Let me explain why there are no gods in Game of Thrones, why the White Walkers don't seem very powerful, yet Daenerys' power in this book keeps rising.
First of all, Game of Thrones gives us a certain misconception: that the power system in that world is quite low. The Night King is taken down with a single stab, and gods don't exist at all.
Well…
That's a common flaw among Western writers.
On one hand, they construct massive mythological backgrounds, but on the other, they do everything they can to limit the appearance of mysterious powers—especially strong magical forces.
The most typical example is The Lord of the Rings. According to the lore, Gandalf is a Maia, essentially a true god, yet his magic often fails, and he ends up swinging an axe in battle.
Why?
Because the authors try to keep the plot under control, fearing that too much power will break the story.
Note, this doesn't mean they lack writing skills. Quite the opposite—they're extremely capable and ambitious, aiming to build a realistic world where readers can't find any cracks.
But at the same time, they understand that a fantasy world can be too complex, and magical power easily causes narrative imbalance.
For instance, both The Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire give us the illusion of a real world.
And in a sense, that's true. These are fictional versions of the real Western world, with dragons and magic merely added for flavor.
Dragons and magic make the world seem fantastical, yet since they rarely appear in the plot, the power system still mirrors the real world. As a result, readers find it both fantastical and realistic.
That's a little writing trick.
Now, back to A Song of Ice and Fire. 99.99% of scenes reflect real-world levels of combat—horse riding and sword fighting.
Is the power level really that low?
Heh. In the remaining 0.01% of scenes, gods and forbidden magic appear.
How powerful is forbidden magic?
At least three instances of forbidden magic occur in A Song of Ice and Fire:
The Green Seers destroyed the Arm of Dorne—a land bridge 500 kilometers long and 100 kilometers wide—sinking it beneath the sea. Terrifying, right?
They flooded the Neck. It used to be a forest, but the Green Seers summoned a great flood, submerging it and turning it into the most dangerous area in the Seven Kingdoms—the Neck as we know it today.
The Rhoynar used water magic to drown a Valyrian city, killing hundreds of thousands. In retaliation, three hundred dragons were sent to annihilate them. But their mother goddess, Nymer—also known as the Mother Rhoyne—unleashed a great flood, wiping out the entire Valyrian army, including unknown numbers of dragonlords and dragons.
So, while A Song of Ice and Fire may appear low in magic and combat power, it can suddenly drop a forbidden spell that renders millions of soldiers useless.
Now, let's talk about the gods in A Song of Ice and Fire.
Let's first identify which gods are real and have made appearances:
R'hllor – No doubt about it. He's too active, bringing people back to life like it's nothing.
The Great Other – God of death and cold, supposedly R'hllor's ultimate rival. The White Walkers and the Long Night are believed to be linked to him.
The Green Seers and possibly the Old Gods behind them. Just look at Bran creating "Hodor" by crossing time—frightening.
The Drowned God and Storm God.
The evil god beneath the Isle of Faces, name unknown, but definitely real.
The Black Goat of Qohor, possibly an evil demigod.
The Undying Ones, demigods and Daenerys' early experience boosters.
The dark gods of Asshai worshiped by Melisandre, involving blood magic and shadow-binding.
Possibly deceased, the Mother Rhoyne, who had a host of lesser gods or demigods under her.
How powerful is the Mother Rhoyne?
Besides flooding the Valyrian army, she also brought summer back to the world after the first Long Night.
Additionally, every Free City has its own gods, and they seem quite effective—more so than the Seven. My guess is they're all demigods, similar to the Undying Ones.
All of this comes from A Song of Ice and Fire lore—not my invention.
Daenerys is overwhelmingly powerful against mortals, but when it comes to gods, she's just a pawn.
Having covered the upper limits of power in the A Song of Ice and Fire world, let's discuss whether Daenerys really needs god-tier power.
If we go strictly by the Game of Thrones show, the Night King was killed by Arya with a single stab, the Long Night ended instantly, and summer returned.
In that case, Daenerys wouldn't need any real power. She wouldn't even need to learn magic—she could just stay in Slaver's Bay, farm in peace, and avoid going to the Wall to "feed herself to the enemy." The White Walkers couldn't even breach the Wall.
Could Arya really kill the Night King?
Maybe—if she got hold of Lightbringer, the sword of prophecy, and managed to activate it, she might be able to.
Otherwise, no one could kill him.
Martin spent so much time building up the Azor Ahai prophecy—it can't just be about a broken sword, can it?
Clearly, only the prophesied one can wield Lightbringer, and only Lightbringer can kill the Night King.
At this point, Lord of the Rings fans might find this familiar.
Prophesied one = Aragorn
Lightbringer = Narsil (The Sword of the King)Narsil cuts off Sauron's finger with the One Ring = Lightbringer kills the Night King, ending the Long Night (there's a second one too—both Sauron and the Night King have a round two)Broken sword = Lightbringer loses powerReforged sword = Lightbringer activatedAragorn wins the final war with the reforged sword = the prophesied one ends the Long Night again
So, now you get it?
