Template:Infobox religion
- "There is only one god, and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: 'Not today'."
- ―Syrio Forel
The Many-Faced God, alternatively known as the God of Death, is a deity worshipped predominantly in the Free City of Braavos.[1]
History
Season 1
Syrio Forel mentions his belief in the God of Death to Arya Stark during their "dancing" lessons.[2]
Season 3
Arya Stark reveals to Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr that she has come to believe that "Death" is the one true god.[3]
Season 5
Arya Stark is admitted into the House of Black and White, headquarters of the Faceless Men and temple of the Many-Faced God.[4] The Faceless Men hold the belief that all gods are simply aspects or "faces" of a single deity.[5] Amongst the many faces of the God of Death represented in the sanctuary are the the Stranger, the Drowned God, the Black Goat of Qohor, the Lion of Night, the Weeping Woman and R'hllor. The Old Gods of the Forest are present too, represented by a Weirwood face.
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the "Many-Faced God" is alternatively known as "Him of Many Faces", yet never the "God of Death", and is worshiped particularly by the Faceless Men, a guild of assassins based out of the Free City of Braavos.
The Faceless Men believe that the Many-Faced God is unknowingly worshipped by most faiths, simply under different names. Every religion either has a god of death (in polytheistic faiths), or worships a single god with dominion over death (in monotheistic faiths). Incarnations of the Many-Faced God of Death would include the Stranger in the Faith of the Seven, that has dominion over death, and the Great Other opponent of R'hllor.
There seems to be some confusion both in the books and the TV series between the God of Death and R'hllor, the Red God. It stems from a piece of dialogue spoken by Jaqen H'ghar in both mediums, in which he refers to the god he worships (presumably the God of Death, as he is a Faceless Man) as the "Red God" —that is, R'hllor. While this confusion has yet to be cleared up, a likely explanation lies in the fact that the "Many-faced God of Death" is a syncretic religion, which holds that every god or set of gods is just another facet of the god of death. Another possibility is that, just like he's imitating the speech style of a Lorathi, he also mentions the Red God as part of his cover identity.
See also
References
| Westeros | |
| Major religions in Essos |
Lord of Light · Black Goat · Bearded Priests of Norvos · Great Stallion · Great Shepherd · Ghiscari religion · Moonsingers · Lion of Night & Maiden-Made-of-Light |
| Other cults in Essos |
Many-Faced God · Old Gods of Valyria · Weeping Lady · Bakkalon · Hooded Wayfarer · Moon-Pale Maiden · Merling King |
| Sothoryos | |
| Institutions |
Faceless Men · First Sword of Braavos · Iron Bank of Braavos · Sealord of Braavos |
| Places |
Arsenal of Braavos · House of Black and White · Isle of the Gods · Long Canal · Moon Pool · Moonsinger Lane · Palace of Justice · Ragman Harbor · Ragman Lane · Red Temple of Braavos · Salty Town · Sealord's Palace · Sheelba Square · Sweetwater River · Temple of the Moonsingers · Titan of Braavos |
| Culture |
Bravo · Many-Faced God · Moonsingers · Water dance |