Why does Mel believe Stannis is Azur Azai?

[mankytoes]

There are lots of AA theories (ok, it's basically Dany or Jon), but no one actually thinks it's Stannis. Melisandre does though, and she travelled across the world because... Why exactly? He was born on Dragonstone, amongst salt and smoke. Like thousands of other people. She isn't stupid, surely she saw how lame his ceremony was? Plus, she appears to be making his sword glow. If she has to do that, surely she knows it's not lightbringer?

Is this just something we're supposed to ignore, or is there more to this?

[blood of the dragoon]

Ambition

[Hodor knows]

A lust for it to be a reality which would justify her (mis)interpretation of the flames.

[King of Winters]

If your talking about his actual birth, he was born in Storm's End not Dragonstone.

And I think the reason why she thinks he's AAR is because she saw him and Dragonstone in the flames when she was looking for AAR, and thought that he was AAR, but in fact Dragonstone is only the start of her journey that will bring her to AAR, Jon Snow. And from what we see from her POV, she genuanlly believes Stannis is AAR, not pretending.

Also I recently read a post in another topic that said the reason why she didn't directly see Jon as AAR first is because the COTF charms in Winterfell, similar to Storm's End, blocked her seeing Jon within Winterfell.

[bloody_mummer]

The goofy saying about dragons, salt and some other substance led her to Dragonstone, which is where Stannis was.

[Nyrhex]

There are two ways to look at it:

1. Mel knows Stannis is not AA, and is playing a game of her own.

2. Mel is lying to herself.

The second option seems to fit more, considering how clueless she seems most of the time.

Now there are three questions left:

1. Is there an AA, or is it a myth?

2. If not Stannis, which is pretty certain from the moment we heard it, saw the sword on fire, and Davos seeing nothing but a burnt sword, then who?

3. Can Stannis become AA, simply by thinking that he is? I don't see many others rushing to apply for the job. Stannis is actively preparing, bringing men, obsidian, and contemplated sacrifice for the good of the realm. This all fits with what AAR should/would do. Is AA only able to win if he is literaly re-born, and all others who try are doomed to failure, because it just has to be the fantasy cliche of a promised hero?

[Muggle]

i think its for her own personal gain nothing more, i belive her actions as a priest of the lord of light is pretty diffrent from others of the same belief

[PatrickStormborn]

She explains why in A Storm of Swords:

"The old maester looked at Stannis and saw only a man. You see a king. You are both wrong. 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. It is written in prophecy as well. When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone. The bleeding star has come and gone, and Dragonstone is the place of smoke and salt. Stannis Baratheon is Azor Ahai reborn!”

Basically, she doesn't think there are any other candidates. She doesn't realise that Daenerys, born on Dragonstone, has woken dragons beneath a red star, and she doesn't know that there are potentially others of Targaryen descent in Westeros.

She's also seen him "leading the fight against the dark", which seems to have further convinced her.