Game of thrones season 6 premiere was somewhat mixed: while we were given a Brienne and Sansa team-up, the writers also decided to mercilessly kill off everyone interesting in Dorne and remind us all how awful the Sand Snakes’ dialogue is. Yup a killing in a season premiere it is Game of thrones death is part of it.
Of course, the big talking point was the episode’s revelation that Melisandre is actually much, much older than she has appeared throughout the rest of the series, coming as a shock to both book readers and show watchers alike.
There have, as you may have expected, been subtle hints throughout the show. For instance, when Melisandre drank the poison that killed Cressen, her necklace started to glow, seemingly saving her life. Carice Van Houten said how her character is “way over 100 years” old, a statement that now takes on a whole new meaning.
The concluding theory is that Melisandre uses the necklace to “glamour” herself, therefore revealing how she truly looks. Only in "The Red Woman" did we finally see her true form; an older women with a hunched body and white hair. Thanks to the reveal, a theory about the prophecy surrounding Azor Ahai has resurfaced on various forums, stating how Melisandre could resurrect "the Lord of Light" to fight against the darkness. A little background on Azor Ahai, which probably means very little to show watchers.
Throughout A Song of Ice and Fire, the legend of Azor Ahai is mentioned at various points. The tale follows that a hero was chosen to fight a darkness many years ago. After two failed attempts at creating a sword able to fight evil, he eventually ended up working 100 days and 100 nights to create the perfect sword, tempering the blade by stabbing his wife through the heart, and thus creating Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.
Melisandre mentions Azor Ahai at numerous times, interchanging the name with ‘the prince that was promised’, and claiming that Stannis Baratheon was Azor reborn, come to purge the world of darkness.
As we now know, Stannis is now dead, with The Red Woman seemingly believing Jon Snow was actually Azor Ahai having seen him ‘in the flames’. Unfortunately, as confirmed in season six’s premiere, Snow is also dead, and Melisandre has given up hope in The Lord of Light (which is seemingly the reason she removes her necklace).
So, what’s this new theory then? Well, the prophecy of Azor Ahai is as follows: "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."
The important bit here is how “when the red star bleeds”, with some fans believing the “red star” is actually Melisandre, and thus she will give her life (“bleed”) in order for Jon Snow (Azor Ahai) to return.
Also notable is that, in her ‘old person’ form, Melisandre has striking white hair sure she’s old and hair goes grey, but it really is remarkably white, the same colour as all Targaryens' hair.
If she is the child of the two siblings, this would also explain why she was hidden away from the family, and perhaps why she has found comfort in serving The Lord of Light as she has no remaining family.
A quick word on the name, Seastar. This may seem like a coincidence, but George RR Martin has previously explained that the name was given to her as it literally means “Star of the Sea”. If she is the “red star bleeding” from the prophecy, this fits in a little too well.
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