Jaime Lannister's Gold Hand Is Crucial to 'Game of Thrones' End

Ever since Jaime Lannister got a gold hand in Game of Thrones Season 4 to replace the hand he lost, he’s looked like a classier Anakin Skywalker. But as it turns out, Westerosi fashion is not the hand’s only purpose. Thanks to a new theory circulating about Jaime’s role in the wars to come, his gold hand might actually be the surprising key to the story’s endgame.

The theory posits that Jaime Lannister is Azor Ahai, a legendary hero from thousands of years before the events of the show. Legend has it that Azor Ahai will be reborn to save the world from darkness once more. This will become more relevant than ever in Season 7, since Sam and Gilly are reading about it in Season 7 photos.

Naturally, most people think this resurrected savior is Jon Snow. There’s a compelling argument there, mostly because he was, uh, literally resurrected. Some also think it’s Daenerys, since she’s been “reborn” from flames twice. But after Hodor’s shocking time-loop, fuckery-filled death in Season 6, George R. R. Martin promised that the story has one more big twist of that nature in store.

What would be a bigger twist than a savior everyone thinks is Jon or Daenerys turning out to be Jaime?

In Seasons 2 and 3, this seemed less out of the blue, as the show was presenting Jaime with a clear redemption arc. But in Seasons 4, 5, and 6, his redemption arc has stalled; his plot flatlined. As the show has matured, Jaime has became less relevant — or so the story wants us to think.

One fan who made an argument for Jaime Lannister as the savior used the Valyrian dictionary to prove their point. They said, “According to the Valyrian dictionary, Valyrian words for lord and light are aeksio and onos. However, Valyrian words for gold and hand are aeksion and ondos. Just as we might suspect, The Lord of Light is a farce. Jaime Lannister—Gold Hand—is the hero of legend and prophecy.”

If that’s true, then Jaime’s gold hand is the key to proving his identity as Azor Ahai. It also means his hand could be Lightbringer.

In the lore of Azor Ahai, the legendary hero wielded an equally legendary burning sword called Lightbringer. It’s thought to be made of “living fire,” which certainly applies to molten gold. Game of Thrones does like its molten gold imagery, as Daenerys’s ill-fated brother Viserys can attest to.

There’s also a possibility, however, that the “burning” is metaphorical, and Jaime’s gold hand will simply glint in the firelight, giving the illusion of burning. Nothing is ever as it seems in matters of prophecy on Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres on July 16 on HBO.