SPOILER WARNING: Whilst the majority of this article relates to theory, speculation and deduction, it contains a few potential spoilers relating to the events of all 5 currently available “A Song of Ice and Fire” books, and to Season 1 & Season 2 of the “Game of Thrones” TV Series. Where possible, I have omitted any spoiler-esque information unless I consider it essential to the article’s subject matter.
Introduction
Who is Jon Snow? Our initial introduction to the 14-year old Jon Snow is in the first chapter of A Game of Thrones as he accompanies the man that we the readers are led to believe is his father, Lord Eddard (Ned) Stark, to execute a deserter of the Night’s Watch. As the apparent bastard child of the Lord of Winterfelll, Jon might well have lived a better life than 90% of the population of Westeros, but he has been made to feel something of an outsider by Ned’s wife Cateyln Stark, since his presence has proved to be a constant reminder of Ned’s supposed infidelity.
The alienation that Jon feels arising from his bastard-born status ultimately compels him to leave his half-siblings in Winterfell and join his Uncle Benjen on The Wall as a man of the Night’s Watch. Before he leaves, Ned makes a promise to Jon that, due to the interference of the Lannisters, he is ultimately unable to keep: “The next time we see each other we’ll talk about your mother, I promise…”
What I’d like to discuss in this article are the hints to Jon Snow’s true parentage that are presented within the books (and to a lesser extent the TV series). I believe that it’s quite clear from the raft of clues that the text provides us with that Jon Snow is not in fact Ned’s son – he is actually the son of Ned’s sister Lyanna Stark, and the previous Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen (brother of Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen).
Not convinced? You will be…
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38 Comments
Love it, love it, love it!
Even having read all the books, i never even thought of Jon as a Targaryen.
There are a few mentions of Jon’s possible mother in the books but they are always kind of vague.
Obviously , if like me, you have read the books you know how it ends with Jon (for now) but i have my own theory on what’ll play out there.
I’d suggest you copyright your theory, Mr Martin could be reading this at this very second…stealing your ideas.
This theory pertains to the books only as clues the books were omitted from the tv show.
As the article is classified under tv and not books, non book readers will be tempted to read this article full of book spoilers and see that little from the tv show is used in your demonstration.
The spoiler warnings were right there dude!
Yea–right there in Black & White….where’s a longsword when you need one! LOL
@ Tyrion, I included a very specific spoiler notice at the beginning of the article stating that it draws heavily from the books. My editor chose to put it in the TV section. As for this being a previously considered theory I was not aware of this, given that I only read the books myself this year. However, it certainly does not surprise me considering that the books have been read by millions and there are a very clear set of clues laid out there!
And there are hints of this in the TV show (Dany at The Wall in vision at the House of the Undying for example…)
Sorry if i was a bit harsh, but i have dozens of friends that i tried to convince to read the series for years to no avail… Now they’re more than willing to follow the show but a lot of them are already spoiled because they can’t help themselves and read spoilers in every article about the tv show they find.
The result is that i still can’t talk to them about one of my favourite stories because they already know things they shouldn’t without grasping the consequences or the context.
Kudos if you thought about this theory on your own.
I didn’t think about it until Storm of Swords came out and by then i had already read the first 2 books 3 times.
You did mention it, but maybe to add more to it, Kinsguard are sworn to protect the royal family – the fact 3 of the 7 were off in Dorne while Rhaegar was fighting up through the river lands is extremely telling to your point, that their was royal blood that needed protecting, and that 3 Kinsguard wouldn’t be needed to keep someone captive in a tower. Rhaegar could have easily assigned a trusted friend and a garrison to hold her and keep his best protectors with him, but this also gives more insight into Rhaegar as an honorable and giving man.
Good article. Can’t say it wasn’t something a lot of folks figured out as early as 1998, but it is usually a watershed moment for readers that suddenly realize the depth of the series and the reason people re-read it so many times.
Such richness. Thank you.
In book 5, Selmy indicates that kingsguard were prominently used to guard kings all the time but in some cases to guard their relatives,mistress on command
Great article!
Really intuitive and joins so many dots that me and my friends have overlooked. Looking forward to Part 2! Would love to know your other GoT theories as well. I don’t think the clues are obvious in fact very subtle. Good work.
Lord I love this theory.
It also [spoiler alert] fits nicely with that prophecy Dany has of the ‘dragon will have three heads’ (or whatever the wording is) three Targareans: her, Aegon, and Jon (which also has the nice balance of representation from the very north and south of Westeros). But that prophecy could also just be her and a couple of randoms or unrelated.
@ Kenzi, thanks for commenting.
That particular verse was originally included in this article but- given that it’s so leading in terms of where the series might end up- in the end I thought I’d save its inclusion for Part 2…
I assumed he was Lyanna’s son from the start and still do!
Clearly she wasn’t actually kidnapped and when Ned found her she was in bed covered in blood having just given birth. Ned promised her to keep the secret or else Robert would have killed Jon.
