Everyone drew a collective gasp when Melisandre removed her necklace on Game of Thrones and revealed herself to be a very, very, very old woman. (Really can't stress the "verys" enough in that sentence, my friends.) But despite the initial shock of it all, this twist also raises a very important question — like whether or not Melisandre's necklace could bring Jon Snow back to life. Given the sheer magnitude of her transformation, it's clear that this mystical object of hers is full of very powerful magic. Is it possible that it can do more than just simply masking the wearer's appearance? I'd say it seems more than possible.
If you weren't too busy staring at Melisandre's elderly image in the last few moments of the episode, you may have noticed that the camera also panned over a half empty clear potion bottle that was sitting nearby. One Reddit user pointed out that this bottle looks suspiciously like the one she warned Selyse against touching back in Season 4. Now, I'm no detective or anything, but if the Red Woman just drank some of the contents of that dangerous potion, it was probably for a good reason. Perhaps even to allow for Jon Snow's resurrection.
That same Reddit user also pointed out that Melisandre's necklace tends to glow whenever she is performing magic, so the fact that it was glowing right before she took it off could indicate that she was in the process of performing a powerful spell before getting into bed. What could this mean, you may ask? While some may think that her intent is to use the necklace to glamour herself to look like Jon Snow, this Reddit user revealed an interesting theory and one that I think seems most likely to happen: that Melisandre will sacrifice herself to save Jon Snow.
As Melisandre has said many times before: "only death can pay for life." So it stands to reason that if Jon Snow is to return to the land of the living, someone is going to have to take his place. That someone may very well be Melisandre, especially if she believes it is the Lord of Light's will. The death of Stannis and Jon may have shaken her faith a bit, but maybe this is her solution to reclaiming her beliefs. If she can make the visions she's seen of Jon Snow battling in Winterfell come true, then everything she's done won't have been in vain.
Admittedly, part of me hates the thought of losing Melisandre, especially since her story has finally started to get really interesting. But if we have to lose her in order to get Jon Snow back, then I suppose it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Perhaps climbing into bed that night will be the last thing she ever does.
Images: Helen Sloan/HBO; Giphy (2)
