Faith in the Seven is the most widespread and official religion of the unified Westeros. This is the religion of the Andals, brought by them to Westeros thousands of years ago and spread everywhere. Only in the North and the Iron Islands do other, older religions hold their ground. Seven - Father, mother, Virgo, Staritsa, Blacksmith, Warrior and unknown- not seven different deities, but seven faces of one single deity, which, however, are worshiped separately. Faith in the Seven preaches mercy, asceticism, the frailty of earthly life, justice and retribution for sins. The number 7 is sacred to this faith, and the seven-pointed star and the seven-faced crystal are used as symbols by the worshipers.

There is a large ecclesiastical body of septons and septs in Westeros, led by a high septon in King's Landing; their seven-walled and seven-tower temples are in all large settlements and castles, and small villages are visited by wandering septons. In the era of fragmentation of Westeros, the church was very powerful and independent, but the Targaryens, having united the country, subjugated religion for themselves, banning military spiritual orders and church courts. Chivalry, also brought to Westeros by the Andals, is intimately associated with the belief in the Seven, and followers of other religions avoid taking vows of knighthood.

Story

Faith in the Seven originated outside of Westeros - in Essos, in the territory of the so-called hills of Andalos, east of Pentos. This land is considered the ancestral home of the Andals, although in fact they came to it in even more ancient times, knocking out of Andalos its former inhabitants - hairy people, similar to the current Ibbeans. Once upon a time, as the followers of this religion believe, the Seven set foot on the hills of Andalos and revealed themselves to mortals.

Strictly speaking, the seven gods are the seven faces of the same deity, one and all. These hypostases are quite equal in rights, act jointly and complementary; each of the Seven personifies one or another side of human nature, activity, various phenomena of the surrounding world. The Septons emphasize that each of the Seven embodies all the others: "The old woman is no less beautiful than the Virgin, the Mother can be more ferocious than the Warrior when her children are in danger."

Perception of the Seven as gods, but not god, is rooted in deep antiquity and is firmly entrenched in the language - not only the common people, but the lords, kings and the septons themselves speak of the gods in the plural.

Seven: Blacksmith, Warrior, Father, Stranger, Mother, Maiden, Crone. Fragments of an illustration by J. Fullerton (Other-in-Law).

Father

Father- the embodiment of power, justice and justice. He is depicted as a middle-aged bearded man, sometimes wearing a crown, which is made of precious metals whenever possible. They say about him: "The Father rules", and when knighted to the initiate: "in the name of the Father, be just". The father also judges the dead in the afterlife, strictly and impartially; he is also called "terrible judge", and about people, both dead and living, they say "let the Father judge him in justice". It is believed that it is he who judges the court fights, determining who wins the test. The Father has golden palaces where the righteous feast forever. The Father is said to bestow gifts on all his children.

mother

mother is considered the personification of mercy, kindness and care. She also embodies motherhood and fertility, patronizing mothers and children. She is imagined as a kindly smiling middle - aged woman in rich clothes . Children are said to be given to spouses by the Mother. First of all, married women pray to mothers, asking them to protect and protect their sons and daughters, even adults. Husbands offer sacrifice to the Mother when their wives are about to give birth. In the face of a threat, peaceful people pray to the Mother for mercy. Mother not only protects the weak, but also pacifies the strong, calming the anger that consumes them. Mother's hymn is dedicated to Mother.

Blacksmith

Blacksmith is considered the personification of strength, health and diligence, the patron of crafts and all peaceful work, as well as people involved in it. He is depicted as a strong man with a blacksmith's hammer in his hands. In prayers addressed to the Blacksmith, they usually ask for strength. They say about the Blacksmith that he fixes everything that is broken - this also applies to people's health. Sailors make a sacrifice to the Blacksmith when they launch a new ship and believe that it is the Blacksmith who keeps the ships intact. Knights preparing for battle are blessed not only with the name of the Warrior, but also with the name of the Blacksmith, asking him to put strength into the hands of the knight and give strength to his weapons. According to the statement of His Sparrow, "Work is the prayer most pleasing to the Blacksmith." Brown brothers who worship the Blacksmith wear small iron mallets around their necks. The pious king Baelor Targaryen (ruled 161-171) at one time appointed an illiterate stonecutter as High Septon, having seen how he skillfully processed stone, and deciding that he was facing the incarnation of the Blacksmith. Horses are said to have been given by the Blacksmith to the people to help them with their labors. The Seven-Pointed Star states that the Blacksmith forged each of the forty-four sons of King Hugor with iron armor. The planet known as the Red Wanderer is considered the sacred star of the Smith.

