Mythical Astronomy of Ice and Fire

The 2024 Calendar revealed a big secret about the weirwood trees, and I'll show you what it means and why it's important. This is a big f---ing deal.

The big news: HBO is partnering with writer Mattson Tomlin to develop an Aegon's Conquest show! I've got 5 big questions relating to where the most drama is, what characters besides the 3 conquerors could be featured, the dynamic of the Conquerors themselves, and more.

Related content:

Disaster Hunters playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmBTyeKzxuuBl2EmMW1QPgp8

Secret PreHistory of the Ironborn playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmA-D6pzGNovu_LuO-QArCB6

Daemon's (and Caraxes's) prowess in war is undeniable... but his teamwork skills are a bit touch and go. And there's the crimes to talk about. But also skills that Jon and Dany need to save the world... it's Mr. "Equal Parts Light and Dark" everyone, the Rogue Prince

Fish-human hybrids ARE absolutely real in A Song of Ice and Fire. There are several populations of hybrids around the world, including small pockets in Westeors, and at least three prominent characters may be under their psychic influence - Patchface, Damphair, and Euron. Deep Ones cult turns out to be one of the oldest human religions in Westeros, and could once be found all over the continent. Yes, the Nimble Dick dramatic read is here as well.

Disaster Hunters playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmBTyeKzxuuBl2EmMW1QPgp8

Secret PreHistory of the Ironborn playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmA-D6pzGNovu_LuO-QArCB6

Our no-spoilers preview & ranking of all dragons on House of the Dragon! We'll give you the 411 on the dragons of Team Black and Team Black AS WELL AS the 6 unclaimed dragons on Dragonstone!

HotD playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

Finally, some answers on the Ironborn! We've done the work, now let's connect the dots - on the Seastone Chair, the First Men who became Ironborn, the origins of Pyke and House Greyjoy, even the identity of Grey King's Mermaid wife and leal elder brother! AND a theory about the origins of House Casterly! Whew!

Disaster Hunters playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmBTyeKzxuuBl2EmMW1QPgp8

The ancient Ironborn traditions of salt kings and rock kings, and of the high kings appointed by the kingsmoot all date back to the era of the Grey King, when mariners from across the Sunset Sea merged with local First Men to create the Ironborn people. That's why there's nothing like the Kingsmoot anywhere else in Westeros, and why salt and rock kings divide power between land and sea. This is the second part of an edited mega-stream with  @GreyWasteTim  and is part of the Secret PreHistory of the Ironborn series!

Prepare for an all new conception of how the Ironborn nation came into being! I’ve discovered some truly incredible Ironborn worldbuilding secrets - yes, new ones, and even more incredibler.  @GreyWasteTim  joins me to help explain the Great Empire of the Dawn connections to the Ironborn in this video, with more to come this week! And yes if you are looking for the stream that disappeared from last Sunday, this is part one of the edited version.

There's a reason for all the Bolton flaying in the story: it's not only horror and cruelty, but also the key to ancient magic which enabled the Boltons to rival the Starks for thousands of years. I will explain to you here in this brand spankin new Bolton theory, and yes this has to do with the Faceless Men.

What do the Others do with Craster's sons, whom he gives them as "offerings?" How does this unholy practice sustain the Others existence? How does it work, and why the weirwoods like magical drinking straws for the Others to... yeah this one is gonna get a bit gnarly, fair warning.

One part ancient mariner from across the Sunset Sea, one part rowdy First Men, and what do you get? The secret prehistory of the Ironborn. Tha's right, our Ironborn disaster hunters video has spawned a whole series, and in this video, you can find out about the Grey King and the two cultures who merged to become the bloody pirates we all know and love!

Disaster Hunters playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmBTyeKzxuuBl2EmMW1QPgp8

Who are the Ironborn? Where did they come from? Are they just First men who are good at fishing and hate farming, or do they come from a lost land across the sea... or from the watery halls of the Deep Ones under the sea? Disaster Hunters of Ancient arrives at the Iron Islands, where we'll hunt sea dragons, storm gods, squishers, and seafaring strangers, and we'll be using a cultural anthropologist's approach as our weapons of war.

Disaster Hunters playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmBTyeKzxuuBl2EmMW1QPgp8

Use my code LIGHTBRINGER to get $5 off your delicious, high protein Magic Spoon cereal by clicking this link: https://sponsr.is/magicspoon_lightbringer_0923

Why did the First Men change their religion and begin worshipping the Old Gods of the weirwood? Why did they sign a peace treaty with the children of the forest when they were wining the war? I've got a great answer for you, and I'll also explain the real origin of the Night's Watch and generally just straighten out the timeline - but it might be a little bit of heresy.

Disaster Hunters playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmBTyeKzxuuBl2EmMW1QPgp8

Moat Cailin is a big creepy abandoned (and ruined ) megalithic fortress whose origins seem more than a tad fishy... the official story doesn't add up, so let's see if we can figure out what's really going on here, who built, and why. We'll also end up solving the Yeen mystery on the way, for you Yeen fans out there.

What was the Hammer of the Waters anyway? It was something the children of the forest supposedly "called down" to smash the land bridge known as the Arm of Dorne, yes, but what was it? And did the children really do it? How much of Westeros did it affect - what about the Neck and Moat Cailin, for example? This comprehensive examination will explore all the possibilities and present a satisfying answer.

Is the dragonbond a form of altered greenseer magic? Were the children of the forest involved in the creation of the "blood of the dragon?" Is this why the Great Empire of the Dawn came to Westeros? Nimble Dick has the answers! Huge shout to  @jamesjohnsonjunior , his page link is below!

This is kinda sorta my grand unifying theory of how all the Azor Ahai / Nissa Nissa / Lightbringer / dragons stuff directly connects to Westeros, the first Long Night, the Others, and the weirwoods. Renly's death at the hands of Stannis's shadow is the perfect role-play of the entire theory, so here it is! Enjoy!

Whether or not you buy my theory about Jon's body being stolen by the Others, there will no doubt come a moment when Melisandre is involved in some kind of fiery resurrection / freeing Jon from Otherish enchantment event coming in The Winds of Winter... but will this be Mels' final act? Or will she become something... more?

The chapter where Jon slays Qhorin Halfhand - and where Qhorin's body is burned on a pyre - contains very detailed foreshadowing of Jon Snow's resurrection pyre. Seems like it's gonna parallel Drogo's pyre and the waking of the dragons - only this time, Jon is the waking dragon.

The evidence is accumulating - that's an accumulating Snow joke - the Others are going to come steal Jon's body, they're going to use him to lead their invasion of the Others... and they might be planning to fill it with the spirit of Night's King - the original one - who may be lurking in the weirwoodnet somewhere (this would be the Great Other). Detailed foreshadowing of all of this, right here!

Lady Stoneheart - formerly known as Lady Catelyn Stark - has outstanding personal symbolism, and it's mostly information about one of the deep mysteries of the story - who is Night's Queen, and is she connected to Nissa Nissa?

Why did Alysanne shut down the Nightfort? Did it have something to do with Aegon's Prophecy? And what else happened when Jaehaerys and Alysanne visited Winterfell and the Wall? Featuring Alaric Stark, the Nightfort, Craster, Jon Snow, Skinchanging, the First Men, and of course, White Walker baby sacrifice.

