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The latest episode of Game of Thrones was packed with character development and conversations that will fuel fan theories for the rest of the week. Here are some of the top theories and predictions for Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2.
Is Jaime Azor Ahai?
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Bran tells Jaime that if Jaime hadn’t pushed him out a window, then Bran would not have become the Three-Eyed Raven. Bran is no longer really himself, so he counts everything that happened as being part of the greater good and he holds no ill will toward Jaime. Just before this scene, the Valyrian sword Widow’s Wail was returned to Jaime.
Some believe all of this points to Jaime being Azor Ahai.
Azor Ahai is a mythical, god-like figure who is said to have forged a sword named Lightbringer thousands of years ago, which was used to defeat both darkness and The Great Other. He had to plunge the sword into his true love in order to give the sword the power it needed to destroy darkness. Since Azor Ahai’s battle took place around the same time as the battle with the White Walkers in the north, it’s assumed that he may have been the one who ultimately defeated them. And some believe he is also the Prince Who Was Promised.
A prophecy in the Game of Thrones books 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.”
One fan theory supposes that the original Valyrian that tells the Azor Ahai story was mistranslated. The theory reads: Valyrian words for gold and hand are aeksion and ondos. Valyrian words for lord and light are aeksio and onos. Will the true savior be the ‘Gold Hand?’”
Perhaps Jaime’s gold hand, which he got while defending Brienne when she was his captor, is a sign of the prophecy. It certainly came up again when Brienne vouched for Jaime to Sansa, Jon, and Dany.
The salt and smoke might reference how Bronn saved Jaime’s life while Daenerys and her dragons were attacking them. He was “born again” amidst salt and smoke. And Jaime was kind of born again (i.e. started his journey of transformation) when the red comet was seen in Season 2.
Finally, the idea is that Jaime will kill the woman he loves, just like Azor Ahai, with a Valyrian sword. That woman could be Brienne but more than likely will be Cersei. (Unless Brienne is turned and Jaime has to kill her then.)
There’s also been a long-running theory that Lightbringer (Azor Ahai’s sword) is Ice, Ned Stark’s Valyrian sword that was melted down and turned into Widow’s Wail and Oathkeeper. Brienne has one half of that sword and Jaime has the other half. Now they’re both at Winterfell. Maybe the sword will be reforged.
The Night King Is Trying to Kill the Three-Eyed Raven
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We learned from Bran that the Night King has been trying to kill the Three-Eyed Raven pretty much forever, and while the Night King has stayed the same, the Three-Eyed Raven has changed the person it inhabits numerous times.
We know from the books that the Great Other and the Lord of Light are at war. So essentially it might boil down to the Night King representing the Great Other and Bran/Three-Eyed Raven representing the Lord of Light.
Remember: The Night King was created by the Children of the Forest. He was a First Man who was turned against his will in a horrific encounter. It’s no doubt that he holds anger and resentment against the Children of the Forest, who are tied deeply with the Three-Eyed Raven.
Bran says the Night King is doing this because he wants an endless night and to destroy the living’s life and memories. But it’s also possible that this is revenge for what was originally done to him all those thousands of years ago.
We’ve learned before that the Night King has some form of greensight similar to Bran’s. He could see Bran when he visited in spirit, and it seems that they can both “warg” in a way that controls other beings around them. But whereas the Night King can take a living being and turn it into a White Walker (as he does with Craster’s babies), we haven’t seen Bran do the opposite with a dead creature. However, we do know that just as the Night King was turned from a human when dragonglass was plunged into his heart, so was Benjen stopped from turning into a wight when dragonglass was plunged into his heart. It’s an interesting parallel.
Jenny’s Song May Be a Huge Hint
“Jenny’s Song,” the song that Podrick sang and that also played during the end credits, could be a huge hint. Jenny of Oldstones, whom the song is about, was from the Riverlands but claimed to be descended from the Children of the Forest. In Season 7, the archmaesters compared Bran’s claim about seeing the White Walkers through warging to be similar to Jenny’s claim.
In the books, it’s explained that Jenny was a poor woman who was married to Prince Duncan Targaryen. Duncan’s father, King Aegon V, did not want them to marry because Duncan was betrothed to Lyonel Baratheon. But they married anyway and Duncan willingly gave up his right to the throne. When she and Duncan first met, she lived in the ruins of Oldstones, once a castle of the First Men. She claimed to be descended from the First Men, and a wood witch claimed she was descended from the Children of the Forest. The same witch claimed that the Prince Who Was Promised would be born from Prince Aerys II Targaryen’s line. (Both Dany and Jon Snow could fit that prophecy.) Ultimately, Jenny was accepted and referred to as Lady Jenny. But Prince Duncan died in a great fire, and the song says that Jenny was left all alone. Duncan died in the fire at Sumerhall, which was rumored to be started when someone tried unsuccessfully to hatch dragon eggs.
This song is important to the series for a number of reasons. First, Jenny and Duncan’s relationship mirrors Jon and Dany’s. Both Jon and Dany have been theorized to be the Prince Who Was Promised. The song seems to retell Jon’s willingness to give up the throne for Dany. But does it also foretell that Dany will lose Jon or vice versa?
The idea of Jenny being descended from the First Men or the Children of the Forest also is important. The Night King was a First Man who was turned by the Children of the Forest.