Game of Thrones star Kit Harington responds to one of the biggest Jon Snow fan theories
A prophecy has foretold the return of a legendary hero to save Westeros
Jon Snow has been the biggest enigma on Game of Thrones. Was he really dead, we all asked? (He wasn't.) Was he the secret son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark? (He was.) And now we have another big question: is Kit Harington's character really the "prince that was promised"?
As pointed out by Mashable, both the HBO show and George RR Martin's books have introduced us to a prophecy concerning Azor Ahai, a legendary figure who once defeated the darkness using his burning sword, named Lightbringer. The followers of R'hllor say he will soon be reborn as "the prince who was promised".
Being a well-trained Game of Thrones actor sworn to secrecy on pain of death, Harington won't give much away. When asked by the Huffington Post whether Jon is the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, he would only say: "I think you have to wait and see what happens this year, and if we find out anything more about Jon."
Instead of dismissing the theory, he mused: "I think Jon would hate the term ‘The Prince That Was Promised.’ If someone turned to him and said, ‘You’re The Prince That Was Promised,’ he just wouldn’t pay much attention.
"That’s what I love about him, so I don’t really care about it either. You know, I think that’s what’s great about him. He’s got very little ego on him."
So what's the evidence? Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels provide some intriguing clues, with versions of the prophecy including: "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."
That could very well mean Daenerys Targaryen is the subject of the prophecy, as the Red Priestesses in Volantis are convinced. After all, she did wake a bunch of dragons from stone.
But it could also easily refer to Jon, who was born amidst smoke (from battle) and salt (the tears of a dying mother).
And what if the sword is the bloody weapon we saw lying at the end of Lyanna's bed at the birth?
There's another line from the book that also hints at Jon's identity, when priestess Melisandre says: "I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai, and R'hllor shows me only Snow."
Could this be a major new revelation when Game of Thrones returns for its seventh and final series?
Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres on HBO on 16th July and on 17th July on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV at 2am, repeated at 9pm on the same day
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