HBO’s Game of Thrones on Sunday night witnessed Melisandre harness the power of her religious beliefs to painfully give birth to a mysterious shadowy creature in the episode ‘Garden of Bones.’ Without having read the A Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin, of which I have not, understanding the multiple Game of Thrones religious belief systems, both old and young, is a challenging endeavor.
The obvious means to expand knowledge about the Game of Thrones religions is to jump in and read the books. Unfortunately not everyone has the time or inclination to easily do so. Thankfully, HBO has stepped up to the plate and produced a fantastic brisk featurette that is absolutely must see for anyone keeping up with the series.
In the featurette, the man himself George R.R. Martin explains the different religions referenced in Westeros while clips from both Seasons 1 and 2 visually highlight what he’s talking about. For example, take the scene between Eddard and Lady Stark from Season 1 where they met under a giant tree with red leaves. The Starks, from Robb to Bran, are believers in the Old Gods of the forest, even though Lady Stark is not. The white tree with red leaves is a symbol of that belief, as is the red sap that pours from it as seen during Jon Snow’s initiation into the Night’s Watch.
Lady Stark worships the new Gods, known as the Seven, given her upbringing in the south. The Seven are thought to be seven facets of the one God.
Then there’s the Drowned God who is worshipped by those on the Iron Islands, such as the Greyjoys. This god lives beneath the sea so death by drowning is considered a good way to go. Theon is fighting mightily for the acceptance of this god to become Ironborn.
On the nefarious end of the religious scale is R’hllor, the Lord of Light. The priestess Melisandre worships this god and draws power from it, using those powers to give birth to some dark creature at the conclusion of ‘Garden of Bones.’
If you have seven minutes and change, I promise those whom have read the books or not will benefit by watching this excellent Game of Thrones featurette that stresses the importance of religion to the characters and direction of the show. There are some mild spoilers from an upcoming scene, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been alluded to in prior episodes.
Also, be sure to watch the Game of Thrones ‘The Ghost Of Harrenhal’ Promo and preview, and be on the lookout for our ‘Garden of Bones’ recap and review in the not-too-distant future.
