'Game of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 6: Forgotten Prophecy May Spoil the End
A character we haven’t seen in a while could play a key role.
Game of Thrones fans have a tricky relationship with prophecies. Some get hyped up only to be ignored when it matters most (Azor Ahai anyone?) while others from the books never get mentioned onscreen but still get a subtle nod (Valonqar validated?). We’re still waiting to see if Arya’s “green eyes” prophecy will amount to anything, but there’s another major prophecy you might not know about that could play a huge role in the Game of Thrones series finale, specifically when it comes to how our remaining heroes will defeat the Mad Queen (aka Daenerys Targaryen).
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"Soon comes the pale mare…"
Remember Quaithe? Probably not. This mysterious masked woman only appeared a few times back in Game of Thrones Season 2 to offer Daenerys some cryptic advice. However, in the original books, Quaithe plays a somewhat larger role, appearing to Dany several times to offer advice.
Who is she?
In one of her final appearances, Quaithe visits Daenerys in Meereen during A Dance with Dragons to deliver a bizarre warning that may also be a prophecy:
“No. Hear me, Daenerys Targaryen. The glass candles are burning. Soon comes the pale mare, and after her the others. Kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun’s son and the mummer’s dragon. Trust none of them. Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal.”
This prophecy means one thing in the context of A Dance With Dragons and another as we prepare for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6. So it’s worth including the subsequent lines of dialogue. Dany asks why Quaithe is saying these things, and the mysterious character replies, “To show you the way.” This suggests Quaithe may know the future and is attempting to warn Daenerys about what’s to come, but what exactly was she warning about? Let’s break it down.
The “glass candles” represent the return of magic to the world thanks to the birth of Dany’s dragons, but the first big clue here is “the pale mare.” In A Dance With Dragons, this seems to be a reference to a disease that had recently spread to Meereen, but after watching Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5, this feels like a direct premonition of the white horse that saved Arya during the Battle of King’s Landing.
The pale mare?
So if Arya is the pale mare, then what about the rest of the prophecy?
- The “Kraken” clearly represents House Greyjoy, which, at this point, is just Yara. (Editor’s note: Please bring back Yara!)
- The “lion” is House Lannister, which means Tyrion.
- “Sun’s son” sounds like a reference to Dorne, which could mean that “new Prince of Dorne.”
- And the “dragon” is Jon Snow (aka Aegon Targaryen), the true heir to the Iron Throne.
- We’re not sure what to make of the “griffin” or the “dark flame,” though that second one could be a reference to Moqorro, a red priest who serves the lord of light in the books.
As for the “perfumed seneschal” (a fancy medieval word for a politician or bureaucrat), at the time, Daenerys guessed this was Reznak, another character who never appears on HBO’s Game of Thrones. But in the context of Season 8, we’re guessing this is a reference to Varys, the political advisor who often wears perfume. Varys might have died in Season 8, Episode 5, but we’re pretty sure he set the wheels in motion for Dany’s downfall before she killed him.
What does this all mean for the Game of Thrones series finale? With Varys’ plan in motion, a coalition of Arya, Jon, Yara, and the new Prince of Dorne could be required to take down the new Mad Queen of Westeros, and if that’s what happens, it will be almost exactly as Quaithe predicted.
The Game of Thrones series finale airs Sunday, May 19 at 9 p.m. Eastern on HBO.
