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Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Game of Thrones” season seven.
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” just fed more fuel to the fire of prophecy with Melisandre and Daenerys Targaryen’s first meeting on Sunday’s episode, “Stormborn.”
Melisandre teased the possibility that Daenerys might be connected to the rumor prophecy of “The Prince That Was Promised” that keeps cropping up in the series. Daenerys is the third leader in Westeros to whom Melisandre has connected this prophecy of a hero reborn who is destined to fight the coming darkness. First it was Stannis, then Jon Snow, and now Melisandre believes Daenerys has a “role to play,” as well.
We’re going to walk through everything you need to know about the prophesied hero and why both Jon Snow and Daenerys are significant contenders.
The three main accounts of the prophesied hero
In the world of “Game of Thrones” and George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire,” there are multiple accounts told of a legendary hero. Each group has a different moniker for the hero — Azor Ahai, The Prince That Was Promised, and the Last Hero — but the similarities between the tales have led fans to believe that each hero is really the same person.
Azor Ahai
Melisandre speaks most frequently about Azor Ahai. When we were first introduced to Melisandre and Stannis Baratheon, she proclaimed him to be Azor Ahai reborn. The legend of Azor Ahai comes from ancient texts in Asshai, and they say that a champion of R’hllor, the Lord of Light, will be reborn to fight a darkness.
Helen Sloan/HBO
“There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world,” Melisandre said in Martin’s second book. “In this dread hour, a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.”
The story of Lightbringer is then told to Ser Davos Seaworth by Salladhor Saan. Azor Ahai forged two swords, both of which shattered when he tried to temper the steel (including the second one, which was plunged into the heart of a lion).
Then came the third blade. Here’s Saan’s account of its forging:
“Great was his woe and great was his sorrow then, for he knew what he must do. A hundred days and a hundred nights he labored on the third blade, and as it glowed white-hot in the sacred fires, he summoned his wife. ‘Nissa Nissa,’ he said to her, for that was her name, ‘bare your breast, and know that I love you best of all that is in this world.’ She did this thing, why I cannot say, and Azor Ahai thrust the smoking sword through her living heart. It is said that her cry of anguish and ecstasy left a crack across the face of the moon, but her blood and her soul and her strength and her courage all went into the steel. Such is the tale of the forging of Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.”
HBO screencap
So Lightbringer is a powerful weapon that was created via the sacrifice of Azor Ahai’s greatest love. And for a time, Melisandre claimed Stannis was wielding a fiery sword called Lightbringer. The Red Woman also emphasizes that the hero will be reborn “amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone.”
The Prince That Was Promised
Melisandre also uses the title “The Prince That Was Promised” (TPTWP) to refer to Azor Ahai, and we hear this title used by other characters as well.
In the books, Daenerys’ vision in the House of the Undying includes a scene of her brother Rhaegar and his wife, Elia Martell. She sees him holding a baby, presumably his second son Aegon, and telling Elia: “He is the Prince That Was Promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.”
There are additional clues within the books that indicated Rhaegar had a slight obsession with this idea of prophecy, and was trying to bring about the hero of the world through his bloodline. Aemon Targaryen (the former maester at Castle Black) also spoke of TPTWP prophecy with Sam Tarly and mentions a bleeding star and smoke and salt — just like Azor Ahai.
Helen Sloan/HBO
Also in the books, Barristan Selmy speaks about a “woods witch” (a book character known to be reliable when it comes to predicting events). The witch said TPTWP would be born from the bloodline of Rhaella and King Aerys Targaryen (the “Mad King” and father to both Daenerys and Rhaegar).
On season six of the show, Melisandre resurrected Jon Snow and told him he was the “The Prince That Was Promised,” reborn with the power of R’hllor for a reason.
The Last Hero
In the North, there is a legend of the Last Hero, who many book readers believe could also be connected to Azor Ahai and TPTWP. Old Nan tells the tale of the Last Hero to Bran in both the books and on the show, though the TV version of her tale is cut short.