Lightbringer is not just some optional item. Arya can't kill the Night King with a random piece of Valyrian steel.
So yes, Game of Thrones' ending can be used as reference, but let's be honest—it dropped the ball.
In the original book, how will the Long Night be ended?
Prophecy.
Remember: in A Song of Ice and Fire, only misinterpreted prophecies exist—never false ones.
Most likely, Jon Snow is the savior.
This is just my personal guess—it might not be right—but based on the prophecy, one of them, Jon or Daenerys, must sacrifice themselves for the other.
I think it will be Daenerys.
Her role in the prophecy is tragic. She'll be the one who sacrifices herself, even reenacting Azor Ahai's forging of the sword: Daenerys and Jon truly love each other, but to end the Long Night, Daenerys decides to give her life. She bares her chest and lets Jon plunge the smoking sword into her still-beating heart. Her blood, soul, power, and courage all flow into the blade. Finally, Lightbringer is activated. Jon rides the dragon she left behind, raises the sword, and defeats the Night King.
(P.S.: According to prophecy, Daenerys, like Nissa Nissa and Dragonleaf, willingly sacrifices herself for her beloved. Well, Dragonleaf did it for her brother.)
Without question, Daenerys has a unique constitution—she's the most qualified person in the entire story to activate Lightbringer.
That's prophecy. It's also the fate the gods arranged for her.
If things go according to prophecy, the Long Night will end, and the world will be saved.
But Daenerys has crossed worlds. She didn't let Drogon kill Jon, which was quite merciful. She didn't fall in love with him, and she definitely won't sacrifice herself. As such, she's deviated from the path fate laid out. That's why the Three-Eyed Raven has always opposed her.
Because if Daenerys doesn't sacrifice herself, the prophecy cannot be fulfilled, and the world may be doomed. The Three-Eyed Raven has no personal feelings—he only wants to protect the world.
All of this is to make one thing clear:
Daenerys' enemies are not just the Long Night and the White Walkers, but also fate, and perhaps even the gods who wrote it for her.
To clarify further, let me give two examples: The Lord of the Rings and Journey to the West.
You could say that A Song of Ice and Fire is to The Lord of the Rings what Tomb Robbers is to Ghost Blows Out the Light.
Everyone knows who referenced whom.
So, which Lord of the Rings characters do Daenerys and Jon resemble?
The Great Other = MorgothNight King = MordorWhite Walkers = Orc generalsWights = Orc armies
Interestingly, Mordor controlled orcs the same way the Night King controlled the wights and White Walkers.
Kill the Night King and all the wights collapse = Kill Mordor and the orcs lose coherence and fall.
Green Seers = GandalfDaenerys, Jon, Tyrion = Frodo, Aragorn, and the FellowshipR'hllor = a Maia (possibly)
Here comes the question: the War of the Ring, at its core, was essentially a divine civil war—a clash between the fallen Ainur Morgoth and the righteous Noldor (a type of Elves and primordial deities) and the Maiar (like Gandalf, also primordial spirits).
Frodo, Aragorn, and the rest of the "mortals" had lifespans not even a fraction of theirs, and as for power—well, Morgoth took part in the Creation itself, and Middle-earth is merely one among many worlds.
So, you're just a little mortal from Middle-earth, fighting against the Creator?
The Fellowship of the Ring fought fiercely and passionately, and their final victory was exhilarating—a seemingly happy ending.But to me, it's actually a tragedy. Their blood, bravery, and fearless devotion were just part of a grand play orchestrated by the gods. They were all puppets of fate.
However, Westerners think differently from Chinese people. They believe that God does God's work, arranges everything in advance, and commoners just do what they're supposed to and live a fulfilling life.
They're even quite happy knowing that fate is preordained by God.
Now, let's take a different perspective—say, from Journey to the West.
Don't you think the Fellowship is quite similar to Tang Sanzang and his disciples?
Their power levels and life trajectories are remarkably alike.
And when you think of it that way—it becomes quite terrifying.
Journey to the West also has destiny and prophecy.
The Monkey King's fate was to be imprisoned for 500 years, then saved by a Tang monk and taken in as a disciple, and then to protect the monk on a journey to the West.
This prophecy was made by Guanyin long before, when the monkey was still under Five Elements Mountain.
And it came true.
Because the prophecy was made by a higher power—someone with enough strength to ensure the story unfolded accordingly.
Could the monkey rebel? Could he defy his fate?
No. He didn't have the power.
When it came to fighting monsters and demons on the road west, the monkey had no equal when he got serious—just like Aragorn facing orcs, or Daenerys facing slavers and White Walkers.
But could the monkey break free from the shackles of fate?
Monkey vs. Buddha = Fellowship vs. Mordor.The difference in power is utterly despairing.
