Who Is The Prince That Was Promised? The Sport Of Thrones Prophecy Defined

In the event you’re a fan of “Sport of Thrones,” its prequel and spin-off “Home of the Dragon,” or writer George R.R. Martin’s work, you are most likely accustomed to a prophecy in Martin’s “A Tune of Ice and Fireplace” sequence regarding a mysterious determine known as “the prince that was promised.” This prophecy is the middle of many, many plotlines throughout each TV exhibits, “A Tune of Ice and Fireplace,” and the Targaryen household historical past “Fireplace & Blood.” So, what does the prophecy say, and who is “the prince that was promised?”

The reply is far, a lot extra difficult than you suppose, if I am being fairly trustworthy. Not solely is it notably unclear who, precisely, “the prince that was promised” even is, however characters in “Home of the Dragon” and “Sport of Thrones” wildly misread — and manipulate — the prophecy to swimsuit their very own wants so steadily that, by the tip of the narrative of “Sport of Thrones,” there are a number of candidates for this mysterious function. This is every part that it’s good to learn about “the prince that was promised,” what it has to do with the Azor Ahai prophecy, and the way it all seems.

Throughout the universe George R.R. Martin created, it is by no means specified who got here up with the prophecy of “the prince that was promised,” though lots of people undoubtedly take the chance to say that they are stated prince. What we do know is it is based mostly in a faith that celebrates the Lord of Mild and that “the prince that was promised” would wield a sword named Lightbringer and wake dragons from stone. There’s additionally the matter of this thriller particular person’s delivery — particularly, below what circumstances and circumstances the particular person was born. In “A Storm of Swords,” the third ebook in “A Tune of Ice and Fireplace,” the Purple Priestess Melisandre (performed by Carice Van Houten on “Sport of Thrones”) says, “When the pink star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born once more amidst smoke and salt.” (I am going to circle again to the entire “Azor Ahai” factor in due time.) Within the fourth ebook, “A Feast for Crows,” Archmaester Marwyn, who resides within the Citadel, says that “the prince that was promised” was “born amidst salt and smoke, beneath a bleeding star.” One other necessary factor to bear in mind is that “the prince that was promised” does not should be a prince, per se … it might be a princess. In its authentic excessive Valyrian, the phrase for “prince” is gender-neutral, which actually widens the sphere of rivals right here. 

The prophecy first takes form within the books — and in “Home of the Dragon” — as Targaryens recall a prophetic dream of Aegon the Conqueror, during which he noticed the White Walkers and foretold the hazards of the far North (and an infinite winter). Sadly for King Viserys I Targaryen, performed onscreen by Paddy Considine, his intentions relating to the prophecy go completely awry, inflicting warfare to interrupt out.

Within the very first episode of “Home of the Dragon,” Viserys loses his spouse Aemma (Sian Brooke) and new child son in childbirth, at which level he realizes he has no alternative however to call his solely baby, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (performed as a young person by Milly Alcock), as his inheritor. Earlier than making the formal declaration, Viserys takes his daughter apart, apologizes for his delay in naming her the trueborn inheritor to the Iron Throne, and tells her about Aegon the Conqueror’s dream, which he calls “a tune of ice and fireplace.” Viserys, like many different Targaryens, believes {that a} Targaryen should sit the Iron Throne to guard the realm from the hazards Aegon noticed in his sleep, and Rhaenyra leaves the dialog with a full understanding of her father’s needs.

This all goes very, very improper on the finish of season 1 when, on Viserys’ deathbed, the terminally unwell king whispers the title “Aegon” to his much-younger spouse and Rhaenyra’s former greatest pal Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). As a result of there are solely, like, 4 names within the Seven Kingdoms at this level, Alicent assumes that her dying husband is speaking about her son, Aegon II Targaryen, who was named for the Conqueror; Viserys, based mostly on every part he is stated and achieved up till this level, is speaking concerning the prophecy and reiterating his assist for Rhaenyra (now performed by Emma D’Arcy). Despite a confrontation between Alicent and Rhaenyra in season 2 where Alicent reveals Viserys’ last words — and Rhaenyra realizes their actual that means — this confusion over a reputation is exactly how the Dance of the Dragons, the brutal civil warfare amongst the Targaryen household for management of the Iron Throne, begins.

In “Sport of Thrones,” Melisandre and different pink priestesses — together with Kinvara, briefly performed by Ania Bukstein in season 6 — throw across the time period “Azor Ahai” fairly liberally. So, is it the identical as “the prince that was promised?” Form of.

Melisandre additionally tends to say “Azor Ahai” and “the prince that was promised” in the identical breath, however to be clear, Azor Ahai, by all accounts, is a legendary hero from the previous and never essentially the main target of any prophecies. Tales of Azor Ahai got here from cities like Asshai and Essos, and like “the prince that was promised,” he is stated to have carried a legendary sword known as Lightbringer, and Melisandre does inform Jon Snow (performed onscreen by Package Harington) that Azor Ahai might be “born once more amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone” within the fifth ebook in “A Tune of Ice and Fireplace,” itself titled “A Dance of Dragons.” This sounds suspiciously like the way in which “the prince that was promised” is meant to be born, so there is definitely overlap right here, however the level appears to be that the legends of each Azor Ahai and “the prince that was promised” respectively have gone by way of many, many video games of Westerosi phone.

