks, although there have been notable exceptions. The septon who is elected gives up his name, as the Faith believes that the High Septon no longer has any need of a man’s name, since he has become the avatar of the gods. Typically, the High Septon wears long white robes and a crown. Septons and septas from the Most Devout wear robes of cloth-of-silver and crystal coronets.
Silent sisters
The silent sisters are tasked with preparing the deceased for the grave. They dress in grey robes, their faces hooded and shawled so only their eyes remain visible, as it is "ill fortune to look on the face of death." The silent sisters do not speak to the living, and although some claim that the silent sisters have their tongues cut out, in truth the silent sisters have simply taken a vow of silence.
The silent sisters remove the bowels and organs, and drain the blood from the corpses in their care. They may also stuff the body with fragrant herbs and salts to preserve it and hide the smell of decomposition. When the deceased is transported back home, one or more silent sisters might accompany the body. Due to their task, the silent sisters are also called “death's handmaidens”[31] and “handmaidens of the Stranger”. Some even say that they are wives to the Stranger.
Holy brothers and sisters
Humbler members of the Faith include "holy brothers" and "holy sisters". Many of the holy brothers wear tonsures, cutting the hair on their scalps as an act of humility and to show the Father that they have nothing to hide. Holy brothers often wear robes of brown, dun, or green. Holy sisters can wear robes of white, blue, or grey.
Brothers can serve at septries, monastic communities of the Faith similar to monasteries. Some holy brothers wear the iron hammer of the Smith about their neck. The brothers live in penitence, quiet contemplation, and prayer at these septries, and they often take vows of silence. The leader of the community, the Elder Brother, is assisted by proctors. Motherhouses are corresponding communities for women.
Begging brothers travel from place to place, but are not to be confused with wandering septons, as the latter are one rank higher in the Faith's hierarchy. The begging brothers are often dressed in threadbare or roughspun robes of undyed wool belted with hempen rope, and some go about barefoot. Some wear a bowl on a leather thong around their necks. Wandering the realm as a begging brother might be done as a penance.
Faith Militant
The Faith Militant was the military arm of the Faith of the Seven, under the command of the High Septon. It was composed of two military orders, the Warrior's Sons, an order of knights who gave up their lands and gold, swearing their sword to the High Septon, and the Poor Fellows, made up from common men, hedge knights, and the like, who guarded and escorted travelers. The two orders were also known as the "Swords" and the "Stars" for their respective symbols. The Faith Militant is therefore also known as the Swords and Stars or Stars and Swords. The Faith Militant was outlawed during the reign of King Maegor I Targaryen and disbanded by the High Septon during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.
Rights and privileges
The Faith traditionally held several rights. Apart from the right to maintain its own military orders (i.e. the Faith Militant and its subdivisions, the Warrior's Sons and the Poor Fellows), the Faith also had the right to hold its own ecclesiastical courts to try servants of the Faith accused of wrongdoing, who were exempt from being tried in the lordly courts of local monarchs. In addition, the Faith's substantial wealth and properties were exempt from taxation.
King Aegon I Targaryen tread lightly with the Faith and upheld all of these rights during his reign. Aegon's second son, King Maegor I Targaryen, outlawed the Faith Militant during the Faith Militant uprising. King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and his Hand of the King, Septon Barth, reconciled the Iron Throne with the Faith. In exchange for the promise that the Iron Throne would always protect and defend the Faith, the last few Warrior's Sons and Poor Fellows put down their weapons. Additionally, the Faith agreed to accept justice from the Iron Throne instead of being able to try the faithful themselves. Whether or not the Faith retained the tax-exemption on its wealth and properties after Jaehaerys I's time is unknown.
Practices
The Faith of the Seven is the predominant religion of the Seven Kingdoms. It is practiced in Dorne, the Reach, the stormlands, the crownlands, the riverlands, the westerlands, and the Vale of Arryn. Only on the Iron Islands and in the north are followers of the Faith few. Although the laws of the Iron Throne and the gods are seen as separate, teachings of the Faith have a heavy influence on the law and justice of the realm. The Faith preaches against prostitution, gambling, and bastardy. It holds slavery to be an abomination, and considers polygamy and incest—except for Targaryens, under the Doctrine of Exceptionalism—and prostitution as monstrous and vile sins. Followers of the Faith consider no man as accursed as the kinslayer, although the degree of kin and circumstance of killing one's kin (e.g., in war) hold significant influence.