Aegon’s Prophecy Series:

Part 1: Aegon’s Prophecy, Explained https://youtu.be/ODV0NCyCEks

Part 2: From Aegon to Viserys https://youtu.be/qqMFTyW2Qkc

Part 3: Why Torrhen Knelt https://youtu.be/LuNXcu8TNqE

Part 4: What Lyanna Told Ned https://youtu.be/U6dn1RX2L4c

Part 5: Alysanne at the Wall https://youtu.be/KSe7CAgYYEg

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

Did Rhaegar Targaryen tell Lyanna Stark about Aegon's prophecy? And did Lyanna tell Ned at the Tower of Joy? Did the Starks already know, going back to Torrhen Stark?

Aegon’s Prophecy Series:

Part 1: Aegon’s Prophecy, Explained https://youtu.be/ODV0NCyCEks

Part 2: From Aegon to Viserys https://youtu.be/qqMFTyW2Qkc

Part 3: Why Torrhen Knelt https://youtu.be/LuNXcu8TNqE

Part 4: What Lyanna Told Ned https://youtu.be/U6dn1RX2L4c

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

Torrhen Stark, "The King Who Knelt," yielded the North to Aegon the Conqueror without a fight. Was it simply because "dragons," or might Aegon have mentioned "white walkers?" And what about Brandon Snow's offer to kill the dragons? Was he going to use weirwood arrows? All this and more in Aegon's Prophecy part 3!

Aegon’s Prophecy Series:

Part 1: Aegon’s Prophecy, Explained https://youtu.be/ODV0NCyCEks

Part 2: From Aegon to Viserys https://youtu.be/qqMFTyW2Qkc

Part 3: Why Torrhen Knelt https://youtu.be/LuNXcu8TNqE

Part 4: What Lyanna Told Ned https://youtu.be/U6dn1RX2L4c

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

How did's Aegon's prophecy make it all the way to Viserys - especially given the violence and chaos of Maegor's reign? I'll answer that, and tell you where House of the Dragon got the idea of a prophecy carved in runes on a Valyrian steel knife. Featuring Rhaena Targaryen, Alyssa Velaryon, Maegor the Cruel, Jaehaerys and Alysanne, King Aenys, and more.

Aegon’s Prophecy Series:

Part 1: Aegon’s Prophecy, Explained https://youtu.be/ODV0NCyCEks

Part 2: From Aegon to Viserys https://youtu.be/qqMFTyW2Qkc

Part 3: Why Torrhen Knelt https://youtu.be/LuNXcu8TNqE

Part 4: What Lyanna Told Ned https://youtu.be/U6dn1RX2L4c

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

Aegon's prophecy of ice and fire - GRRM has said that it's true in the books too. Did other Targaryens know about it? Did Rhaegar? What does this mean for Jon and Dany, and all that Prince That Was Promised / Azor Ahai Reborn stuff? Part 1 will explain!

Aegon’s Prophecy Series:

Part 1: Aegon’s Prophecy, Explained https://youtu.be/ODV0NCyCEks

Part 2: From Aegon to Viserys https://youtu.be/qqMFTyW2Qkc

Part 3: Why Torrhen Knelt https://youtu.be/LuNXcu8TNqE

Part 4: What Lyanna Told Ned https://youtu.be/U6dn1RX2L4c

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

Daemon's dragon song that he sung to Grandaddy Vermithor was actually a spell to reawaken the dragonbond - I'll explain how it works, what the real meaning of "three heads has the dragon is," what the riddle of the Valyrian sphinx is, and what lemurs have to do with all of this. For real.

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

Did this war just start by accident? Who was responsible? Why couldn't these dragonriders control their dragons? Was it like this in A Song of Ice and Fire?

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

Why didn't princess Rhaenys have her dragon Meleys roast everyone on the royal dais? It's a complex question, but I'll untangle it for you, and give you some insight on Helaena's prophecy and the dragonpit in general.

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

Will the Greens try to pull a coup next week? Probably. Did they already try to pull one last week, with Vaemond as their trojan horsee? Why yes, yes they did. (NO SPOILERS!)

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

The entire fight with the kids in the cave was high symbolism, and Aemond One Eye - a character book readers have been waiting for - made a grand entrance by claiming Vhagar! Plus - Helaena's prophecies, Targaryen parenting corner, Nanny Vhagar hidden audio, and more!

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

Rhaenyra's proposal to betroth Jaecerys and Helaena was promising, but politically loaded - could it have avoided war? Why didn't it happen? What what it have been like? Could they even have been a new Jaehaerys and Alysanne?

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

King Viserys kicked the speculation about an Oldtown-based Hightower-Maester conspiracy into overdrive this week, so I thought I'd interview him - and one other mystery guest - to try to dig deeper! Plus new Vhagar memes!

House of the Dragon Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDKN99XRXTtoHGCy1fHGHNX

That's right, the big one we've been waiting for, Alys RIvers! We've also learned who will play the mysterious Alyn of Hull, Ser Simon Strong (Larys Clubfoot's great-uncle), and Ser Gwayne Hightower (Alicent's younger brother). Spoiler-free analysis & character previews followed by a bit of Fire & Blood spoiler commentary!

HBO has ordered season 1 of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and though it's still a couple years away, this video will give you a comprehensive look at what this show could bring us - the characters, the events, the mysteries, the tragedies, and the romances. I'll discuss the 3 published Dunk and Egg novellas AS WELL AS everything we know about their lives after the novellas. Some good memes and Bloodraven jokes.

Episode 4 of House of the Dragon was the best yet - and the hottest. My ep4 review will dive into the ideas behind Daemon's "big dragon philosophy" and how Rhaenyra experiments with putting that into play.

Daemon and Rhaenyra went on largely parallel journeys this week, overcoming some of their inner devils as they navigated a minefield of signs and portents. Viserys made a mess of his rituals and omens, did he bring a curse down upon House Targaryen?

Episode 2 was all about the game of thrones - the power game, in other words. Basically everyone was rising and falling, moving and shaking, so here's the breakdown and who's coming out ahead and how each character is developing their power... and why Rhaenyra was the most heroic character of the week! Also featuring Alicent, Corlys, Viserys, Daemon, and Ser Criston

The conversations between Valyrians stole the show in week 2, and the symbolism was shining bright! Full breakdown of the intro sequence as well! And yes this is a tad late, I'm updating the feed today and will try to get on top of it. I'm un the process of overhauling the feed to get more up here regularly, and don't forget that I do a live postgame show every week following the airing of House of the Dragon!

I may decide to make a separate House of the Dragon feed but for now, here's the 3 hours of therapy, fun, and analysis that I did with Grey Waste Tim and Girl Nettles after the first episode!

So... which team do we root for? Which lords, knights, queens, princesses, princes, or kings? Most importantly... which dragonlord? Can any of them live up to the standard Daenerys set?

Holy cow did I ever get behind on the podcast feed. Well get ready for tons of stuff this week. So sorry everyone. As always the video versions of these are on the David Lightbringer YouTube channel!

Queen Alicent of House Hightower - is she one of the main culprits of the Dance of the Dragons civil war, or was she one of the wiser heads who made suggestions that could have avoided the war? or both? How will House of the Dragon adapt her story?

Did the maesters really help provoke the Dance of the Dragons Targaryen Civil War as way of killing off the dragons, and will this potential conspiracy plot-line be included in House of the Dragon? Apostate Archmaester Marwin the Mage directly accused the Maesters of this dastardly conspiracy in A Feast for Crows, so let's investigate in the first of 2 episodes.

