'Game of Thrones' season 8 episode 3 has fans frustrated about Azor Ahai because Arya clearly doesn't fit the bill
'Game of Thrones' season 8 episode 3 had the majority of fans cheering for Arya after her splendid sneak attack on The Night King. The moment was shared, discussed and critiqued by many on social media; and while it was great that Arya got to be the star of the day, she debunked one of the theories that fans have been speaking of since the beginning of the HBO show.
That is the prophecy of the Azor Ahai - the light-bearer or more commonly addressed as the 'Prince or Princess who was promised'.
Initially, fans wondered if Arya could, after all, be the Azor Ahai that Melisandre mentioned in the first season. However, there are certain rules that have to be met for someone to be the Azor Ahai, and Arya doesn't fit them even remotely.
Especially considering the fact that the Azor Ahai has to be a Targaryen. So going back, Melisandre, the red priestess, always thought that Stannis Baratheon was the Prince who was Promised and that was one of the reasons why she stood by him when he was ready to fight his brother Renly Baratheon.
However, she realized later that she was wrong about the prophecy.
According to Thoros of Myr, one of the red priests of Lord of Light, "According to prophecy, our champion will be reborn to wake dragons from stone and reforge the great sword Lightbringer that defeated the darkness those thousands of years ago. If the old tales are true, a terrible weapon forged with a loving wife's heart. Part of me thinks the man was well rid of it, but great power requires great sacrifice. That much at least the Lord of Light is clear on."
What this means is that this individual must be capable of waking dragons, and that leaves only Daenerys Targaryen or Jon Snow, who is originally Aegon Targaryen, in the fray. However, it was Arya who brought light onto the world when she ended The Night King.
The actual prophecy states, "There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him."
So one of the explanations is that the prophecy of Azor Ahai and The Prince who was Promised are two distinct prophecies: Arya could be the Azor Ahai who will bring light after the Long Night and either Jon or Dany could be the 'Prince or Princess that was promised'.
This also makes sense because the song 'Jenny of Oldstone' also hints at a prince sacrificing his throne for the girl he loved. Somehow similar to the situation that Dany and Jon find themselves in. It also clearly fits the bill of the Prince or Princess having to make a sacrifice.
So what have the showrunners decided to do with the two most important theories of the series? Will the upcoming episode that will feature the beginning of the last war give us a clue? We will only know after the episode airs on Sunday night at 9 pm on HBO.
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