Who Is the Lord of Light? R'hllor's Role in 'Game of Thrones' Season 8

Were it not for the Lord of Light, Jon Snow would (likely) still be dead on Game of Thrones. It’s quite possible that the reason why this god resurrected Kit Harington’s character will be revealed in Season 8, a revelation that will also tell us a great deal about Jon and his likelihood of ascending to the throne. So who is the Lord of Light, exactly? Here’s a refresher in case you don’t remember.

Possible spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8 below.

Who Is the Lord of Light?

R’hllor is the Lord of Light, also known as the Red God, the Heart of Fire, and the God of Flame and Shadow. This god of light, heat, and life is primarily worshipped in Essos, though a few of his followers have made their way to Westeros. His enemy is the Great Other, the god of ice and death. The fight between the two gods is supposed to end when Azor Ahai is reborn and wields the sword Lightbringer.

Throughout Game of Thrones’ previous seven seasons, R’hllor’s Red Priestess Melisandre has been searching for Azor Ahai, the “Prince That Was Promised,” who will fight the coming darkness. She has not always been accurate in her predictions, at first, she thought that man was King Stannis Baratheon.

Priestess Melisandre bet pretty big on Stannis. In her quest, she sacrificed some members of his family in the House Baratheon, including his own daughter, Shireen. This decision ended badly and cast doubt on Melisandre’s powers of divination: Not only did the sacrifice fail to summon the Lord of Light to help Stannis’ army reach Winterfell, but half of his men deserted and Shireen’s mother killed herself.

It wasn’t long before Melisandre found a new king to back, eventually winding up at Castle Black, where she prayed over Jon Snow’s body. When he came back to life, she said she thought he was now the likeliest candidate to be the Prince That Was Promised. Though Jon asked her not to bring him back if he dies again, she said she thinks it’s up to the Lord of Light.

The Lord of Light has had a hand in some other resurrections on the show. R’hllor is also said to be responsible for the resurrections of Lord Beric Dondarrion, who died (briefly) a few times in his battles against the Lannisters. However, Thoros — the Red Priest who brought Beric back — has since died, meaning it’s possible that Beric’s days of coming back from the dead may be behind him.

Why Does This Matter for Game of Thrones Season 8?

First of all, everyone knows that a major battle against the Night King and the Army of the Dead is coming, likely in Episode 3. How the Lord of the Light will figure into this battle, however, remains to be seen. One possibility is that the Lord of Light did indeed bring Jon back to be Azor Ahai reborn, which means he will presumably go on to forge Lightbringer and face and defeat the Night King.

If that theory is true, then it means Daenerys should probably be worried. According to the legend, in order for Azor Ahai to forge his sword, he has to stab it into his wife’s heart. Daenerys would obviously take Nissa Nissa’s place, and her soul would be the one to complete the sword. If that is why Jon was resurrected, then that explains his request that he not be brought back if he dies again.

We also don’t know what other moves the Lord of Light may have in store for his followers in the final six episodes. For now, all we can do is assume he’s brought back both Jon and Beric for specific reasons, and those reasons will have to be revealed in the final season.

Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Related video: Game of Thrones Season 8 Trailer