Winter is here, and the war with the Army of the Dead is coming on Game of Thrones. But there may be a savior who can defeat the White Walkers: the Prince that was Promised. The question is, who is this prophesied messiah?
Many believe the Prince that was Promised will be Azor Ahai reborn. Azor Ahai is a legendary character who, according to the books, “fought against [the darkness] with a red sword” and “arose to give courage to the race of men and lead the virtuous into battle with his blazing sword Lightbringer.” According to the prophecy, “When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone.”
Melisandre has been searching for the Prince that was Promised throughout Game of Thrones. At first she thought it was Stannis Baratheon, but that obviously ended badly. Now she thinks it’s Jon Snow since he came back from the dead.
Game of Thrones Recap: Jon Snow Heads to Dragonstone and Euron Collects His Present>>>
Melisandre just went to visit Daenerys to say that both she and Jon Snow had a part to play in the wars to come. When she talked about the Prince that was Promised, though, Missandei stepped in and revealed that the word “Prince” is genderless in high Valyrian. This means it could be a Prince or Princess that was Promised. So Daenerys (and other women) have come into play.
So who is the Prince that was Promised? Here are some of the biggest theories:
1. Jon Snow
Jon Snow has been the most obvious theory so far on Game of Thrones. Azor Ahai was supposed to be born again amidst smoke and salt when a red star bleeds. Jon Snow was born amidst smoke thanks to the battle at the Tower of Joy and salt because his mother Lyanna Stark was crying. The bleeding star could be Arthur Dayne’s bloody sword Dawn, which was made from “the heart of a fallen star.” Because Jon Snow’s real father is Rhaegar Targaryen, he also has a connection with Dragons. And he has been resurrected from the dead.
2. Daenerys Targaryen
Another big theory has been that Daenerys Targeryen is the Prince that was Promised. And now that we know “Prince” is genderless, that possibility just got a lot more real. Daenerys is fireproof, which could connect to Azor Ahai’s Lightbringer. She was also literally reborn in fire and woke dragons out of stone while a red comet appeared. She was also born on Dragonstone during a storm. So the salt could be the sea surrounding the island while the smoke is the volcano Dragonstone sits on.
3. Beric Dondarrion
After the Game of Thrones Season 7 trailer came out, theories started to heat up that Beric Dondarrion could be the Prince that was Promised. The Lord of Light does keep resurrecting him. As he, Thoros of Myr, and the Hound say, there has to be a reason why he keeps coming back. And the trailer showed him wielding a flaming sword, which could be the lightbringer.
4. The Hound
One of the most recent theories is that the Hound is the Prince that was Promised. He transformed (and was reborn) into the man he is today when his older brother the Mountain pressed his head into a fire. Septon Ray saved him from death, though we don’t know how. Now he’s on a path to redemption with the Brotherhood without Banners. And he even had a vision in the fire during the Season 7 premiere of Game of Thrones.
5. Someone Else
There have been some other theories about the Prince that was Promised as well. Some think it would be swordsman Jamie Lannister or Davos Seaworth because he’s a sailor and warrior, which could connect to the salt and smoke. Others think it could be Gendry, who could forge the Lightbringer, or even Arya.
Who do you think is the Prince that was Promised? Will they really help defeat the White Walkers? Leave your comments below!
Game of Thrones airs on Sundays at 9/8c on HBO. Like our Game of Thrones Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of HBO)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
