Yesterday HBO released the first pictures from Game of Thrones season 7 and everyone has been going through all the pictures in search of clues that will reveal some interesting information about the upcoming season. We have been doing the same and we posted about the Jon Snow photo which looks very ordinary at first sight but on closer inspection makes you excited to know what might be actually happening in the scene. Another such picture involves Samwell Tarly and Gilly reading books in the Citadel and it is really exciting.
At first, you might feel good seeing that the Citadel has allowed Gilly to join Samwell but that’s not where it ends as some people went a step ahead and asked, “What is Gilly reading in the picture?” Luckily, a saviour arrived in the form of reddit user stygmah, who helped in deciphering the text in the photo and we because of it we came to know that the text is from the book “The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones“, which has been written by George R.R. Martin, Elio M. García Jr. and Linda Antonsson. This is what has been mentioned in the picture:
“It is also written that there are annals in Asshai of such a darkness, and of a hero who fought against it with a red sword. His deeds are said to have been performed before the rise of Valyria, in the earliest age when Old Ghis was first forming its empire. This legend has spread west from Asshai, and the followers of R’hllor claim that this hero was named Azor Ahai, and prophesy his return. In the Jade Compendium, Colloquo Votar recounts a curious legend from Yi Ti, which states that the sun hid its face from the earth for a lifetime, ashamed at something none could discover, and that disaster was averted only by the deeds of a woman with a monkey’s tail.”
The entire text that we can see in the photo has been taken word for word from the book, except one minor change. In the book that Gilly is reading, the word R’hllor has been replaced by The Lord of Light. It’s interesting to see that Gilly is reading about The Lord of Light and Azor Ahai as there are theories that Jon Snow is Azor Ahai and it might be possible that Gilly and Samwell stumble across some information that will make them relize that the theory talks about Jon Snow or it could also be Daenerys as both of them are strong contenders for the title of Azor Ahai. For those who don’t know, here’s what the theory says:
“There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour, a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.”
According to Melisandre, Stannis was the chosen one but we now know that’s not the truth as he has died and even she feels that Jon Snow is the correct Azor Ahai. On the other hand, the Red Priestess Kinvara thinks that Daenerys is Azor Ahai. As of now we can’t correctly predict who is going to be the real Azor Ahai and maybe Samwell and Gilly might be the ones who manage to unravel the mystery.
Take a look at this video which talks in detail about Azor Ahai. The video was uploaded 2 years ago and hence it talks about Stannis as Azor Ahai.
