Melisandre
Melisandre of Asshai, the Red Woman, is a priestess of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, who serves as King Stannis Baratheon's most influential advisor and a formidable sorceress at Castle Black. Her unwavering faith in her god and her ability to see visions in the flames make her a powerful but deeply divisive figure, whose actions—from burning effigies to orchestrating the deception of Mance Rayder's death—are driven by a conviction that she is fighting a cosmic war against the darkness, even as her methods and interpretations are frequently questioned by those around her.
Identity and Role at Castle Black
Melisandre is a priestess of R'hllor, a red god worshiped in Essos, and she serves as the spiritual guide and most trusted counselor to King Stannis Baratheon. She is often referred to as the Red Woman, a title that reflects both her scarlet robes and her fiery, copper-colored hair. Her presence at Castle Black is a source of tension, as she actively promotes her faith, leading nightly prayers and converting many of Stannis's followers, known as the queen's men, to the Lord of Light. She is a sorceress of considerable power, capable of seeing visions in the flames, creating glamors that alter a person's appearance, and even giving birth to shadow assassins. Her ruby, worn at her throat, is a key component of her magical abilities, pulsing with light and serving as a focus for her power. She is utterly devoted to her cause, believing Stannis to be Azor Ahai reborn, the prophesied hero destined to fight the Great Other and save the world from darkness.
The Deception of Mance Rayder's Death
One of Melisandre's most significant and secretive acts is the deception surrounding the execution of Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Stannis Baratheon, bound by law, orders Mance to be burned alive for deserting the Night's Watch. However, Melisandre uses a powerful glamor to disguise the wildling leader Rattleshirt as Mance, and Mance himself as Rattleshirt. The glamor is built upon the bones of the Lord of Bones, which serve as a physical anchor for the illusion. When the false Mance is burned at the stake, Jon Snow, believing he is killing the real king, orders his archers to put the man out of his misery with arrows. The real Mance Rayder, now wearing Rattleshirt's appearance and a ruby bracelet that binds him to Melisandre's will, survives. This elaborate ruse allows Stannis to satisfy the letter of the law while secretly preserving a valuable asset. Melisandre later reveals the truth to Jon Snow, telling him, "She burned the Lord of Bones," and explaining that the glamor is a weaving of light and shadow, a sorcery that requires a physical object like the bones to remember the intended form.
Visions, Prophecy, and Fallibility
Melisandre's primary method of divination is gazing into the flames of her sacred fires, a practice she performs nightly. She claims to see visions of the past, present, and future, but she also acknowledges her own fallibility as a mortal interpreter of these signs. She admits to Jon Snow, "I am as mortal as you, Jon Snow. All mortals err," after her vision of a "grey girl on a dying horse" turns out to be Alys Karstark, not his sister Arya. Despite this, she insists that the flames themselves never lie, only the priest's reading of them. She sees Jon Snow frequently in her fires, surrounded by skulls and enemies, and warns him of "daggers in the dark." She also sees visions of Stannis, though she struggles to find him, seeing only snow. Her visions are often cryptic and symbolic, such as seeing a wooden face with a thousand red eyes and a boy with a wolf's face, which she interprets as servants of the Great Other. She also foresees the death of three of Jon's rangers, a prophecy that comes true when their heads are returned on spears, their eyes gouged out.
Relationship with Jon Snow and the Night's Watch
Melisandre's relationship with Jon Snow is complex and marked by mutual suspicion. Jon distrusts her sorcery and her influence over Stannis, while she sees him as a figure of great importance in the coming war against the darkness. She attempts to win his trust by offering to help him, most notably by orchestrating the deception of Mance Rayder's death so that Mance could be sent to rescue Jon's sister, Arya, from Ramsay Bolton. She also warns him repeatedly of the dangers surrounding him, telling him, "You have so many enemies. Shall I tell you their names?" and urging him to keep his direwolf, Ghost, close. Despite her warnings, Jon remains wary, and she is unable to sway him from his decisions, such as his plan to lead a ranging to Hardhome. She is a constant presence at Castle Black, her nightfires a daily ritual that both comforts and unnerves the black brothers. Her power is palpable, and she is a force that Jon cannot ignore, even as he resists her influence.
The Nature of Her Power and Sorcery
Melisandre's power is rooted in her faith in R'hllor and her mastery of various forms of sorcery. She is skilled in glamors, which she uses to disguise Mance Rayder, and she carries a variety of powders in her sleeves to create different effects with fire, such as turning flames green or blue, or producing thick, killing smoke. She is also capable of creating shadows, a power she used on Dragonstone to assassinate Ser Cortnay Penrose. She feels that her power is amplified at the Wall, stating, "I was stronger at the Wall, stronger even than in Asshai." Her ruby is a key component of her magic, and she uses it to bind individuals like Rattleshirt/Mance to her will. She is a figure of immense power and mystery, whose ultimate goals are aligned with the cosmic struggle between light and darkness, making her an unpredictable and formidable ally or enemy.
