Going into Game of Thrones season six, one major question is on the mind of each and every fan: is Jon Snow really dead?
Probably not, though don't expect too many answers during the season premiere. We already know the show will be dealing with the immediate aftermath of Jon's "death," as the Night's Watch finds itself divided over his murder. Clips from the show have already shown that Davos and other loyal brothers of the Night's Watch will attempt to defend Jon's body from those who wish to desecrate it.
But rest assured, it seems almost a certainty that Jon Snow is still alive in some form or another. The real question is how? How does he survive being brutally stabbed over and over again by his former comrades? There are a few theories that have floated around fan circles in the years since Jon's fate was first revealed at the end of George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons.
Some of these methods are more likely than others, but because Martin has yet to finish the next book in his saga, fans will ultimately be in the dark until Jon's miraculous recovery plays on onscreen. With that being said, here are the four most likely ways fans can expect to see Jon make his return.
Warg With Ghost
It's established in the show (and more so in the books) that Jon, just like Bran, looks to have the ability to "warg" into animals. He frequently has what he believes to be dreams or visions of Ghost, but these dreams turn out to be much more real than he previously thought. To warg is for a human to move their consciousness into that of an animal, taking control of it. People with this ability are referred to as skinchangers. The ability can also be used on humans (as Bran has done with Hodor) but this act is viewed as an abomination by the wildlings.
Sometimes warging is a temporary event. Even if the animal being possessed dies, the skinchanger inhabiting its mind lives on, as they simply return to their human mind. Other times, however, warging can become permanent. Such was the case with Varamyr Sixskins in the books. This wildling is perhaps the most prominent skingchanger in the series, having warged into a number of different animals throughout his lifetime. But when he is killed, he transfers his entire mind into that of his wolf. The longer the warg is maintained, the quicker the skinchanger's memory of their time as a human begins to fade, until eventually only the mind of the animal remains. This is what happened to Varamyr.
As Jon has previously shown the natural ability to skin change into Ghost, it's possible that Jon's consciousness could have warged into his fearsome white direwolf in his final moments alive. The only problem then is that the longer Jon stays within Ghost, the greater the risk of losing his consciousness all together. He might possibly be able to possess the body of another human, but it remains to be seen if Jon's warging abilities are up to the task.
This theory, though certainly possible in the context of the series, doesn't seem too likely. Having Jon Snow come back as a wolf or as an entirely different human character would be weird even for a show filled with dragons and spells. It would also alienate fans of Kit Harington. As he's one of the drama's biggest stars, you can expect HBO wouldn't be too keen on tossing him out.
It Wasn't Really Jon
In the book series, it's shown that Melisandre has the ability to create magical glamours, magical trinkets that cast an illusion on the wearer. It's how Mance Rayder escapes execution in the books (another wildling wearing a glamour made to look like Mance is executed instead.)
Though that doesn't appear to have happened on the show, it's still possible that the Game of Thrones showrunners could draw upon this known trick to misdirect fans. Melisandre, knowing Jon would be in peril, could have given another brother of the Night's Watch a glamour with the hope of diverting attention from the real Jon. It would be this glamour-wearing impostor that is stabbed to death, not Jon. Of all the theories, this one seems the least likely, and the one that would most easily upset fans. Nobody likes to be tricked without more obvious foreshadowing or clues, and the show doesn't seem to make any hints that Jon might not actually be Jon.
He's Azor Ahai Reborn
Book fans have long obsessed over the theory that Jon Snow is actually the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, a legendary hero of light from times long past who fought off the encroaching darkness with a flaming sword. Ancient prophecies state that Azor Ahai will be reborn once again "amidst salt and smoke" after a long summer in order to once again defeat the dark, in the process waking dragons out of stone. Melisandre also refers to the reborn Azor Ahai as "the prince that was promised."
Melisandre, at least for much of the series, believes Stannis Baratheon to be Azor Ahai reborn. Or at least pretends to for her own nefarious reasons. Stannis does use a flaming sword, just like that of Azor Ahai. There is ample evidence to suggest, however, that Stannis is not the real chosen one.
The prophecy more accurately seems to describe Jon Snow. Some fans have taken the "born amidst salt and smoke" line to have various meanings that could either revolve around Jon's actual birth or his potential resurrection after being brutally stabbed. In the books (and the show to some extent), steam can be seen rising from Jon's wounds, as tears fall down his cheeks. Some believe that the steam represents the smoke in the prophecy, while Jon's salty tears stand in for the salt.
There is also Jon's "secret" heritage. It's long been assumed as fact among book-reading fans that Jon is actually the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, not Eddard Stark's bastard. If that is the case, the "salt and smoke" part of the prophecy could revolve around the idea of Jon's birth coming at the end of Robert's Rebellion. More than a few villages were razed to the ground, resulting in smoke. Farmlands and villages are also salted over in war in order to ensure nothing will be able to grow there again.
If Jon is a Targaryen, that also makes him a prince, matching up with Melisandre's talk of the "prince that was promised." Following that same line of thought, if Jon is a Targaryen, he could possibly breathe life into dragon eggs. Much is made out of how all the world's dragon eggs have turned to stone, but that didn't stop Daenerys from causing three stone dragon eggs to hatch. Dany literally did wake dragons from stone, as the prophecy states. That means the prophecy could be referring to her directly, or that another Targaryen (like Jon) might have the ability to do the same.
Even if Jon is Azor Ahai reborn, it doesn't exactly explain how he might come back to life. It's possible he just might wake up at some point to finish his battle against the Others, or it may require a little push from a certain red priestess.
Resurrected By Melisandre
Going hand in hand with the theory above is the most likely theory for how Jon returns to the land of the living: he is resurrected by Melisandre. We know red priests and priestesses (or certain ones) have this power thanks to having already seen Thoros of Myr resurrect the slain Beric Dondarrion in earlier seasons of the show. Assuming Melisandre is at least as powerful as Thoros, which definitely seems to be the case, it should be possible for her to breathe new life back into Jon's corpse.
This scenario looks increasingly plausible given how Melisandre seemed to have taken a particular interest in Jon in season five. This theory works regardless if Jon is Azor Ahai or not. Jon doesn't necessarily have to be the prince that was promised in order to come back to life, but doing so does seem to make him a more likely candidate for the role.
Those are all the major theories, though it's not completely unthinkable that the show could come up with some entirely new way for Jon to come back. Or he could simply stay dead. That would be a real shock.
Game of Thrones season six premieres Sunday, April 24 on HBO.
