The bride's father, or the person standing in his place (usually kin or whoever else is closest to living kin), will escort the bride to her future husband and those presiding over the marriage. Marriage customsĪ marriage ceremony takes place in front of a heart tree. For example, the entrails and bodies of criminals and traitors could be hung from the branches of weirwoods after their executions. īlood sacrifice was performed in the past. Worshipers believe the old gods watch through the trees, and prayers are done in silence. It is a folk religion, passed from generation to generation. There are no priests, no holy texts, no songs of worship, and practically no rites that go with the worship of the old gods. They are not to be defiled by bringing animals such as horses into them. The weirwoods and the places they stand are considered to be sacred. Prayer and marriages are done in front of a heart tree. Although godswoods can still be found in the south, they now serve as secular gardens. Once all noble houses had a godswood with a heart tree in its center However, the First Men, in their wars against the children of the forest, cut down many of the trees, as did the Andals later on, replacing the old gods with their own in the southern kingdoms. The heart trees are usually weirwoods, and godswoods are often the only places where living weirwoods still remain until one goes north of the Wall. These trees, which have faces carved into them, are considered to be sacred. Worshippers visit godswoods, groves contained within castles throughout the Seven Kingdoms, where a heart tree can be found. It is believed that the old gods can detect when men lie to heart trees. The laws of hospitality are considered to be sacred. Various actions, such as incest, slavery, and kinslaying are considered offensive to the old gods, although, as regards kinslaying, the degree of kin and circumstance of killing one’s kin (e.g., in war) hold significant influence. Although some accounts state that there are clans who worship different gods (dark gods beneath the ground in the Frostfangs, gods of snow and ice on the Frozen Shore, or crab gods at Storrold's Point), there is no reliable confirmation. In the northern lands beyond the Wall, the free folk continue to worship the old gods. In the north, however, the majority of the houses still worships the old gods. Only a few houses (e.g., House Blackwood) still do, while most of the noble houses follow the Faith of the Seven instead. Following the coming of the Andals, who brought the Faith of the Seven, the old gods were no longer dominantly worshipped in the south of Westeros. The old gods were worshipped by the children of the forest, and eventually after the Pact, by the First Men. The First Men believed that the greenseers could see through the eyes of the weirwoods. According to Maester Luwin, the faces were carved by the greenseers to keep watch on the woods. It is said that the children of the forest carved faces in the trees during the dawn, centuries before the coming of the First Men from across the narrow sea. As such, an oath might be made in front of a weirwood tree, or with a hand placed in the mouth of the weirwood’s face. Through the eyes of the weirwoods, the old gods judge the people in front of them. Worshippers of the old gods believe that no man can tell a lie in front of a heart tree, as the old gods know when men are telling a lie. According to Jojen Reed, the singers of the children believe that the weirwood trees are the gods, and that when they die, they become part of the godhood. It is said that the sigh of the wind and the rustle of leaves are the old gods speaking back to worshippers. It is said that the old gods only have power where the heart tree faces can see, and since the destruction of most of the heart trees in the south they have no power there. However, worshippers believe the old gods watch through the trees. The maesters teach that the weirwoods are sacred to the old gods. The free folk who live beyond the Wall believe that the gods are everywhere-in the rocks, streams, birds, and beasts-and that they take the deceased down into the earth and trees. Sansa Stark sitting by a weirwood, by Josu Hernaiz ©
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