The most talked about topic right now is whether Jon Snow is alive or not. Even though everyone wants him to be alive, most people aren’t aware why. And no, he’s so cute is not a valid reason. The real reason why he has to be alive is because he could be the Azor Ahai. Who is that you ask? Well, read on to find out. 

The legend of Azor Ahai

Almost 5000 years ago, the world was suffering from the Long Night and under threat from the White Walkers. Azor Ahai was the hero who was chosen to lead the fight and for that he needed to forge a sword capable of bringing the bad guys down. 

The first sword he created broke when he tried tempering it in water. Azor Ahai then forged another one and plunged it through a lion’s heart. But this one shattered too. After having failed twice, he fashioned another one, drew it from fire, tempered it in water and then plunged it into his wife’s heart. His sacrifice led to the creation of the Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.

As the world of Ice and Fire is at the precipice of yet another Long Night, it is believed that Azor Ahai will rise again and save everyone. He or she will be a champion supported by the Lord of Light, R’hollor. It is said that if he fails, the world will end with him.

Here’s what you need to qualify as the prince that was promised:

Even though the origin of the legend of Azor Ahai is unknown, there are certain things that everyone who knows it, agrees on. The saviour will be a sword-yielding warrior, with salt and smoke heralding his arrival. Variations of this prophecy also state that he or she should be a descendant of Aerys and Rhaella and involved in the return of dragons.

Now the question arises: who will that person be? There are several possible characters who fulfil the required criteria but let’s take a look at three of the top contenders.

 

Stannis Baratheon

Stannis Baratheon is a probable candidate only because Melisandre, the Red Priestess, is determined to declare him as the Azor Ahai. While he is an amazing leader, the idea of him being the ultimate hero sounds preposterous. He may be living in Dragonstone, a place full of salt and smoke, but he wasn’t born there. He lights the Seven Gods on fire and forges a sword that he calls the Lightbringer from it. However, no one believes that his sword is the Red Sword of Heroes. There’s also the tiny matter of him being stabbed by Brienne of Tarth. Could he be the hero reborn? Most probably not.

 

Daenerys Targaryen

Away from all the political scheming, the only female in this list, the Mother of Dragons seems like the most probable candidate to be the Azor Ahai. Not only was she born in Dragonstone to Aerys and Rhaella, she literally walks into fire with petrified eggs and emerges unscathed. In addition to this, at the time of Khal Drogo’s death, there was smoke coming from the funeral pyre and Daenerys was crying salty tears. What she is lacking when it comes to the prophecy is the sword. However, many suggest that her three dragons are her fiery weapon. As she is the only one with dragons, most people believe that she is the Azor Ahai. 

 

Jon Snow

The man who knows nothing is probably the underdog that we are rooting for. Not only does he wield Longclaw, a Valyrian steel sword capable of slicing through White Walkers, he could also be Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark’s son. While he may not have intentionally sacrificed a loved one like Stannis, he did lose Ygritte. There are additional ‘clues’ than fans believe were dropped at the time of his ‘death’. Ser Patrek Mallister, a member of Selyse Baratheon’s queensguard, is killed by the giant Wun-Wun and his blood turns his cloak of stars red (bleeding star). In addition to this, when Jon Snow is stabbed by Olly, Bowen Marsh cries salty tears. However, the clue that all Jon Snow fans are holding on to is how he dreams of a flaming red sword with which he strikes Ygritte, the love of his life. Also, Melisandre herself keeps ‘snow’ when she looks into fire for the Azor Ahai. 

If we were to look at all the foreshadowing, Jon Snow would be the ideal person to be the Warrior of Fire. And everyone knows that he’s not really dead.

 

Others

In addition to the aforementioned characters, there are several other candidates. However, none of them have as strong a backing as the first three.

In conclusion, we can speculate as much as we want about Azor Ahai’s identity, but only GRRM knows who the song of Ice and Fire is. And if by chance we are all horribly wrong, it’s his fault for making us wait so long for the next book.

Artwork by Utkarsh Tyagi

Feature image source: ucreative