But I, in my years, love the Blacksmith: Without his work, the Warrior would have nothing to defend. Every city and every castle has its own blacksmith. They forge plows to plow the land, nails to build ships, horseshoes for our faithful horses, strong swords for our lords. Everyone respects the blacksmith, that's why we named one of the Seven in his honor... but he, that is, a god, could be called the Peasant, and the Fisherman, and the Carpenter, and the Shoemaker. It doesn't matter what job he does. The main thing is that he works. The Father rules, the Warrior fights, the Blacksmith works - and together they get what a man should do. The Blacksmith is one of the faces of the deity, and the Shoemaker is one of the faces of the Blacksmith himself. It was he who heard my prayer and strengthened my legs. Feast of Crows, Brienne V

Virgo

Virgo. She is imagined as a young girl with flowing hair, sometimes with outstretched arms, as if for a hug. Virgo is considered the personification of beauty and innocence, she patronizes lovers and, in general, all young and innocent creatures. She is said to give mortals love and dreams. They say about very beautiful women "as if the Virgin herself descended from heaven."

Warrior

Warrior- the personification of courage and loyalty, firmness and self-confidence, readiness to protect others. It is the patron saint of knights and soldiers. The warrior is depicted with a sword in his hands. He is asked to give mortals mental strength and courage, to protect and preserve, including in battles, to give strength to resist temptations. Since the Warrior favors the knights, they pray to him and light candles for the knights who are in trouble, hoping that it is he who will intercede for "his own". Many knights consider it quite appropriate to call the Warrior their only god, and pay no attention to the other six: for example, Jaime Lannister said about himself and Davos Seaworth about Rolland Storm. According to Septon Meribald, he has not yet met a boy who does not like the Warrior. In King's Landing before the Battle of Blackwater, the warriors on the walls prayed to the Warrior in silence. In battle, you can ask the Warrior for good luck - for example, turn an enemy ship sideways under the blow of a bow ram. It is believed that in judicial duels, the Warrior, by the sentence of the Father, puts strength into the right hand of the right one, helping him to overcome the wrong opponent. Pious knights bring weapons to the sept, asking the Warrior to bless them for battle. The spiritual knightly order of the Sons of the Warrior is dedicated to the warrior.

Staritsa

Staritsa- the personification of wisdom and insight. She is depicted as elderly woman with a wrinkled face, with a lantern held high in his hands, often golden. The sculptures of the Staritsa sometimes have mother-of-pearl eyes. According to legend, it was the Staritsa who released the first crow, opening the door to the kingdom of death, so it is appropriate to pray to the Staritsa for the successful transmission of crow mail. The old woman is asked for wisdom; a person who is uncertain about the future and does not know what to do usually asks the Staritsa to “illuminate the path for him,” and they say about the predetermined and clearly visible future, “The Elder has illuminated my path.” As it is said in The Seven-pointed Star, the Elder predicted to King Hugor that the God-given wife would give birth to 44 sons for him, which happened. In the skies of Westeros there is a constellation called Crone's Lantern - four stars and a golden nebula between them.

