List of known Covenant heretics

For other uses, see Heretic (disambiguation).

"Heresy! Remove this filth!"

— A Sangheili warrior upon seeing Ellen Anders activate the Forerunner Relic.

A heretic is someone who has grievously offended the leadership of the Covenant, branded not only a traitor, but an unholy blight on the universe that must be wiped out as soon as possible to protect the Covenant from their taint.

List of known heretics

• Ussa 'Xellus was deemed a vile and perfidious heretic for opposing the Writ of Union of the newly founded Covenant. After Covenant authorities attacked and destroyed 'Xellus' keep, Ussa and his followers eventually fled Sanghelios to a Forerunner shield world. The Covenant later erroneously presumed Ussa and his rebels had perished in a blasphemous act of mass suicide when he did not surrender to the Prophet of Inner Conviction and destroyed the shield world.
• Fal 'Chavamee was named a heretic for his refusal to accept the Covenant religion. As a result, his wife Han was executed, and after 'Chavamee and a high-ranking Sangheili named Haka 'Suukaree died by each others' hand in a duel, 'Chavamee's rank of Arbiter was changed from a gloriously honorable rank of prestige to a rank granted only to Sangheili who have disgraced themselves, that they might regain their honor in death by undertaking suicidal, yet important missions for the good of the Covenant.
• The rule of Krith, the Kig-Yar pirate-prince, was ended by Ripa 'Moramee after the Covenant found his reign to be heretical.
• Upon learning that the human species had been chosen to be the Reclaimers of the Forerunners' legacy, the Prophet of Truth, in order to protect the current status of the Covenant, and therefore his own personal power, declared that the entire species was an affront to their gods and should be eradicated. Thereafter, humans were referred to as heretics by the Covenant because of this claim.
• Sesa 'Refumee, leader of an artifact retrieval team, encountered the Forerunner Monitor 343 Guilty Spark in a gas mine on Threshold, and discovered through conversation with him that the true purpose of the Halo Array was to wipe out all life in the galaxy, not to help true believers ascend to a higher plane of existence. Thereafter, 'Refumee and his soldiers began an open rebellion against the Covenant, which would have been grounds enough for the label of heresy, but he also openly preached that the Great Journey was a lie, resulting in the creation of an Arbiter for the specific purpose of silencing him. Sesa was killed by the new Arbiter and his movement ended.
• Thel 'Vadamee, the commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, failed to prevent the destruction of a Halo ring by John-117. This failure was deemed heresy, and he was branded with the Mark of Shame and sentenced to death. However, the Hierarchs of the Covenant chose to name him the latest successor to the rank of Arbiter instead of simply killing him, that he might regain his honor and serve the Covenant further.
• Atriox, the leader of the Banished, had been labeled a heretic when he began calling into question the Covenant's righteousness and orders during the Human-Covenant War. Worried that his heresy would spread to other Jiralhanae, the High Prophet of Truth tasked the Executioner, Itho 'Hesiikee, to dispose of Atriox without turning him into a martyr. After Atriox fought and killed a devoted comrade, the Itho used this show of betrayal to sentence Atriox to a heretic's death. Atriox, however, rebelled and killed the Sangheili executioner, abandoning the Covenant with a handful of loyal followers.