Faith of R'hllor

R'hllor, also known as the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the God of Flame and Shadow, is a prominent god in Essos, but has only a few followers in Westeros, where he is more commonly known as the red god. His symbol is a fiery heart. Red priests lead prayers to R'hllor at red temples.

R'hllor
The religion is based on a dualistic, manichean view of the world: R'hllor, the god of light, heat, and life, and R'hllor's antithesis the Great Other, the god of ice and death. They are locked in an eternal struggle over the fate of the world; a struggle that, according the ancient prophecies from the books of Asshai, will only end when Azor Ahai, the messianic figure, returns wielding a flaming sword called Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and raises dragons from stone. R’hllor is also called the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the God of Flame and Shadow. His nemesis, the Great Other, whose name may not be spoken, is known as the Lord of Darkness, the Soul of Ice, the God of Night and Terror.

The red priests of R'hllor associate fire with life. They see shadows as creations of the Lord of Light, who are the servants of light and the children of fire. According to the priestess Melisandre, the Lord of Light cherishes innocent and beautiful people and items, making them the most precious sacrifice.

The religion of the Lord of Light is found primarily in Essos. R'hllor is worshipped in Asshai and red temples can be found in most of the Free Cities, including Braavos, Lys, Myr, Pentos, Qohor, Tyrosh, and Volantis. The town of Selhorys, ruled by Volantis, contains a red temple as well. The Temple of the Lord of Light in Volantis is exceptionally large, said to be the greatest in all the world. According to Archmaester Gramyon, it is about three times the size of the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing.

There are few followers of the Lord of Light in Westeros. Red priests can be found in Dorne, Dragonstone, King's Landing, and Oldtown.

Priests
Red priests are taught prayers and spells, and are trained to see things in fires. It takes many years of training to see the shapes beyond the flames, and even more years to learn how to interpret them. Numerous priests, both male and female, are trained in their red temples. The priests of the Lord of Light wear loose red robes.

Temple of the Lord of Light
Red priestess performing the night ritual by Jen Zee© The Temple of the Lord of Light in Volantis has been called the greatest temple in the known world. All those who serve there are slaves who were bought as children and trained. Whether this is also the case at temples in other cities is unknown. Thoros, a priest from Myr, states he was given over to the red temple as a young child.

Benerro, the High Priest of R'hllor in Volantis, also holds the titles Flame of Truth, Light of Wisdom, First Servant of the Lord of Light, and Slave of R'hllor. As is the custom of that city, the red priests of the Volantene temple, all slaves, have flames tattooed across their cheeks, chin and forehead. Red priests from other places, such as Thoros or Melisandre, are not known to have such tattoos.

The Fiery Hand are a thousand slave soldiers who guard the Temple of the Lord of Light. The Volantene temple also trains some of their slaves to become temple prostitutes.

Many worshippers in Volantis pin scraps of red cloth to their sleeves or tie them around their brow.

Prayers
Followers of R'hllor pray before a nightfire, thanking R'hllor for ending the day, while beseeching him to bring the dawn and banish the darkness. The nightfires are lit at sunset, and the prayers continue for more than an hour afterwards. Fires are also lit each morning at first light, where the red priests welcome the sun. Other priests might attend to their fires during the entire night. A common phrase of prayer is "the night is dark and full of terrors"

Marriage customs
During one example of a wedding ceremony, a red priest or priestess recites ceremonial prayers, which are answered by the wedding guests. The priest and groom await the bride by a ditchfire. The bride is escorted to the priest, who first asks the bride to identify herself, and next asks who comes to claim the bride. Both bride and groom are asked whether they will share their fire with their spouse-to-be, to warm him/her "when the night is dark and full of terrors". Bride and groom are to leap over the ditchfire together, to emerge as one. Following this, the groom removes the maiden's cloak and places the bride's cloak around the bride's shoulders. Following the ceremony is the wedding feast.

Death
Priests of R'hllor believe that "life is warmth, and warmth is fire, and fire is God's and God's alone." When a person has died, he is said to have "ascended to the Hall of Light, to sit beside the Lord".

The death rite administered by priests to the deceased is known as the last kiss. The priest fills his mouth with fire and breaths the flames inside the deceased person, down his throat to his lungs, heart, and soul. All red priests are required to perform the rite.

Visions and Magic
Red priests are trained to see visions in the flames of their nightfires. These visions could be about the past, the future, or things happening far away from the location of the priest. Visions cannot always be seen in the flames, however, and even though they believe their visions are never wrong, it is not always easy to see the vision.

It takes years of training to see the shapes beyond the flames, and even longer to learn to distinguish visions about the past from visions about a certain future and a possible future. Even after such long training, it remains difficult, and priests might still err in their interpretation; many priests have been brought down by such incorrect interpretations.

R'hllor is also said to give his priests the power to see through falsehoods, as "the Other's servants oft hide black hearts in gaudy light".

The priestess Melisandre claims that shadows are servants of light and children of fire. She does not feel the need to eat food, believing that R'hllor provides her with all the nourishment she needs. Melisandre claims that glamors are given by the Lord of Light to his servants for them to use.

History
Followers of R'hllor believe that he made the sun and the stars.

A prophecy found in ancient books of Asshai claims that after a long summer an evil cold darkness shall fall on the world. Azor Ahai, wielding the sword Lightbringer, shall be reborn to combat this darkness.

In an attempt to gain more followers in Westeros, the red priest Thoros of Myr was sent to the royal court at King's Landing to convert the fire-obsessed King Aerys II Targaryen. Thoros was unsuccessful, however, and started to question his own faith. Thoros remained in King's Landing, and as such was present during the immediate aftermath of the Sack of King’s Landing. He remained at court during the reign of King Robert I Baratheon, becoming the king's frequent drinking companion.

The red priestess Melisandre travels to Dragonstone on her own initiative in search of the prophesied prince Azor Ahai. She is convinced that Dragonstone is the place of smoke and salt amidst which Azor Ahai shall be reborn. She comes to believe that Stannis Baratheon, the Lord of Dragonstone, is Azor Ahai reborn, and eventually becomes a confidant to Stannis's wife, Selyse Florent.