Ranking The Possible Chosen Ones On "Game Of Thrones", From Least To Most Likely

    It's definitely Ser Pounce.

    by
    Jenna Guillaume
    by Jenna Guillaume

    Editor-at-Large, BuzzFeed Australia

    ,
    Andy Golder
    by Andy Golder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    OK, Game of Thrones fans, it looks like we might actually find out who the prince who was promised is before Season 7 is over. There was a bit of talk about it in Episode 2, including a helpful gender clarification from Missandei.

    Combined with this shot of Gilly reading a book that seems to be about Azor Ahai, it's likely these clues will come to fruition sooner rather than later.

    HBO

    That, and there's only, like, 11 episodes left in TOTAL to wrap this shit up.

    For those a little hazy on the details: Azor Ahai/the prince who was promised is a mythical figure who fought against the darkness in the past, and is prophesied to be reborn to save the world once again.

    youtube.com

    Azor Ahai wielded the flaming sword Lightbringer, which he forged by piercing the heart of his true love, Nissa Nissa (after failing to forge it first with water, and then with the heart of a lion). The signs of his reborn identity supposedly include:

    * Being the blood of the dragon (and some believe, more specifically, a descendant of Aerys II and Rhaella Targaryen).

    * Born amidst smoke and salt.

    * Born beneath a bleeding star.

    * Will wake dragons out of stone.

    * Will draw Lightbringer from the flames.

    * Will possibly have to make a sacrifice.

    There are A LOT of theories about who this saviour will be in Game of Thrones, so we thought we'd rank them from least likely to most likely.

    12. Ser Pounce

    HBO

    Jenna: I mean, for obvious reasons, this gets 10/10 in my heart. 0/10 in reality.

    Andy: Hey, Ser Pounce has been noticeably absent. Maybe after Tommen's death he goes to Braavos and learns how to fight? OK, fine, 0/10.

    Likelihood: 0/10

    11. No One

    BuzzFeed

    Jenna: Lol. The idea that the prophecy is basically total bullshit is very fitting for this series. But for me, there’s been too much foreshadowing for it to all come to nothing. Sure, George R. R. Martin likes to subvert fantasy tropes, but at the end of the day he is still telling what will ultimately (hopefully) be a satisfying story. To do that he’s gotta deliver on all the clues he’s placed along the way. 1/10

    Andy: What's the point of introducing all of this lore if none of it comes to pass? I'm doubtful that the prophecy will be as exact as, say, Melisandre expects it to be, but I do think it'll come true in some way. 0/10

    Likelihood: 0.5/10

    10. Ser Jorah

    HBO

    Jenna: I do love the Mormonts and how important they are to our heroes, Dany and Jon. But all the evidence that’s brought up to support Jorah as Azor Ahai is a massive reach to me. 2/10

    Andy: Based on what? Listen, I like Jorah too, but he's not the prince, and if he was ever supposed to kill Dany to forge Lightbringer, he wouldn't do it anyway. 0/10

    Likelihood: 1/10

    9. The Hound

    HBO

    Jenna: Mmmmm I don’t think so. Sure, he has been “reborn” and fire/smoke plays a big part in his story, but he doesn’t reaaaally tick many Azor Ahai boxes. I think the Lord of Light has something else planned for the Hound. (CLEGANEBOWL GET HYPE.) 2/10

    Andy: The fact that he saw something so clearly in the fire means that Sandor is more closely connected to the Lord of Light than anyone expected. It would be hilariously ironic if a hero meant to wield a flaming sword turned out to be a guy who's deathly afraid of fire. I think he'll be involved somehow, but I don't know if he's the actual prince. 3/10

    Likelihood: 2.5/10

    8. Jaime Lannister

    HBO

    Jenna: Sorry, Andy, I know he’s one of your fave candidates, but I don’t really buy into this one. I definitely don’t believe Jaime and Cersei are secret Targaryens, and I think the rest of the evidence is cool, but a stretch. I am way more into Jaime being the Valonqar – surely fulfilling one prophecy is enough? 3/10

    Andy: Ugh, OK so I really liked this pick before because the seven-pointed star was in the throne room (it's a RED STAR, come on, guys!). But now that the High Sparrow is dead, Cersei has changed the stained-glass window to a lion, so the strongest part of my theory has come crumbling down. 4/10

    Likelihood: 3.5/10

    7. Ser Davos

    HBO

    Jenna: Points for creativity to the Redditor who came up with this theory. The symbolic rebirth amidst salt and smoke at Blackwater Bay works, even if picking up Stannis’s disregarded flaming sword in Season 2 is a bit of a stretch. My favourite part is the “waking dragons from stone” = the part Davos played in resurrecting Jon on his stone slab. I don’t think Davos is Azor Ahai, but this theory sure is fun. 4/10

    Andy: This one looks SO GOOD on paper, but I guess the thing about prophecies is they can be interpreted in a lot of ways. Can you actually imagine Ser Davos being Azor Ahai? That just isn't his role. 3/10

