Warning: This post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 5, Episode 10, and the books on which it is based. 
 
 Sunday night's episode of Game of Thrones was replete with shocking apparent endings for a number of characters — emphasis on apparent. 
 
 Stannis appeared to meet the business end of Brienne of Tarth's sword, but we didn't see the final blow. Arya undergoes a significant physical transformation, with no indication of how long it lasts. Myrcella Baratheon, released from Dorne, seems to be poisoned. Theon and Sansa jump from the castle walls of Winterfell, apparently to their doom — but again, no bodies are shown. 
 
 Then there's Jon Snow. Kit Harington's character, the 998th Lord Commander, is stabbed repeatedly in the most gut-wrenching way possible — by his brothers in the Night's Watch, just as he is lead to believe he's about to learn more about his uncle Benjen's whereabouts. The first knife came courtesy of his rival for the role of Lord Commander, but the last was driven in by Olly, Jon's favorite apprentice. 
 
 Is this really the end for Jon, a million show-watchers cry out to a million book readers? And the cry comes back: We don't know either. Welcome to the cliffhanger that has been torturing us for four years, and the world of theories surrounding it. 
 
 He's not dead, he's just resting — maybe 
 
 There are strands of hope that book readers have been holding onto for many years, too. The first thing they will say to you on that front is: Notice that Melisandre is back. 
 
 In the books, it's clear that the Red Lady begins to believe — based on an image in her flames — that Jon is the real Azor Ahai. Who is Azor Ahai? A messiah figure for whom followers of the Red God have been waiting for many, many years. A messiah who, it is said, will return to challenge the power of the Others, a.k.a. the White Walkers. 
 
 In Book 3, A Storm of Swords, Mellisandre has this to say about Azor Ahai: "When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone." 
 
 We are furthermore told: 
 
 There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him. 
 
 Some fans have pointed to Jon's sword, Longclaw, as a potential candidate for Lightbringer, and the show appears to have marked it out as special too. It made a point of reminding us in this episode how that sword shattered a White Walker back in Episode 8. 
 
 You may remember that Melisandre once considered Stannis to be the messiah Azor Ahai — and just recently left his camp for some reason that isn't apparent yet. You may wonder whether a Red God priestess, especially one who has just burned her way through a fair amount of King's blood for the use of blood magic, might be able to resurrect a certain someone. 
 
 There are other strands in Jon's book death that give readers hope. His belly wound is described as "smoking," which seems an odd choice of words, especially given the prophecy. His last word is "Ghost," the name of his direwolf — which he may, like Bran, have some sort of magical ability to connect to at key moments. 
 
 Then there's the very fact that it is a cliffhanger near the end of the book, the kind of place for a plot twist that is almost always resolved in unexpected fashion in a subsequent book. 
 
 George R.R. Martin has set us up for more Jon Snow in a number of ways. First, there's that whole long-winded mystery about Snow's real parentage. That whole R+L=J theory isn't going away any time soon; it's the book readers who are keeping it alive, because by and large they still expect to see Jon again in some form. 
 
 Secondly, there are a lot of characters who don't die when we expect them to. We can't go too far here without venturing into possible show-spoiling territory, but we have already met one character resurrected in the Red God's name: Beric Dondarion of the Brotherhood Without Banners. 
 
 Also, you may be correct in thinking you've seen that new member of the Kingsguard, Ser Robert Strong, somewhere before under a more rugged name. On Game of Thrones, death — especially death without mutilation, like Jon's — is quite often not the end. 
 
 Then again, maybe not 
 
 Could Martin know that we're primed to expect such a resurrection — that we won't want to wait four years just to find out Snow is dead for good — and throw it in our faces anyway? Could it be just the kind of twisted, meaningless death of which this uniquely sadistic writer is fond? Possibly. We won't know for sure until Book 6, the Winds of Winter, is published, an event awaited almost as eagerly as Azor Ahai himself. 
 
