Is Melisandre of the Old Gods?

[Corvo the Crow]

Too tired and going to bed so really not putting the effort into it, but it's really interesting to think.

Melisandre is tall, white, red haired and red eyed and her face is described as... heartshaped. In fact she is one of the only two characters (3 if you include SSMs, Shiera) to be described as heartshaped, Jeyne Westerling who was described as such once and Mel was described 4 times.

 

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“Maester,” said Lady Melisandre, her deep voice flavored with the music of the Jade Sea. “You ought take more care.” As ever, she wore red head to heel, a long loose gown of flowing silk as bright as fire, with dagged sleeves and deep slashes in the bodice that showed glimpses of a darker bloodred fabric beneath. Around her throat was a red gold choker tighter than any maester’s chain, ornamented with a single great ruby. Her hair was not the orange or strawberry color of common red-haired men, but a deep burnished copper that shone in the light of the torches. Even her eyes were red … but her skin was smooth and white, unblemished, pale as cream. Slender she was, graceful, taller than most knights, with full breasts and narrow waist and a heart-shaped face. Men’s eyes that once found her did not quickly look away, not even a maester’s eyes. Many called her beautiful. She was not beautiful. She was red, and terrible, and red.

She is tall, white, red eyed and red haired, reminiscent of a Weirwood.

Quote

Red eyes, Jon realized, but not like Melisandre’s. He had a weirwood’s eyes. Red eyes, red mouth, white fur. Blood and bone, like a heart tree. He belongs to the old gods, this one. And he alone of all the direwolves was white. Six pups they’d found in the late summer snows, him and Robb; five that were grey and black and brown, for the five Starks, and one white, as white as Snow.

Jon thinks Ghost's eyes are not like Melisandre's and are of a weirwood's he also compares him to... A HEART TREE. Could Mel having a Heartshaped face is to strike home the point of her already weirwood like appearence not being a coincidence and to make a connection with heart trees?

[kissdbyfire]

No. 
 

“Red eyes, Jon realized, but not like Melisandre’s. He had a weirwood’s eyes. Red eyes, red mouth, white fur. Blood and bone, like a heart tree. He belongs to the old gods, this one. And he alone of all the direwolves was white. Six pups they’d found in the late summer snows, him and Robb; five that were grey and black and brown, for the five Starks, and one white, as white as Snow.”

 

[LongRider]

When her glamour finally comes off, she's gonna be lookin' like old Maggy the Frog.  Plus, one who burns down weirwood trees is definitely not of the Old Gods, no way.

[Alester Florent]

If she is of the Old Gods, why is she burning godswoods?

[Corvo the Crow]

4 minutes ago, LongRider said:

When her glamour finally comes off, she's gonna be lookin' like old Maggy the Frog.  Plus, one who burns down weirwood trees is definitely not of the Old Gods, no way.

 

3 minutes ago, Alester Florent said:

If she is of the Old Gods, why is she burning godswoods?

 

Because magic? 

 

[Corvo the Crow]

10 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said:

No. 
 

“Red eyes, Jon realized, but not like Melisandre’s. He had a weirwood’s eyes. Red eyes, red mouth, white fur. Blood and bone, like a heart tree. He belongs to the old gods, this one. And he alone of all the direwolves was white. Six pups they’d found in the late summer snows, him and Robb; five that were grey and black and brown, for the five Starks, and one white, as white as Snow.”

 

Since when does Jon know anything 

[kissdbyfire]

Just now, Corvo the Crow said:

Since when does Jon know anything 

He’s learning, and that moment is a major lesson! In more ways than one, I might add.

 

[Corvo the Crow]

4 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said:

He’s learning, and that moment is a major lesson! In more ways than one, I might add.

 

Really? If he's learning then why doesn't he take Val then and there? 

 

Quote

Ygritte wanted me to be a wildling. Stannis wants me to be the Lord of Winterfell. But what do I want? The sun crept down the sky to dip behind the Wall where it curved through the western hills. Jon watched as that towering expanse of ice took on the reds and pinks of sunset. Would I sooner be hanged for a turncloak by Lord Janos, or forswear my vows, marry Val, and become the Lord of Winterfell? It seemed an easy choice when he thought of it in those terms … though if Ygritte had still been alive, it might have been even easier. Val was a stranger to him. She was not hard on the eyes, certainly, and she had been sister to Mance Rayder’s queen, but still …

I would need to steal her if I wanted her love, but she might give me children. I might someday hold a son of my own blood in my arms. A son was something Jon Snow had never dared dream of, since he decided to live his life on the Wall. I could name him Robb. Val would want to keep her sister’s son, but we could foster him at Winterfell, and Gilly’s boy as well. Sam would never need to tell his lie. We’d find a place for Gilly too, and Sam could come visit her once a year or so. Mance’s son and Craster’s would grow up brothers, as I once did with Robb.

