The Top 5 Most Likely Candidates For Azor Ahai on Game of Thrones

The King of the North is the most obvious candidate for our prophesied Prince. He was born during the battle at the Tower of Joy (smoke) while covered in his mother's tears (salt). Early on in the show, he burns his hand trying to pull a sword from a hot fire, which could symbolize Lightbringer. And now that he did the whole dying and coming back to life thing, you could argue that this revived version of Jon Snow carries a reincarnated Azor Ahai with him.

As for the bleeding star? Many believe it refers to Ned's bloodied sword, Dawn, which Ned carries up into the Tower of Joy when he goes to Lyanna (who has just popped out a baby, Jon). Since Jon is currently mining dragonglass from beneath Dragonstone, that could be an interpretation for how he, in his own way, is "waking dragons out of stone." He also, like, has dragon blood in him, since his father is Rhaegar Targaryen. So, there's that too.

Whether the "dragons from stone" bit pertains to his personhood or his mission at Dragonstone, one thing is clear: he will use those weapons to defeat the White Walkers, just like Azor Ahai defeated the Others.

One very recent theory that has quickly gained steam is that The Hound is our warrior. I know, right? The theory becomes very real in the beginning of season seven, when The Hound sees a vision in the flames while hanging out with Thoros of Myr. (You know, the disgraced Red Priest who keeps reviving Beric Dondarrion. More on that later.) The Hound experienced a devastating fire when he was young, leaving him with terrible facial scars. This could be the Prince's birth by "smoke." And as for the "salt," we could go two ways. Seeing as tears are a common interpretation of the word in this context, you could argue that the tears in the wake of his smoky accident did the trick. Additionally, The Hound first establishes himself as a notable warrior at the Battle of the Blackwater in season two. The salt in the water may not be the best connection, but we're trying our best here. And as for the Lightbringer, we'll just have to see how that one pans out.

OK, so what about the bleeding star? We could look toward a cameo from season six: Brother Ray (Ian McShane), who takes The Hound under his wing and helps him find his way. Brother Ray formerly served the Faith of the Seven, which famously boasts a seven-pointed star. And hey, seeing as he brutally dies after helping The Hound get back on his feet, it stands to reason that he could be the bleeding star that finally shapes The Hound's real mission.

We don't know anything about the dragon stuff, though. Sorry, Clegane.

OK, break out those tinfoil hats, because this one is a doozy. There's actually a lot of proof that Ser Davos could be Azor Ahai. The first part of the prophecy (the bleeding star and the salt and the smoke) all come from Davos's participation in the Battle of the Blackwater in season two. If you remember, the Red Comet is a phenomenon discussed by many characters over the course of these episodes. While the Red Comet is in the sky, the Battle of the Blackwater occurs.

The supertruncated version of the battle is that Stannis launches an attack on King's Landing and ultimately loses. His fleet suffers a devastating loss because of a clever Wildfire attack executed by Tyrion Lannister. Davos's ship in particular is blown to smithereens by the explosion. The blast throws Davos from the ship, and he later awakens on a nearby beach. The Red Comet could represent Azor Ahai's bleeding star, and the wildfire could be the smoke. Davos's plunge into the sea could be his salt. By the time he awakens on the shore, he's "reborn" with his path to Azor Ahai newly forged.

As for the waking dragons from stone part, we look to Jon Snow's resurrection. Davos is the driving force behind the whole thing. He's the one who convinces Melisandre to try to revive him while he lays on a stone slab. And once she casts her spell and leaves the room, Davos is the only one left when Jon Snow actually awakens. Once again, Jon's parentage proves he has Targaryen (or dragon) blood in his veins. So there you go! We'll just sit here and wait for Ser Davos to get his hands on Lightbringer.

Daenerys definitely fits the criteria to become Azor Ahai. Early on in season seven, Missandei notes that the High Valyrian phrase "The Prince That Was Promised" is technically nongendered. A better (albeit clunkier) translation of the prophetic phrase would therefore be something more like, "The Prince or Princess That Was Promised." With such a direct nod to Dany's possibility as a candidate, we have to consider the probability.

And, well, let's just say the probability is very high. Let's look back at that phrase again: "When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone." All of these bases are covered in one pivotal scene: Dany's miracle with Khal Drogo's funeral pyre at the end of season two. The aforementioned Red Comet appears in the sky as night falls, and Daenerys walks into the flames of the pyre with her dragon eggs. She walks back out, having "awoken" her dragons from the "stones," with the smoke having been the pyre. Perhaps the "salt" is the tears she shed over her love's death.

Daenerys has proven she's immune to fire, so really, at this point, she just needs to find her Lightbringer to take it all home. And seeing as her prophecy from the House of the Undying predicts her death anyway, it would all make perfect sense. Daenerys could become Azor Ahai and destroy the White Walkers as her last valiant act.

I mean, come on. We have to include Beric because of his sword. The Lightbringer is supposed to be a sword pulled from flames, and as Beric has demonstrated multiple times, his sword is literally a flaming blade. If that's not a Lightbringer, I'm not sure what is. There's also the fact that he's been resurrected six times by Thoros of Myr. Azor Ahai is directly connected to the Lord of Light, and Thoros, though disgraced, worships R'hllor. Could it be that the Lord of Light continues to resurrect Beric because he's the one?

Beric is concerned about the White Walkers and even recruits The Hound to head North and fight against them. Every time he dies, he remembers less about himself. Maybe, one of these times, he'll simply come back as Azor Ahai. Granted, there's not a whole lot of evidence in the way of the salt and the smoke and the bleeding star, and we're not too sure how Beric will wake dragons from stone, but some of his qualities make him hard to eliminate. Even if he is a pretty inconsequential character. Let's all just keep our eye on him.