Until season 6 of Game of Thrones, the prophecy of the Prince that was Promised was only mentioned obliquely. But the term was well-known to readers of George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire novels. A legendary hero prophesied to one day lead humanity in the fight against the White Walkers, this figure is thought be destined to save the world.
But who could this figure be? Melisandre thought it was Stannis, but that didn’t pan out. Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are also popular options, but they’re not the only ones. Redditor FollowTheBeard posits that it might be someone quite surprising. Ser Davos Seaworth, please step forward.
FollowTheBeard points to pieces of evidence big and small. Starting with the small stuff, he notes that in the ceremony in which Melisandre firsts dubs Stannis “the Warrior of Light” on the beaches of Dragonstone and bids him claim his magical sword Lightbringer, it is actually Davos who leaves the beach with the sword. (S2E1, “The North Remember.”) Okay, check in Davos’ favor.
The second point references the part of the prophecy that states that the Prince “shall be born again amidst smoke and salt…” FollowTheBeard supposes that this point was fulfilled by Davos’ participation in the Battle of Blackwater Bay, where he was blown off his ship into the water (salt) by wildfire (smoke). And while Davos was not born in the normal sense during the battle, FollowTheBeard believes the event constitutes a figurative rebirth for the smuggler, submerging him in water in a metaphorical baptism from he emerged bereft of son. Quotes from Stannis and Salladhor Saan appear to support this.
Salladhor Saan, S03E01: “Everyone thought you were dead.”
Salladhor Saan, S03E01: “You’ve only just come back to life. Stay alive a little longer, my friend.”
Stannis Baratheon, S03E01: “I had heard you were dead.”
The next portion of the prophecy states that the Prince will “wake dragons from the stone.” In this case, the dragon could refer to Jon Snow, a secret Targaryen (or dragon), and the stone a metaphorical way of describing his corpse. When Melisandre was dispirited and had lost her faith, it was Davos who rallied her and precipitated Jon Snow’s resurrection in “Home.” (S6E2.) Thus, he woke a dragon from the stone.
Another part of the prophecy refers to a time “[w]hen the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers…” This most likely references the red comet from season 2, but because the whole world could see the comet, it doesn’t seem to refer to Davos in any specific way.
Finally, FollowTheBeard notes that Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos, has mentioned on several occasions that Martin once told him a secret about the Song of Ice and Fire story. Could it pertain to this theory?
Probably not, since Cunningham has gone on record as saying that whatever secret he heard wasn’t that important. So boo.
Like many Game of Thrones fan theories, this one has points for and against it. As a huge fan of Davos, I’d love to see this come true, but with the focus largely on Jon and Dany these days, it doesn’t seem likely.
But that shouldn’t foreclose discussion. What say you? Is the Onion Knight the Prince that was Promised? Bring us your thoughts!
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