Check out the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IQyNfnaNWyA

By the time of the Dance, Vhagar is by far the biggest and baddest dragon in Westeros, with a 132-year rap sheet of destruction. Let us walk her path of carnage so as to better understand the role she'll play in HotD, where she'll be ridden by Laena Velaryon and Aemond One-Eye Targaryen. Check out the full video on the David Lightbringer YouTube channel to see all the latest fan artwork!

Get a preview of the 10 (or so) dragons (and dragonlords) we are likely to see in Season 1 of House of the Dragon (premiering Aug 21), including one you might not expect! And including a dragon-related trivia factoid for each dragon! Don't miss the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/cjwtmxY5S7s

HBO gave us some TASTY new House of the Dragon photos along with the release date (Aug 21st), and one in particular hits on a big reason why I think HotD could be better than Game of Thrones, particularly from a storytelling perspective. I'll tell you about that, break down all the images, and give you a bit on what makes these characters tick. If you haven't seen the images, you can check out the video version of this podcast on my channel, or this link to my twitter thread about them: https://twitter.com/thedragonLML/status/1509326566366474241?s=20&t=ligc3_TyAiiQsHVvlJrdOw

Hey friends, there's a longer note on the beginning of this pod, but just real quick, please enjoy my first video for my new "regular mythology" YouTube channel, Mythic Concepts. Please check out the video on the channel and give it a sub! Just follow this link or search "Mythic Concepts" on YouTube :) https://youtu.be/No2w-7-SZqA

What are Giant Ice Spiders? Will we see them when the Long Night falls? Can they climb the Wall? All that, plus a brand new theory about Others and the weirwoods - 'white walker teleportation theory.' Be sure to check out the YouTube version, as I've created some pretty fun white walker teleportation animations with Photoshop that I'm perhaps overly proud of. Right on the front page of the David Lightbringer YouTube channel!

It's here, my magnum opus of Dany analysis. This was two months worth of work, a double-length feature, and I hope you'll share it far and wide wherever you discuss ASOIAF. DOn't miss the YouTube version which includes some 400+ pieces of Dany art! youtube.com/c/davidlightbringer

The exciting conclusion to the Melisandre's Secrets series is here! This one focuses on Jon and Melisandre, and more broadly on all the ways Melisandre's magics and secrets could translate into spectacular deeds at the end of the story. I decided to present the script live so as to flow into a discussion of all the possibilities, so enjoy a mix of scripted content and discussion!

Melisandre is probably going to make Jon into a fire wight, sure, but did you know that she's also going to create a fire wight strike force of resurrected Night's Watchmen to fight at his side? It's true, and you need to know about it. Get ready for some classic mythical astronomy in this one, and even a sash of Timett Son of Timett!

George R.R. Martin has called Beric a "fire wight" and a foreshadowing for Jon Snow's inevitable resurrection, and most people think Melisandre will give Jon R'hllor's "last kiss" at some point, so it's an important thing to understand... but it also turns out to help reveal the secret origins of R'hllorism - an origin that has roots in both Asshai and Westeros, and the events of the Long Night.

Fire Others - beings of living flame, the exact opposite of the white walkers - exist. And Melisandre is becoming one... just in time for the great war against the Others. The ones made of ice. The true secret at the heart of R'hllorism is revealed here in Melisandre's Secrets 2!

Melisandre of Asshai is both a shadowbinder and a red priestess of R'hllor, a powerful sorceress set to play a big role in the endgame. With Melisandre as our guide, we'll be able to unlock the all-important, Azor-Ahai-centric secrets of the shadowbinders and R'hllorists, and figure out why Jon and Dany are both being advised by shadowbinders. Part 1 of 4. And don't skip out on the YouTube version - the Melisandre fan art is AMAZING!

Moon meteor theory has been updated in grand style! Be sure to check out the videos on YouTube; I've done some of my finest cross-fades, and I believe there's a comet-penis animation you won't want to miss. All 5 parts are packaged together here for your convenience.

Nightbringer series playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHvft-cyPmDUS-s6_uIR2XJ48k5eTl36

Time for a prediction / theory video: Dany will get her hands on a Valyrian glass candle and will use it for all kinds of fun stuff! I'm basically certain this will happen, so check out the evidence and just what it is I think she might use the candle to do.

New Theory Alert: Daenerys will be the one to sound the Valyrian Dragonbinder Horn! That's right - the foreshadowing is clear. Oh, and, that horn might do something much greater and much worse than simply "binding dragons," so we'll need to talk about that...

In the third of three videos explaining how the mythology of Odin and Yggdrasil heavily influenced ASOIAF, we'll dive into Jon Snow as the embodiment of Odin's berserk battle fury (for which Odin is named). I'll also show you how skinchanging, greenseeing, and northern culture in general comes from Odin mythology related to wolves, ravens, and bears.

In the second of three videos explaining how the mythology of Odin and Yggdrasil heavily influenced ASOIAF, we'll dive into Bran Stark's tendency to fall, fly, hatch eyeballs from his forehead, and of course, 'trip his little Stark nuts off.' We'll compare the Nightfort to Valhalla, and we'll visit Whitewalls from The Mystery Knight to discuss the wily Maynard Plumm, who is of course Bloodraven. As always, you van find the matching video on the lucifermeanslightbringer YouTube channel to enjoy the full visual experience.

The first of three videos explaining how the mythology of Odin, Norse god of shamanism and many other things, heavily influenced George R. R. Martin's ideas about magic, weirwoods, greenseers, skinchangers, and the North. Part 1 will cover Bloodraven and the greenseer relationship with the weirwood, p2 will cover Bran and his version of Bloodraven's Odin symbolism (plus action at the Nightfort and Whitewalls form the Mystery Knight), and p3 will cover Jon, skinchanging, and the animal-like fury of Odin's berserker warriors.

Well, this one literally took me a month to make, I hope you enjoy it! A deep dive into the mother goddess mythology and Vedic Indian mythology in particular from which George fashioned the greatest character in modern fiction, Daenerys Targaryen. Kali, Durga, Sati, Vritra, Dany, Shiva, Parvati, all play a part, plus we'll say a quick hello to Adam and Eve, Aphrodite, Jormungandr, Tiamat, and a few other notable personages from world folklore. Who hang out top the Great Pyramid of Meereen, dochyaknow.

Indian music courtesy https://www.yellowtunes.net/

This video is both a culmination of the Origins of the Green Men series **as well as** a tour de force demonstration of George Martin's hyper-advanced "story-within-a-story" writing technique. You wont find writing like this anywhere else, in my experience! You also won't find this analysis anywhere else, nor because I'm smarter than anyone else, but because those other channels lack the devotion to Garth that we practice here.

My definitive theory on the the weirwood origins of the "white walkers of the wood," as they are called. This ties together my green man ideas and my crucial "Azor Ahai invades the weirwoodnet and corrupts it" theory and shows how they relate to the creation of the Others.

My definitive video concerning the Green men, Garth, the Isle of Faces, and the Weirwoods! It's going to get more than a little bit horny, fair warning :)

We're told very little about the Sacred Order of Green Men on the Isle of Faces - like, what are they even? But we know the Isle of Faces is full of weirwoods, and is probably important to the story. Good news! I think I've solved this most obscure of origin mysteries in ASOIAF, and the story begins in the far east, on the Holy Isle of Leng... or, rather, beneath it...

