‘Game Of Thrones’ Spoilers: Melisandre’s Big Reveal And What It Means To Jon Snow

The long-anticipated premiere of Game of Thrones happened Sunday night, and it’s safe to say that most people didn’t see the ending coming. We’re going to jump right into spoilers, so if you haven’t seen Sunday night’s episode yet, stop reading now.

Sunday night’s episode of Game of Thrones picked up right where it left off at the end of Season 5. It wasn’t the most exciting episode we’ve seen, but it had its good moments. The very end of the show was definitely its biggest moment though. Melisandre removed her necklace, her glamour, and we learned that she is a very old woman, a witch. Most Game of Thrones viewers were shocked, but if we had been paying closer attention, we would have picked up on some hints that there was much more to Melisandre than met the eye, and that she was much older than she appeared.

There was the suggestion of magic powers in the Melisandre’s necklace in this scene from Season 2 of Game of Thrones, where it glows as she survives drinking poisoned wine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iimpkprnTk&feature=player_embedded

And, as noted by Independent, in an interview about Game of Thrones long ago, Carice VanHouten stated that Melisandre was “way over 100” years old. It’s a statement most laughed off or forgot about. This big-time reveal has brought a theory related to Azor Ahai to the attention of Game of Thrones show watchers. For many, it has also added credence to the theory that Melisandre will resurrect Jon Snow, whose body is still fully intact at this point. Here’s how the legend of Azor Ahai goes. It’s mentioned off and on throughout A Song of Ice and Fire, one of the books upon which HBO‘s Game of Thrones is based.

The Game of Thrones legend of Azor Ahai says that long ago, a hero was chosen to fight the darkness. Twice he tried and failed to create a sword for the task. He gave it a third, determined effort and worked 100 days and 100 nights to create the perfect sword. To temper the sword, in Game of Thrones coldness, the hero plunged it into the heart of his wife. This perfect sword came to be known as Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.

Melisandre speaks of Azor Ahai often, and is loyal to Stannis Baratheon because she believes he is born of Azor and is destined to rid the world of darkness. There have been hints in the Game of Thrones show that Melisandre believed that Jon Snow was Azor Ahai. She told him he had a power he didn’t fully understand yet when she tried to seduce him. She says she saw him in the flames. But now both Stannis and Jon Snow are dead, and Melisandre is questioning everything she believes. Check out this video where showrunners Benioff and Weiss talk about the Game of Thrones Season 6 premiere, including Melisandre’s big reveal.

Here’s how the legend of Azor Ahai ties into the Game of Thrones theory that Melisandre will resurrect Jon Snow. The prophecy says this.

“It is written in prophecy as well. 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.”

There are Game of Thrones fans who believe that Melisandre, The Red Woman, is the “red star” who will bleed, possibly giving her life, in order to allow Jon Snow, Azor Ahai, to “be born again.”

The revelation in Sunday’s Game of Thrones episode that Melisandre is centuries old is important to the validity of this theory. It’s possible that Melisandre is a Targaryen. You can read about her possible lineage that supports this part of the theory here. If that is true, then the name given to her at birth was Seastar, which means “Star of the Sea,” which is very close to the “red star” of the prophecy. Besides her possible lineage that supports this, we also saw in the Game of Thrones Season 6 premiere that she has white hair, like Targaryens. This is one of many fascinating Game of Thrones legends and theories regarding the possible return of Jon Snow. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Alas, based on the preview of the second episode of the season, it doesn’t look like we’ll learn anymore about Melisandre and Jon Snow for a couple more weeks. Check out the preview of next week’s Game of Thrones episode below.

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