A few questions about the cultures of Essos (and one or two about Westeros)

[Ser Lepus]

I know that recently some new information about the world of ASOIAF has been released thanks to the Apps, to answers of GRRM to questions during interviews and similar sources, so I have thought of reposting some questions that I made ages ago in old threads:

1.-Which is the status of bastards in the Free Cities? Can they take their parent's surnames? Can they inherit? be legitimized? Are they looked down? I find it puzzling that we have no information about bastards from the Free Cities, when you can't throw a stone at Westeros without hitting somebody named Snow, Storm, Stone, Sand, Flowers or Waters.

2.-Which is the status of mistresses and their children in Essos? The Dornish, who seem to have more in common with the Free Cities than with the rest of Westeros give some status to their paramours and their bastards. The Lysene openly keep concubines, both free an slaves, and a free, nobleborn concubine can reach quite a bit of status among them. The Volantene see no harm in keeping slave concubines, but consider it a scandal to take a slave as official mistress...

What about Myr and Tyrosh? Do they have paramours or only slave girls?

Can the people of Slaver's Bay keep more than one official wife? What about the children of their concubines, are they considered bastards, or do they have some status?

3.-Are the Summer Islanders poligamous or monogamous? Do they keep slaves?

4.-What deities do the Graces of Meereen worship? Are all the Graces nobleborn, or do they take commoners too? What about slaves, do they buy pretty slave girls to make them temple prostitutes like the Red Priests do? Do the White Graces work as temple prostitutes at the Pleasure Gardes once they reach the appropiate age, or do they have a different job there?

5.-A disgraced Maester like Qyburn, is considered implicitly released from his vows, or would he be considered an oathbreaker if he took a wife and had children without asking to be released from his vows? What about a guy who chooses to leave the order on his own, like a third son whose older brothers suddenly die and wants to go back home?

6.-Since Septon Bath, the son of a blacksmith who became Hand of the King is considered one of the greatest scholars and most efficient administrators in the history of Westeros...does that mean that some septon and septas receive a good education from the Faith? Do we know anything about other well-educated Godsworn?

[TheWitch]

In regards to your last point, I would say yes. The faith is based on the medieval Catholic church, and all the clergy where taught to read and write. A great deal of contemporary medieval sources where written by monks so it's mirrored in the faith.

[Mrs.Grumpy]

3- I don't think they keep slaves, as in the app, it says that Princess Xanda Qo finally put an end to the slaver raids. I guess they don't like slavery that much?

4-I think harpies are a part of their religion as Dany wonders if she dies and goes the hell, will the harpies torture her soul? So, yeah.

6- I agree with TheWitch.

[apovsic]

In regards to your last point, I would say yes. The faith is based on the medieval Catholic church, and all the clergy where taught to read and write. A great deal of contemporary medieval sources where written by monks so it's mirrored in the faith.

Another interesting question is: if the Faith teaches septons, where do they do it? Is there some kind of Faith Citadel? Or is it spread out?

[Ser Lepus]

Another interesting question is: if the Faith teaches septons, where do they do it? Is there some kind of Faith Citadel? Or is it spread out?

It's probably spread out, but Oldtown and King's Landing seem the logical places to put the main schools.

But then again, we don't even know if those schools exist. Which is weird. It would in the best interest of the Faith to have their own scribes, accountants, writers, teachers, historians, healers, architects and artists, not to mention theologians and philosophers.

They manage a huge continental organization with lot of money, maintain a bunch of monasteries spread around the country (and those monasteries need their own scribes, accountant, architects and healers), build septries, copy and illuminate books they keep in their own libraries, they provide nobility with teachers for nobleborn girls...etc. And on top of that they have the example of the Citadel...

But in the books, most septons come as superstitious and ignorant when compared to the maesters, except for Septon Barth. Every time somebody is sick they say "our septon will pray for him/her" and another answers "nah, just bring the maester".

And I find it weird. It looks as if they weren't even trying to compete, to at least try to appear educated to reinforce their prestige.

And it's not as if they had to ask the maesters to help educate them. They could hire healers and accountants and scholars from across the sea.

On the other hand, we find Septon Barth, a guy so knowledgeable that even maesters read his books and learn from them. How come we haven't encountered more people like him?

[NymeriaInFlesh]

About the septons and the Faith, if the Faith is based on Cristianity (which i don't question), in what relation is it actually to the Maesters from Citadel? I get that Maesters are somewhat alchymist-like but most of them reject any kind of magic. What would the real world inspiration for them be?

[Ser Lepus]

About the septons and the Faith, if the Faith is based on Cristianity (which i don't question), in what relation is it actually to the Maesters from Citadel? I get that Maesters are somewhat alchymist-like but most of them reject any kind of magic. What would the real world inspiration for them be?

I don't think they have any real world's inspiration. Medieval universities were big in theology and were managed and controlled by the church (even if the teachers and students weren't all clerics). The Maesters are kind of as if the Age of Enlightenment had started during the Middle Ages instead of the late XVII - early XVIII century and its proponents had seized control of the only University in all Europe.