Sure, Jon may be the Prince That Was Promised... but what if he's also the Prince That Was Promised to the Others? This video will examine the possibility of an ancient baby-swapping pact with the Others that Jon may have to fulfill...

Hey friends! This is live podcast presentation form a couple months back that never made it to the feed, and it's a really good one too! The Stallion Who Mounts the World prophecy is thundering with symbolism, and we are going to ride the lightning along with Dany - and Bran. I'm working on catching up and getting more stuff on the podcast feed, so I hope you enjoy. Thanks for all your support!

Jon is dead, as of the last pages of A Song of Ice and Fire, and though we all expect his inevitable resurrection will be gnarlier than on the show, but just how much gnarlier? Perhaps, very.

Did mankind really "fall" with the eating of the forbidden fruit of the 'Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,' or did Eve actually take the first symbolic steps towards free will and self-determination? The lens of sacred symbolism reveals the hidden, ancient truth lurking beneath centuries of religious dogma, and it's a truth that liberates and transforms.  Also, big news: this video is the beginning of an upcoming BOOK! "Paradise Gained: Christianity, Sacred Symbolism, and Freedom from Dogma" by David Beers. Sign up for the Indiegogo mailing list by searching "Paradise gained" on Indiegogo or at this link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/--170477/coming_soon/x/25229751

The original, one-and-only "Darkstar will steal Dawn" theory, starring Ser Gerold "Darkstar" Dayne and also featuring Edric Dayne, fAegon, Arianne, Jon Snow, and of course Arthur Dayne.

There is no "Night King / leader of the Others" figure in the current book storyline like there was on the show. But one could emerge... and that one is Night's King Crowseye!

Astral Projection! Weirwoods! Dunk and Egg! Sleipnir and Yggdrasil! It's all here in Weirwood Compendium 9! This was a scripted podcast that I presented live, lightly edited for the podcast feed. WWC 10 coming next week on the pod feed!

Daenerys Targaryen is an abolitionist dragonlord with fire to spare. The Others are magical ice demons who enslave the dead. Seems like a match made in the heart of winter...  don't miss the follow up Q&A stream on Sunday Sept 27th, or catch it on the replay on YouTube!

A god-king born from the graves a charnel pits. The most horrifying, twisted version of Azor Ahai reborn imaginable. The usher and the ruler of a new age of darkness. The third head of the dragon. A new Night's King. Euron Greyjoy may be all these things and more.

We haven't seen a leader of the Others yet in the books, but the symbolism suggests that one will emerge...  Hey friends! So sorry to get behind on the podcast feed, but I'll be catching up this week. I do want to remind you that most YT livestreams will not appear in the podcast feed, as it's simply too time consuming to edit all of the audio, so do make sure to check in at the channel. I will however put Weirwood Compendium 9 and 10 on the feed this week, so cheers and enjoy!

Were Azor Ahai and Night's King the same person? The symbolism of Stannis Baratheon and Jon Snow tell the story. Val is in this one too :)

Nothing less than my best case for the theory that Night's King and Queen lived during the Long Night and created the first white walkers. Huge thanks to Durran Durrrandon and his essay: https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/126880-one-god-two-gods-red-god-blue-god-melisandre-and-the-nights-queen/

We don't see much of the others on the pages of A Song of Ice and Fire, but George cleverly slips us clues about them by the use of a symbolic proxy, a kind of metaphorical stand-in... and that would be the white knights of the Kingsguard. Make sure to check out the video on the lucifer means lightbringer youtube channel so you get all my jokes. Love y'all. 

The Azor Ahai myth is moral relativism test for the reader - one which Dave and Dan failed. See why a deeper look at this all-important legend dictates that George R. R. Martin is *not* steering his books towards a similar ending.

How do the legends of Azor Ahai and Lightbringer, which are from Asshai and the Further East, connect to Westeros, Dawn, the last hero and his dragonsteel, the Night's Watch, and the War for the Dawn? Are any Westerosi Houses descended from the Great Empire of the Dawn? (hint: yes) It's all here...

Evidence abounds for the existence of a pre-Valyrian, pre-Long Night civilization of dragonlords, now mostly vanished from the pages of history. The evidence leads us to Asshai, and to a legend of a Dawn Age high civilization called the Great Empire of the Dawn...

This is the audio version, but I highly recommend checking out the video on YouTube, as I included a lot of amazing Asshai, Five Forts, and Essos artwork that you probably haven't seen, as well as some handy-dandy visual aids and maps and things. Cheers!

Featuring special guests Quinn's Ideas, Melanie Lot7, and Ba'al the Bard! We will take questions from the live audience and discuss Dany's overall plot arc. We'll also hit a couple bits from the end of ASOS that we missed last time, like the Mhysa moment, the crucifixion of the Meereenese slavers, and her decision to stay in Meereen.

In AFFC, the Faceless Men of Braavos seem to take credit for engineering the Doom of Valyria, and most in the fandom agree they had a hand in it. But the Faceless Men usually work for hire, and there's this weird Valyrian prophecy about the gold of casterly Rock destroying Valyria... so did someone hire the Faceless Men to do the deed? There's a strong case to made that someone did - the Targaryens of Dragonstone. In other words... T+FM=D, or, "the Doom was an inside job."

Before the House of the Dragon arose on Dragonstone, there was The Doom of Valyria. House Targaryen was born from the ashes of the Doom, which left them as the only people in the entire world with control of dragons. Convenient, that. We'll discuss the motivations, mechanics, and machinations involved in pulling off the Doom, and how it shaped House Targaryen. Featuring Ba'al the Bard, recorded live Sunday 1/26/20

Dissatisfied in the extreme with Dany's ending on the HBO show, we're hitting the books to reveal her true character. This podcast will cover her A Storm of Swords chapters, which finds Daenerys beginning to her draconic power in Slaver's Bay. What does this portend for Dany's potential conquest of Westeros, and her use of power in general? Featuring Melanie Lot7. Recorded live 01/19/20

(NOTE: this pod has been updated as of 8EST, 1/8/2020 for audio errors. You may need to delete and redownload!) Ba'al the Bard of the Fandomentals joins me to continue our quest to reveal the true character of Daenerys Targaryen, this week with her ACOK material. Journey through the red waste and on to Qarth with our Khaleesi and true queen, Daenerys Targaryen, as she navigates traps and snares, discovers her path of destiny, and takes on the mantle of leadership. What does the concept fo "magical destiny" mean to Dany, and what does it it say about what she will do when she gets to Westeros?

Recorded live Dec 22nd, 2019. The first of 4 podcasts designed to set the record straight concerning the true character of Daenerys Targaryen. This first podcast will discuss all her key character-building and character-revealing moments from A Game of Thrones, with subsequent pods to cover the other books of A Song of Ice and Fire that she is in. If you were unhappy with her ending on the HBO show, take heart. There is reason to believe she is not headed for the same fate in the books. One note: we will be discussing scenes of sexual violence and rape (with appropriate tact and care, of course), so please make sure you're prepared for such discussion before playing, and probably don't play this one around the kiddos. Thanks to everyone who came out and made this stream a success, and the next one is scheduled for Sunday, January 5th, on the lucifermeanslightbringer YouTube channel.

