Melisandre’s Lord of Light: who is Game of Thrones's god, and did he save The Long Night?
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Alice Vincent
Between the nudity and the dragons, it can be easy to forget that the propulsions underlying Game of Thrones are altogether more, well, theological.
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The Telegraph
Between the nudity and the dragons, it can be easy to forget that the propulsions underlying Game of Thrones are altogether more, well, theological. Season-spanning plotlines have been defined by the rulings and followers of religions such as The Faith of the Seven (such violent sparrows!) and The Many-Faced God (such brutal training!).

None, though, have been responsible for such shocking scenes as the Lord of Light. Enormous flaming battle-trenches, murderous ghost babies, hero-resurrection and, still unforgivably, the burning of children – these have all been inspired by R’hllor, the god who sparks fanaticism in Red Priestesses such as Kinvara and Melisandre.

What’s more, of all of Game of Thrones’ creeds, the Lord of Light’s prophecy seems the most likely to define the shape of Season 8 and with it, the long-awaited results of who will end up on the Iron Throne.

But while we are familiar with the Lord of Light’s minions and his prophecy (a long winter, a warrior named Azor Ahai drawing a burning sword named Lightbringer from the fire), less is known about the god himself. Who is the Lord of Light, and will we get to meet him in season 8?

According to Thrones creator George RR Martin, it’s unlikely. He once said in an interview: “I don't think any gods are likely to be showing up in Westeros, any more than they already do. We're not going to have one appearing, deus ex machina, to affect the outcomes of things, no matter how hard anyone prays.” In short, if you were hoping for an omnipotent deity to swoop in wearing a clock of fire, scattering cinders and reducing Melisandre to a ball of awestruck lust, you may want to rely on fanfic.

But it’s worth noting that the television show has long diverged from Martin’s original tomes (some of which he is still writing) and, while the author has consulted showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff on Game of Thrones’ ending, the events of Season 8 remain wildly unpredictable.

While Melisandre has been deeply, villainously wrong in the past (Stannis Baratheon, as we all knew, was not the Prince Who Was Promised), an alarming number of events she orchestrated on behalf of the Lord of Light have come to line up ahead of Thrones’ climax. She brought Jon Snow back to life, and spared Davos so he could advise him – as well as unite Jon and Gendry.

The Lord of Light’s scorching touch was also responsible for sending the Hound to The Brotherhood, who helped Jon to capture a wight – an insane, if necessary, means of convincing Jaime to join the battle – and nudged Tyrion into betraying his Lannister House into counselling Jon and Daenerys. As season eight progressed, Melisandre proved the doubters wrong and showed just how powerful the Lord of Light could really be, illuminating thousands of Dothraki swords (which, arguably, didn't last long) and then, just as the army of the undead approached Winterfell, the defensive trenches around the castle.

The Long Night saw a number of threads being pulled together. Just as Thrones showrunners have known that it would be that Valyrian steel dagger that would kill the Night King, and that Arya would be the girl to wield it, so Melisandre’s prophecy was made as early as season three. “I see a darkness in you,” Melisandre said upon meeting the much younger Arya. “And in that darkness, eyes staring back at me. Brown eyes. Blue eyes. Green eyes. Eyes you’ll shut forever. We will meet again.” And so they did, after which Arya killed the Night King and Melisandre, having completed her mission, removes her magical beautifying necklace and crumbles into dust.

But questions still remain over the Lord of Light. Just because one of his Priestesses is no longer with us doesn't mean “are we going to meet the Lord of Light?” speculation into “how are we going to meet the Lord of Light?” speculation. What’s central to nearly all of the rumours is the understanding that the Lord of Light is one of two gods – there’s another, too, commonly known as The Other, who represents darkness, cold, and death. Given the constant binary between life, death, fire and ice in Game of Thrones, this gives a fairly substantial starting point for theorising.

With many suggesting that the Night King is the embodiment of the Great Other (given his predilection for death, cold and darkness), then the Three Eyed Raven could be understood as R’hllor, or the Lord of Light. Reddit user DavidDiobol95 even says that if the Three Eyed Raven and the Other were to kill one another, they would break the long summer, deathly winter cycle that has been condemning Westeros for so long: “So it all would end, in the past, the present and the future and there would be finally peace between Fire and Ice, Day and Night, Summer and Winter… even the seasons would finally become equal.” However, while Bran acted as bait for the Night King, he managed to survive his intention to kill him and create “endless night”, so while there may be a little more daylight to proceedings, this theory doesn't quite hold up.

Amid the zombie near-apocalypse of The Long Night, though, one of Thrones’s major Lord of Light theories may have quietly come to pass. Azor Azai, or The Prince That Was Promised. This is largely a theory from Martin's books that hasn't been wildly entertained in the television series in spite of fans’ continued fascination with it. In short, the Prince That Was Promised is a kind of messiah-type figure who saves the living from the threat of the Walkers and the Night King. For a good while, Jon Stark has been rumoured to fulfil this role (along with a motley crew including Daenerys and even Bran), but perhaps Beric Dondarrion was Azor Ahai all along?

The evidence is convincing: much-murdered Beric has been brought back to life several times by the Lord of Light, he's a firm believer in the faith of R'hollor and he carries a flaming sword. In The Long Night, Beric sacrifices himself, fending off wights so that Arya could go on, speak to Melisandre and kill The Night King. In several ways, he's fulfilled the prophecy.