This easter egg on 'Game of Thrones' adds a whole new layer to this tragic death
Remember Shireen? Well, the sound of Stannis Baratheon's late, innocent daughter's screams as she burned in one of Melisendre's safrifices might jog your memory. Or still haunt you in your sleep.
But a new Reddit post discovered a subtle easter egg left behind by showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss all the way back in Season 3 that adds even more tragic layers to her horrifying death. (As if we needed help finding her story more tragic).
Back then, Davos was serving as Stannis' loyal Hand to the King at Dragonstone. Shireen, ostracized by her mother and shunned from society due to her greyscale, found a true friend in Ser Davos. She began teaching the Onion Knight to read. And the first word she taught him not only hinted at her father's eventual fall, but the new King that Davos would later come to serve in Stannis' place.
Here's the post to help put the scene in context:
Yup. That's right. Shireen Baratheon, cutest cutie pie in all of Westeros, saw the show's biggest twists from miles away.
Having clearly brushed up on her popular Game of Thrones Reddit theories beforehand (a true R + L = J truther, if you will), Shireen inadvertently taught Ser Davos how to spell the name of the true heir to the Iron Throne.
One of the most important reveals from Season 7 revolved around Jon's true parentage. As the legitimate (AKA not bastardized) son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, Jon has more rightful claim to the throne than even Daenerys -- and certainly more than the disgraced Stannis.
The fact that she taught Davos his name through the context of the legendary historical figure of Aegon the Conquerer only adds insult to injury.
Aegon the Conquerer started the Targaryen dynasty centuries ago, using his dragons to take over Westeros and become the first ruler of all seven kingdoms. He even built the Iron Throne itself, by melting together the swords of all the enemies he'd defeated with dragonfire.
On top of all that, remember how Shireen was sacrificed because Melisendre was convinced her father was the Lord of Light? Turns out Mel was wrong. But the new, most likely candidate is none other than Jon Aegon Targaryen Stark -- at least that's what Melisendre now seems to think.
We don't know where poor Shireen Baratheon's soul now rests. But we're assuming she's not a big fan of fire, lords of light, or Melisendre's caustic predictions.
But ironically, she evidently saw the real outcome to the whole Azor Ahai thing much more clearly than the Red Priestess ever did.
Topics Game Of Thrones
Jess is an LA-based culture critic who covers intimacy in the digital age, from sex and relationship to weed and all media (tv, games, film, the web). Previously associate editor at Kill Screen, you can also find her words on Vice, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Vox, and others. She is a Brazilian-Swiss American immigrant with a love for all things weird and magical.
