Faith of the Seven

The Faith of the Seven is the principal religion of the Seven Kingdoms, a faith brought to Westeros by the Andals thousands of years before the events of the book. Its central doctrine holds that the single deity has seven aspects or faces: the Father (judgment), the Mother (mercy), the Warrior (strength in battle), the Smith (craft and labor), the Maiden (purity and love), the Crone (wisdom), and the Stranger (death and the unknown). Its holy book is The Seven-Pointed Star, and its highest earthly authority is the High Septon, who presides from the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing. The Faith's power had waned under the Targaryen kings and the early Baratheon reign, but the chaos of the War of the Five Kings allowed a populist religious revival to take hold, led by the man known as the High Sparrow.

The Rise of the High Sparrow and the Militant Orders

The High Sparrow, an ascetic figure who walks barefoot and wears simple undyed wool, rose to prominence by leading a movement of common people—called "sparrows"—who were disgusted by the corruption of the old High Septon and the nobility. After the death of the previous High Septon (murdered by Osney Kettleblack at Cersei Lannister's behest), the sparrows seized control of the Great Sept and elected the High Sparrow as the new High Septon. He immediately revived the Faith Militant, the military orders of the Faith that had been disbanded by King Maegor the Cruel centuries earlier. The Warrior's Sons, an order of knights who wear rainbow cloaks and silver armor, were re-formed, and the Poor Fellows, a ragged army of commoners armed with axes and spears, swelled their ranks. This gave the Faith an independent armed force, making it a power that even the Iron Throne could not ignore.

The Imprisonment and Trial of Queen Cersei

The Faith's most dramatic assertion of power in A Dance with Dragons is its arrest and imprisonment of Queen Regent Cersei Lannister. Cersei had armed the Faith in a misguided attempt to destroy her rival, Margaery Tyrell, but the High Sparrow turned on her. Using confessions extracted from Osney Kettleblack under torture, the Faith accused Cersei of adultery, fornication, incest, high treason, and regicide. She was confined to a cell in the Great Sept of Baelor, where she was subjected to sleep deprivation and constant pressure to confess by the septas Unella, Moelle, and Scolera. The High Sparrow proved implacable, refusing to be swayed by her threats, her offers of gold, or her appeals to mercy. He forced her to confess to some sins and then, as penance, compelled her to undertake a "walk of atonement"—stripped naked, shorn of her hair, and barefoot—from the Great Sept to the Red Keep, through a jeering mob that pelted her with filth and insults. This public humiliation was designed to break her power and demonstrate that no one, not even a queen, was above the Faith's judgment.

The Prosecution of Queen Margaery and Political Maneuvering

Simultaneously, the Faith also held Queen Margaery Tyrell and her cousins on charges of adultery and fornication. Unlike Cersei, Margaery was not kept in a cell but was eventually released into the custody of Lord Randyll Tarly, who swore a holy oath to produce her for trial. The High Sparrow's even-handed prosecution of both queens—one Lannister, one Tyrell—demonstrated his determination to hold the entire court accountable, not just the king's enemies. This created a political crisis. Mace Tyrell, Margaery's father and the new Hand of the King, was forced to bring his army to King's Landing to pressure the Faith, but he dared not openly defy it for fear of driving the pious into the arms of other claimants. Ser Kevan Lannister, the Lord Regent, recognized that the Faith's power had to be appeased to prevent open war in the capital. The Faith's trials thus became the central political drama of King's Landing, paralyzing the royal government and exposing the weakness of the Iron Throne.

The Faith's Role in the Broader Conflict

Beyond King's Landing, the Faith of the Seven is a significant factor in the wider war. The High Sparrow's movement draws strength from the common people's disillusionment with the nobility's endless wars. The Faith's military orders, the Warrior's Sons and the Poor Fellows, provide a disciplined and ideologically motivated force that can be deployed independently of the great houses. In the epilogue, the High Sparrow's influence is shown to be a key concern for the small council, as Ser Kevan and Mace Tyrell debate how to manage the Faith's demands. The Faith's power is a wild card in the game of thrones, a force that cannot be bought or intimidated, and one that threatens to undermine the legitimacy of any ruler who defies it. The Faith's resurgence represents a fundamental shift in the balance of power in Westeros, from a secular aristocracy to a theocratic authority that claims the right to judge kings and queens alike.