unknown

unknown- the personification of death, the most sinister and mysterious of the seven gods. Although this is also one of the faces of God, akin to all the others, they do not like to mention it in vain. The spiritual song “Seven” contains references to only six of the Seven gods: “Songs are not sung about the Unknown. The face of the Unknown is the face of death. It is believed that the Unknown escorts the souls of the dead to another world, and they say about the deceased person that the Unknown took him. The unknown is neither a man nor a woman, but both together, "an eternal outcast, a stranger from distant lands, less and more than a man, unknown and unknowable." Most often, he is depicted as a half-man, half-beast in a low-drawn hood - this is how he appears in the Dragonstone and Red Keep septs; in a village sept near Storm's End, where instead of statues there are only charcoal drawings, the Stranger is depicted by a painted black oval with star-eyes. Of all the Seven, he is the least likely to receive candles and prayers. The Unknown One is connected with the seven hells or even manages them - with God they say "I swear by the Unknown, and if I lie, let me fall into hell with him at this very place." In the song Lord Renly's Leap, the Unknown - "Lord of Shadows" (more precisely, the Lord of Death - Lord of Death) sits on a throne of bones. The Silent Sisters are considered dedicated to the Unknown. In the Black and White House in Braavos there is a statue of the Unknown - worshipers of the Many-Faced God also consider the Unknown to be one of the incarnations of their deity.

sins

Faith in the Seven is quite concerned with the concept of sin. In faith in the Seven, there is no concept of original sin, which lies on all people, and there is no Christ-like figure, redeeming strangers sins. Sin is associated with personal responsibility to the gods. The gods can punish people for sins during their lifetime, sending misfortunes and misfortunes, and even cleanse the world with heavenly fire.

Sin in the face of the gods must be expiated, first of all, by asceticism, fasting and prayer; by torturing his flesh, the believer feels purer and closer to the gods. Good deeds, such as giving alms and protecting the weak, are pleasing to the gods and can serve to atone for sins. The septons accept confessions from believers and absolve sins. Sins cannot be forgiven without repentance. Serious sins may require public repentance. Unrepentant sinners after death await eternal punishment in the seven hells. There is a dogma "Sins can be forgiven, but crimes require punishment" - in other words, repentance deserves the remission of sins, but not release from punishment.

Hell and the afterlife

For your crimes, you are destined for a place in the deepest of the seven hells, if the gods are in any way fair. Clash of Kings, Catelyn VII

The septons teach that after death, the Father judges people. Sinners, especially those who are unrepentant, fall into the seven hells. Different sins define a place for sinners in different hells; the most terrible criminals should be in the seventh inferno, the deepest. The underworld is associated with pain, and one can say about severe pain "it hurt like in the seventh hell". Punishable sinners in hell scream in pain. Hell is somewhere underground. Deep black abysses, in which the bottom is not visible, "surely lead to the underworld."

Hell is associated primarily with a hot, unbearable fire. The smell of smoke and burning reminds of the underworld. Wishing to say "for a very long time" or "never", one can express "the seven hells will freeze before". Old tales claim that Dragonstone is built from hellstone, and therefore its walls always keep warm.

In the underworld, especially in the seventh inferno, there are horned beast-like demons, which, according to superstitious people, can be summoned from there by black magic. Tyrion Lannister was suggested by the master gunsmith Salloreon to make a helmet in the form of a demon's head with golden horns. Some wildlings paint the terrible muzzles of demons on their shields. The songs sing that demons can be killed with melee weapons.

Much less is known about the seven heavens, where, according to the assurances of the septons, the righteous fall: there are the golden palaces of the Father, "the land of light and honey", where the dead feast forever. Here the dead meet the gods. Brienne of Tarth says to Catelyn Stark about Bran and Rickon: "your sons are now with the gods" (in Wilenskaia's translation: "Your sons are now in heaven").

The septons sing of a sweet end, deliverance from our mortal existence and a journey to a beautiful distant land, where we can rejoice, love and feast until the end of days ... A Feast of Crows, Samwell III

Temples and symbols

The sacred scripture of faith in the Seven is the "Seven-pointed Star", apparently consisting of seven books according to the number of the seven hypostases of God - thus, the "Book of the Virgin" was mentioned. There are other religious books in Westeros, such as The Book of Holy Prayers. No saints or prophets are mentioned in the books; only King Baelor Targaryen, known for his piety, and the legendary Andal king Hugor, crowned by the gods themselves, are mentioned in the saga.

It is not surprising that for the admirers of the Seven Gods, the number seven is sacred. It is customary for all who have grown up in this tradition to make seven vows during church rites, to observe the presence of precisely seven minstrels at a feast; King's Landing was built with seven gates, etc. It is also not surprising that the commonly accepted peace banner in the south is the rainbow one, with seven long tails and a seven-pointed star crowning the shaft.