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“What do you know about fear?” Nan told Bran on season one. “Fear is for the winter when the snows fall a hundred feet deep. Fear is for the Long Night, when the sun hides for years and children are born and live and die all in darkness … when the White Walkers move through the woods. Thousands of years ago, there came a night that lasted a generation.”
In the books, her story elaborates on a mysterious hero:
“So as cold and death filled the earth, the last hero determined to seek out the [Children of the Forest], in the hopes that their ancient magics could win back what the armies of men had lost. He set out into the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions. For years he searched until he despaired of ever finding the Children of the Forest in their secret cities. One by one his friends died, and his horse, and finally even his dog, and his sword froze so hard the blade snapped when he tried to use it. And the [White Walkers] smelled the hot blood in him and came silent on his trail, stalking him with packs of pale white spiders big as hounds – .”
Her story is interrupted, just as it was on the show. But you can see the similarities between the tale of Azor Ahai and the Last Hero. Both are burdened with fighting the darkness spreading across the land, and his weapon is shattered (though this time through the cold and not because he didn’t forge it with a human sacrifice).
HBO
The main identifying markers of the hero
Before we get to why either Jon Snow or Daenerys Targaryen might be this prophesied hero, let’s review the main identifiers of the would-be savior.
- A bleeding star will signal their coming.
- They will be reborn among salt and smoke.
- They will wield a fiery weapon (possibly called Lightbringer)
- The weapon’s creation will require the sacrifice of their loved one.
- They will wake “stone dragons.”
- And they must be born from the bloodline of Rhaella and Aerys Targaryen.
While many fans have speculated about alternate characters who could fit these descriptors, the two main contenders always boil down to either Jon or Daenerys.
The case for Jon Snow
On the season six finale, “Game of Thrones” finally showed part of the tragic story of Jon Snow’s real parents. His mother, Lyanna Stark, died shortly after giving birth to Jon — but not before begging her brother Ned Stark to take Jon and protect him.
HBO
His father was really Rhaegar Targaryen (a fact confirmed by HBO in a post-finale blog post), the brother of Daenerys and son of the Mad King Aerys.
“Promise me, Ned,” Lyanna said. “Promise me.”
As other fans have pointed out, the constant emphasis in the books and the show on Lyanna saying “promise me” could be interpreted as a sign that Jon is literally a Prince Who Was “Promised.”
His parentage means he is in the bloodline of Aerys and Rhaella Targaryen. Plus if Rhaegar and Lyanna were somehow secretly married, then he could have a legitimate claim to the Iron Throne as a Targaryen prince.
Skye Gould/INSIDER
This also ties back to Daenerys’ vision, where Rhaeger seemed to believe his child would be of the “song of ice and fire.” If Jon is the only known descendant of House Stark (ice) and House Targaryen (fire), this fits the prophecy.
This might be where the “waking of stone dragons” comes in for Jon — his secret Targaryen lineage will likely be revealed at some point, making him a symbolic stone dragon coming to life.
Also, on the show, Ned Stark takes the blood-covered sword of Ser Arthur Dayne with him up to the tower where Lyanna is dying. He sets the blade up against the bed and the shot made sure to focus in on the sword briefly.
HBO
In the books, we know that Arthur Dayne’s sword, Dawn, was made from the material left behind from a fallen star. This means (on the show) that there was a bloody “star” present at Jon’s birth.
Another huge book clue comes from a chapter narrated by Melisandre:
“I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai, and R’hllor shows me only Snow,” she says. Not just snow, but capitalized “Snow” — a clear indicator that the Lord of Light is showing her Jon when she asks to see Azor Ahai.
As for the salt and smoke, the scene of Jon’s assassination by the Night’s Watch in the books is slightly different from the show. One of the men who stab him, Bowen Marsh, is described as crying salty tears, and Jon’s wounds appear to be smoking. There’s also a tie-in to the bleeding star at his death, thanks to another dying man present, whose heraldry is a cluster of stars.
