Why this ‘GoT’ prophecy might reveal who will end up on the throne

Game of Thrones returns to our television sets in a few short months, and now that winter is here, it’s time to start asking the tough questions about Westeros. We’ll save Jon Snow’s dead/not-dead state for another day, because it’s time to start focusing on who’s going to save all of Westeros and end up on the Iron Throne in the end. The answer might lie with the prophecy about Azor Ahai and The Prince that was Promised.

Azor Ahai was a legendary hero who defeated the Others, aka the white walkers, thousands of years ago. The prophecy states that he’d be reborn again, “amidst salt and smoke,” this time as The Prince that was Promised. With him, he’d have his trusty sword Lightbringer that, “defeated the darkness.” He’d also be able to wake dragons from stone. And whoever this is, and whoever they come back as on Game of Thrones (and OK, in the books, too), they’re going to keep everyone safe from whatever’s behind The Wall. And that whole thing about claiming the Iron Throne, too.

So who is it? According to the Red Priestess, Melisandre, it’s Stannis. But, UGH STANNIS. However, a lot of things about this prophecy don’t really match up with Stannis, like at this point, all of them. There’s a high chance he’s not the reincarnated Azor Ahai, and he is certainly not The Prince that was Promised, because he’s The Dude Who Is The Actual Worst. If not him, then who?

Obviously, Jon Snow’s name gets thrown into the mix, since he’s already proven himself pretty capable at defeating white walkers. Depending on if R+L=J turns out to be true, Jon might have dragon blood in him already, further aligning with the prophecy. There’s just that whole “might be dead” thing going on with Jon right now… but hey, Azor Ahai IS reborn.

Then there’s our girl Daenerys Targaryen, who has already woken dragons from stone, and was first born in the narrow sea (salt) and then re-born as the Mother of Dragons (smoke). Also, nowhere in the prophecy does it explicitly state that Azor Ahai is going to be be a guy once again. No one’s looking for The Princess that was Promised, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

There’s also the idea that Azor Ahai and The Prince that was Promised could actually be two different people, instead of one. Which could mean that both Jon and Dany could share in this prophecy together. Or maybe that’s just what we’re wishing for at night. Whatever the case, figuring out who aligns perfectly with this idea might be the key to unlocking some of the bigger mystery of Game of Thrones.

As long as Stannis doesn’t get anything, and doesn’t get to rule anything, and Melisandre is wrong, because it cannot be stressed enough that Stannis is the worst.

(Image via HBO.)