What is the significance of Gilly? Why is she being carried all the way to the Citadel by GRRM? For what nefarious purpose? Plot-wise, what does she offer that nobody around the Citadel can?

Gilly, as the only wildling-gone-south, offers a *uniquely fresh look at things*. Everything is new to her. How people eat. How people read and write. Gilly is a true outsider; she is from the other side of the Wall. *She might notice something everybody else misses*.

She notices something unexpected in what? On two occasions Gilly and Sam discuss wordplay. In S3, Ep8 it is “wink” and “blink”. In S6, it is “sea” and “see”. Clearly, it is an indication of her making some discovery related to *words*. She might make an important discovery related to words. Perhaps, she will unwittingly give an unexpected meaning to a word in some important *text*. It would be great to know which word she helps Sam rediscovering, but the only question we can realistically address: important word in which text? The possible texts should satisfy the following criteria:

* Be important (1)

* Be known to us now (2)

* Be known to Gilly and Sam (eventually at least) (3)

Let me explain (2). Of course, it is possible that Sam discovers at the Citadel a completely unknown, unmentioned document. In that case, there is nothing we can do now to figure it out. I will also ignore The Night’s Watch Oath. If there was something to be discovered by Gilly in that text, that would have happened at the Wall. 

<h2>Azor Ahai prophecy</h2>

As prophecies go, this is undoubtedly the most known in the books. Gilly is shown reading it in S7. Let’s read it in search of words that are misplaced or strange. Or look at words that can be just slightly changed to reveal a completely different interpretation of the text.

> There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.

What wordplay Gilly can pick up? What words have double meaning or written differently than they sound? Honestly, I don’t have definitive answers and the following is more of an example of what kind discovery Gilly *could* make.

The “clasps” is certainly a rather rare word. Not hold or grab, but clasp. Unusual. Dictionary will tell us that clasp implies holding with, most likely, one hand. Grab a sword with one hand. Strangely enough, on two occasions on the show we see grabbing the blade of a sword, not a hilt. Jamie stops a Dornishman’s sword with his metal hand. When Sam attacks a White Walker, the latter clasps Sam’s sword with one hand. That happens in Gilly’s presence. The sword breaks. Assume, for a moment, that “clasps” would mean clasping the blade and not the hilt. That would imply *stopping the sword* and not wielding it:

"And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who *stops* it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him."

Now let’s look at another ambiguous part “flee before him”. Traditional interpretation of “flee” is of course “run away from”. But what if it is “emanate from”? He moves and the darkness with him. The darkness precedes him. The darkness heralds his arrival.

Either observation would mean: Lightbringer and Azor Ahai are on the opposite sides. Lightbringer is opposed by Azor Ahai who may or may not bring darkness and stop Lightbringer. Lightbringer and Azor Ahai are antagonists and not synonyms or allies?
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Independently, let us look at another curious word: Lightbringer. We have a character on the show who is strongly associated with a word starting with light. A character who describes himself as the last storm. So, in a sense, he brings storm. He is a *stormbringer*. When the character is introduced in S6 we see *lightning*. And S7 trailer shows his ship in a flash of lightning. Lightning and stormbringer. Combine the two to get Lightbringer.

Could Lightbringer refer to Euron? I don’t know what to think about it. The language and the association is here, but I don’t know what to make of it. Regardless, we did find an interesting commonality between the two word curiosities we have discussed so far (“clasping” a sword as stopping it and Lightbringer as bringer of lightning and storm). Both hint at *uncertainty of roles in Azor Ahai prophecy*. Azor Ahai and Lightbringer might not be on the same side and one of them might be the main villain rather than the main hero.

The post is essentially an invitation to look at well-known phrases or texts from ASoIaF with fresh eyes. What other texts are widely known? Words of the great houses taught to every nobleman in Westeros? In S1 we see Bran studying them. As known to practically everybody, they are perfect candidates to hide something in plain sight.

What else? Sam and Gilly are close enough to the Iron Islands. Let us look at the refrain of the Ironborn: “What is dead may never die”. Could “may” here emphasize “not letting”? Somebody can not die even if he/she wants to? For me it does sound like Cersei being kept in semi-dead state by Euron, the pale queen, wanting to die but not being able to.

“But rises again, harder and stronger.” Is the important word here “again”? Emphasizing that a similar event already happened in history? Long Night was actually a fight against Drowned God? “Rises again stronger” sounds like somebody who was defeated, but is coming again.

TLDR: Everything is new to Gilly. She might find something they all missed – we all missed. Most likely it is a fresh meaning of a word in an important text. What word in what text? Possibilities discussed.