Yeah, again, can’t help but point out that this theory has been around forever and there’s material online that dates back 5-10 years.
I do appreciate that you have done the writing work here and it’s always great when a fan can come to it on their own (it was ‘spoiled’ for me by some of my dear guy friends over too many beers).
I’m sure it was pretty cool to come to that realization on your lonesome.
@ Kate, thanks for commenting. Sorry your boy mates spoiled it for you – boys will be boys!
I will be sure to mention in Article 2 that some of these theories and others about Jon’s parents have been around before and will check them out myself before then.
The presence of the KingsGuards also means that Jon could be legitimate. They wouldn’t be there just to protect a royal bastard, with no claim to the throne. They could have been with Rhaegar or Aerys, or their families. Besides incest, Targs also do multiple marriage: Aegon the conqueror had 2 wives. Arya talked about it in the TV show as well. If this theory is true the TV show will have to deal with it eventually ( if it lasts that long). It is probably that they can’t introduce such important info so far away from its use (towards the end of the story), because people will forget.
Great job!!!!
Very well written!!
Since I have read the books, it will be interesting to see how other future characters not yet introduced will fit in here!
Even if you were to base this just off the tv show I find it very telling that when Dany had her vision in the house of the undying she saw the throne room of the red keep covered in Snow and upon leaving she walk out of the black gate in the Wall where she finds drogo with her child bearing resemblance to the same look a stark/targareyn child would have. It’s clear a song of Ice(Jon snow) and fire(Dany targaryen) is the journey of these two characters facing hardship and horror yet in the end ruling the seven kingdoms
Agreed.
At first I wondered about the hair colour and eyes also. If Jon is a Targaryen why does he not possess silver hair or lilac eyes? The answer is that they are likely due to recessive genes, and prominent characteristics in Targaryen children principally due to the practice of wedding brother and sister.
It makes sense. Daenerys was told in the house of the undying that the Dragon has three heads. So if this theory is true, that means not only there are three living dragons but also three Targaryens: Daenerys, Aegon and Jon Snow.
Excellent article.
I always thought it may well be Lyanna, but never connected the Targaryen dots. I know friends who thought Lyanna too… I always to go thrrough the books and pull out the quotes but never did it, but you nailed the relevant ones here. I thought it was maybe Robert? Stupid. Looking forward to more on this!
Yes the theory has been around but…
[NOW FOLLOWS MAJOR SPOILER!!!!!!!!]
…the problem is Jon has got a knife in his back.
****MORE SPOILER ALERTS****
It never said he died, if you have read the books you’ll know all to well the “power” of the Red God.
:o
That is exactly what i thought as well. It also says something about his wound “steaming” (Hmmmmm dragon blood maybe? Melissandre always said that there was power in King’s Blood) and we cant forget the time where the Crow kept saying “king,king,king” and never taking his eyes of Jon in truth. JON SNOW IS THE RIGHTFUL AIR TO THE IRON THRONE
***SPOILERS***
There is no way in seven hells Jon is dead. The question is how he will ‘recover’ from his attempted murder. It may be true that he actually dies for a little while, but Mel would bring him back to life with her Red God powers in a similar way Thoros did for Beric and Cat (will he be a weird zombie like Beric?). So he will either be resurrected or simply heal from the stab wounds (very unlikely).
A common theory is that Jon’s ‘death’ is actually the prophecy of Azhor Ahai being fulfilled. Specifically the part that states he will be ‘born amidst salt and smoke’. This is Jon’s rebirth as The Prince That Was Promised. His ‘death’ scene gives clues to what the Salt and Smoke could be. The rest of the book is littered with clues that he is tPtwP. It just about smacks the reader in the face when Mel asks her fires to show her Azhor Ahai and all she sees is snow.
Hopefully we wont have to wait too many years to find out what happened to Lord Snow.
I’ve thought this of Jon’s true parents for a long time – glad to see I’m not the only one :-)
Ok, valid points all there.
But there are so many characteristics about Jon suggesting he is neds son. Yes the starks are honourable, but they have a weakness for women.
Is it not possible that that Ned simply loved another women, like robb did jayne and Jon and ygritte.
He was after all, not intended for marriage lately until the last minute
Jon has spent how many years as Neds son (maybe) so he’s bound to have picked up some traits.
Is it possible? Of course.
Do I think it’s likely? No. Not from Ned.
And Starks have no more of a weakness for women than do any of the other noble houses in Westeros…
Lyanna was promised to another also and yet ran away with another man. Being Lyanna’s son means Jon is still half a Stark and still can have many of the family traits.
What happens next …. I have long believed that Danaerys and Jon Snow end up together. I don’t know why but the more I read the more I am convinced that “The song of Ice and Fire” could be about The story of Jon (ice) and Danaerys (Fire) and how their love/marraige unites the lands of westeros and esteros and everyone (who survives) lives happily ever after.
GREAT ARTICLE!!!!!