Recorded live Sunday Nov 10th, this live discussion follows up on the topics in King Bran: The God-on-Earth and opens new Ho-doors of inquiry into the nature of Bran's kingship and the overall endgame of A Song of Ice and Fire. What will happen when Bran and Dany's plots converge in the books? What role will the maesters play in all this? We even had a fun deviation into Lady Stoneheart's cave to speculate on Jaime and Brienne's fate. Thanks to everyone that came out!

Why should Bran Stark be King of Westeros? It's going to make more sense in the books, my friends, because Bran's greenseer magic will be much more important in the books - not only to defeat the others, but also use the knowledge of the weirwood to pull a "Bran-the-REbuilder" act for a Westeros in dire need. Above all, Bran should be king because he is the Prometheus of this story - the one who brings the fire of the gods to mankind, and specifically to **aid**mankind. The matching text is on the LmL website, as usual, and look for a follow-up livestream in the next 2 weeks! Subscribe to the YouTube channel to make sure you don't miss it.

Thanks to everyone who sent in all the amazing questions, they made for a great session. The discussion ranged from King Bran and greenseer stuff to the idea of the weirwoods as abominations and more. There may or may not be karaoke here (you've been warned)

Better late than never, it's a live QnA I did on YouTube to follow up on King Bran 1 on September 1st, 2019. Featured is Wizz-the-Smith's legendary Hollow Hills material, which he kindly allowed us to discuss, and it's a great compliment to the ancient greenseer kings theory. Check out his full essay at the link below, and thanks to everyone who sent in questions! https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/143917-the-caves-are-timeless-hollow-hills-magic-castles-and-greenseers/

The best way to understand what GRRM wants to do with King Bran is to think about it in mythical terms. Bran's will ascend to the throne as the new Summer King of Westeros, in the Oak (Summer) King / Holly (Winter) King sense. Funny thing - our story began with a summer oak king figure on the throne - King Robert - and even the "First King" of Westeros was a summer oak king figure. Bran will not only help to end the new Long Night, but to make sure the dream of spring gives birth to summer.

Yes, Bran WILL be King in the books, but he will be a greenseer king. Take a walk through everything we know about greenseers, wargs, skinchangers, and what they've done with their power in Westeros to get an idea of what "Bran the God King" really means. Featuring vocal performances by Martin Lewis.

I got together with Quinn from Ideas of Ice and Fire this past Sunday July 21st to talk about how the books might end vs. how the TV show did end, with a focus on getting fired up for The Winds of Winter. Lots of fun speculation here, enjoy! Please visit lucifermeanslightbringer.com for all things Mythical Astronomy, and check out Ideas of Ice and Fire on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1rFmaGLYr0Ve_Y_soxZNWQ

HBO's game of Thrones is over, but the big question remains: how will George and story? The End of Ice and Fire series will rip into this question, comparing the way the show ended various plot lines to the foreshadowing George has laid out in the books. One thing is for sure - a big battle against the others at Winterfell is coming. But what will it look like in the books? Matching text at: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2019/07/03/end-of-ice-and-fire-4-the-battle-of-winterfell/

What's this now? A Mythical Astronomy podcast? Yes! Herein lies the audio of the 3 End of IAF videos I did during Season 8, along with with some commentary about both what these predictions and foreshadowings mean for the book ending as well as what the show endings that we saw mean for the possible book ending. This pod will preview some of the topics of my next few podcasts and videos, which all focus on comparing the TV show ending to what the books have foreshadowed. Enjoy.

Hey friends! I have here a live QnA I did a few weeks ago, as well as a channel update at the beginning. Enjoy!

The next 3 podcasts, labelled Old Crones Myth Head Roundtable Parts 1-3, are a hybrid of scripted material and live discussion, because I was getting into territory where I felt it advantageous to draw upon the wisdom of the hive mind, so to speak, and it came out really well. You can follow along with the scripted portions the link below. This first installment will dive into several crone figures with old ones symbolism, from Lady Stoneheart to the Ghost of the High Heart to Craster's Wives to Thistle the Wildling. The larger topic will be the connection between Nissa Nissa and Night's Queen, something we were last exploring in Signs and Portals. Featuring Melanie Lot7, Archmaester Emma, Ba'al the Bard, Maester Merry, and Sanrixian. Hope you enjoy, and I'll have the next two out as soon as possible.  http://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2019/03/15/old-crones/

Recorded live Sun Mar 3rd. Sorry for the delay in posting guys! Trying to catch up / get assistance with audio editing. This episode features Quinn from Ideas of Ice and Fire, who is with me to explore the seeming connection between the Others and the Green Men. Original music by yours truly, and the matching text can be found at https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2019/03/02/cold-gods-and-cold-bones/

Featuring Quinn from Ideas of Ice and Fire and Silas Toms from the Gods of Terror blog!  Matching text: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2019/02/10/the-horned-lords/

Oopsie!! So sorry if you downloaded the previous version of this, but it's all better now. Featuring Quinn from Ideas of Ice and Fire and Silas Toms from the Gods of Terror blog!  Matching text: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2019/01/27/the-great-old-ones/

Music by LmL

A comparative study of the culture and origins of the Dothraki, Sarnori, and Jogos Nhai, with an eye towards their potential origins inside the Great Empire of the Dawn. Featuring Aziz from History of Westeros! Matching text can be found at https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2018/12/30/great_empire_of_the_dawn_flight_of_the_bones/

In WC7, we began swimming in the greenseer / green sea symbolism of Daenerys Targaryen, and today we are going out further from shore - but don't worry, we have a silver seahorse to ride. Featuring everything you could ever want to know about the symbolism of House Velaryon, silver horses, and silver dragons, and some new clues about what happened to Nissa Nissa inside the weirwoodnet. Featuring the vocal performances of Ba'al the Bard.

Joining me to discuss the We Should Start Back reverse-reading of the AGOT prologue episode is Painkiller Jane and Crowfood's Daughter of the Disputed Lands! Also featuring Colin Longstrider's essay "We Should Fly Back," a reverse reading of Bran III, AGOT (from falling to flying in the come dream). Recorded live Sunday Dec 2nd, 2018

Colin's Essay: https://theeighthspoke.wordpress.com/2018/12/01/we-should-fly-back-a-reverse-reading-of-bran-iii-agot/

The Disputed Lands: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedisputedland

Joining me to discuss the new George R. R. Martin book Fire and Blood is Aziz from History of Westeros, Crowfood's Daughter from the Disputed Lands, Archmaester Emma from Red Mice at Play, Melanie Lot7, and Sanrixian, the Hand of the Dragon! This one is taken straight from YouTube with no editing, apologies - was having technical difficulties with my audio editing software this week. It's a great discussion though, so I hope you enjoy!

It's the mythical astronomy break-down of the all-important AGOT prologue, and it contains a secret: this entire chapter can be read backwards!

Recorded live Sunday Nov. 18th, 2018

What would you say if I told you that Daenerys has a ton of greenseer symbolism? Well it's true, and this episode is only the beginning. Prepare for dive into the green Dothraki Sea along side the mother of dragons. Thanks to Archmaester Emma of the Red Mice at Play blog for performing the vocal readings. Live follow-up QnA Sunday Nov 11th on the lucifermeanslightbringer YouTube channel..

