Is Arya Stark Azor Ahai, The Prince That Was Promised On Game Of Thrones?

By Valerie Tejeda


Warning: this blog post contains major spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3.


If you’ve ever wondered just how badass Arya Stark truly is, Sunday night’s episode of Game of Thrones ("The Long Night") gave us a very clear answer. Because the Battle of Winterfell progressed, things went from bad to downright hopeless. The fantastic battle was all yet lost, and because the Night King slo-mo walked toward Bran and reached for his icy sword, Arya (a.K.A. No One) leapt from the shadows and ultimately slayed the Night King with a completely placed thrust of her Valyrian steel dagger, striking him in the exact place the Children of the Forest ceremonially inserted the dragonglass into his chest all those thousands of years prior. Arya single-handedly saved the complete world, including the North, and those in it still among the living (R.I.P. Theon, Lyanna, Jorah, Edd, and several more).


I have routinely been an enormous fan of Arya and Residence Stark overall, nevertheless just as Sansa has become one of the smartest in the seven kingdoms, Arya has grown to be one of, if the not the, greatest warriors. Yet is she that warrior — Azor Ahai, the prince or princess that was promised?


If you're unfamiliar with the prophecy, the prince that was promised is implied to be the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, a legendary warrior who lived thousands of years back. According to Melisandre, a red priestess of the Lord of Light, the prophecy goes like this: "Darkness will fall heavy on the world. Stars will bleed. The cold breath of winter will freeze the seas, and the dead shall rise in the North. In the ancient books, it is written that a warrior will draw a burning sword from the fire. And that sword will be the Lightbringer."


For the longest time, all signs pointed to Jon Snow being that prince. He was brought back to life right after being stabbed numerous times by his own boys from the Night’s Watch, he’s the secret son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, and Melisandre even mentioned to Jon in Game of Thrones Season 6, "The Lord let you come back for a reason. Stannis was not the prince who was promised, however someone has to be." So, yeah, Jon seemed like the clear front runner.


Then, Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, emerged as a candidate immediately after it was discovered that in High Valyrian, the word that corresponds to "prince" is gender neutral. Meaning, the prophesied savior is "the prince or princess that was promised,” so it might would be a male or a woman.


Yet right after Arya Stark's heroic deed it seems that someone other than Jon and Daenerys would be Azor Ahai reborn, and that person is the Night King slayer herself. Arya might not directly have been literally "reborn amidst salt and smoke," yet maybe the rebirth is more metaphorical; immediately considering that, Arya was reborn as No One, a lethal assassin.


When Melisandre first arrives for the Battle of Winterfell she eyes Arya from a distance. At first, I thought Melisandre was giving Arya that look because she either knew about her and Gendry's tryst in the previous episode (we know Melisandre loves those Baratheons) — or because of their prior exchange in Season 3. Nevertheless because the Long Night" continued it was clear that there was much more beyond that gaze. Did Melisandre know that Arya is Azor Ahai?


Back in Season 3, Arya had a brief encounter with Melisandre, who told her: "I visualize a darkness in you. And in that darkness, eyes staring back at me. Brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes. Eyes sealed shut forever. We plan to meet again." The priestess reminded Arya of this down in the cellars of Winterfell, where it became clear that those "blue eyes" belonged to the Night King.


So was killing the Night King enough to prepare Arya the promised savior? Maybe. Melisandre’s concentrate on Arya makes it seem like a big possibility — not to say, the red witch died just before dawn, thereby fulfilling her duty to the Lord of Light (and her service to the plot of the show) — as does the fact that Beric Dondarrion numerous resurrections over the years appear to have been for the sole purpose of sacrificing himself to save Arya while in the Battle of Winterfell. "The Lord brought him back for a purpose," Melisandre told Arya upon Beric's end. Right now that purpose has been served." Yes, she didn’t kill the Night King with Lightbringer because the prophecy states, although we know that in the world of Game of Thrones all things are not to be interpreted in the literal sense.


Plus, the prince that was promised wasn’t necessarily prophesied to rule the Seven Kingdoms, they were prophesied to bring peace to the land. They’re a leader, savior, and also a hero who saves the world from darkness. By killing the Night King, Arya has saved humanity.


I've habitually thought Season 8 would let the Starks rise up and visualize better days. So if Arya is Azor Ahai, let's hope that insinuates we'll visualize her by Queen Sansa's side in King’s Landing, working as her Hand (because while Arya would never aspire to be queen, Sansa could be a good one), being her badass self, and keeping the realm safe and sound. That sounds like a Westeros I would aspire to live in.


However first, Arya has to fulfill that “shutting the green eyes forever” piece of the prophecy and take out Cersei. And, honestly, it'd be much appreciated.