 More concerning for viewers is the interview Kit Harington gave to Entertainment Weekly, in which he reveals that "I’ve been told I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m not coming back next season. So that’s all I can tell you, really." 
 
 Notice that choice of words, however: He's not coming back next season, just like Bran Stark wasn't coming back this season. 
 
 Also that quote is couched in some careful context. "If anything in the future is not like that [i.e., Jon's permanent death], then I don’t know about it," Harrington said. "It’s only in [showrunners] David and Dan and [author] George’s heads." 
 
 Bottom line? You know nothing about Jon Snow. The most assiduous book readers know nothing about Jon Snow. But at least we are finally together in our know-nothingness, and can comfort each other as we await another book or another season, whichever comes first. 
 
 Oh, and our three-eyed raven has something to say about Jon Snow, too. ||||| There are big-time spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 5, Episode 10, “Mother’s Mercy.” I’ve never been more serious about a spoiler warning. If you haven’t seen the finale yet, proceed with caution. If you have, charge right in. But don’t say we didn’t try to warn you, because we really, really did. 
 
 O.K., well, that was a big deal. It would appear that Jon Snow is dead and gone for good, wouldn’t it? Given George R.R. Martin’s tendency to kill off main characters, it’s not the most inconceivable outcome. And in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, both Kit Harington and the show’s creators are very really adamant that Jon Snow is done. But is that really the end of Jon Snow? There has been an awful lot of prophecy built up around the character, and Martin has always refused to confirm he’s actually dead. While that doesn’t make Snow bulletproof, it does mean the desire to see him resurrected is more than just wishful thinking. Here are the most popular theories behind his return. 
 
 Wait, So Does This Happen in the Books? Yep! You now know exactly as much as book readers do about the fate of Jon Snow. In the books, the last we saw of the poor Commander, he lay dying from multiple stab wounds. Olly doesn’t stab Jon in the books—Olly is a show-invented character—but otherwise it’s close enough. The only difference between you show watchers and us book readers now, when it comes to Jon Snow, is that we’ve had four years since A Dance with Dragons came out to think of creative ways to bring back Jon Snow. Wanna hear them? Here we go. 
 
 Jon Snow Could Warg into His Direwolf I mean, it will seem like a bit of a cop-out next season if this ends up being the solution. Especially since they didn’t establish Ghost as being anywhere near Jon. Nor have we seen Jon warg in the show. But we have seen characters like Bran and Orell throw themselves into their animals, so this could be a temporary solution for Jon. In the books, the last word he says as he goes down is “Ghost,” which is why people generally buy the warg explanation. Kit Harington alluded to the warg theory during a panel event earlier this year. He told the audience, “I’d like to be a warg. I’d like to put myself inside a wolf.” (As you might imagine this got a lot of laughs.) Show creator D.B. Weiss then said, “Two words for you: Season 6.” It all seems like a joke, but maybe not. And even if they’re not joking, ”Jon Snow is a wolf now“ doesn’t sound like a permanent solution, does it? So what happens next? 
 
 Melisandre Could Bring Him Back from the Dead This is one of the more popular theories. Now that Stannis is (presumably) dead, Melisandre is in search of a new messiah to champion, and she’s been eyeballing Jon Snow all season. Do we know that Melisandre can bring people back from the dead? Not specifically, no. But we do know that people who follow the Lord of Light, a.k.a. R’hllor, can. Back in Season 3, Melisandre met Thoros of Myr, a red priest who had resurrected his friend Beric Dondarrion several times. In the books, Thoros resurrects someone else important, but in the show’s narrative, it was necessary to establish that resurrections can and do happen in this universe. Melisandre looked rather scandalized by Thoros’s antics, but it’s a good thing the show went out of its way to link these two up (they don’t meet in the books) so we would know that Melisandre had this option in her back pocket. And, hey, her magic is running hot as she’s brimming with the power of Shireen’s royal blood. 
 
