Benioff & Weiss Got the Azor Ahai Prophecy Right in ‘Game of Thrones’

The Big Picture

• Benioff and Weiss faced backlash for poor writing on
  Game of Thrones
  , particularly in Season 8.
• Challenges in resolving important plotlines and prophecies exacerbated the criticism against the showrunners.
• However, Jon Snow’s actions in Season 8 align with the prophecy of Azor Ahai, potentially validating Benioff and Weiss’ choices.

Game of Thrones launched the careers of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss into the stratosphere after the success of their HBO series. Benioff and Weiss became Hollywood’s most wanted and even bagged themselves a Star Wars project before wrapping Game of Thrones. However, when the final few seasons didn’t deliver, Benioff and Weiss’ schedule cleared up very quickly, and their reputation took a big hit. Game of Thrones Season 8 garnered a lot of negative attention for failing to resolve plotlines, questionable character decisions, and overall bad writing. While there are countless complaints with Season 8, such as Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) leaving Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) for Cersei (Lena Headey), or Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) becoming entirely useless to the story, the most controversial moment was when Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) killed the Night King during Season 8 Episode 3.

While the criticisms against Benioff and Weiss are well-founded, they were in a difficult position toward the end of Game of Thrones. Author George R.R. Martin promised to write more books before the series caught up with him, but no books emerged. Even today, nearly twelve years after the premiere of Game of Thrones, The Winds of Winter is yet to be released. Benioff and Weiss had to finish the show with limited information on how the story of Westeros would wrap up. ‘The Prince That Was Promised’ was one important plotline that needed to be resolved before the end of the series, which was ruined when Arya slew the Night King. But upon closer examination, it seems that Benioff and Weiss may have received some undeserved hate for this aspect of the story.

The Prophecies of ‘Game of Thrones’ Have Always Been Tricky

The Prince That Was Promised is a prophesied hero from the Game of Thrones universe destined to lead the battle against the Others and bring an end to the Long Night. The hero is otherwise known as “Azor Ahai” to the Red Priestess, Melisandre (Carice Van Houten) who tries to predict the hero’s identity throughout the series. There are a variety of religions in the Game of Thrones universe. Each one has unique customs and myths, but almost every belief system has its equivalent of Azor Ahai. ‘The Prince Who Was Promised’ is a term that dates back to ancient Valyria. The First Men believed in “The Last Hero,” who united with the Children of the Forest to stop the Long Night. Even the Dothraki have their equivalent of the prophecy, despite living completely contradictory lifestyles to Westeros. In Game of Thrones Season 1, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) expects to give birth to ‘The Stallion Who Mounts the World.’ While the Dothraki histories don’t mention the Others, they believe Ghost Grass will one day cover the world. Ghost Grass is a pale, tall plant that glows at night, said to contain the spirits of the dead. The Dothraki believe the grass will eventually cover the world and leave nothing else alive. There are countless names for Azor Ahai, from Hyrkoon the Hero and Eldric Shadowchaser to Yin-Tar and Neferion. Each culture stems back to this belief, stressing the importance of the Long Night. It’s an integral concept to Game of Thrones that can’t be avoided when adapting to television.

Melisandre initially believes Stannis (Stephen Dillane) to be Azor Ahai, before moving on to Jon Snow (Kit Harington), and later Daenerys (Emilia Clarke). Game of Thrones presents a case for numerous characters eventually becoming Azor Ahai, butJon Snow prevailed as the most likely candidate. Jon came face to face with the Night King on several occasions during the series, including at Hardhome. Jon’s character arc centered around uniting the peoples of Westeros against the Others, so it only made sense for him to fight the Night King during the Battle for Winterfell in Season 8 Episode 3. However, when all seemed lost, Arya Stark appeared from thin air and slew the Night King herself, ruining Jon’s plotline. Benioff and Weiss claimed Arya subverted audience expectations, but it just didn’t make sense. But Jon’s story is not over, and he may have fulfilled the prophecy in a different way.

Prophecy has always been a tricky concept in Game of Thrones. Prophecies are often fulfilled in a figurative sense or occur under entirely different circumstances. Martin explained, “Prophecies are, you know, a double-edged sword… You don’t want to be too literal or too easy…” Cersei Lannister is an example of a prophecy playing out in a non-traditional way. Cersei’s prophecy claimed a younger and more beautiful Queen would cast her down. As a result, Cersei becomes antagonistic towards Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer), but it is Daenerys who eventually destroys her. In Cersei’s attempt to prevent the prophecy, she isolates herself from potential allies who could have protected her from her fate.

