"The Prince That Was Promised" prophecy is without a doubt one of the greatest mysteries in both "Game of Thrones" TV show and its book series counterpart "A Song of Ice and Fire." We already talked about the possibility of some of the main characters being this prophesized hero and today; we are here to present you with a mind-blowing alternative.
The mother of all prophecies
First, let's talk about the prophecy itself. As you probably know, there was a hero named Azor Ahai who saved humankind from the White Walkers the first time they were around during "The Long Night." For that, he needed to plunge his sword into the heart of his wife Nissa Nissa to forge "Lightbringer."
The prophecy states that this hero also known as "The Prince That Was Promised" will be born again amidst smoke and salt to defeat the darkness once again.
The Theory
According to the Reddit user luxurysedan3030, "The Prince That Was Promised" was none other than Rhaegar Targaryen, Daenerys' eldest brother and Jon Snow's secret father who died during Robert's Rebellion.
Of course, one could say it would be anti-climatic for a character who died even before the start of the series to be this great prophesized hero. But don't go away just yet, because there are a couple of proofs that makes this theory far more believable than you initially thought.
Born amidst salt and smoke
First of all, Rhaegar was actually a prince, unlike the other characters. Second, for those of you who don't know, Rhaegar Targaryen was born during the Great Tragedy at Summerhall where the conflagration caused the deaths of many people, most notably, King Aegon V Targaryen, Prince Duncan, and the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Duncan the Tall.
The Reddit theorist thinks this provides more than enough evidence for the "born amidst smoke and salt" part of the prophecy since the fire provided smoke and the tears of the survivors provided salt.
What about "Lightbringer?"
According to this theory, the legendary sword "Lightbringer" could very well be Rhaegar's son Jon Snow.
Also, it would fit quite nicely into the original Azor Ahai legend since Rhaegar also put "Lightbringer" (Jon) into his wife (Lyanna) who died when the child was born. To further support his claim, this Reddit user explained how Jon, as the Night's Watch member was "the sword in the darkness" and "light that brings the dawn"
What did George R. R. Martin say?
Rhaegar being "The Prince That Was Promised" would fit quite nicely into George R.
R. Martin's statement how he's always been fascinated with the idea that the great hero dies at the very beginning of the story. Of course, many fans thought that George was referring to Ned Stark's death, but according to this theory, it would make much more sense if this dead hero was Rhaegar Targaryen.