Everyone knows that even Buddha isn't the top boss. Compared to the Taoist sages like the Three Pure Ones or Zhun Ti, he's just a junior.
The real controllers of fate are the top-tier beings.
Mordor is just a pawn—Morgoth's vanguard.Isn't that even more hopeless?
Now let's jump to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire.
Daenerys and Jon vs. the Night King = Fellowship vs. Mordor = Monkey vs. Buddha.The Night King isn't necessarily the ultimate boss.
Of course, in A Song of Ice and Fire, the Night King might be the final boss—just as Morgoth never appeared directly in The Lord of the Rings, and Mordor was treated as the big bad.
In Journey to the West, the highest-level saints barely show up, while the Jade Emperor and Buddha take center stage as the big bosses.That kind of ending—where the true final boss never even appears—feels even more tragic.
So, here's the real question: should Daenerys, like the Fellowship, choose to remain blissfully ignorant, defeat the Night King, and happily rule the world as Empress?
Well, the Fellowship was certainly content and joyful.
What about the Monkey King?
How did he feel after completing the journey to the West?
Should Daenerys follow the Monkey King and resist fate, or should she follow the Fellowship and surrender to it?
Okay, I admit it—I'm overanalyzing.
When Martin wrote A Song of Ice and Fire, he probably never intended to explore themes like resisting fate—just like The Lord of the Rings, just like Journey to the West.Even Wu Cheng'en, when writing Journey to the West, wasn't thinking, "I want to defy the heavens that blind my eyes, and shatter the earth that buries my heart."
Originally, I planned to keep A Song of Ice and Fire at around 700,000 words. Daenerys wouldn't learn magic, and the gods wouldn't appear.
She'd just ride her dragon, burn cities, and have the Dothraki slash their way through the Nine Free Cities—fast-paced and exhilarating.
Then, when the Long Night turned Westeros to ruins, she'd descend from the skies on dragonback.
Yes, with armor strapped to her dragon's belly, she'd crash into the Night King, pin him down, and with one sword stroke, kill him and end the Long Night. Curtain falls.
But now, with interdimensional travel banned and needing to expand the story (I signed a contract with Qidian to write at least 1.5 million words), I began digging deeper into the original lore—exploring the hidden truths about gods and the world.
With the gods officially entering the story, if Daenerys doesn't want to become an ant in their eyes, she has to grow. And that's how things ended up like this.
Of course, from the beginning, I promised that the power system in this book would never go overboard—never exceed the original.
In the realms of soul and time, Daenerys will never surpass Bran in his complete form—that guy can traverse timelines and keep his soul intact. He's insanely powerful, and it's unclear how he could even be surpassed.
In terms of magical power and technique, Daenerys will never exceed Melisandre by much.
In knightly skill, the peak she can reach is the level of Ser Arthur Dayne.
In strength, she'll never match the Mountain—let alone Hodor.
In agility, Oberyn Martell and Khal Drogo are her ceiling.
As for sorcery, every spell Daenerys learns will have clear origins—fire manipulation, spirit projection, soul strike—none of them are original creations.
Fire manipulation, for instance, is almost commonplace in the original A Song of Ice and Fire. At Joffrey's wedding, fire mages from the Alchemist's Guild could freely shape flames into lifelike animals and human figures.
Multiple fire mages could even team up to create a "kingdom of flame"—a vast and incredibly intricate illusion.
Spirit projection? That was Quaithe's signature move. She used it often in the books to show off, though Game of Thrones toned down her presence.
Soul strike? That came from the Dragon Horn. Unfortunately, the show cut that plot entirely.
Even "a glance igniting flames" was already in the source material—Melisandre did it several times.
Now, does this book's inclusion of demigods, true gods, and the "Songs of Power" surpass the original?
In A Song of Ice and Fire, there is no explicit "demigod" tier. But the Undying Ones and Melisandre clearly exceed human limits—they don't eat or drink, survive on magic, and are nearly immortal.
But Melisandre is obviously not a god—she's beneath R'hllor, beneath the Old Gods.
So I define characters like Melisandre as demigods, and R'hllor as a true god.
Then there's the "Songs of Power".
This concept isn't in the books verbatim.
But there are similar ideas. The books repeatedly mention:"R'hllor controls the power of light and shadow,""The Great Other controls death,""The Drowned God controls the sea,""The Storm God controls the storm."
These "powers" are essentially alternate expressions of "Songs"—the evidence that separates true gods from demigods.
I've just systematized the terminology. The essence remains the same.
Take the Song of Wind, for example:Wind's Power = Song of Wind = Law of Wind = Divine Authority of Wind.
And let's not forget, Martin named the series A Song of Ice and Fire—a clear nod to the eternal cycle of frost and flame, death and life.
In the end, Daenerys won't become a true god—humans can't break through the power ceiling set by dragons. But her dragon children will each inherit a Song gifted by their mother.
(End of Chapter)
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