R'hllor

R'hllor, also called the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, and the God of Flame and Shadow, is a deity widely worshipped across the cities of Essos and, increasingly, in Westeros through the works of his red priests. The faith of R'hllor is dualistic: it holds that the world is the battleground of two opposed powers, R'hllor the Lord of Light, who embodies fire, life, and warmth, and his eternal adversary the Great Other, a god of cold, death, and darkness whose name is not spoken.

Worshippers pray that R'hllor will bring the dawn and protect the living from the long night of the Great Other. Fire is the central element of the religion, regarded as a source of prophecy, purification, and power, and the faith's priests look into flames to read visions of things past and to come.

Beliefs and practices

The followers of R'hllor believe that the Lord of Light grants visions in fire to his chosen servants and that his power can work miracles, including the raising of the dead, the casting of shadows, and resistance to harm. Red priests and priestesses, recognizable by their red robes, tend nightfires and lead worship, holding that the darkness must be kept at bay until the prophesied savior comes.

Central to the faith is the prophecy of Azor Ahai, the legendary hero foretold to be reborn to wield the flaming sword Lightbringer against the darkness. Some practices of the religion are harsh, including the burning of nonbelievers and sacrifices by fire, which the faithful regard as offerings to the Lord of Light.

In the narrative

The most prominent servant of R'hllor in A Song of Ice and Fire is the red priestess Melisandre, who attaches herself to Stannis Baratheon and proclaims him the reborn Azor Ahai. Through her, fire magic and prophecy enter the War of the Five Kings in striking and unsettling ways across A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Dance with Dragons.

Other servants of the Lord of Light appear in the books as well, including Thoros of Myr, whose prayers prove able to return the slain to life, and the priest Moqorro in the east. Their workings make R'hllor one of the few religions in the series whose power is shown acting in the world.

Significance

The faith of R'hllor introduces overt, repeatable magic into a series whose other religions remain largely matters of belief, and it frames the looming threat of the Others as the worldly form of the Great Other's darkness. The red priests' prophecies, miracles, and sacrifices drive significant turns of plot and raise enduring questions about fate, faith, and the price of power.