We’ve been waiting forever, but The Winds of Winter IS coming out sooner or later. And when it does, the fans are way ahead of the game:
A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, was published way back in 2011. Since then, fans have been anxiously awaiting the sixth book, The Winds of Winter, and the theories about what might happen next in the continuing story of Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister and all the rest are nearly boundless. They’ve had nearly a decade to build up, after all.
It’s hard to pick which theory is the “best,” but it might be possible to determine which is the most plausible. A Song of Ice and Fire theories run the gamut from foregone conclusions to pie-in-the-sky dreams. Here are five you’ll be convinced are true after seeing all the supporting evidence:
Beric Dondarrion official. Courtesy: HBO
Lightbringer is the Night’s Watch
The prophecy of Azor Ahai didn’t have as much prominence in the show as fans are hoping it will have in the books. Azor Ahai was a legendary hero who wielded a burning sword called Lightbringer, a hero destined to come again to save the world in its hour of need. And considering the world is about to be attacked by murderous ice zombies, the world is in pretty dire need. Melisandre seems to think this hero will be Stannis Baratheon, whom she considers to be the rightful King of Westeros.
"There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. 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. – Melisandre, A Clash of Kings"
Many of the prophecies in Martin’s books — some coming from the mysterious Quaithe and the Ghost of High Heart — deal heavily in symbolism. When Melisandre refers to “when the stars bleed,” it isn’t lost on the people listening that there is a red comet streaking through the sky at that very moment, one that appeared as Daenerys hatches her dragons.
With that in mind, not everything Melisandre refers to in her speech may be literal. Lightbringer may be a literal sword needed to beat back the darkness, or it may be a metaphor for something else. Some fans theorize that Lightbringer isn’t a sword, but rather an organization. It is…the Night’s Watch:
"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all nights to come."
The oath of the Night’s Watch seems to fit the prophecy in almost every way. They are “fire that burns against the cold” as “darkness falls heavy on the world.” They are “the light that brings the dawn” as “the darkness shall flee before him.”
If this legend of Lightbringer is indeed connected with the Night’s Watch, then perhaps Azor Ahai could simply mean the Lord Commander.
Or maybe not. There’s no telling what the true meaning behind this prophecy will be until we finally get our hands on the next book. But in the meantime, there’s a ton of discussion around this particular prophecy if you want to know more.