Similarly, Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright)dreams of Winterfell flooding and drowning all its inhabitants, like Ser Rodrik Cassel (Ron Donachie). Bran takes the dream too literally, but eventually, Theon (Alfie Allen) brings the Ironborn to Winterfell and sieges the capital, beheading Rodrik Cassel. During Daenerys’ visions in the House of the Undying, she walks through the throne room covered in snow, foreshadowing winter and the Long Night. However, Season 8 reveals this vision foreshadows an event after the Long Night, where Daenerys has covered King’s Landing in ash after burning down the city. The prophecy of Azor Ahai is fulfilled in a similar way.

How Jon Fulfills the Prophecy of Azor Ahai

The prophecy of Azor Ahai describes the hero forging his legendary sword, Lightbringer, which he used to battle the Others. The hero first tried tempering the sword in water, then again in the heart of a lion, before finally plunging it into the heart of his great love, which tempered the steel. As we’ve seen with previous prophecies, they are often meant to be interpreted metaphorically, rather than literally. Even if the A Song of Ice and Fire books eventually resolve the Azor Ahai prophecy, it’s unlikely that any character will literally slay a lion or forge a divine sword to defeat the Others.

Jon’s journey across Seasons 7 and 8 fits the parameters of the prophecy.Jon first fails to stop the Others at the frozen lake beyond the wall, which acts as his attempt to temper the steel in water. Jon is associated with a lot of water imagery during this sequence, including falling into the frozen lake during the battle. Jon then travels to King’s Landing where he fails to kill Cersei Lannister, a lion. Then finally, in Season 8 Episode 6, he stabs his great love, Daenerys, to end her rule. In this scenario, the prophesied ‘Long Night’ was not just about the Others, but the age of tyranny that could have been brought on by Daenerys and her new dynasty of oppressive rule. In Episode 6, King’s Landing is completely covered in a cloud of ash, further emphasizing the idea of a Long Night. By killing Daenerys, Jon killed his great love and brought an end to a new age of Targaryen tyranny before it could further harm Westeros.

‘House of the Dragon’ Takes the Prince That Was Promised Prophecy Further

House of the Dragon added more depth to the prophecy, revealing that Aegon the Conqueror had a vision of the Long Night which he called ‘The Song of Ice and Fire.’ Aegon’s prophecy dictates that a Targaryen must sit on the Iron Throne when the prophecy occurs. While Cersei Lannister was Queen of Westeros when Arya killed the Night King, it was Daenerys Targaryen who sat on the throne when Jon eventually killed her. House of the Dragon’s change in prophecy only adds credence to the theory that Jon did in fact fulfill the prophecy of Azor Ahai.

Given the negative responses to Season 8, it’s surprising to see House of the Dragon further exploring the Long Night and the Prince Who Was Promised. In Season 2 Episode 8, Daemon (Matt Smith) experiences a Weirwood vision featuring the Three-Eyed Raven (Joshue Ben-Tovim), the White Walkers, and the birth of Daenerys’ dragons. House of the Dragon could have steered away from any connections to the original series but instead chose to delve deeper into the prophecy. So perhaps we’ll learn more about Azor Ahai as the series progresses.

The Books Could Support the Prophecy We See in ‘Game of Thrones’

George R.R. Martins’s books add more credence to Jon being the Prince Who Was Promised. We know that Benioff and Weiss had lengthy discussions with Martin about the ending of his novels to try and emulate a similar conclusion. While the showrunners made a lot of narrative missteps on their way to the ending, we can assume that the broader strokes of the Season 8 finale remain the same. Jon will likely develop a relationship with Daenerys and eventually kill her, thereby fulfilling the prophecy.

Jon’s heritage also makes him a perfect candidate for Azor Ahai. Targaryens have become the focus of the fandom, especially with shows like House of the Dragon and the Aegon’s Conquest spinoff series in development. There is a common misconception that Targaryens represent fire and the Others represent ice, making up the two parts of the ‘Song of Ice and Fire,’ but the truth is a little more complicated. The Starks are an equally important house in the overarching story. The Starks built the Wall and have carried the knowledge of the Others through their lineage, much like the Targaryens with their prophetic visions. The culmination of both houses provides a solution to the Long Night. Jon is that culmination, being half Stark (ice) and Half Targaryen (fire), he carries the blood of both the First Men and the Valyrians, making him the ideal candidate to lead the war against the White Walkers.

Whether Benioff and Weiss intended for this prophecy to play out in Jon’s arc is uncertain, but it doesn’t justify the many other mistakes made in the series. Events will undoubtedly play out differently in the books, and The Winds of Winter is nowhere closer to being finished than it was when Game of Thrones aired. Nevertheless, HBO has recently begun work on a new spinoff about Aegon the Conqueror, where we might learn more about his ancient prophecy and the story of Azor Ahai.

Both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are available to stream on Max in the U.S.

Watch Now