An all-star myth head cast gathers in costume to decipher the mad sayings of Patchface, everyone's favorite antlered-bucket wearing fool. Featuring Crowfood's Daughter for The Disputed Lands, Quinn from Ideas of Ice and Fire, Joe Magician, Painkiller Jane, Sanrixian, and yours truly as Patchface. The full video is up on the LucifermeansLightbringer youtube channel if you'd like to see the costumes. Recorded live Sunday Oct 28th, 2018.

Featuring Melanie Lot7, Ba'al the Bard a.k.a. Gretchen Ellis ,and Sanrixian. We took questions from the chat, mostly pertaining to the material in the last few Signs and Portals episodes, Weirwood Compendium episodes, and the Zodiac Children of Garth the Green episode. Lots of exploration into the potential connection between Nissa Nissa and Night's Queen. Live music by your truly.

It's the first half of our long-awaited zodiac children of Garth the Green episode! With the help of Archmaester Emma from the Red Mice at Play Wordpress blog to perform the vocal readings from the text, we will tackle the first 6 zodiac signs. The matching text to this podcast can be found at lucifermeanslightbringer.com, as usual. Thanks to Stanley Black for our intro music, and to John Walsh for our flamenco guitar.

We had ourselves a little myth head round-table to discuss the new excerpt from the forthcoming Fire and Blood, which is Vol.1 of the Targaryen history, as written by George of course. If you haven't read it, don't worry, we'll read it to you here. I was joined by Sanrixian, Melanie Lot7, Maester Merry, Joe Magician, and Ba'al the Bard a.k.a. Gretchen. Recorded live Sunday Sept. 30th

Featuring the green see wordplay of Ravenous Reader, the Poetess of the Nennymoans! This is one of those "you'll never read the books the same again" episodes. Quinn from Ideas of Ice and Fire performs the vocal readings from the text, a real treat. Matching text at http://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2018/09/12/the-devil-and-the-deep-green-see/

The Weirwood Compendium is back with a new episode! Featuring Melanie, Lot Seven for our vocal performances, plus our intro music by Stanley Black and our flamenco music by John Walsh.The matching text can be found at: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2018/09/04/to-ride-the-green-dragon/

This is a heavily-edited version of the live presentation of this podcast from Sunday, Aug 5th, 2018. For the full version, including some amazing Sanrixian art, check out https://youtube.com/lucifermeanslightbringer. Featuring Maester Merry from the Up From Under Winterfell YouTube channel performing the vocal readings. Matching text to this essay at lucifermeanslightbringer.com. Come join us for the QnA Livestream Sunday Aug 12th on the LmL YouTube channel!

It's the long awaited Vale episode - the first of several - but it's alos launching a new series, which will go where we have never gone before: into the weirwoodnet. The book readings are performed by Maester Merry from the Up From Under Winterfell YouTube channel, so thanks to her, thanks to Stanley Black and John Walsh for our music. Part 2, Sansa Locked in Ice, will be performed live Sunday August 5th at 3 EST on the LucifermeansLightbringer YouTube channel.

The matching text can be found here: https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2018/07/07/vale-of-frozen-tears/

Featuring Aziz from History of Westeros, Gemma from Secrets of the Citadel, and Joe Magician from Maester Monthly podcast and the Joe Magician YouTube channel. Recorded live July 15th, 2018

Featuring Eliana a.k.a. Glass Table Girl and Chloe a.k.a. the Queen of Love and Booty from the Girls Gone Canon podcast as well as Crowfood's Daughter from the Disputed Lands! Flamenco guitar by John Walsh of the John Walsh Guitar YouTube channel.

This is a live performance of the usual scripted podcast, featuring Quinn from ideas of Ice and Fire live performing the readings from the text. It's basically all the symbolism I have found pointing towards another moon meteor incident as the cause of the new Long Night we all know is coming - but symbolically, this is all tied to Jon's resurrection, as I'll explain. We are going to study the Wall and Winterfell in detail, both places which are packed with symbolic messages about the new Long Night and Jon as a sort of frozen dragon or ice dragon. A huge thanks to everyone who came out live and cheered me on! Couldn't have done it without you all!

Ideas of Ice and Fire: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1rFmaGLYr0Ve_Y_soxZNWQ/

The debut of my new live panel show, where I will choose a topic and invite on a panel of guests to discuss said topic! The topic today is the timeline, and my special guests are Tony Teflon of the Teflon TV YouTube channel, Gray of the Gray Area YouTube channel, and Quinn from the Ideas of Ice and Fire YouTube channel. We touched on many topics revolving around the events and supposed history of the Dawn Age and Age of Heroes: the first maesters' involvement with the children of the forest and magic in general, the Pact (when, why, how, and who), the creation of the Others, the building of the Wall, the Hammer of the Waters, smelly dirty ringforts, the new TV show, the Season 8 finale, ice dragons, and of course, what makes GRRM great. Thanks to everyone who watched live and sent in questions!

Featuring Gemma from Secrets of the Citadel and Joe Magician. Recorded live at Con of Thrones, Saturday May 27th, 2018. Find the video at youtube.com/c/lucifermeanslightbringer

Joe Magician: youtube.com/c/joemagician

Secrets of the Citadel: youtube.com/c/secretsofthecitadel

Featuring Quinn Howard of Ideas of Ice and Fire and Crowfood's Daughter from The Disputed Lands as well as myself (LmL).This is the second in a series of panel discussions recorded live at Con of Thrones 2018. You can see the live version on YouTube (which I recommend).

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the fundraiser and to all of my Patreons, you made this possible!

The first in a series of panel discussions recorded live at Con of Thrones 2018. The audio is from the video camera, so not perfect, but I didn't want to wait for the official audio files to be released to bring this one to you. You can see the live version on YouTube (which I recommend) at https://youtu.be/e2AbLbiq_1c

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the fundraiser and to all of my Patreons, you made this possible!

What is there to say here? It's the Mythical Astronomy Ned Stark episode. The Blood of the Other series is all about House Stark, so you know we have to talk about the Ned.

Intro music by Stanley Black, flamenco guitar by John Walsh, vocal acting by the Amethyst Koala.

The Chasing Shadows livestream went by so well that we didn't have a proper chance to answer all the questions people sent in or to explore the mystery of Brandon Ice Eyes and the Wolf's Den, so I had another livestream on Sunday April 15th, and this is that livestream. Some great observations coming form the chat and from readers in this one, thanks everyone who came out and submitted questions!

The YouTube version is here, in case you'd like to see the snowbeard and black crown: https://youtu.be/kgtr0tz8dH4

With special guest Robert from In Deep Geek! Recorded live on Sat April 7th. We only got to half the questions, so I'll be doing *another* livestream next Sunday, April 15th, at 5:00 EST! Come on through! We'll also have that discussion about the Wolf's Den and Brandon Ice Eyes that we didn't have time for here. Thanks to all who came out.

Time to take all that Stark / Dayne / last hero stuff and apply it to characters who fit the stolen Other archetype! This means all the Eldric variants of Houses Stark and Dayne, including Edric Snowbeard and Edric "Ned" Dayne, plus a ton of awesome Davos stuff, including his chapter as a prisoner if the Wolf's Den at White Harbor. Close analysis of the scenes involving these figures bring us closer than ever before to understanding the nature of those who carry the Blood of the Other, the fine folks we know as House Stark.

