House of Black and White

House of Black and White
Information
Location	Braavos
Rulers	Faceless Men

"The House of Black and White. This is were you'll find the man you seek."

―Ternesio Terys to Arya Stark

The House of Black and White is a temple in Braavos dedicated to the Many-Faced God. It also serves as the headquarters of the guild of assassins known as the Faceless Men. It sits alone on a small island in the lagoon of Braavos. Although can be reached by boat or bridge from other locations in the city, the island is usually deserted.

Structure

The sole entrance to the temple is a door, one half ebony, the other pale weirwood - thus one black door and one white door.

Sanctuary

The interior of the House features a central sanctuary with a large pool in the center. The water filling the pool is poisoned, and is given out to those who are suffering and come to the temple to seek the release of death.

The sanctuary is lined with statues of many gods from many different faiths, from across both Essos and Westeros. Specifically they are gods that represent death and the unknown, such as the Stranger from the Faith of the Seven. The Faceless Men believe that all of these death gods are really one god who has revealed Himself to humanity in different ways: the Many Faced God of Death.

Statues of deities represented in the sanctuary include:

• The Stranger from the Faith of the Seven
• A weirwood face, of the kind carved into heart trees to honor the Old Gods of the Forest
• The Drowned God of the Iron Islands
• The fiery heart of the Lord of Light
• The Black Goat of Qohor
• The Lion of Night from Yi Ti
• The Weeping Woman of Lys

Hall of Faces

The Hall of Faces

The deepest level of the House of Black and White is the Hall of Faces, an enormous vault with stone pillars, where the faces of the hundreds who die in the House of Black and White are kept to be employed as the basis for the face-changing abilities of the Faceless Men.

History

Season 5

Arya Stark is brought to the House of Black and White upon her arrival to Braavos. She is turned away by the building's doorkeeper, a priest, but remained in the vicinity for several days hoping to be let in. After a very brief stint as a street urchin, the doorkeeper retrieves her and allows her entry into the House.

Image gallery

The weirwood face of the Old Gods of the Forest

The Stranger from the Faith of the Seven

The Drowned God

The fiery heart of the Lord of Light

The Lion of Night from Yi Ti (left), and the Black Goat of Qohor (right)

The Weeping Woman of Lys, "crying" tears.

Full view of the statue of the Weeping Woman: it holds a bowl in its hands, to collect the falling tears.

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the House of Black and White sits upon a rocky knoll made of dark grey stone. It has no windows and has a black tile roof. Its wooden doors are twelve feet high and carved. The left door is weirwood, the right ebony. In the center of the doors is a carved moon face ebony on weirwood, weirwood on ebony. Its grey stone steps lead down to the dock.

In the center of the main room on the main floor lies a pool ten feet across. Statues of gods stand around the room. There are statues of thirty gods in all. Among them are the Weeping Woman, the Lion of Night, Hooded Wayfarer, Bakkalon, the Moon-Pale Maiden, the Stranger and the Merling King.

See also

• House of Black and White on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (MAJOR spoilers from the books)