All through the primary 5 seasons of “Sport of Thrones,” Melisandre is fairly agency concerning the id of “the prince that was promised.” In actual fact, she’s insistent, to a fault, that it is Stannis Baratheon, performed by Stephen Dillane. Because the youthful brother of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), who dies in season 1, Stannis is, realistically, the inheritor to the Iron Throne (if you recall that each one of Robert’s kids aren’t his), however he is a frankly unpopular and uninspiring candidate for “the prince that was promised” throughout his marketing campaign. Melisandre finally has to confess defeat when Stannis sacrifices his daughter to the Lord of Mild and loses a serious battle anyway, and when he is slain by Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), Melisandre shifts her focus.

So, the place does her focus land? Upon Jon Snow, largely as a result of she revives him from demise in the beginning of season 6 and begins to consider that the Lord of Mild “allowed” Jon to return to the realm of the residing for a cause. There’s one other fairly viable candidate on the market, although: Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), colloquially referred to as “the Mom of Dragons,” who did handle to “wake dragons from stone” (when she walked right into a funeral pyre with three dragon eggs and emerged, alive, with three child dragons in season 1). So, now we’re right down to Daenerys and Jon. Are both of them “the prince that was promised?”

After Stannis meets a ugly finish within the season 5 finale “Mom’s Mercy,” Melisandre travels to Fort Black and revives Jon two episodes into season 6. (In case you forgot, he was stabbed by his fellow Evening’s Watchmen after he teamed up with wildlings they usually felt betrayed.) Jon, at that time, decides his “watch has ended” and walks away from the Evening’s Watch all collectively, returning to Winterfell to reunite together with his supposed half-sister Sansa (Sophie Turner) and half-brother Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and defeat the terrible Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) through the Battle of the Bastards. By way of turning into a legendary knight, Jon is, by all appearances, nicely on his manner; he is additionally considered one of two characters to really defeat a White Walker on display (the opposite is John Bradley’s Samwell Tarly, who type of does it by chance).

As for Daenerys, she spends various “Sport of Thrones” touring by way of cities throughout the Slender Sea and releasing them from enslavers (a transfer that leads to some open rebellions in opposition to the dragon queen), and it is nonetheless affordable to imagine that, as one of many solely recognized Targaryens on the earth, she might be “the prince that was promised.” This is the issue, although: Jon is a secret Targaryen and the product of a professional marriage between Daenerys’ late brother Rhaegal and Lyanna Stark, sister of Jon’s adoptive father Ned Stark (Sean Bean). Sadly for the narrative of “Sport of Thrones,” season 8 comes alongside and decides that neither Jon nor Daenerys is “the prince that was promised.”

Within the third episode of the eighth and ultimate (albeit abbreviated) season of “Sport of Thrones,” titled “The Lengthy Evening,” we lastly get to see the long-awaited Battle of Winterfell, the place the remaining characters staff as much as struggle the Evening King (Vladimir Furdik) and attempt to take down his military as soon as and for all. Jon and Daenerys are, naturally, on the battlefield, whether or not they’re on dragonback trying to barbecue the Evening King and his cronies from above or going through them head on. Throughout the struggle, although, another person emerges from the darkness (and I do imply that actually as a result of this complete episode is shot within the lowest attainable gentle) — Arya Stark, Jon’s presumed half-sister performed by Maisie Williams.

Melisandre corners Arya through the battle to remind her of a half-baked “prophecy” she made when she first met Arya in season 3, saying she would, basically, shut eyes of many colours; through the battle of Winterfell, Melisandre brings up the “blue” eyes, which appears to be the “Sport of Thrones” artistic staff’s manner of retconning all the scenario in order that Arya can go forth and kill the Evening King. She does precisely that through the use of a Valyrian metal dagger with Aegon’s prophecy of “a tune of ice and fireplace” engraved upon it, which has modified palms many, many instances in Westeros. It is a cool second, positive, however it’s additionally type of extremely ridiculous, as a result of narratively, it is unsatisfying to offer the present’s most necessary kill to a personality who has no historical past by any means with the Evening King. (Jon ought to have achieved it; it is the boring alternative, however it’s additionally the one that gives some precise payoff to seven seasons’ price of setup.) Arya is rarely confirmed to be “the prince that was promised” come what may, however she’s the one to slay the Evening King — and this is only one instance of the various, many prophecies that by no means bought resolved on “Sport of Thrones.”

“The prince that was promised” is considered one of many, many dangling plot threads in “Sport of Thrones” that by no means actually will get resolved. By way of plotlines that immediately focus on Arya, it is not even the one considered one of these, contemplating that Arya’s record of supposed homicide victims stays unfinished on the finish of the sequence (sure, most of them die, however not at Arya’s palms). It is additionally considered one of many deserted storylines specializing in Jon, whose parentage — and standing as a professional male Targaryen, which technically entitles him to the Iron Throne over Daenerys — by no means truly issues on the finish of the day.

Sure, it is unsatisfying that we by no means discover out who “the prince that was promised” was imagined to be. It is also unsatisfying that all the “valonqar” plotline from the books, the place Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) is informed by a witch that she’ll be killed by her “valonqar” or youthful brother — which might confer with her youthful brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) or her barely youthful twin Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) — stays off-screen. Daenerys’ entire journey to Westeros and quest for the Iron Throne also has a deeply disagreeable ending, in that she makes use of her dragon to commit a full-blown genocide in King’s Touchdown as a result of she’s in a foul temper after which will get stabbed by her uncle/lover Jon earlier than she will be able to develop into queen. That is all to say that if you are going to be mad about “the prince that was promised,” there are many deserted prophecies and plotlines to be mad about too.

If George R.R. Martin ever finishes the subsequent ebook in “A Tune of Ice and Fireplace,” titled “The Winds of Winter,” possibly we’ll get a solution about “the prince that was promised.” Within the meantime, “Sport of Thrones” is on Max now.