Robert from In Deep Geek returns to perform the readings from the text, and thanks as always to Stanley Black for our intro music and John Walsh for our flamenco guitar music. Find the matching text and our Patreon page at https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com, and join us for the follow up QnA livestream on Saturday, April 7th, at 3:00 pm EST at youtube.com/c/lucifermeanslightbringer

Blood of the Other 2 has us following the trail of the last hero - was he a Stark? A Dayne? Both, somehow? In search of the answer, we'll cross paths with Elric of Melnibone and Tolkien's Numenorians and magic swords beyond counting. Vocal acting by Robert from the InDeepGeek YouTube channel, intro music by Stanley Black, and flamenco guitar by John Walsh

This Livestream was recorded Saturday, March 3rd, 2018. Crowfood's Daughter of the Disputed Lands YouTube channel was my guest, and we covered even more Bael related mythology and took live questions and pre-submitted questions both. Enjoy!

This YouTube video of this stream can be found here: https://youtu.be/VIZFaILMAF8?t=2m35s

Crowfood's Daughter's Shade of the Evening video is here: https://youtu.be/KiHDmj2jrtI

The Blood of the Other series swings in to full gear by exploring the blood tie between the Starks and the Others. We'll consider the potential historical precedent of Gilly as a Night's Queen figure whose baby is smuggled away by the Night's Watch before being turned in to an Other. Theme music by Stanley Black. Flamenco guitar by John Walsh. Vocal performances by Martin Lewis and the Amethyst Koala.

Oh-ho! It's a new series! This one branches off from the Moons of Ice and Fire series and will discuss the icy origins of House Stark and the nature of their link to the Others. You can find the matching text here: http://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2018/02/22/prelude-to-a-chill/

Intro music by Stanley Black. Music by John Walsh. Music by LmL. Vocal performances by Martin Lewis, the Amethyst Koala.

Quinn from the Ideas of Ice and Fire YouTube channel invited me on his new, revamped podcast to talk about the magical creatures of ASOIAF! It was too good not to share with you all, so I am bringing it to you as a bonus episode. The original version of this, complete with video accompaniment, can be found on the Ideas of Ice and Fire channel:

https://youtu.be/HYnvuF8aMB8

Here's the livestream we did on Jan 20th, 2018, as a follow up to the R+L=J, A Recipe for Ice Dragons episode.

It's R+L=J, but done Mythical Astronomy style. Instead of discussing how many nursemaids might have been at the Tower of Joy, we'll be gaining an understanding of how Jon parallels the Others. I'd say more, but I don't want to ruin the fun. Featuring special guest reader Gemma from the Secrets of the Citadel YouTube channel, as well as our theme music by John Walsh. Join us for the follow up livestream Saturday, Jan. 20th at 3:30 est on our YouTube channel! Matching text at http://lucifermeanslightbringer.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/lucifermeanslightbringer

https://www.youtube.com/c/secretsofthecitadel

https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnWalshGuitar

I am joined by special guest Poor Quentyn (poorquentyn.tumblr.com/) for a fun discussion of Night's King, Euron, Stannis, the Undying, and Hizdahr's frozen dream penis. It's just me for the first 25 minutes or so, then Poor Quentyn joins in. Thanks to everyone who joined us live and sent in questions. I didn't get to them all and will save some for next time. Happy Holidays, and I hope you enjoy!

To begin to penetrate the shroud of mystery around the legend of Night's King, we will use the familiar method of examining characters which seem to echo his archetype - Stannis Baratheon, Jon Snow, and Euron Crow's Eye. Stunningly, all of these characters also demonstrate clear Azor Ahai reborn symbolism - and I believe that is because Night's King was either Azor Ahai, or his son or brother. A blood of the dragon person. Contents include nightmare visions, Others wordplay, Warlock Wine, a dragon-on-dragon battle, all of Euron's symbolism, and tons of fodder for JonValJon shippers. Music by John Walsh, voice acting by Martin Lewis.

Recorded live last Saturday. Thanks to everyone who participated! Theme music by John Walsh.

For the Youtube video of this livestream, go to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lucifermeanslightbringer

Our third installment in the Moons of Ice and Fire series examines Aegon the Conqueror, Visenya, and Rhaenys as a model for the solar king with two lunar queens. This will lead us to a dramatic revelation about the Night's King, of all people, and will prepare us to examine Rhaegar, Elia and Lyanna as a matching "mythical astronomy love triangle." This is a bloody and action packed episode with tons of dragon carnage, so dig in and enjoy. Send in your questions or comments for our next livestream episode and then subscribe to the lucifermeanslightbringer YouTube channel to be notified when we do a livestream. As always, the matching text can be found at http://lucifermeanslightbringer.com. Music courtesy John Walsh.

u/JoeMagician of Reddit and Watchers on the Wall renown joins me, Lucifer means Lightbringer, to present to you a set of spooky theories about the Winterfell crypts so terrifying, so horrifying, you might not even be able to read The Winds of Winter when it comes out. Most of this is be a scripted presentation, with the last 45 minutes opened up to questions, insults, and other absurdities. Recorded live on Sunday, October 29th. Watch the video on Youtube at https://youtu.be/AOpdompYE94?t=15m01s

Our first livestream Q&A session of the Moons of Ice and Fire series! Recorded live, Saturday October 14th.

We are going to talk about the Others. We are going to talk about Dawn. We are going to talk about Dawn having an ancient link to the Others and ice magic and House Stark. I believe this is the sort of thing which interests you. As a bonus, I'll explain why the Kingsguard are perfect symbolic parallels to the Others, which is totally weird once you pick up on it. Vocal performances by Martin Lewis, guitar music by John Walsh. Matching text is at https://www.lucifermeanslightbringer.com

Follow up Q&A Youtube Livestream Sat Oct 14th at 3:30 EST!

A new series is upon us, and with it, the Others. We'll begin by studying the Night's Queen, the cold maiden with skin as white as the moon and eyes like blue stars. Find the matching text at lucifermeanslightbringer.com, as well as links to our Patreon, any links mentioned in the episode, etc.

Our music provided by John Walsh, and our vocal acting by Martin "The Reader" Lewis and the Amethyst Koala.

This is an audio version of the livstream QnA sessions we did on our YouTube channel. If you want to see the video, visit https://www.youtube.com/c/lucifermeanslightbringer

We will be doing these YouTube livestreams every month in between podcasts going forward. If you'd like to have a question answered next time, just leave a comment on either the YouTube or Wordpress version of the next episode. Cheers!

Part 3 of our series on all things related to undead skinchangers, the last hero, Jon Snow, and Green Men turns our attention towards the companions of the last hero, who were almost certainly the original black brothers of the Night's Watch. The is ample evidence to suggest that not only was the last hero an undead skinchanger, but so to were his companions.  The origins of the Night's Watch and the humanity's victory over the Long Night are rooted in greenseer magic, and we'll attempt to get to the bottom of it all in this episode. The matching text can be found at lucifermeanslightbringer.com, as well as the link to our patreon campaign.  Vocal performances by the Amethyst Koala and Martin Lewis of the Echoes of Ice and Fire blog. Thanks to Animals as Leaders for providing the music for the podcast.

Resurrected fertility gods turn the seasons by dying in the autumn and resurrecting in the spring - but what happens if they are awakened too early, in the dead of winter? Skinchanger zombies, that's what happens.  You get the King of Winter.

The matching text to this podcast can be found at lucifermeanslightbringer.com

Thanks to Martin Lewis for the amazing vocal performances. Check out his Echoes of Ice and Fire for more performances and essays related to ASOIAF.