In association with the seven aspects of their god, the number seven is considered holy. Septons speak of the seven aspects of grace during prayer, and the gods are said to have made seven wonders; In the night sky, seven "wanderers", held sacred by the Faith, can be seen, each sacred to one of the Seven; the red wanderer is held to be sacred to the Smith. Seven oils are used during a child naming ceremony, as part of the knighting ceremony, and when anointing a king.
Worship
Religious worship is done in seven-walled buildings called septs. The wealthier septs have statues and altars for each of the Seven, whereas poorer septs might use carved masks or crude charcoal drawings of the Seven.The altars are sometimes inlaid richly with mother-of-pearl, onyx, and lapis lazuli. Windows are from leaded glass, depicting scenes and pictures, and a great crystal catches light, spreading it in a rainbow of colors. Septs can be found across the Seven Kingdoms, although they are rare in the north and absent from the Iron Islands. Some lords might agree to have a sept build upon their lands. If such cases, the septs are the property of the lord in question.
Prayer in a sept is done to each of the seven faces of the god that one wishes to ask for aid. Holding hands and singing is often part of worship and prayer. Candles can be lit to honor the gods, although the Stranger typically receives the fewest candles. People may wear signs of devotion to a particular god, such as a small iron hammer on a thong for the Smith. Crystals and light are important elements in the Faith.
The seven colors of the rainbow are important to the Faith. The Warrior's Sons wore rainbow cloaks, and the peace banner of the Faith is a rainbow-striped flag with seven long tails, on a staff topped by a seven-pointed star. Crystals in septs create rainbows of light.
The Faith has a number of holy books. The most important one is The Seven-Pointed Star, which contains the Maiden’s Book. The Seven-Pointed Star tells, among others, about the history of the Faith. Septons who cannot read or write memorize prayers, rituals, and ceremonies, and are able to recite long passages from The Seven-Pointed Star.
Hymns for a particular god can be sung during prayer. There is also a children’s lullaby about the Seven, “The Song of the Seven”, which honors all the gods except for the Stranger, as no one ever sings of him.
The Old Gods
The old gods are nameless and numerous. The free folk who live 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. According to Jojen Reed, the singers of the children believe that the weirwood trees are the gods, and that when they die, they become part of the godhood.
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 from across the narrow sea. According to Maester Luwin, the faces were carved by the greenseers to keep watch on the woods. The First Men believed that the greenseers could see through the eyes of the weirwoods.
The old gods were worshipped by the children of the forest, and eventually after the Pact, by the First Men. Following the coming of the Andals, who brought the Faith of the Seven, the old gods were no longer dominantly worshipped in the south of Westeros. Only a few houses (e.g., House Blackwood) still do, while most of the noble houses follow the Faith of the Seven instead. In the north, however, the majority of the houses still worships the old gods. In the northern lands beyond the Wall, the free folk continue to worship the old gods. Although some accounts state that there are clans who worship different gods (dark gods beneath the ground in the Frostfangs, gods of snow and ice on the Frozen Shore, or crab gods at Storrold's Point), there is no reliable confirmation.
Practices
Various actions, such as incest, slavery, and kinslaying are considered offensive to the old gods, although, as regards kinslaying, the degree of kin and circumstance of killing one’s kin (e.g., in war) hold significant influence. The laws of hospitality are considered to be sacred. It is believed that the old gods can detect when men lie to heart trees.
Worship
Worshippers visit godswoods, groves contained within castles throughout the Seven Kingdoms, where a heart tree can be found. These trees, which have faces carved into them, are considered to be sacred. The heart trees are usually weirwoods, and godswoods are often the only places where living weirwoods still remain until one goes north of the Wall. Once all noble houses had a godswood with a heart tree in its center; However, the First Men, in their wars against the children of the forest, cut down many of the trees, as did the Andals later on, replacing the old gods with their own in the southern kingdoms. Although godswoods can still be found in the south, they now serve as secular gardens.
Prayer and marriages are done in front of a heart tree. The weirwoods and the places they stand are considered to be sacred. They are not to be defiled by bringing animals such as horses into them.