The place of worship of the Seven is the temple, called "septa" and having a heptagonal shape. In each of the corners of the sept, a pictorial, sculptural or any other image of the corresponding god of the Seven or their attributes is installed. In the sept there must certainly be at least one seven-sided crystal of rock crystal, which, when light hits it, scatters rainbow glare in all directions. Also in the sept there is a bell or bells, the ringing of which calls for services and notifies of important events. In the richer septs, the statues of the gods are adorned with precious stones, faceted crystals stand on every altar, bright stained-glass windows are inserted into the windows; in simple village septs there may simply be attributes of the seven gods crudely painted in charcoal on the walls. Divine services in septs are accompanied by the singing of hymns and readings of sacred texts, as well as the burning of incense. When offering prayer in the sept, it is customary to place a candle on the altar of the god you are addressing. Since the sept is a sacred building, it is forbidden to threaten anyone with a weapon and shed blood within its walls.

In cases where prayer takes place outside the sept, the servants of the Seven take out small seven-sided crystals (so that they fit into a belt bag) and raise them above their heads.

Church ministers

Septons and septa

The servants of the Seven are called septons(men) or septa(women). Each temple has its own septon, but many provincial septons do not have their own temple and make rounds of small villages over a large area, sending trebs at stopping places. Septons give names to babies, hold weddings and funerals, daily or weekly services in septs; they accept confessions and forgive sins, bless the warriors before the battle and call the gods to witness in the court. The knighting or coronation of a new king usually involves a septon.

Once upon a time there lived a goat with kids. The goat went into the forest to eat silk grass, to drink cold water. As soon as he leaves, the kids will lock up the hut and won't go anywhere themselves. The goat comes back, knocks on the door and sings: - Goats, kids! Open up, open up! Your mother came - she brought milk; Milk runs along the notch, From the notch to the hoof, From the hoof to the cheese ground!

The kids will unlock the door and let the mother in. She will feed them, give them a drink, and again go into the forest, and the kids will lock themselves tightly.

The wolf overheard the goat singing. That time the goat left, the wolf ran to the hut and shouted in a thick voice: - You, kids! You goats! Open, open, your mother has come, she has brought milk. Hooves full of water!

The goats answer him:

The wolf has nothing to do. He went to the smithy and ordered his throat to be reforged so that he could sing in a thin voice. The blacksmith cut his throat. The wolf again ran to the hut and hid behind a bush.

Here comes a goat and knocks: - Kids, kids! Open up, open up! Your mother came - she brought milk; Milk runs along the notch, From the notch to the hoof, From the hoof to the cheese ground!

The kids let their mother in and let's talk about how the wolf came and wanted to eat them.

The goat fed and watered the kids and severely punished:

Whoever comes to the hut, begins to ask in a thick voice and does not go over everything that I recite to you - do not open the door, do not let anyone in.

As soon as the goat left, the wolf again walked to the hut, knocked and began to lament in a thin voice: - Kids, kids! Open up, open up! Your mother came - she brought milk; Milk runs along the notch, From the notch to the hoof, From the hoof to the cheese ground!

The kids opened the door, the wolf rushed into the hut and ate all the kids. Only one kid was buried in the stove.

Goat comes; no matter how much she called, or lamented - no one answered her. She sees - the door is open, she ran into the hut - there is no one there. I looked into the oven and found one kid.

How the goat found out about her misfortune, how she sat down on the bench - she began to grieve, cry bitterly: - Oh, you, my kids, kids! What did they unlock, open, did they get to the Evil Wolf?

The wolf heard this, entered the hut and said to the goat:

What are you sinning against me, godfather? I didn't eat your goats. Full of grief, let's go to the forest, take a walk.

They went into the forest, and there was a hole in the forest, and a fire was burning in the hole. The goat says to the wolf:

Come on, wolf, let's try, who will jump over the hole?

They began to jump. The goat jumped over, and the wolf jumped, and fell into a hot hole.

His belly burst from the fire, the kids jumped out of there, all alive, yes - jump to the mother! And they began to live, to live as before.

A fairy tale based on real events!

