Explained: The Old and the New Gods in the Game of Thrones Franchise

In the Game of Thrones franchise, the part played by gods in the tale of mortals is crucial and truly fascinating. The show, however, doesn’t get into too many details about them.

The books, on the other hand, intricately depict how the people’s belief systems and the gods they worship reflect their actions and impact the plot. If you’ve come across the names of multiple gods, here’s a list of the most significant ones in the epic saga.

The Game of Thrones franchise consists of The Old Gods, The New Gods, The Lord of Light, The Drowned God, and a few more. These play a part in the history that dates back to the Children of Forest and continue to do so even in the present day.

Before we jump in, here’s an interesting tidbit. George Martin said that the religions and gods in the books are an extension of real historical sects, beliefs, and practices. Here’s everything you need to know about them.

The Old Gods

Before the first men came to Westeros, the land was occupied by creatures called the Children of Forest. These creatures didn’t believe in a human god but in a universal energy that manifested in the form of trees, rivers, and rocks.

Explained: The Old Gods and New Gods in the Game of Thrones Franchise
Old Gods

After the Children of Forest, the First Men from Essos occupied the land. Even they shared the same beliefs as their predecessors and worshipped these manifests.

The New Gods

The Andals then invaded Westeros and completely quashed them. In fact, they even brought their own set of beliefs. These believed in the New Gods. The concept was that the one true god had seven facets.

Explained: The Old Gods and New Gods in the Game of Thrones Franchise
New Gods

These included three male facets, three female facets, and one ambiguous one, called The Stranger, Unknown, or Death. This is why The New Gods are also known as The Faith of the Seven or just Faith.

The Lord of Light

If you remember the woman in Red, Lady Melisandre, you’ll also know about her belief. She and numerous from her sect believed in the one true god, the Lord of Light.

Explained: The Old Gods and New Gods in the Game of Thrones Franchise
Lady Melissandre

Across various seasons, we’ve seen her convert, kill, and torture people of other faith. To her, the Lord of Light is the one that stands above humans, creatures, and everything else in the mortal world.

It is pretty intriguing to see the followers of this god have an absolutist mentality. Although the Andals brought their own belief system and eradicated the previous one, it was less to do with religion and more to do with mortal desires.

Other Gods and Religions

Besides these three major ones, there are other gods and religions. The Dothraki worship the Great Stallion, also known as the Horse God. The seafarers from Iron Islands worship The Drowned God, who supposedly resides in the sea. Finally, we also have the Faceless Creed, which worships the Many-Faced God.

While these are all the major religions and gods in the universe, there are a few others and several sub-sects within them.

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About House Of The Dragon

House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.

Set three hundred years before the events of Game of ThronesHouse of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.

Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.

Epic Dope Staff

Epic Dope Staff

Our talented team of Freelance writers - Always on the lookout - pour their energies into a wide range of topics bringing to our audience what they crave - fun up-to-date news, reviews, fan theories and much much more.

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