There are no priests, no holy texts, no songs of worship, and practically no rites that go with the worship of the old gods. It is a folk religion, passed from generation to generation. Worshipers believe the old gods watch through the trees, and prayers are done in silence.
Blood sacrifice was performed in the past. For example, the entrails and bodies of criminals and traitors could be hung from the branches of weirwoods after their executions.
Marriage customs
A marriage ceremony takes place in front of a heart tree. The bride's father, or the person standing in his place (usually kin or whoever else is closest to living kin), will escort the bride to her future husband and those presiding over the marriage. Thus far, all the wedding gowns that have thus far been described for a follower of the old gods have been a shade of white.
Marriage ceremonies are rather short and contain no priests. The bride is escorted to her groom, who awaits her in front of the weirwood tree in the godswood, and a ceremonial conversation follows, where the identity of the bride, of the groom, and of the person giving the bride away are established. The bride is asked to accept her husband, and upon her agreement ("I take this man") bride and groom join hands, kneel before the heart tree, and bow their heads in token of submission. When they rise following a moment of silent prayer, the groom removes the maiden’s cloak, and places the bride’s cloak around her shoulders, after which he will carry her to the feast in his arms. The wedding ceremony is followed by a feast, which in turn is followed by the bedding.
Marriage vows said at swordpoint are not held to be valid, but even if the marriage occurred under force, a lord might claim the marriage to be legal if e.g. lands are at stake.
Lords in Westeros once had the right to the first night, the custom of bedding newly-wed women before their husbands. Queen Alysanne convinced King Jaehaerys I to abolish it, but it is still practiced illegally in some parts of the north, as "where the old gods rule, old customs linger".
Funeral customs
Specific funeral customs are not known. However, nobles houses appear to bury deceased family members in crypts beneath their castles. The Starks of Winterfell, traditionally worshippers of the old gods, buries deceased family members in the crypts below Winterfell. According to Roose Bolton, another worshipper of the old gods, the bones of his deceased son Domeric “lie beneath the Dreadfort with the bones of his brothers”, suggesting it to be a custom (at least of the nobility).
Drowned God
The faith of the Drowned God is unique to the Iron Islands. He is seen as the creator of the seas and father of the ironborn, who believe they come from his watery halls. The Drowned God is said to have made the ironborn in his own likeness, to reave, rape, carve out kingdoms, make their names known in fire and blood and song and to hold dominion over all the waters of the earth. Some ironborn wish a return to the Old Way and paying the iron price.
The ironborn believe that the Drowned God is opposed by the Storm God. This malignant deity dwells in the sky and has hatred for men and all their works. The Storm God resides in a cloudy hall, and sends cruel winds, lashing rains, and the thunder and lightning down upon men. The Drowned God and the Storm God are said to have been at war against one another for "a thousand thousand years".
The ironborn believe that the Drowned God has fewer power the further removed from the sea they are. Even in strange lands where other gods are worshipped, some ironborn might believe that a large amount of men who have been drowned give the Drowned God strength in the area.
Most ironborn have naught but scorn for the Seven of southern Westeros and the old gods of the north.
Organization
Priests
The priests of the Drowned God are ill clad, wearing mottled robes of green, grey, and blue, the colors of their deity. Underneath they wear a sealskin clout. The priests use dried seaweed which they braid through their long hair and untrimmed beard, and wear a waterskin on a leather strap. They have an unkempt appearance. For example, Aeron Greyjoy has not cut his hair since having been raised up by the Drowned God and becoming a priest. Most priests do not bathe in any water but the sea, and they often go barefoot. They have no permanent home, but instead wander the Iron Islands, seldom going far from the sea. The lords and peasants on the islands are obliged to give them food and shelter in the name of their god. Priests will drink sea water from time to time, to strengthen their faith, and some eat only fish.
The priests speak with the voice of their god. They wield considerable power over the ironborn, having the power to call a kingsmoot. Most priests are illiterate, so the prayers and rituals are orally taught. The priests primarily make use of those things that can be taken from the sea, such as driftwood for makeshift shelters and sealskin for tents.
A drowned priest is said to be able to sour wells and make women barren with his gaze.