 What Do You Mean She Needs a New Messiah? Well, Melisandre believed Stannis was Azor Ahai reborn. Don’t remember who that is? Well, if you have 16 minutes to spare, you can watch this fantastic, in-depth video explaining the whole Ahai myth. If you want a shorter version: thousands and thousands of years ago there was something called the Long Night in which the Others (a.k.a. White Walkers) laid waste to the realms of men during a long winter. According to legend, there was a hero who put a stop to the Long Night, and he was called by many names throughout the fictional lands of Westeros, Essos, and beyond. The Prince That Was Promised, the Last Hero, the Stallion Who Mounts the World, Azor Ahai, etc. These are probably all the same savior figure, and, according to a widespread prophecy, he’s destined to be reborn and save the world once more. Melisandre had been operating under the assumption that Stannis Baratheon was that chosen one born of smoke and salt. 
 
 So Jon Snow Is Melisandre’s Own Personal Jesus? Jesus. Neo. The Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. The Avatar. The Ring-bearer. The Great Lion. The Slayer. The Golden Child. It doesn’t really matter what you want to call it, every epic yarn has one. We don’t have to believe that Jon Snow is Azor Ahai, just as long as Melisandre does. But, hey, maybe he is the Prince That Was Promised. 
 
 What Hints Have There Been that Jon is Azor Ahai? This gets a little complicated so bear with me. One of the biggest efforts the show has made to indicate Jon’s Chosen One status was that business he did with his sword at Hardhome. Like King Arthur or Godric Gryffindor, Azor Ahai has a legendary sword called Lightbringer. In the books, Samwell Tarly says, “I found one account of the Long Night that spoke of the Last Hero [a.k.a. Azor Ahai] slaying Others with a blade of dragonsteel. Supposedly they could not stand against it.” Melisandre spoke of the legend of Lightbringer back in Season 2, saying, “In the ancient books it is written that a warrior will draw a burning sword from the fire.” In the books (though not the show), when he saved Lord Commander Jeor Mormont's life from a wight attack at Castle Black, Jon Snow set a fire that damaged Longclaw’s hilt, melting silver on the bear's head pommel and burning the crossguard and grip. Mormont gave the sword to Jon, so the blade Snow used on that White Walker at Hardhome, Longclaw, was technically pulled from a fire. 
 
 The sword and Melisandre’s fascination with Jon Snow have been the show’s biggest indications that he’s someone special. In the books there are other signs. Melisandre says, ”I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai, and R’hllor shows me only snow.“ Apparently, R’hllor has a sense of humor. In the books, Jon dreams of being armored all in ice clutching a burning sword which he uses to kill his wildling girlfriend, Ygritte. In the legend, Azor Ahai forged his legendary sword by plunging it into the heart of his beloved wife, Nissa Nissa. Finally, Azor Ahai is supposed to be descended from Aerys (the Mad King) and Rhaella Targaryen. If rumors about Jon’s parentage are true, Aerys and Rhaella could be his grandparents. So there you have it, Jon Snow, the poor Bastard of Winterfell, could very well be the Prince That Was Promised. 
 
 So Is Jon Snow Now Definitely the Only Person Who Could Be Azor Ahai? O.K., I know what you’re thinking. If anyone is going to be a cool reincarnation of the savior of mankind it should be Daenerys Targaryen. And it’s true, Dany has a lot of Azor Ahai-ish qualities. She was born in salt and smoke (her tears, Drogo’s pyre), she awoke stone dragons, she sacrificed a loved one, and she’s certainly of the Aerys/Rhaella Targaryen bloodline. They are her parents. So why isn’t Daenerys Azor Ahai? Well, she might be! There’s a part of the prophecy that says “the dragon has three heads,” and many take that to mean Azor Ahai will actually be three people—probably the three dragon riders. (You can read all about dragon riders here.) So that means Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and, oh yes, probably Tyrion Lannister will together form the prophesied savior. Hey, if we’re going for Jesus analogies, why not go for the whole trinity? And Jon and Dany together form, you guessed it, a song of ice and fire. 
 
