The red priests

The red priests are the servants of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, the god of flame and shadow. In the sprawling world of A Dance with Dragons, they are not a monolithic church but a fractured and potent force, their influence radiating from the great red temple of Volantis to the frozen Wall of Westeros. Their power is both spiritual and political, wielded through prophecy, public spectacle, and the promise of salvation through fire.

The Prophetic Flame of Volantis

The most visible and radical expression of the red faith in the east is found in Volantis, where the High Priest Benerro holds sway. From the balcony of the city's colossal red temple, he preaches to thousands of slaves and freedmen, his voice carrying over the crowded plaza. Tyrion Lannister, passing through the city, witnesses this spectacle. Benerro's words are a call to holy war, proclaiming that Daenerys Targaryen is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy: Azor Ahai returned. He declares that her triumph over darkness will bring a summer that never ends and that those who die in her cause shall be reborn. This message is a direct challenge to the city's ruling triarchs, the tigers and elephants, who are aligned with the slaver cities of Yunkai. The red priests' influence is so great that the triarch Malaquo, a tiger, fears to use his own tiger cloaks against them, as half of them worship the Lord of Light. Benerro's preaching has already sparked street fighting between his followers and those of other gods, and he has foreseen the destruction of Volantis should it take up arms against the silver queen. The widow of the waterfront, a powerful freedwoman, confirms this, telling Ser Jorah Mormont that Benerro can see the morrow in his flames and that the city is on the brink of a religious war that will not go as the slavers expect.

The Red Shadow at the Wall

In Westeros, the red faith is embodied by Melisandre of Asshai, the priestess who serves as the chief advisor and spiritual guide to King Stannis Baratheon. Her influence is absolute over the king and his followers, the queen's men. She uses her powers of prophecy, gazing into the flames of her nightfires, to guide Stannis's war. She sees visions of a grey girl on a dying horse, which she interprets as Arya Stark, and of daggers in the dark, warning Jon Snow of the enemies surrounding him. Her magic is not merely prophetic; she performs powerful glamors, using a ruby to disguise Mance Rayder as Rattleshirt, allowing him to be burned in the wildling king's place. This act of sorcery is a calculated political move, preserving Mance's life to serve Stannis's cause. Melisandre's faith is a source of both strength and terror. She is the king's red shadow, never far from his side, and her presence is a constant reminder of the harsh, uncompromising nature of the god she serves. The queen's men, led by zealots like Ser Godry Farring and Ser Clayton Suggs, are fanatical in their devotion, and they see the burning of unbelievers as a necessary sacrifice to appease R'hllor and ensure victory. This creates a deep rift between them and the more traditional northmen and the men of the Night's Watch, who worship the old gods.

The Faith of the Common People

The red faith's appeal is not limited to the powerful. In Volantis, the widow of the waterfront tells Ser Jorah that R'hllor has more worshipers in the city than all the other gods combined. The red priests offer a message of hope and deliverance to the oppressed, particularly the vast slave population. Benerro's prophecy that Daenerys is Azor Ahai reborn is a promise of liberation, a fiery sword that will cleanse the world of its evils. This makes the faith a powerful revolutionary force, one that the ruling classes fear. The widow herself, though a freedwoman, is a shrewd observer of this power. She notes that the triarchs are fools to think they can control the coming war, for the red god's followers are legion and their faith is a weapon. The red priests' ability to mobilize the masses through public spectacle, like the nightfires and Benerro's fiery sermons, makes them a threat to the established order of Slaver's Bay and a potential ally for Daenerys Targaryen, should she ever choose to embrace their prophecy.

The Nature of Their Power

The power of the red priests is rooted in their connection to fire and their ability to perform acts that seem miraculous. Moqorro, a red priest rescued from the sea by Victarion Greyjoy, demonstrates this power by healing the iron captain's festering wound with a ritual that involves fire and terrible pain, leaving his arm hideously scarred but stronger than before. He also interprets the Valyrian glyphs on the dragon horn, Dragonbinder, revealing its deadly secret. The priests' power is not without cost; Melisandre admits that her visions can be misinterpreted, mistaking what must come for what may come. The faith is also a jealous one, demanding absolute loyalty and the burning of those who refuse to convert. The queen's men force the wildlings to burn weirwood branches as a symbol of their submission to R'hllor, a practice that deeply offends the northmen who worship the old gods. This intolerance creates conflict and underscores the faith's potential for cruelty, even as it offers a path to salvation for its followers. The red priests are a force of both creation and destruction, their flames offering light and warmth but also promising a terrible, cleansing fire.