Drowned Men
The drowned men are the acolytes of Aeron Greyjoy, who is a priest of the Drowned God. They wear mottled robes and carry driftwood cudgels to show their devotion. It is unknown whether acolytes to other priests are called "drowned men" as well.
Practices
The Drowned God has no temples, holy books, or idols. "Lord God who drowned for us," is part of the litany of the Drowned God's priests.
The ironborn believe that the Drowned God gives every man "a gift", something in which he excels. He helps bold men, but not cowards.
When the sea becomes more rough, with the waves growing larger and the wind rising, some might say that "the Drowned God wakes".
The children of a thrall are born free, as long as they are given to the Drowned God.
Seastone Chair
The ironborn believe that the Drowned God decides who sits the Seastone Chair. This will not be a woman, not a godless man. Priests of the Drowned God can summon all ironborn captains to Nagga's hill on Old Wyk for a kingsmoot in the name of their god.
Ritual drowning
The priests of the Drowned God know how to drown a man and then bring him back to life, using the kiss of life. This is done as part of the rites of the god, consecrating the drowned person to him. Not all men are successfully revived, however. While the priest or one of his acolytes uses the kiss of life on the drowned man, other acolytes might pray around them. It is custom to give a newborn child to the Drowned God shortly following his birth. Some priests believe that this should be done in a similar manner, but more frequently the child is simply dipped into a tub of seawater to wet the infant's head.
Blessing
When performing a blessing on a person, the priest has the person kneel. He pours a stream of sea water from his waterskin upon the person's head while stating "Let [person] your servant be born again from the sea, as you were. Bless him with salt, bless him with stone, bless him with steel." The kneeling person then responds, "What is dead may never die." The priest replies, "What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger".
Priests of the Drowned God also bless new ships by speaking invocations and pouring sea water over the ship's prow.
Ritual executions
Several different types of ritual executions exist among the faith of the Drowned God. Blood sacrifice is done by slitting the throat of thralls, after which the bodies are given to the sea. Other times, sacrifice might be done by drowning someone, preferably in salt water. The executioner should be the person in command.
Death
When an ironman dies, it is said that the Drowned God needed a strong oarsman. "What is dead may never die" is a phrase uttered in such occasions. It is believed that the deceased is summoned to the Drowned God's watery halls, where he can drink and feast for all eternity, with mermaids attending his every want. The ironborn believe that “no true son of the sea would want to rot beneath the ground” as it would make him unable to find the Drowned God's watery halls.
Priests of the Drowned God preach that ironborn must not shed the blood of other ironborn, though they believe that methods such as drowning are acceptable, as it means no blood is spilled.
A death at sea is considered to be a goodness from the Drowned God.
R'hllor
The religion is based on a dualistic, manichean view of the world: R'hllor, the god of light, heat, and life, and R'hllor's antithesis the Great Other, the god of ice and death. They are locked in an eternal struggle over the fate of the world; a struggle that, according the ancient prophecies from the books of Asshai, will only end when Azor Ahai, the messianic figure, returns wielding a flaming sword called Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and raises dragons from stone.
R’hllor is also called the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the God of Flame and Shadow. His nemesis, the Great Other, whose name may not be spoken, is known as the Lord of Darkness, the Soul of Ice, the God of Night and Terror.
The red priests of R'hllor associate fire with life. They see shadows as creations of the Lord of Light, who are the servants of light and the children of fire. According to the priestess Melisandre, the Lord of Light cherishes innocent and beautiful people and items, making them the most precious sacrifice.
The religion of the Lord of Light is found primarily in Essos. R'hllor is worshipped in Asshai and red temples can be found in most of the Free Cities, including Braavos, Lys, Myr, Pentos, Qohor, Tyrosh, and Volantis. The town of Selhorys, ruled by Volantis, contains a red temple as well. The Temple of the Lord of Light in Volantis is exceptionally large, said to be the greatest in all the world. According to Archmaester Gramyon, it is about three times the size of the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing.
There are few followers of the Lord of Light in Westeros. Red priests can be found in Dorne, Dragonstone, King's Landing, and Oldtown.
Organization
Priests
Red priests are taught prayers and spells, and are trained to see things in fires. It takes many years of training to see the shapes beyond the flames, and even more years to learn how to interpret them. Numerous priests, both male and female, are trained in their red temples. The priests of the Lord of Light wear loose red robes.
