Davos: The Red Sword of Heroes

Tinfoil Appreciation Month-ish!

Greetings dear readers, Ivy is here with another late-not-so-tinfoil-actually theory.

I know I said I'd post tinfoil theories on fridays but let's say I'm not quite the person for deadlines. Anyway, it's June! And what better way to start our month with yet another great f r e s h theory I discovered on the dark corners of the internet. This is quite short compared to the last one I posted but still quite good.

I'm already out of ideas for the intros- do let's get to it. And so, I proudly present to you another Reddit gem created by nymeriadirewolf:

Davos is the Lightbringer

Dedicated to @Junior who doubted me, ha.

I know what you're thinking, 'ugh another one?' Yep, and this one is quite something. The original author describes to us how the idea of this theory was born. Liam Cunningham (the actor who portrays Davos) had apparently said that GRRM had told him a secret that got him excited. And that was where the roots of the theory started...through a joke of the writer actually.

"In response I jokingly said that Davos would be Lightbringer but then I started inking seriously about it and it seems like Davos may actually be this mythical figure."

(Lightbringer isn't a mythical figure so I guess the author had a wrong wording there or something)And while reading it I was surprised. So I think now you get the idea, let's get to it, shall we?

Davos & Swords :eyes:

Surprisingly enough, Davos has always been associated Lightbringer in a way- and from the subtle references in GRRM's writing we know that this is a pretty big deal. And most information we get on Lightbringer, if I correctly, comes from Davos' chapters actually. We also see Stannis' Lightbringer and hear some of the history from Davos' very first POV chapter. Quite an irony don't you think? I'd call it poetic, considering Stannis/Davos parallel. And Stannis used Lightbringer when he raised Davos to lord and hand.

Despite that, his shadow is described as a sword at one point, shortly after he spirits Edric Storm away to save him from Melisandre.

"The wind sighed through the chamber, and in the hearth of the flames gusted and swirled. He listened to the logs crackle and spit. When Davos left the window his shadow went before him, tall and thin, and fell across the Painted Table like a sword."

(ASoS, page 290, U.K. Paperback edition)

And this is quite something. George has used the shadow parallel before with Tyrion and Jaime when he planned to have them sit on he throne in his original plans. How Tyrion "stood as tall as any king" during his stay at Winterfell, or how Jaime was the example of "how a king should look". Both of the quotes found in the first book. So it's possible that the author used the same technique here.

Melisandre knows

Of course, the priestess of fire would know. Just how she 'senses' king's blood then she could easily see the power in Davos. Also, her word isn't to be taken lightly most of the times. Melisandre even proposed to him to make shadow babies with her.

"'Is the brave Ser Onion so frightened of a ing shadow? Take heart then. Shadows only live when given birth by light, and the king's fires burn so low I dare not draw off any more to make another son. It mighty well kill him.' Melisandre moved closer. 'With another man, though...a man whose flames still burn hot and high...if you truly wish to serve your king's cause, come to my chambers one night. I could give you pleasure such as you have never known, and with your life-fire I could make...'

'...a horror.' Davos retreaded from her. 'I want no part of you my lady. Or your god. May the Seven protect me.'

As we know, Melisandre usually uses King's blood to make her shadow things. No, Davos isn't a secret Targaryen though :eyes: so it is safe to assume that he had a powerful blood for some reason, otherwise Mel wouldn't speak of his fires burning right and she wouldn't be seeking specifically him. If king's or powerful blood didn't matter then she could have picked any other man in Dragonstone for her deed. The priestess sees a fiery power within him and chose Davos when she couldn't use Stannis anymore.

With that, I doubt Melisandre is fully aware of Davos being the Lightbringer but she surely sees something greater than a mere man.

The Forging of Lightbringer

That headline sounded a lot like a potential movie subtitle. Hah. Anyway

After the Battle of Blackwater, Davos should be dead, but he seems to have been saved for a purpose- except his usual and useful pov insight. While he thinks it is to rid of the world of Melisandre, it could possibly be that he is meant to be the sword of Azor Ahai Reborn.

Davos believes he lost his luck when he lost his finger bones, but I was a necessary act so he can fully serve as Lightbringer (we'll talk more about that don't worry).

The sword was forged three times, as the legends suggests and so has Davos. Of course we got two so far and the third is a very likely possibility. When a sword is forged, it is at the mercy of its surroundings, shaped but things around it. This is what Davos has been the two times he ended up as a prisoner.

1

The first time was when he had returned to Dragonstone and he was taken to the dungeon there, when he planned on killing Melisandre. Oddly enough, this particular dungeon has some similarities to a forge.

"The smooth stony ages beneath the great mass of Dragonstone were always warm, and Davos had often said they grew warmer the farther down one went. He was well below the castle, he judged, and the wall of his cell often felt warm to his touch when he pressed a palm against it."