    Likelihood: 3.5/10

    6. Beric Dondarrion

    HBO

    Jenna: This is an interesting one. Beric is the only person, other than Jon, that we know of in the show who has been resurrected by the Lord of Light. He obviously serves a greater purpose – but what is it? We don’t really know enough about him in the show to connect him to the rest of the prophecy – other than that kick-ass flaming sword we’ve seen him wielding. It’d be kind of a cool twist if a “minor” character were the prince who was promised, but I’m not convinced. If anything, I think he’ll play a part in helping Jon realise he is the ~chosen one~ somehow. 4/10

    Andy: Probably half the people who watch the show don't even know Beric's name, so making him Azor Ahai would just be bad storytelling, in my opinion. He clearly has some stuff figured out, but I agree with Jenna that his part to play is helping the real prince figure out his/her destiny. 3/10

    Likelihood: 3.5/10

    5. Gendry

    HBO

    Jenna: Oh man. I love me some Gendry. But I do not think he is the prince who was promised. Sure, he knows how to forge swords and is distantly related to the Targaryens through his Baratheon blood, but ehhhh. I think his blacksmith skills will come in handy for all those dragonglass weapons Jon wants to make, but nothing more. 3/10

    Andy: The thing about Gendry is I feel like he HAS to be important in some regard. But wouldn't Melisandre have seen something more in him? Maybe she was just blinded by her belief in Stannis at the time. I do think Gendry's blacksmith skills will come into play, so if Lightbringer really needs to be reforged, I could see this happening. 5/10

    Likelihood: 4/10

    4. Tyrion Lannister

    HBO

    Jenna: I’m not gonna lie, I would kind of love if Tyrion was THE chosen one. He ticks a few Azor Ahai boxes: He killed his love Shae, he freed Dany’s dragons from the stone pyramid, and I guess you could say the Battle of Blackwater (salt and smoke) was a rebirth of sorts. Plus there’s the theory that he’s secretly a Targaryen (although I don't really buy it). 6/10

    Andy: As with Davos, this looks good on paper. But Tyrion isn't a fighter, and I don't think he's going to become a fighter (unless it involves riding a dragon). I picture Azor Ahai on the front lines with his flaming sword, and that's just not Tyrion. He had Blackwater Bay, and that's enough. 4/10

    Likelihood: 5/10

    3. Both Jon and Dany

    HBO

    Jenna: So because Jon and Dany both tick so many Azor Ahai boxes, and together they make a song of ice and fire, a lot of people think they’re BOTH going to be a version of the prince who was promised. Melisandre certainly tied the two of them together, and connected them with the prophecy, in the latest episode. But she said they both have a “role to play”, which is pretty vague. Of course, she’s hedging her bets, because she’s been wrong in the past. To me, it feels kind of weird that there’d suddenly be two Azor Ahais. I think it’s more likely one of them is the prince(ss), and the other is their Nissa Nissa. 7/10

    Andy: Um, Jenna, I hope that doesn't mean that one is going to have to stab the other, because that would KILL ME. Personally I think it's really likely that the prophecy is going to turn out differently than we think just to surprise us, and having two Azors would accomplish that. 10/10

    Likelihood: 8.5/10

    2. Daenerys Targaryen

    HBO

    Jenna: Daenerys ticks pretty much all the boxes. The scene in the latest episode about the gender of the prince who was promised seemed to be a deliberate way to plant the seed in viewers’ minds that she could be the one. She’s a Targaryen; her rebirth in Season 1 was amidst salt (her tears) and smoke, which was followed by the “bleeding star” (comet); she literally wakes dragons from those petrified eggs; and she sacrificed her love Khal Drogo. She doesn’t have a flaming sword, but she has three massive flaming weapons. If she’s not Azor Ahai, then she’s probably Jon’s Nissa Nissa (which would kind of piss me off, but here we are). 9/10

    Andy: Honestly if we're picking between her and Jon, I would've picked her over Jon...until this week's episode. Basically, whenever Melisandre tells someone they're the prince, I assume that person is absolutely NOT the prince. Still, I think there has to be some element of surprise to this, so I think she's more likely than Jon. 9/10

    Likelihood: 9/10

    1. Jon Snow

    HBO

    Jenna: Jon is a pretty obvious choice. Too obvious? Maybe. But it just makes sense. There was that lingering shot of the sword Dawn above the bloody sheets in the flashback to Jon’s birth in Season 6, plus Melisandre explicitly referred to him as the prince who was promised after she resurrected him (though, admittedly, she has been wrong before). He actually is secretly a Targaryen; he has a Valyrian steel sword, which some interpret to mean it’s symbolically “flaming”; and in a roundabout way he sacrificed his first love, Ygritte. And my crack theory is that he will actually bang Dany and magically impregnate her, and that will be him waking dragons from stone. Or, more likely, it will be related to him mining dragonglass at Dragonstone. 10/10

    Andy: Way too obvious. Clearly he's the frontrunner, and I just don't see this show being like, "Yep, Melisandre said it was him, and now it's him!" He's had fuck-all to do with dragons thus far, there wasn't any smoke at his birth (although there was salt), and even though I know this show has featured plenty of incest, I don't think he's going to fall in love with his aunt. The only thing that still really sways me is that shot of Dawn at his birth, which seemed very intentional. That, and if there's anyone who can command an army on the ground against the White Walkers, it's Jon. 9/10

    Likelihood: 9.5/10