House of Night (series) - Religion in House of Night

Religion in House of Night

The House of Night series is filled with religion. The House of Night religion is, in the words of P.C. Cast, "heavily pagan and Wiccan based, with a huge influx of Native American myth and legend". Within vampyre society, the primary Goddess is a benevolent female named Nyx, who, at the beginning of the series, appears to Zoey and tells her that she will be Nyx's agent in the House of Night. Vampyres and fledglings cast a magic circle to communicate with Nyx or to harness the power of the elements: air, fire, water, earth, and spirit. Some demons from Cherokee mythology also play an important part in later volumes, and the Raven Mockers and Tsi Sgili are taken from real Cherokee legends.

Outside in the human world, the "People of Faith" is a fictional Protestant religion that is highly intolerant of anything else but their own beliefs. (In an interview, P.C. Cast said that she modelled the People of Faith on the worst fanatics of all religions, not just Protestantism.) Catholicism also plays an important role in the later novels, with the fledglings joining forces with Catholic nuns against Kalona.

The religious ambiance gives House of Night a strong moral perspective as it is often enforced that Nyx gives vampyres and humans free will. This theme takes special prominence in Tempted, where Zoey discovers that, although she is the reincarnation of a woman created to love Kalona, she has the power to choose whether she will follow her previous incarnation's path or reject it. One of the characters dies because Zoey makes the wrong choice. Also, in Burned, a Manichaen view of the Universe is presented, in which Good battles Evil: forces of Light combat forces of Darkness and characters must choose which side to be on. Also, the black and white bull are presented. In Awakened, the theme of love is presented, in which love must battle Darkness, and life is really only, always, about love.