full image - Repost: [Spoiler Extended] The Seven Gods True "Power" (or- a thematic read on The Seven) (from Reddit.com, [Spoiler Extended] The Seven Gods True "Power" (or- a thematic read on The Seven))
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The Seven are the primary religion in most of Westeros (sans the North). Despite being alluded to and spoken about throughout the books, their power, in terms of any “supernatural” occurrences, is non-existent. This is probably why there isn’t much discussion about them as there is regarding the Old Gods, R'hllor, or even the Many-Faced god.(Or maybe it’s just harder to find, due to “The Seven” used to describe the Seven Kingdoms)This post is an agglomeration of my thoughts and theories on the Seven, with a special attention to the themes the faith presents, all to answer one question:What Is The True Power of The Seven?Before we begin, let’s give a small reminder on the identities of The Seven. They are named by the role they fulfil:The Father, The Mother, The Warrior, The Smith, The Maiden, The Crone, The Stranger.Each of them is prescribed a list of attributes relating to their “role”- The Father is just, The Mother is Merciful, The Crone is wise, The Stranger is an Outcast in every way possible, etc, etc.Here are a few points of interest regarding The Seven; this is nothing close to a full on deep dive into the Faith, just a few highlights:All the Seven , but one (the Stranger) are human or human- appearing. No animal hybrids, no elemental links, no conceptual ideas unfolding in nature. Humans.The Stranger are strictly NOT human. They are also the Seven’s answer to Death, and despite their non-humanity, are still PART of the Seven.The Seven are both seven different identities and a singular deity with Seven faces. Both of those ideologies exist simultaneously. Many, but also one.Unlike the Old Gods, the practices and beliefs regarding the Seven are well known, well documented, and, well, exist. They have plenty of people in their service (Septons, Grey Sisters, etc, etc), fulfilling many roles.The Faith of The Seven (as I understood it) often signifies what is considered virtuous, honourable, pure, etc. a LOT of those values have to do with the way humans treat one another in relation to their place in society.The Faith is apparently based on the medieval Catholic Church; however, I will not use the similarities to deduce further understanding of the Faith, and all my points relate to the way the Faith functions WITHIN the world of the books.The Seven don’t really have a lot of supernatural clout. They don’t do prophecies, not much for birthing shadow babies, no network of roots and green visions. They’re work is carried exclusively by those who serve them.From these, you might be able to sus out the main point I’m trying to make, which is:The Seven represent human society, or the divine version of it.They are one, but many, just in the sense society can be: a household is one, but each family member is an individual; a kingdom is one, but the king, the queen, the advisor and all of the smallfolk are their own people; humanity is one, but is made of many. Following that logic, the ideal society moves as one identity with many facets, but is also made of many individuals who each have their place. The divine way is the acknowledgement of that principle.I keep talking about human society, but what about the Stranger? They are The Faith perception of Death, which implies how he should be seen by followers of the faith (and by that, society at large). Death is definitely othered, and is considered to be everything that is not human (after all, the only humans that can form a society are living one). However, unlike in the case of a certain red deity, death is not entirely vilified- the Stranger ARE part of the Seven, death and our reaction to it is an integral part of a working society, we cannot push it aside or strive against it. Also, no Necromancy. Death is irreversible and part of life, deserved to be acknowledged as a building block of a community.There is a notable disconnect with nature regarding the Seven, owed maybe for the religion not being native in Westeros, or perhaps it’s just that the view is very human-centric, with the main purpose of keeping a society running, and running WELL.The Seven are truly the gods of men; they are organised in such a way that each believer may identify with at least ONE of them at any given moment. They are familiar, in a way that might even be comforting: they are not unknowable and wild like the Old Gods, they are not beyond human understanding like R’hallor, they are WHAT YOU KNOW. The belief works because one can see themselves in the Father, the Maiden, the Warrior, perhaps even the Stranger. Divinity is achievable not by great feats of the supernatural, not by giving into the wild, but rather just by being (what the Faith perceives as) a good person to others.Bringing all of that into consideration, we now know the true power of The Seven, and that is the faith itself. A number of those who serve it are integral to society (the Grey Sisters and also the Septas), and integral to the ideology behind it. Their power is humanity’s power, of the power within what we can do to one another.Good or bad.Ironically, this power cannot only hold society, but destroy it, as the road to the Seven Hells is riddled with religious zealots, and the Seven involvement in society and their authority of it also attracts those whose main god is power. And boy, do they chase it. But the Faith also gives hope to NUMEROUS characters, and it’s structured nature works wonder in helping people find stability in an unstable time.As I finish writing this, I realise I might come off as a little Seven fangirl. Ha! The truth is I just find the theology interesting, especially contrasted with that of the Old Gods- social centric vs nature centric, and I find the idea of having a god you can see yourself in quite strong, perhaps stronger than any miracle.Also, there is a CAR on my street that has been BEEPING for HOURS on end and I needed reprise from what is DEFINITELY the eighth hell a tinfoil theory might bring up in a rouge thread.I will finish with this little tidbit: The Seven Kingdoms might be correlated to the Seven, though I’m probably just saying that because the North is a dead - ringer for The Stranger.
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