I’m a fan of all the books and the TV show. Love reading but also like to see it come to life on screen. I enjoy reading what other people have to say. It’s like one big brainstorming session. I’m sure Martin is loving all of the blogs/speculation/articles about his books. Good for him!
It was pretty cold the other night here in sunny Cali. So I guess Winter is coming….right along with the Mayans!
Top stuff.
Excellent read.
The old gods and the new would be proud, Benji…
The cryptic subtlety in the books makes this mystery of Jons parents a kick start to the imagination, and I am not just convinced of the Lyanna/Rhaegar theory, but also love the ride Martin gives us as literary detectives. All the clues above arrive at this conclusion for me. I had not considered the “blue flower in the chink of a wall of ice” ( so clever) and the “snow falling on the iron throne”( Jon Snow’s rich yet hidden claim to the Lord of Westeros)….both awesome
An 8th hint for me is in book 3:part 1(possible tv spoiler):
Meera and Jojen tell Bran of the Knight of the Laughing Tree. Again, the actual knight’s identity is seemingly shrouded in mystery, but check this out. Lyanna was an honourable Stark, learned in combat, strong of values, and by the looks of it, an absolute heartbreaker! Robert and Rhaegar both fell over themselves for her.
After sticking up for the crannogman, beating off the 3 bullies picking on his size, the Laughing Tree Knight fights in the tourney, beating these 3 and all others. Masked, the only request from this victor is for the squires masters to ” teach them honor”, leading the squires to be chastised, and ultimately the crannogman redeemed. Lyanna is the only one with a motive to say that as a winning speech. We find out that rhaegar is also sent by the mad king to find the KOTLT, so Aerys can punish the mystery night for posing a threat to the very paranoid king.!. Once rhaegar finds Lyanna, he falls for all of her….her honor, her mystery, her boldness, her humble fighting skills, and seeing as Aerys would most likely kill her, he hides her away, conceiving Jon in that time.
I also like the notion that Lyanna is said to be “kidnapped” because Robert could not bring himself to admit an ultimate truth…Rhaegar won her heart. Ned also had to play down any possible genuine love between his sister and Rhaegar, so Robert never heard it come through his mate, Ned.
Another thought that I haven’t seen anywhere else is that this tale of masked female knight cries a huge homage to Eowyn. Martin had said Tolkien is a huge influence and that there are many nods and shout-outs to vanious other authors such as Asimov, even the 3stooges!
Jon and Sam -Frodo and Sam…
Lyanna as KOTLT….Eowyn as masked knight who defeats the Witchking
The authors respect to Tolkien, Eowyn , and strong, proactive women in general? Especially women who must hide behind masks in order to carry out their truth? …I think so..
What a masterpiece of storytelling.
Considering that Jojen is bewildered at Ned not telling Bran the tale, I believe Howland Reed fully knows the secret of Jon being Lyannas and Rhaegars son, and perpetuates it in imprinting the tale to his children.. To the Reeds, it is a totally familiar story (Jojen- ” Prince Bran has heard that tale a hundred times, I’m sure.”…to the Starks, not at all as to keep Jon safe.
@ Amac, @ Dyl, @ Coldhands,
Thanks for the comments.
@ Coldhands,
Thanks for the detailed comments. I also think that the KotLT is probably Lyanna (or maybe Howland Reed?)… And yes! … this story is just another of many that illustrates the amazing cryptic subtlety of these wonderful books!
Happy New Year all!!!
Great article. Love the last paragraph! Look forward to part 2.
I’ve been having the same thoughts since the start of the second book.
Glad to see it put so eloquently
Then wouldn’t Jon not get burnt by fire? Did he not burn his hand in the first Series?
One could be a targaryen and still get burned. One word: Viserys. Dany has some special mojo.
Man, this had blowed my mind! And I got me thinking of another clue: when Jon Snow and Ygritte ‘do the thing’ inside that boiling water cave, Ygritte advises Jon that the water is too hot. She probably doesn’t feel a thing, cause she is one of those redhead people that worship the Red God, and have the same valirian blood that the Targaryen, and talk too much about fire and is too friendly towards it to be hurt by it. And Jon Snow simply don’t answer her, he continues to enter in the boiling water, like he was more concerned about with what he’ll do with her there, than with the burning feeling on his skin… this means he isn’t hurt by hot water, as well some normal guy would be, and, consequently, he isn’t harmed by hot things like fire, what would make him a Targaryen blood person!
And besides the fact that would be extremly ironic and clever that he’s knonw as a ‘Snow’!
And one more thinking: it’s interesting how those redheads, who talk high valirian, have a crush about Targaryen people, who is descendent of the same valirian blood, but seems to talk just the valirian language (as seem with the Daenerys and the slaves), what would mean that the Targaryen dinasty is younger than the ‘magic’ guys who worship the Red God (Jacquen H’gaar, Melisandre, Beric, Thoros de Myr, Ygritte…), but still descends from the same very ancient valirian roots!