GAME OF THRONES fans either felt blown away or vindicated in the recent season finale when the show seemed to tell viewers that Jon Snow wasn’t actually Ned Stark’s bastard son. Instead, Bran’s vision of the past revealed that Ned’s sister, Lyanna, was actually Jon’s mother. His father? Well, that was technically up to debate, although she did seem to whisper to Ned that he needed to hide the baby or Robert (Baratheon, we presume) would kill the boy. Then the baby’s face slowly morphed into Jon’s adult face in the present.
The popular theory was that Jon’s father was actually Rhaegar Targaryen, long-dead brother of Daenerys (and Viserys, who died in season 1). Rhaegar kidnapped Lyanna, who had been promised to Robert Baratheon, and spirited her away. Young Ned found his sister in the Tower of Joy in Dorne and fought his way to her, arriving just in time to speak to her before she died following childbirth. Fans also suspect that Rhaegar didn’t kidnap Lyanna and rape her, but that the pair were actually in love.
Jon, of course, doesn’t know anything about his true parentage yet. But given the fact that he’s Dany’s nephew, it’s possible he has more of a claim to the Iron Throne now. Will the battle for the Iron Throne actually come down to two Targaryens?
GAME OF THRONES will return for its seventh season in 2017.
Photo from HBO’s Making Game Of Thrones blog