Cartoon Wolf and seven kids online- a great opportunity to enjoy Soviet animation that describes the life of little goats and a cunning wolf who decided to take advantage of the gullibility of the heroes. In the center of events is an evil predator, who waited for the moment to attack the defenseless guys. He had been preparing for his bloodthirsty plan for a long time. When the wolf saw that the mother of the kids had gone to the market, he decided to pretend to be a goat and knocked on the door. The kids-goats were very happy about the return of their mother, therefore, but when they heard the words that their mother always says, they doubted whether it was worth opening the door ...

The action of the cartoon takes place after the words are pronounced: “It was your mother who came, she brought milk.” Surely, many have heard this phrase in life, despite the fact that the cartoon was presented several decades ago. Of course, the rough voice of the wolf confused the guys. The kids know their favorite, native voice very well, so they decided not to open the door. But this did not stop the villain, who began to think of a cunning plan to get inside and eat the goats. This is where the real fun begins.

Poor Wolf will get his!

Look soviet cartoon The Wolf and the Seven Kids become especially interesting after the wolf decides to climb onto the roof to get inside through the chimney. Only the obedience of the kids helped them get rid of the dangerous predator. They always listen to their mother and remember what she tells them. Therefore, when the wolf began to sneak into their house, they kindled a fire. With a cry, the wolf fell to the ground. Here already the mother came, who quickly drove the predator away from her precious and smart children. All's well that ends well... Enjoy watching!

The tale tells about an evil wolf who changed his voice, made his way into the goat's house and ate the little goats. But the mother goat will be able to save her children and get rid of the wolf.

Wolf and seven kids read

Once upon a time there lived a goat with kids. The goat went into the forest to eat silk grass, to drink cold water. As soon as he leaves, the kids will lock up the hut and won't go anywhere themselves.

The goat comes back, knocks on the door and sings:
- Goats, kids!
Open up, open up!

Milk runs along the notch,
From a notch on a hoof,
From the hoof to the cheese ground!

She will feed them, give them a drink, and again go into the forest, and the kids will lock themselves tightly.

The wolf overheard the goat singing. Once the goat left, the wolf ran to the hut and shouted in a thick voice:
- You kids!
You goats!
open up
open up
Your mother has come
She brought milk.
Hooves full of water!

The goats answer him:
- We hear, we hear - yes, this is not mother's voice! Our mother sings in a thin voice and laments not so.

The wolf has nothing to do. He went to the smithy and ordered his throat to be reforged so that he could sing in a thin voice. The blacksmith cut his throat. The wolf again ran to the hut and hid behind a bush.
Here comes the goat and knocks:
- Goats, kids!
Open up, open up!
Your mother came - she brought milk;
Milk runs along the notch,
From a notch on a hoof,
From the hoof to the cheese ground!

The kids let their mother in and let's talk about how the wolf came and wanted to eat them.

The goat fed and watered the kids and severely punished:
- Whoever comes to the hut, begins to ask in a thick voice and does not sort out everything that I recite to you - do not open the door, do not let anyone in.
As soon as the goat left, the wolf again walked to the hut, knocked and began to lament in a thin voice:
- Goats, kids!
Open up, open up!
Your mother came - she brought milk;
Milk runs along the notch,
From a notch on a hoof,
From the hoof to the cheese ground!

Goat comes; no matter how much she called, or lamented - no one answered her. She sees - the door is open, she ran into the hut - there is no one there. I looked into the oven and found one kid.

How the goat found out about her misfortune, how she sat on the bench - she began to grieve, cry bitterly:
- Oh, you, my children, goats!
To which they opened, they opened,
Did the bad wolf get it?

The wolf heard this, entered the hut and said to the goat:
- What are you sinning against me, godfather? I didn't eat your goats. Full of grief, let's go to the forest, take a walk.

They went into the forest, and there was a hole in the forest, and a fire was burning in the hole. The goat says to the wolf:
- Come on, wolf, let's try, who will jump over the hole?
They began to jump. The goat jumped over, and the wolf jumped, and fell into a hot hole.
His belly burst from the fire, the kids jumped out of there, all alive, yes - jump to the mother! And they began to live, to live as before.

(Ill. Yu. Vasnetsov, ed. Children's literature, 1984, fairyroom.ru)

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