Temple of the Lord of Light
The Temple of the Lord of Light in Volantis has been called the greatest temple in the known world. All those who serve there are slaves who were bought as children and trained. Whether this is also the case at temples in other cities is unknown. Thoros, a priest from Myr, states he was given over to the red temple as a young child.
Benerro, the High Priest of R'hllor in Volantis, also holds the titles Flame of Truth, Light of Wisdom, First Servant of the Lord of Light, and Slave of R'hllor. As is the custom of that city, the red priests of the Volantene temple, all slaves, have flames tattooed across their cheeks, chin and forehead. Red priests from other places, such as Thoros or Melisandre, are not known to have such tattoos.
The Fiery Hand are a thousand slave soldiers who guard the Temple of the Lord of Light. The Volantene temple also trains some of their slaves to become temple prostitutes.
Many worshippers in Volantis pin scraps of red cloth to their sleeves or tie them around their brow.
Practices
Prayers
Followers of R'hllor pray before a nightfire, thanking R'hllor for ending the day, while beseeching him to bring the dawn and banish the darkness. The nightfires are lit at sunset, and the prayers continue for more than an hour afterwards. Fires are also lit each morning at first light, where the red priests welcome the sun. Other priests might attend to their fires during the entire night. A common phrase of prayer is "the night is dark and full of terrors".
An example of a prayer sequence is:
Call: Lead us from the darkness, O my Lord. Fill our hearts with fire, so we may walk your shining path. R'hllor, you are the light in our eyes, the fire in our hearts, the heat in our loins. Yours is the sun that warms our days, yours the stars that guard us in the dark of night.
Response: Lord of Light, defend us. The night is dark and full of terrors. Lord of Light, protect us.
Call: R'hllor who gave us breath, we thank you. R'hllor who gave us day, we thank you.
Response: We thank you for the sun that warms us. We thank you for the stars that watch us. We thank you for our hearths and for our torches, that keep the savage dark at bay.
Red priests might also pray before a trial by combat:
Call: Lord of Light, look down upon us.
Response: Lord of Light, defend us.
Call: Lord of Light, protect us in the darkness.
Response: Lord of Light, shine your face upon us.
Call: Light your flame among us, R'hllor. Show us the truth or falseness of this man. Strike him down if he is guilty, and give strength to his sword if he is true. Lord of Light, give us wisdom.
Response: For the night is dark and full of terrors.
Marriage customs
During one example of a wedding ceremony, a red priest or priestess recites ceremonial prayers, which are answered by the wedding guests. The priest and groom await the bride by a ditchfire. The bride is escorted to the priest, who first asks the bride to identify herself, and next asks who comes to claim the bride. Both bride and groom are asked whether they will share their fire with their spouse-to-be, to warm him/her "when the night is dark and full of terrors". Bride and groom are to leap over the ditchfire together, to emerge as one. Following this, the groom removes the maiden's cloak and places the bride's cloak around the bride's shoulders. Following the ceremony is the wedding feast.
Death
Priests of R'hllor believe that "life is warmth, and warmth is fire, and fire is God's and God's alone." When a person has died, he is said to have "ascended to the Hall of Light, to sit beside the Lord".
The death rite administered by priests to the deceased is known as the last kiss. The priest fills his mouth with fire and breaths the flames inside the deceased person, down his throat to his lungs, heart, and soul. All red priests are required to perform the rite.
Visions and Magic
Red priests are trained to see visions in the flames of their nightfires. These visions could be about the past, the future, or things happening far away from the location of the priest. Visions cannot always be seen in the flames, however, and even though they believe their visions are never wrong,it is not always easy to see the vision.
It takes years of training to see the shapes beyond the flames, and even longer to learn to distinguish visions about the past from visions about a certain future and a possible future. Even after such long training, it remains difficult,[24] and priests might still err in their interpretation; many priests have been brought down by such incorrect interpretations.
R'hllor is also said to give his priests the power to see through falsehoods, as "the Other's servants oft hide black hearts in gaudy light".
The priestess Melisandre claims that shadows are servants of light and children of fire. She does not feel the need to eat food, believing that R'hllor provides her with all the nourishment she needs. Melisandre claims that glamors are given by the Lord of Light to his servants for them to use.