If the Game of ThronesSeason 7 premiere taught us anything, it was to keep an eye-patch squarely focused on Beric Dondarrion's shenanigans. He and his shifty red priest, Thoros -- who's man bun is fooling no one, especially not the Hound -- are up to something.
Also known as Westeros' Friendly Neighborhood Frankenstein, Beric is the dude from the Brotherhood Without Banners who Thoros keeps bringing back from the dead like it's a party trick.
One reason to keep an eye on Beric this season is that he could very well play a role in turning the "Jon Snow = Azor Ahai" fan theory into a reality. Another, much more nefarious reason comes from George R. R. Martin himself in a recent interview with Time.
SEE ALSO:Let's talk about the Hound's big moment in the 'Game of Thrones' Season 7 premiereMartin dropped a paradigm-shifting confirmation that casts some shadow on Beric and everyone else preaching about the Lord of Light:
[P]oor Beric Dondarrion, who was set up as the foreshadowing of all this, every time he’s a little less Beric. His memories are fading, he’s got all these scars, he’s becoming more and more physically hideous, because he’s not a living human being anymore. His heart isn’t beating, his blood isn’t flowing in his veins, he’s a wight, but a wight animated by fire instead of by ice, now we’re getting back to the whole fire and ice thing.
That's right, folks: fire wights (AKA fire White Walkers). This news is huge for several reasons. For one, it proves the magic reanimating Beric's corpse (and presumably Jon Snow's) is no different from the magic the White Walkers use to raise theircorpses.
The only difference? You guessed it: with fire, instead of ice.
But the mechanics are the same: the true believers (read: cult members) of the Lord of the Light, be it Mel, Beric, or Thoros, appear to lose some key aspects of their humanity, like the need to eat, ability to retain memories; or feel basic things like empathy.
Now, I'm not necessarily saying Beric and Thoros are knowingly bad or out to do harm. But as many fans on Reddit are asking, what does the existence of fire wights mean for the soul of those resurrected by the Red God's magic? Considering what happens to the humans raised by the Night King's magic, it begs all sorts of questions about who's really in control of the Lord of Light's reanimated corpses (AKA Beric), and how much free will his followers maintain as they give away parts of their soul.
So, if Melisandre's penchant for murdering innocent children didn't clue you in already, there are some major red flags about the true intensions of The Lord of Light. Because if his followers are basically just using White Walker magic and repackaging it as a righteous religion, why do we implicitly trust them and their prophecies? Why are we rooting for fire zombies, but not ice zombies?
And why, in the Seven Hells, are we not questioning every vision a red priest like Thoros coaxes non-believers like the Hound into seeing in the flames? One of the most characteristic abilities of the wights is manipulating ice (duh), so whenever a red priest asks someone about what they see in the flames, there's a good chance they can actually manipulate what they see.
Melisandre, questioning her methods in Season 6Credit: HBOIn fact, in Season 4, Mel herself admits to Selyse that most of her magical abilities come from potions, charms, and enchantments. "Lies -- deceptions to make men think they witnessed our Lord’s power. Once they step into the light, they’ll see the lie for what it was: a trick, that lead them to the truth."
That sounds like some pretty shady shit for a Truth God. In the scene between Beric, Thoros, and the Hound, it sure looks like some "lying to lead them to the truth" is happening.
Because the Hound raises some fair moral questions about the supposed sanctity of their Lord of Light, and his priorities. "There's nothing special about you," the Hound says to Beric, listing all the other, better men he's seen cut down and notresurrected. "So why does the Lord of Light keep bringing you back?"
Then, when Beric asserts that the union between the Hound and the fire god's followers was "divine justice," the Hound replies that, "There is no divine justice, you dumb cunt. If there was, you'd be dead. And that girl would be alive."
The girl he's referring to is one of the skeletons in the corner, an innocent father and daughter forced to kill themselves rather than suffer the starvation of winter. Where was the divine justice from the Lord of Light then, or any other time the smallfolk needed some of his fire power?
The Brotherhood Without Banners, Seaon 6Credit: HBOBut by the end of the scene, we see the Hound transformed. Like every other non-believer asked to "look into the flame" by a red priest (whether Stannis, Selyse, Varys, etc.), he enters into a trance-like, hypnotic state, and recounts what he sees. The others in the room don't look all that surprised by his vision. But Beric is sure to ask, smugly, afterward: "Do you believe me now, Clegane?"
Well, I sure as hell don't, Beric.
In both the books and show, the visions these red priests show non-believers too often contradict each other depending on which red priest you're talking to, which Azor Ahai they decided to believe in, and what the needs of said red priest are at the moment they ask these non-believers to "look into the flames."
Regardless, there's plenty of other reasons to look out for Beric, too. After all, his flaming sword was one of the biggest holy shitmoments from the trailers leading up to Season 7. And he appears beside Jon in what many fans are speculating will be a big reveal moment.
All we're saying is: look out for Beric and the degredation of his humanity. Because when the Hound is acting with more empathy than the Lord of Light's followers, something has to be up. If you don't believe us, just ask his true creator and maker: George R. R. Martin.
TopicsGame Of Thrones
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