Alys Rivers is perhaps House of the Dragon‘s most mysterious character, but could she actually be Game of Thrones‘ Melisandre in disguise? First introduced at Harrenhal in Season 2, there’s still a lot we don’t know about Alys, what powers she might really have, and what her origins are. House of the Dragon‘s timeline is currently around 170 years before Thrones, meaning there’s almost no room for overlap between specific characters since the vast majority are several generations away, but Melisandre is one exception.
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As established in Game of Thrones, she’s around 400 years old by the events of that show, and her own origins and backstory before joining forces with Stannis Baratheon are similarly shrouded in mystery. Both characters are described as looking much younger than their actual ages, they’re each involved in visions and prophecy, they dabble in dark magics, and they’re influencing events around the Iron Throne. Naturally, that’s led to theories that Alys is Melisandre, or that they’re related. In an interview with ComicBook‘s Chris Killian ahead of House of the Dragon Season 3, Alys actor Gayle Rankin addressed the theory, saying:
“I am aware of it, for sure. I have also been asked, ‘Is she Melisandre’s mother or grandmother?’ Certainly, people have been making that connection. I don’t know if it’s for me to say. I feel like it’s a George R.R. Martin [question], that’s for him and his history. It’s not something I’ve excluded in how I’ve built the character. Not to evade the question, but it’s not something I can confirm or deny. We’re going to keep finding out more and more and more about Alys Rivers, but in terms of her connection to Melisandre, they are obviously connected universes, but it’s not something I built in consciously, but I didn’t exclude it either.”
Alys Rivers Probably Isn’t Melisandre (But Learning Her Backstory Should Still Be Fascinating)
Although the age makes it possible, as do the parallels between the characters and the fact that we know Melisandre is capable of powerful glamor magic to change her true appearance, it’s still unlikely that Alys and Melisandre are the same person, or that they’re even related. It’s certainly a fun theory, and draws from a long history of slightly tinfoil “X is actually Y” theories that have long been part of A Song of Ice and Fire discussions, but it doesn’t quite add up.
The key difference is in their approach to magic and visions. Melisandre worships R’hllor, the Lord of Light, and her powers are firmly linked to that. Alys, on the other hand, seems more closely aligned with the Old Gods, drawing upon the weirwood tree at Harrenhal as a means of showing visions of the future to Daemon Targaryen.
That would seem to be a rather fundamental disparity that rules it out, even before getting to the likelihood of Melisandre being around for both the Dance of the Dragons and then later reinventing herself for the War of the Five Kings (although both are linked to the Prince That Was Promised theory).
Even if she isn’t Melisandre, though, Alys is a fascinating character in her own right, and it’s very interesting to note Rankin’s comment that we will “keep finding out more and more and more” about her. Alys’ backstory and powers are things that have been speculated upon ever since Fire & Blood was released in 2018 (another theory is that she’s Leaf, one of the Children of the Forest), and eight years later, it seems like we’re finally about to get some real answers.
House of the Dragon Season 3 will premiere on June 21st on HBO and HBO Max.
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