Lightbringer

Lightbringer is a legendary sword of fire from the religion of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, said to have been forged by the hero Azor Ahai to drive back the darkness during the Long Night. In the prophecies of the red faith, the return of Lightbringer will herald the rebirth of Azor Ahai and the final battle against the cold.

The Legend

According to the red priests of Essos, when darkness first lay heavy on the world, the hero Azor Ahai labored to forge a sword to fight it. The making of Lightbringer required a terrible price. Azor Ahai is said to have first labored thirty days and nights and then plunged the finished blade into water, only for it to shatter. He tried again, tempering it in the heart of a captured lion, and again it broke.

The Tempering

The third time, Azor Ahai understood the price the sword demanded. He called his beloved wife, Nissa Nissa, and drove the blade through her heart. Her soul and her cry of anguish went into the steel, and Lightbringer was born, a sword that burned with its own light and warmth. With it Azor Ahai is said to have defeated the darkness in the War for the Dawn.

Prophecy

The red faith holds that Azor Ahai will be reborn to wield Lightbringer once more "amidst smoke and salt" when the darkness threatens again. The priestess Melisandre believes Stannis Baratheon to be the prince that was promised and presents him with a glowing sword she names Lightbringer, though doubts surround it. The prophecy of Lightbringer and the returning hero hangs over the gathering threat of a second Long Night.