Azor Ahai Theories To Obsess Over Before 'GoT' Season 7

The world of Game of Thrones is full of its own myths and legends, as well as prophecies that appear to foretell events occurring in the current story. Fans have been dedicated to untangling those prophecies since George R. R. Martin first started releasing the books that would eventually spawn the show. So the answers to certain prophecies have been debated for decades. One of the most dissected is the story of Azor Ahai, a legendary warrior who may one day be reborn to serve a great purpose. These Azor Ahai theories prove Game of Thrones Season 7 could potentially reveal the identity of Azor Ahai reincarnated.

In the story, Azor Ahai was a warrior chosen to fight against the darkness enveloping his land, which he did by creating a mystical sword named Lightbringer. There were two failed attempts to forge the sword before Azor Ahai was finally successful; unfortunately, that success was dependent upon him stabbing his wife Nissa Nissa through the heart. Her soul combined with the steel created the ultimate weapon. Many think Azor Ahai might be reborn to once again use Lightbringer to beat back another threat, which in this case would be the White Walkers. There are a few key qualities that may indicate who Azor Ahai is, including: being born under a bleeding red star amidst salt and smoke, as well as possessing a burning sword and the ability to "wake dragons from stone."

These theories try to puzzle it out...

Jon Snow

Jon is a popular pick for Azor Ahai, and it makes sense why. As far as Chosen Ones go, Jon fits the trope to a T: reluctant but kindhearted heroes with special swords who come back from the dead usually end up pretty significant in fantasy stories. It's been noted that the books make a point of mentioning blood and stars at the time of Jon's stabbing, and some fans have pointed out that in Jon's resurrection, Davos could represent "salt" (considering that he was a seawater smuggler) and Melisandre could represent "smoke" (remember that smoke baby?). It's not exact, but it does tick off a few of the Azor Ahai boxes. Melisandre also believes that he is the prophesied hero, though she's been wrong before.

Davos Seaworth

Davos may seem like an unlikely choice, but it would definitely be a twist no one saw coming. Reddit user PM_YOUR_KAMEHAMEHA interpreted this a little differently, suggesting that perhaps Lightbringer was not really a sword at all, but a man. And that man is Davos. He has been described in the books as casting a sword-like shadow and was referred to as "the light" once. Davos had three metaphorical rebirths, much like the three attempts to forge Lightbringer. He's also connected to the two people Melisandre was convinced were Azor Ahai: Stannis and Jon Snow.

Daenerys Targaryen

Much like Jon, Daenerys is a very popular contender for Azor Ahai. Her rebirth in Khal Drogo's funeral pyre fits the smoke and salt angle, plus there was a red comet (a.k.a. a bleeding star) in the sky that day. She woke dragons from stone literally when she caused the eggs to hatch. She doesn't have Azor Ahai's flaming sword, but her dragons could metaphorically serve the same purpose as burning weapons. And like Azor Ahai, Dany had to sacrifice the person she loved (Drogo) to gain greater power. But is she so obvious she's too obvious?

Jaime Lannister

Reddit user byrd82 suggested that perhaps there was a mistranslation of the original prophecy that could actually point to Jaime instead. According to them, "Valyrian words for gold and hand are aeksion and ondos. Valyrian words for lord and light are aeksio and onos. Could a translation error have led to the erroneous creation of a religion? Will the true savior be the 'Gold Hand'?" As Jaime is the only character currently walking around with a golden hand, if byrd82's theory is true, then it could definitely indicate him.

Reddit user nachoroju has also theorized that Jaime will mirror Azor Ahai's sacrifice of his wife by killing Cersei, which (if it comes to pass) could be another hint.

It's A Metaphor

Then again, it's possible that the legend of Azor Ahai doesn't actually reference any one specific person. It could be a lot more broad than that, as speculated by Reddit user CeruleanSamurai. "Lightbringer is not a literal sword," they wrote. "It's a metaphor for a new era. It does not yield light physically, but it brings en-light-enment [sic]." The death of Nissa Nissa represents the consequences of war, and the story as a whole is a metaphor for advancement towards greater understanding.

Anyone could be Azor Ahai considering how relatively generic the signs are — or no one could be. Azor Ahai could end up being a legend with little importance to the story except to drive the actions of those who believe in it. Then again, where would the fun be in that? Fans can only hope that Season 7 provides some answers once and for all.