He wanted it, Jon knew then. He wanted it as much as he had ever wanted anything. I have always wanted it, he thought, guiltily. May the gods forgive me. It was a hunger inside him, sharp as a dragonglass blade. A hunger … he could feel it. It was food he needed, prey, a red deer that stank of fear or a great elk proud and defiant. He needed to kill and fill his belly with fresh meat and hot dark blood. His mouth began to water with the thought.

It was a long moment before he understood what was happening. When he did, he bolted to his feet. “Ghost?” He turned toward the wood, and there he came, padding silently out of the green dusk, the breath coming warm and white from his open jaws. “Ghost!” he shouted, and the direwolf broke into a run. He was leaner than he had been, but bigger as well, and the only sound he made was the soft crunch of dead leaves beneath his paws. When he reached Jon he leapt, and they wrestled amidst brown grass and long shadows as the stars came out above them. “Gods, wolf, where have you been?” Jon said when Ghost stopped worrying at his forearm. “I thought you’d died on me, like Robb and Ygritte and all the rest. I’ve had no sense of you, not since I climbed the Wall, not even in dreams.” The direwolf had no answer, but he licked Jon’s face with a tongue like a wet rasp, and his eyes caught the last light and shone like two great red suns.

Red eyes, Jon realized, but not like Melisandre’s. He had a weirwood’s eyes. Red eyes, red mouth, white fur. Blood and bone, like a heart tree. He belongs to the old gods, this one. And he alone of all the direwolves was white. Six pups they’d found in the late summer snows, him and Robb; five that were grey and black and brown, for the five Starks, and one white, as white as Snow.

He had his answer then.

I mean, he is Stannis' favorite boy, he could've come to an agreement with him "Oh ok I don't want to oh no sure definitely don't want Val but am taking her as a compromise to please you but in compromise you will allow me to keep my Weirwood, it holds oh so many memories"

 

[Phylum of Alexandria]

It's pretty much objectively true that she resembles a weirwood as much as a human could, beyond bleeding eyes. So I do think the parallel is intentional. But I don't think she taps into the same magical bloodline as Bloodraven and Bran do.

As for Ghost, his eyes are compared to garnets, and according to Tywin: "garnets lack the fire." But rubies have the fire.

[The Sleeper]

Nope.

Hers is the white of ashes.

ETA

The color symbolism is supposed to be blood & bone for weirwoods vs fire & ashes for Mel. That said the similarity is probably intentional. What it could mean, I have no idea. 

[sweetsunray]

6 hours ago, The Sleeper said:

Nope.

Hers is the white of ashes.

ETA

The color symbolism is supposed to be blood & bone for weirwoods vs fire & ashes for Mel. That said the similarity is probably intentional. What it could mean, I have no idea. 

Maybe because Mel knows the ingredients but not the recipe. For example she burns statues and later people, to have people believe Stannis has a magical sword, which is actually just a glamour/a fake. The fake sword does shine brightly if people are burned. Kudoz on the show.

And then you have Beric, who simply slashes his palm, let his own blood run on a normal steel blade, and it starts to flame.

Fire - brigand blood - sword. It all works, but the first was wasteful for a pretty lightshow.

 

[astarkchoice]

10 hours ago, LongRider said:

When her glamour finally comes off, she's gonna be lookin' like old Maggy the Frog.  Plus, one who burns down weirwood trees is definitely not of the Old Gods, no way.

Stannis will be like ace ventura then

"Finkle IS einhorn!!!! I kissed a man"

[Springwatch]

Fire and blood - two versions of the same thing...

[Jon Fossoway]

Godammit George.

 

[Corvo the Crow]

3 hours ago, astarkchoice said:

Stannis will be like ace ventura then

"Finkle IS einhorn!!!! I kissed a man"

And I liked it

The taste of his cherry chapstick

I kissed a man just to try it

I hope my wife don't mind it (spoiler, she didn't)