Game of Thrones Melisandre, aka The Red Woman, served as the series’ most enigmatic figure, and Melisandre’s necklace was the particular focus of several mysteries. Like in Game of Thrones, Melisandre is a recurring character in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, and is said to have a more prominent role in forthcoming novels. Melisandre was a Red Priestess of the Lord of Light who served as an advisor to Stannis Baratheon. When Stannis died, Melisandre fled to Castle Black. After Jon Snow was killed by members of the Night’s Watch, Melisandre successfully resurrected him, believing he was “The Prince That Was Promised.” Melisandre then became Jon’s advisor until it was unearthed that she was the one who burned Shireen Baratheon at the stake. Becoming involved in Jon and Daenerys Targaryen’s fight against the White Walkers, Melisandre traveled to Winterfell for the big battle before accepting her own death.

The prophecies of Melisandre and her claims of wielding magic were supported by the large ruby necklace that glimmered whenever she would tap into these powers. Melisandre’s necklace was actually enchanted and hid her identity as an aging woman, giving her the power of youth. In season 6, Melisandre took off the necklace before going to bed. The beautiful woman instantly transformed into her true form as a frail elderly figure without the enchanted necklace. The moment, however, pointed to a plot hole from season 4 when Melisandre took a bath in the episode titled “Mockingbird.” In Dragonstone, the Red Woman was shown without her necklace, yet still in her young form. Apart from raising questions about how old Melisandre was in Game of Thrones, this showed a moment where she didn’t need the necklace to maintain appearances. The questionable moment has since been explained by the actress, but viewers had a better explanation for the scene. Here’s the controversy, confusion, and possible meaning behind Melisandre’s necklace explained.

Not Everyone Agreed That The Necklace Moment Was A Plot Hole

The necklace was meant to hide the Red Woman Game of Thrones character’s age while also prolonging her life through magic. Without it, her identity as an old woman should have been revealed. Van Houten has stated that the Game of Thrones season 4 episode which featured her character without the necklace was a blunder that turned into a plot hole. The series overlooked the importance of the necklace and forgot to include it in the scene. The show wasn’t immune to prop mishaps, like Jon Snow’s rubber sword, but some viewers came up with a drastically different explanation, proclaiming that it wasn’t a plot hole at all.

Melisandre clearly had magical powers, and some viewers thought that Melisandre’s necklace only worked on certain people. Selyse Baratheon was one of Melisandre’s most devoted followers, and the theory suggested that she always saw the Red Woman’s true form, even when she wore the necklace. Faith could have been a factor, and since Selyse was a believer in Melisandre and her religion, the Red Priestess wouldn’t have needed to wear the necklace in the season 4 scene. This would have explained why Selyse asked Melisandre if she needed potions to convince Stannis to sleep with her, as if her appearance was a factor.

Aside from Game of Thrones season 4, Melisandre continued wearing the necklace for the duration of the series. Worship of the Lord of Light was uncommon throughout Westeros, which was why it was necessary to wear the necklace and conceal her real identity. After encouraging Arya to target the Night King during the Battle of Winterfell, Melisandre fulfilled her purpose and embraced death. Melisandre’s necklace was no longer necessary, so she took it off, leaving behind the Lord of Light’s power in retaining her youth, and turned into dust.

Melisandre’s Necklace Could Make Her the Only Prequel Crossover Character

With House of the Dragon season 2 on the horizon, there’s rightly been discussion about which GoT characters could make an appearance, and the powers bestowed by Melisandre’s necklace mean that she could join the prequel cast soon. Indeed, the Red Woman’s Game of Thrones age is estimated at hundreds of years old, which could explain why Melisandre and Aegon the Conqueror’s prophecies are highly similar. In fact, the Prince Who Was Promised prophecy is starting to bear some importance in House of the Dragon, with Aegon’s dream being passed down from Viserys to Rhaenyra. While the Prince Who Was Promised prophecy comes from unknown sources, it’s likely that House of the Dragon connects to Game of Thrones through Aegon’s dream, and Melisandre’s presence could serve as another connection that isn’t out of place for either show.

Melisandre Remains The Most Mysterious Game Of Thrones Character

If House of the Dragon features Melisandre, or even just Melisandre’s necklace, Game of Thrones questions that have haunted viewers for years could finally get resolved, as she is easily the most mysterious character in all of Westeros. Years after Game of Thrones was concluded, it’s still unclear to many what Melisandre was really all about, even though she was the central focus of many iconic moments from the show. Like Aegon’s dream and House Targaryen’s heirloom dagger of prophecy, the Red Witch of Game of Thrones is a huge part of a puzzle that the Thrones universe has yet to solve for viewers.

Even if Game of Thrones‘ Melisandre doesn’t appear in House of the Dragon season 2, at least one of the many other GoT spinoffs need to dive deeper into Melisandre’s true origins. With Melisandre identifying Jon as the Prince Who Was Promised, the Jon Snow series could reveal more about not just Melisandre, but the Lord of Light as well. Showrunners owe it to long-time viewers who have, for years, speculated over the Red Woman, her mysterious faith, and Melisandre’s necklace.