The many names of the last hero

[hnv]

The last hero, AA, Hyrkoon the hero, Neferion, Yin Tar, Eldric Shadowchaser all appear to be names of the same individual who ended the long night. It appears to a be a topos across cultures in Planentos with the name also indicative to the origins of the civilization. Hyrkoon surely belong the patrimony of Hyrkoon. Neferion to Nefer. Yin Tar to Yiti. Eldric Shadowchaser sounds Andal etc.

But they are not merely a fictional myth that explains political power. We know the last hero existed and the Wall was built following his victory. However, if the long night was ended through a battle on ancient Westeros how did knowledge of the last hero reach civilizations so far away like Nefer? The first men had no writted texts but runes on rocks. and there was no global trade network like later eras that could circulate myths (unless we accept some ancient civilization that spanned from Battle Isle to Stygai under the empire of the dawn).

It seems unlikely all accross the world people would have knowledge of the last hero. an alternative hypothesis is that there were several heroes who fought off the long night in different regions. 

 

your thoughts?

[Sace]

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 an alternative hypothesis is that there were several heroes who fought off the long night in different regions. 

I've seen this theory brought up quite a few times actually. The idea that The Last Hero fought it in Westeros and Azor Ahai in Westeros and are two different people is not 100% without fundaments. An argument against it is that the First Long Night happened way nearer in time than people in-world think (we know George put extreme timespans that are probably wrong) and so it could be that people were already aware of other places in the world and somehow there were cultural exchanges.

[TheBlackSwan]

On 10/26/2022 at 1:05 PM, hnv said:

We know the last hero existed and the Wall was built following his victory. However, if the long night was ended through a battle on ancient Westeros how did knowledge of the last hero reach civilizations so far away like Nefer?

People had vision of the Last Hero deeds in Westeros and that vision then spread accross Essos:
 

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It is also written that there are annals in Asshai of such a darkness, and of a hero who fought against it with a red sword. His deeds are said to have been performed before the rise of Valyria, in the earliest age when Old Ghis was first forming its empire. This legend has spread west from Asshai, and the followers of R'hllor claim that this hero was named Azor Ahai, and prophesy his return.
The World of Ice and Fire - Ancient History: The Long Night

How long the darkness endured no man can say, but all agree that it was only when a great warrior—known variously as Hyrkoon the Hero, Azor Ahai, Yin Tar, Neferion, and Eldric Shadowchaser—arose to give courage to the race of men and lead the virtuous into battle with his blazing sword Lightbringer that the darkness was put to rout, and light and love returned once more to the world.
The World of Ice and Fire - The Bones and Beyond: Yi Ti

 

So it's all started because of a "legend" from Asshai about a hero fighting the "darkness" with a burning sword.
If we take a look at the Last Hero tales it's the same thing. He was looking to end the Long Night, broke his sword, ended up with a "dragonsteel" sword, banded the Night's Watch and lead them into the battle of the Dawn to bring back the day.
In Essos, the legends only mentions the "darkness" or at best "demon" when referring to the Others whereas the Last Hero tales mentions the army of undead, the blades of ice that can shatter steel, they take babies and fear the sun.
That distinction between the two versions allows us to conclude 2 things: the Others were not in Essos and the information comes from a vision.
We can be sure it's a vision because it happened the same way with Melisandre when she has vision of the Prince that was Promised leading the fight against the Others:

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He is the Lord's chosen, the warrior of fire. I have seen him leading the fight against the dark, I have seen it in the flames. The flames do not lie, else you would not be here.
A Storm of Swords - Davos III

He is not dead. Stannis is the Lord's chosen, destined to lead the fight against the dark. I have seen it in the flames, read of it in ancient prophecy.
A Dance with Dragons - Jon X

 

 

In her visions, Melisandre doesn't see the Others as demon of ice and cold raising the dead with blades that shatter steel, she just see "the dark" the same way people had vision of the Last Hero facing the "darkness".

[Ring3r]

I think the timeline is messed up and we're dealing with a major loss of continuity.

From the little we can tell, I think it's pretty clear that the Great Empire of the Dawn was destroyed during the Long Night.  This implies that the Great Empire still existed all the way up to between 6 and 8 thousand years BC, when the Long Night occurred.  The Great Empire was around during the First Men's initial invasion of Westeros and for at least another 4000 years after the Pact brought peace...because the Long Night didn't occur until after that.

I think the reason we have so many names for the Hero is because the various civilizations were part of the Great Empire at one time, probably as vassal states.

[Alester Florent]

Two factors come to mind. First, magic. We know that the Children (and other skilled old-school magicians) can communicate in some way or another across great distances (both spatially and temporally). It also appears that there were Children (and giants) in Essos until some time after the Long Night, given the history of Ibbish. So there's the potential for the story to spread that way.

The other, even more straightforward suggestion is: dragons. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the First Hero had a dragon, given both his own association with fire and the apparent importance of dragons in the battle against the Others. Possession of a dragon would enable him to arise in the east and travel westwards to the final battle in Westeros (or in whatever direction you choose) within a reasonable timeframe, and therefore actually interact with the ancestors of these civilisations.

These are not, of course, mutually exclusive.