One of the biggest questions on Game of Thrones is the identity of Azor Ahai or the prince who was promised, the mythical hero from ancient times who will supposedly be reborn to save the world from the coming White Walker apocalypse. While most signs point to Jon Snow or Daenerys Targaryen — and Melisandre herself seems to think it’s both of them — there’s substantial evidence pointing towards Jaime Lannister instead. And Season 7’s “The Spoils of War” offers even more in the form of mysterious cave paintings.
In the fourth episode of Game of Thrones Season 7, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen look at ancient cave paintings while exploring the dragonglass mines on Dragonstone.
“The Children of the Forest made these a very long time ago,” Jon explains. The paintings depict the Children of the Forest banding together with the First Men to fight the White Walkers during the first Long Night.
But if you look closely at the image of the three First Men, there’s one weirdly specific detail: the figure on the left is left-handed, with what looks like a cuff around his right arm — just like Jaime Lannister.
Note the figure on the far left is left-handed.
Since the other two figures have a circular symbol between them, fans on Reddit are speculating that they could be a stand-in for Jon and Daenerys, and the symbol notes their linked destinies.
But back to Jaime and the oddly specific detail of a left-handed First Man. Some fans think Jaime Lannister is actually Azor Ahai, and his gold right hand plays a crucial role in that theory.
Reddit user byrd82 breaks down the evidence for Jaime as Azor Ahai:
So, the basic gist is that there is a seriously problematic translation error that, once cleared up, will shed light on the identity of the hero… 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…the Lord of Light is a farce. Jaime Lannister—Gold Hand—is the hero of legend and prophecy.
According to Melisandre, the conditions for Azor Ahai’s rebirth include “salt and smoke.” Both Jon and Daenerys have experienced rebirths amid salt and smoke … but in “The Spoils of War,” Jaime does too.
The episode ends with him plunging into water (perhaps saltwater) as clouds of smoke hover everywhere. Assuming he’s still alive, as it’s doubtful Game of Thrones would kill a main character on a cliffhanger, he might need some Westerosi CPR. That would certainly count as a “rebirth.”
Even if he doesn’t need CPR, it’s possible that he’ll emerge from this harrowing battle experience with more metaphorical rebirth in the form of an attitude adjustment about Cersei.
After all, the original Azor Ahai killed the woman he loved in order to win the war.
The bottom line is that if you previously thought the theory that Jaime is Azor Ahai had merit, “The Spoils of War” presents even more evidence.
Game of Thrones Season 7 continues on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO.