Helen Sloan/HBO
The last piece of the puzzle would be Lightbringer and the sacrifice of Jon’s “Nissa Nissa.” Some believe Jon’s Valyrian steel sword would make sense as a pseudo-Lightbringer. The blade can kill White Walker and we know Valyrian steel is forged with an ancient magic.
As for the sacrifice, some believe Ygritte could serve as Jon’s sacrifice, but that’s a thin argument. It’s possible we haven’t yet seen a major sacrifice Jon will make in order to fulfill his role of hero.
The case for Daenerys Targaryen
Daenerys is another very strong possibility for Azor Ahai, born on Dragonstone among the salty sea. She literally woke dragons from stone when she placed her fossilized dragon eggs into Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre.
HBO/”Game of Thrones”
She was also “reborn” in the smoking flames, emerging unscathed as the Mother of Dragons. And all of this happened right when a red comet, a “bleeding star” appeared in the sky.
So Khal Drogo could arguably be Daenerys’ “Nissa Nissa” if we treat her dragons as Lightbringer. It’s not a stretch to call them a fiery weapon capable of defeating darkness, especially since we think dragonfire can kill White Walkers.
And Aemon Targaryen believes Daenerys is TPTWP. In the books, he tells Sam that “prince” is a misinterpretation of the prophecy.
“Dragons are neither male nor female […] but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame,” Aemon said. “The language misled us all for a thousand years. Daenerys is the one, born amidst salt and smoke.”
Helen Sloan/HBO
Then there was the High Priestess of R’hllor, Kinvara, who appeared on season six. She told Tyrion and Varys that Daenerys was the chosen hero meant to fight the coming darkness. So what gives with Melisandre contradicting this belief?
Where “Game of Thrones” seems to be going with the prophecy
On season seven, episode two, “Stormborn,” Missandei added further evidence regarding the misinterpretation of “prince” in this prophecy.
“The Long Night is coming,” Melisandre told Daenerys. “Only the Prince Who Was Promised can bring the dawn.”
When Daenerys pointed out that she is not a prince, Missandei stepped in to correct the translation.
“That noun has no gender in High Valyrian,” Missandei explained. “So the proper translation would be the prince or princess who was promised.”
Helen Sloan/HBO
Daenerys turned back to Melisandre. “And you believe this prophecy refers to me?
“Prophecies are dangerous things,” Melisandre told the Dragon Queen. “I believe you have a role to play, as does another. The King in the North — Jon Snow.”
With strong arguments to be made for both Daenerys and Jon, you can also make the case for Azor Ahai needing to be more than one person. As Melisandre seemed to imply, what if Jon and Daenerys combined are the prophesied hero? You could argue that Jon represents ice and Daenerys represents fire, making their connection the “song of ice and fire.”
Plus Jon would wield the literal sword while Daenerys fought with her dragonfire, and they’re both descended from the bloodline of Aerys and Rhaella Targaryen.
HBO
Then there’s the Last Hero prophecy. Many markings of that hero are connected to Bran Stark’s journey — especially the section about him venturing out to meet the Children of the Forest and find a way to fight the White Walkers. Isn’t that exactly what Bran’s been doing? What if Bran, Jon, and Daenerys are all meant to work in conjunction to fight the coming Night King and his army? Will one of them betray the other and sacrifice them as “Nissa Nissa” in order to truly end the long night?
George R.R. Martin has spoken about the role of prophecy in his books.
“Prophecies are, you know, a double edge sword,” he said in an interview with Adrias News in 2012. “You have to handle them very carefully; I mean, they can add depth and interest to a book, but you don’t want to be too literal or too easy.”
While we may never know for certain who Azor Ahai is, we can be sure to expect the unexpected when it comes to the fulfillment of the legends in Martin’s universe.
For more on theories that may come true in the show, read our round up of the 10 likeliest fan predictions.
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