If you asked 10 Game of Thrones viewers to guess the identity of The Prince That Was Promised, six would name Jon Snow, two would say Daenerys Targaryen, one jokester would yell “HODOR” before running off, and one would stare at you blankly. For that person, here’s a quick explainer:
According to the servants of R’hllor, a battle has been waged since the beginning of time between the Lord of Light and the Great Other. The last time this battle went down, it was Azor Ahai who defeated the darkness with a magical sword called Lightbringer, forged in the blood of his beloved Nissa Nissa. The prophecy [as Melisandre tells Jon Snow: “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”] foretells that he will be reborn to defeat the Great Other again as The Prince That Was Promised. (Via)
There’s a lot riding on the identity of the Prince (or Princess), because, as Davos notes in the season seven trailer, “If we don’t put aside our enmities and bound together, we will die, and then it won’t matter whose skeleton sits on the Iron Throne.” Winter is here, and an army of ice-creatures are coming. They’re a tad more important (and deadly) than some silly crown. Speaking of Davos: the first time actor Liam Cunningham met George R.R. Martin, the author told him a secret. “He said, ‘Don’t tell anybody.’ So I’m not,” Cunningham revealed. “I’d love to tell you, but HBO has a person in the room here, and I don’t know where they are, [but they have a] sniper rifle.”
It’s obvious Davos is going to play an important role in the next two seasons (as he should, because he’s the best), but it’s unclear how. Unless, of course, you buy this convincing Reddit fan theory that posits, what if the Onion Knight is The Prince That Was Promised? It sounds silly, but the evidence is there. After all, it’s Davos who picks up Lightbringer after Stannis — who, Melisandre later learns, is not who she thought he was — drops it in the sand.
Another sign of proof from “FollowTheBeard” includes:
I saw you drink poison that should have killed you. I saw you give birth to a demon made of shadows. F*ck [the Lord], then. F*ck all of them. I’m not a devout man, obviously. Seven gods, drowned gods, tree gods, it’s all the same. I’m not asking the Lord of Light for help. I’m asking the woman who showed me that miracles exist. ~ Davos Seaworth, S06E02
-During the resurrection scene, Jon Snow is laid out on a stone slab. Melisandre performs the ritual and…nothing happens. Tormund leaves, Melisandre leaves, Edd leaves. Only Davos stays. He lingers… He approaches Jon, internally begging, pleading, willing, praying for his return. Shortly after, Jon gasps his first breath.
-The delay between the ritual and first breath was not a dramatic pause. Melisandre did not resurrect Jon Snow. She never believed she could, nor did she have any faith left in the cause. Davos did. Davos brought Jon Snow back to life. Davos woke the dragon from stone.
If nothing else, the theory — which hypothesizes that Davos is to Game of Thrones as Samwise is to Lord of the Rings; the all-important secondary character — is worth considering (and a more exciting answer than Jon Snow). It also makes more sense than the “g” in “night.”
(Via Reddit)
