What is the Green Fire on ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Episode 5?

Green Fire Game of Thrones

HBO

During the epic and horrific King’s Landing battle, we see green fire near the end of the battle. What does the green fire mean?

Although Daenerys and Drogon created most of the King’s Landing destruction, the green fire finished the job. This green fire was wildfire that we’ve seen in previous seasons.

Wildfire was first enacted by the Mad King Aerys, Daenerys’ father. It’s why Jaime killed Aerys Aerys had planted wildfire caches beneath King’s Landing and threatened to set it all on fire and destroy his own citizens so that no one else could take King’s Landing.

When he was planning to destroy King’s Landing, the Mad King had pyromancers hide Wildfire under the Great Sept, under Flea Bottom, under houses, and under the Red Keep. The Mad King thought that everyone would die, but he would be turned into a dragon in the flames. (Similarly to how Prince Aerion Targaryen died after drinking Wildfire, thinking it would turn him into a dragon.) Jamie had to kill The Mad King to stop him.

Cersei continued the wildfire legacy. In Season 2, Cersei planned to use Wildfire against Stannis’ attack on King’s Landing. At that point in time, some people weren’t sure they really believed Wildfire was real. Tyrion is shown that they have 7,800 jars of Wildfire, which is enough to destroy all of King’s Landing. He instructs a ship to unload all of the jars of Wildfire into the bay when Stannis’ fleet arrived at Blackwater Bay. Bronn fires a burning arrow into the Wildfire and all of Stannis’ nearby ships are destroyed.

Later, Cersei found more caches and planted many beneath the sept to destroy her enemies and a lot of innocent people along the way. That’s right before Tommen killed himself.

But much of Aerys’ wildfire was still planted beneath King’s Landing. The intense fire from Drogon reached the incredibly unstable wildfire, setting it on fire and worsening the destruction and death.

As for wildfire’s origin, it’s an explosive liquid created by the Alchemist’s Guild, according to the Game of Thrones Wikia. This ancient society, now based in King’s Landing, created a liquid that burns so hot it can only be extinguished by sand, not water. It is green in liquid state and the fire it produces is green too.