 So What Will Azor Ahai Do? Well, according to legend, Azor Ahai will wake dragons from stone. (Check.) He will defend the realms of men against the White Walkers. (Working on it.) And he’ll likely pair up with the Children of the Forest to defeat the Others. (That’s what happened last time, and Martin is really big on history repeating.) How convenient, then, that Jon’s ”brother“ Bran has been chilling with the C.O.T.F. all season, presumably learning how to make magic grenades and tap into the mystical tree-root network. If the efforts of Azor Ahai reborn and the C.O.T.F. fail, the realms of man will fall. No pressure, Jon and Dany. 
 
 Could Anyone Other Than Melisandre Bring Jon Snow Back? Sure! Have you thought about the Night’s King? He loves resurrecting people. You can read all about that theory here. 
 
 If Kit Harington Is Coming Back, How Are They Going to Keep This Under Wraps? I have no idea. Like I said, they’re being pretty clear with the “he’s gone” business in that Entertainment Weekly interview. But, on the other hand, there are already rumors that he’s filming in Belfast. So it may be a season-long guessing game . . . until it’s not. What, is Kit Harington just not supposed to do press or anything until the premiere? Good luck, HBO, you have your work cut out for you. 
 
 We should touch on one last major book spoiler that could still happen in the show. Proceed with caution. 
 
 Are they gone? Good. 
 
 Is This Why They Never Brought Back Lady Stoneheart? As long as there is a single second of airtime left in the Game of Thrones TV series I, personally, will cling to the hope that Lady Stoneheart, a.k.a. Catelyn Stark, will make an appearance. But it makes sense that Weiss and David Benioff cut out Thoros of Myr bringing her back in order to maximize the impact of Jon’s potential resurrection. If you’ve already had one Stark come back from the dead, a second Stark is sort of ho-hum-old-hat. But, now, once Azor Ahai is reborn, could there still be room for Catelyn to return? Maybe. Be still my stony heart. 
 
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 Test your knowledge of the Seven Kingdoms with Vanity Fair ’s Game of Unknowns. 
 
 Make your predictions
– First, the requisite "spoilers ahead" warning. If you've watched last night's episode, the series' Season 5 finale, you'll want to next read Entertainment Weekly's interview with Kit Harington (Jon Snow), or, at least, our excerpt of it. Vanity Fair's headline sums up what countless other publications are this morning asking: "Is This Really the Last We'll See of Jon Snow?" He's stabbed Julius Caesar-style by members of the Night's Watch, and the season ends with his apparent death. Or not so apparent, but crystal-clear, he tells EW. Here's part of the key exchange: EW: "I was talking to [showrunner] Dan Weiss and he said Jon is really dead. But George R.R. Martin left open the possibility the character might not be dead in the books. ... So let me ask you: Is Jon really dead?" Harington: "This is my understanding of it. I had a sit-down with Dan and David, we did the Tony Soprano walk [letting an actor know they're being whacked]. And they said, 'Look, you're gone, it's done.' ... But I've been told I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm not coming back next season. So that's all I can tell you, really." But Harington's words don't stop Joanna Robinson from asking in Vanity Fair if it's really, really the end of Jon Snow. She writes that the show's scene pretty closely mirrors the one that occurred in A Dance With Dragons, the fifth (and last-to-be-published thus far) book in the series, meaning "the only difference between you show watchers and us book readers ... is we've had four years ... to think of creative ways to bring back Jon Snow." She runs down a few of those creative ways here, including a popular one that's popping up in most articles: that Melisandre believes he's Azor Ahai and could resurrect him. Wait, what? More on that and the reasons why he might not be dead (the last word he uttered in the books, that we still need to unravel the mystery of his parentage) here, and here.