We have seen that in Game of Thrones Season 4, Melisandre did not wear the necklace while in a bathtub, and she is looking normal. But in GoT S06E01 she takes off the necklace to reveal her true identity

as a very old woman. Is it that she aged that much between these 2 seasons?

Is it a mistake in the show runners' part or is there any other reason why she didn't appear like that without the necklace earlier?

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    This might be reveled in the coming episodes.There might have been some been some reason might be something related to God of light. – Dark Army Apr 26 '16 at 9:01
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    there's also that 'looking in the mirror' thingy too – k1ck4ss Apr 26 '16 at 12:47

The necklace is apparently not Melisandre's only source of power, and the fact that we got to see a shot of a vial of who knows what, leads me to think that maybe the bottle is even more important than the necklace.

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    It can be. But when Melisandre removed the necklace, the changes took place immediately. So I think it is a fault of the director's. – Siddharth Venu Apr 26 '16 at 9:06
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    They might have slipped up, yes. But notice that the necklace also glowing when she takes it off. I have also read (on the internet, not in the books) that Melisandre never get cold or needs sleep, both happen (Mel is shivering when she arrives at Castle Black and she goes to sleep at the end of S06E01). This might be a sign of her questioning her faith and beliefs, which might all be connected to why she changed immediately. – Madgarr Apr 26 '16 at 9:09
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    To add to my comment about Mel being cold: In the final scene, Mel was sitting next to the lit fireplace. Apparently (cannot confirm at this moment) Mel said at one point in the series that the lord of light warms her from the inside. – Madgarr Apr 26 '16 at 11:42

The same question was asked earlier today:

The medallion doesn't seem to be her only/main source of power, as correctly answered above. She clearly states that she has potions that can disguise people. In the novels:

She also disguises Mance Rayder to look like Rattleshirt. [Source]

In the scene with the necklace we can also see one of her potions on her table.

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    Any way to elaborate a bit more and explain how you come to this conclusion in order to flesh out this answer a little more? – Napoleon Wilson Apr 26 '16 at 9:55
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    While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. – Panther Apr 26 '16 at 10:07
  • If it's potions, why would Melisandre turn old immediately after removing the necklace? This may very well be the answer, in which case it's a bit of misdirection on the episode's director's part, isn't it? It'd be like centering the camera on a bottle of poison next to a dead body, only to reveal later the victim was shot. – Andres F. Apr 26 '16 at 13:32

Since everyone else is speculating, I would speculate with this:

She uses potions to hide her true self. I'm pretty sure her necklace can be filled with the miracle potion, meaning that she doesn't need to ingest any potions when she wears it. See the necklace as a intravenous solution that injects her her needed dose. This might be wrong, but just like all the other answers, we won't know for sure until they address her skills and her potions later in the season.


My interpretation is that she was feeling kind of safe there or simply wanted to rest for once. She undressed. Taking off the necklace and taking off the fake appearance could simply be parts of witches casual undressing routine.

I mean your "take off necklace to reveal her true identity" is just a speculation. Maybe she doesn't have to perform any observable magix stick wavings to change appearance similarly as faces of faceless men can change. It wasn't said anywhere, that taking off the necklace causes any appearance changes and she chose to keep her true appearance hidden when bathing, but not this time.

  • I am sorry but I guess it doesn't answer my question.. – Siddharth Venu May 2 '16 at 16:20
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    @SiddharthVenu I expanded the answer, I meant that it was never told that there is correlation between the necklace and appearance. It's just fan speculation and my take is that the necklace has nothing to do with it, which explains that there is no problem having those young looks without the necklace when bathing. – Džuris May 2 '16 at 18:29

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