Thanks to Animals as Leaders for allowing us use of their music. Check out their new album here.

We attempt to answer the question, "What's with all the zombies in ASOIAF?" by exploring how George R. R. Martin has tied his concept of resurrection to the real-world folklore of the corn king and the horned god. Topics covered include Coldhands, Jon's resurrection, skinchanging, Garth the Green, green men, the brothers Baratheon, and the War for the Dawn.

The matching text to this podcast can be found at lucifermeanslightbringer.com.

Thanks to Martin Lewis for the amazing vocal performances. Check out his Echoes of Ice and Fire for more performances and essays related to ASOIAF.

Thanks to Animals as Leaders for allowing us use of their music. Check out their new album here.

Part Two, "The King of Winter and the Undead Night's Watch," to follow shortly.

So many of you commented on our Great Empire of the Dawn episode that we did with History of Westeros that we decided to do a follow up live episode based on your questions and comments. We recorded it Sat Oct. 22 and you can watch the video version on History of Westeros's Youtube channel.

Our long-awaited joint episode with History of Westeros on the long lost Great Empire of the Dawn is here! We're talking about Dawn Age dragonlords, ancient bloodlines, the Long Night and Azor Ahai and how they relate to Westeros and the Last Hero... we'll be giving you plenty to talk about. You don't need to have listened to any of my prior material to enjoy this, so share away. The video of this episode is available on History of Westeros's youtube page. This episode is based on an essay I wrote last year in collaboration with Durran Durrandon from Westeros.org. Check out his essay "Daenerys is the Amethyst Empress Reborn" for further reading.

Welcome to the Weirwood Compendium, where we will begin to reveal the secrets of the greenseers through the use of mythical astronomy analysis.  Our journey to the heart of the weirwoodnet actually begins with the Ironborn mythology, believe it or not, for the Ironborn folklore is actually shot through with covert references to weirwood. Whether it's the weirwood staff of the greatest Drowned Priest, Galon Whitestaff, or the ribs of Nagga, which are almost certainly petrified weirwood, or the tale of the Grey King carving the first longship from the hard, pale wood of the demon tree Ygg, we find that Ironborn culture once had a much stronger connection to weirwood that it does currently. Not only is this connection concealing a huge secret about greenseers and the Ironborn, it's also where we can begin to suss out the relationship between the moon meteors and the greenseers, and that's really the heart of the Long Night story.

The matching text to the podcast can be found on lucifermeanslightbringer.com

Venus-based mythology is perhaps some of the most important world mythology to know if you want to understand A Song of Ice and Fire. George has drawn upon it in creating the Night's Watch, House Dayne and the Sword Dawn, and of course, Lightbringer, as well as a few other things. 'Lucifer' is the Latin word for the planet Venus when it appears as the Morningstar - the bright star which appears in the east just before sunrise and heralds the break of day. The word Lucifer also translates to "light-bringer," "dawn-bringer," and "son of the morning." Calling Azor Ahai's famous sword "Lightbringer" directly equates it with Venus, and indeed, heralding the end of the Long Night is what Lightbringer is supposed to do.  But due to interesting celestial mechanics, Venus also takes a turn as the Evenstar - the bright star that appears in the west at sunset and heralds the nightfall. This is what our theorizing has told us about Azor Ahai - he's actually the dude who brought on the Long Night. In an interesting parallel, the Bible names both Jesus and Lucifer as the Morningstar.  All of this mythology is expressing the dual nature of the planet Venus, and that's what we'll explore in this podcast.

As usual, the matching text is available on lucifermeanslightbringer.com

Welcome to the new podcast feed!  In our seventh episode, we step back from the close reading of the text to talk about what it is we are doing with our analysis of symbolism and mythology.  We'll discuss how A Song of Ice and Fire fits into a critically important tradition of esoteric and symbolic art and literature, and why that is so relevant and compelling to us in today's modern era. This forms the foundation how we at Mythical Astronomy view the books, and thus, our methodology for analyzing them. This isn't just a case of a clever author hiding double-meanings in his writing for his own amusement, but rather the continuation and elevation of a grand literary tradition.

We've also got some very important information about the state of the podcast at the beginning.  The matching text to this episode and all episodes can be found on lucifermeanslightbringer.com.  Featuring the local talents of the Amethyst Koala and the music of Animals as Leaders.

Our first character-centric breakdown takes up the theory that Tyrion is a Targaryen bastard by examining two of his symbolic personas - the gargoyle and the twisted monkey demon. We'll dive into mysteries such as "why are Dragonstone and Winterfell the only two castles with gargoyles on them?" and "Is there a connection between the Last Hero and Azor Ahai?" We'll also ponder one of the first examples of mythical astronomy in the books, Bran's fall from the tower. Featuring the vocal talent of Paige Lawrence & Lady Nightwind. Matching text to the podcast can be found on lucifermeanslightbringer.com

Chapter review, Mythical Astronomy style: we rip into the trial by combat scene, of the most detailed examples of mythical astronomy in the series. We'll explore the symbolism of Oberyn Martel and Ser Gregor Clegane, and we will finally answer the question about what the Hammer of the Waters really was, and when it happened. Guest appearances by John the Fiddler, Tyrion the "giant" of Lannister, Sansa the medusa-maiden, the Last Hero, the sword Widow's Wail, and the purple wedding. As always, you can find the text of the podcast in essay form (plus a few pictures)at lucifermeanslightbringer.com

A special edition of the podcast - we join up with Aziz and Ashaya from History of Westeros for a joint episode on all things Asshai! Call it the 'Ancient Mythical History of Westeros (and sometimes Asshai).' There is no accompanying essay for this one - podcast only - but the video version of this is available on the History of Westeros Youtube channel, if you'd like to watch (we recorded live). Enjoy!

In this episode, we are going to explain: moon blood and a maiden's flowering; Oathkeeper's waves of night and blood; Melisandre's black and bloody tide, Jon Snow's rivers of black ice and Drogo's oily river of darkness; starry cloaks and decapitated bulls; dragon eclipses, lunar eclipses, and solar eclipses; dark stars and black hole moons; black iron roses and black iron ravens. We'll also ponder the possibility of an undead Azor Ahai and his army of zombies, not to mention undead Night's Watch brothers. We'll wave hello to gods and goddesses and get some blood on our hands. As always, you can follow along with the text of the episode on my lucifermeanslightbringer.com.

The legend of Azor Ahai says that he cracked the moon when he forged Lightbringer. Does this make Azor Ahai "the bad guy?" He stabbed his wife too, and to work blood magic. Is blood magic heroic, or abomination? And what's with this Bloodstone Emperor guy, who worshiped a black meteor during the Long Night? Is there a link between this black meteor, the meteors of the moon explosion, and the greasy black stone? And what does this tell us about the nature of Lightbringer? Follow along with the text of the episode at https://lucifermeanslightbringer.com/2016/01/04/thebloodstoneemperorazorahai/

What was the cause of the Long Night? Who was Azor Ahai, and what was Lightbringer? What is the meaning of the relationship between comets, dragons, and flaming swords? We'll attempt to answer these questions and a few others as we get blood on our podcasting sword for the first time. Follow along with the text of the episode on lucifermeanslightbringer.com, where you can also find my other essays. A big thanks to Animals as Leaders for allowing us the use of their music.