(ASoS part 1, page 344 U.K. Paperback edition)

While it's hard to say exactly how long he was spin the dungeon, thirty days (like the original Lightbringer's first forging time) seems like a reasonable amount of time for him to recover from a near death experience and get all his strength back. (Note: not sure whether the 30/50/100 will come into play again but it was worth mentioning at least)

There is also another interesting age when he is released and taken to Stannis.

"'Take the torch,' Ser Axell commanded the gaoler. "Leave the traitor to the darkness.'

'No,' his brother said. 'Axell, please, don't take the light...gods have mercy.'"

This is the only time a light is physically removed from the dungeon, when Davos himself is released from there, so even though no parties are aware of it, the "light" is actually Davos himself and not a torch.

From there he goes to meet Stannis and the once Onion Knight gets several new titles (or metaphorically pieces of his identity) as he becomes lord of Rainwood, iral of the Narrow sea and hand of the king. Just as the original Lightbringer shattered to pieces, Davos becomes so much more than a landed knight after his time in the dungeon, wit several pieces to his identity.

2

The second forging was his time in the Wolf’s Den of White Harbor. Can't really say he was prisoner, the guy had it petty good. Possibly because Wyman Manderly had need of him yet Davos didn’t know this at the time of course. He’s fed extremely well, is given pretty much whatever he’s asked for, has a privy and furs and fires, but as he acknowledges he is still imprisoned, he is still at the mercy of his surroundings.

Quite some time later, as we find out when Robett Glover escorts Davos from his cell. Again I am not quite sure how much time Davos spent in prison, but a reasonable deduction seems to be close to two months (or around fifty days; at any rate probably longer than his first imprisonment). After he is released and meets with Wyman, Wyman he enlists his help in finding Rickon. This is a direct defiance to the Lannisters, aka lions (harkening to driving a sword through the heart of a lion). He sets off on another journey, the second “forging” was complete.

3

This is where we kinda grab the tinfoil and speculate. Davos is going to Skagos, an island that’s known to be more than hostile to outsiders. While I think they’re pulling a Dorne, and making themselves seem more formidable than they actually are, I believe Davos will be under heavy suspicion and what not, especially since neither Rickon nor Osha know him.

This is where the third and final reforging takes place. At the very least, he will be kept on the island for three months plus, if not actually imprisoned, before he finally convinces Osha and everybody else to let him take Rickon and Shaggydog. And so the parallel will be complete. And even if he won't be imprisoned, there will surely be another obstacle in the way.

The Underdog

GRRM tends to go with the underdog storyline in asoiaf quite a lot. Under appreciated characters who faced pain and suffering and rose from the very bottom and made a name of their own. Typical examples are Tyrion, Littlefinger and Dany. But we also have those who were born with greatness yet are still overlooked and are quite at the bottom with little to no power like Gendry or Jon even Stannis and Arya. It is a great tale to see a character grow from nothing as much fun it is to see others fall from their high horse.

What if Davos is also one of them? He became a lord with titles and a knight from a smuggler. This is a mere thought of how his story could develop into being something greater, destined to help Azor Ahai. Who would've thought...

But Why?

So what is Davos’ role as Lightbringer exactly?

Right now there are three strong candidates for AAR-Jon, Dany and Stannis. This is what it is said IN Westeros and BY the people, otherwise the fans speculate many others to be Azor Ahai Reborn (like Bran). They all have their pros and cons, for lack of a better term. Perhaps the three actually encom are different aspects of AAR and all combined is the true AAR, rather than an individual.

Jon, Dany and Stannis are not so much alike but one thing they do have in common is they are all pretty proud people. So for Davos to fully become Lightbringer, he will “kill” their Nissa Nissa’s, which in actuality, is their pride. He will knock their heads together (literally or figuratively) and make them realize they need to combine their strengths against the Others and this act will lead to the ultimate victory.

So Davos is not just Lightbringer, but the actual savior of Westeros. A man of reason,who never forgot who he was or where he came from, bringing light to the known world once more. He represents a certain role, reason and humility without corruption.

Conclusion

Davos was saved from Blackwater because his purpose is to serve as Lightbringer to AAR, as indicated by how much he is associated with swords and Lightbringer itself. The forgings he has experienced/will experience have been from Dragonstone dungeon, Wolf’s Den, and possibly Skagos, these journeys happening pretty consecutively. He will unite Jon, Dany and Stannis and make them work together and thus initiating the true and victorious defense against the Others. Of course here might be more to it, since a sword can do much more but that's all for now.

A/N

Well hello again. I know this was quite a simple and small theory but I liked it and I hope it was fun for you to read as well. As always, I can't say I believe in it but it got me thinking. Not much tinfoil there though :eyes: don't worry I'll plan my next theory to be crazier. Three down and four more to go, lads. :information_desk_person:

Sources:

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Credit:

To Manus for making the animated pic thingy. Thanks dude :weary: :ok_hand: 🏻

#TRR

#Oakheart