One of the biggest open secrets for years was R + L = J; although unconfirmed by canonical sources, we ALL knew it meant that Jon Snow’s parents were not who we were told. After all it didn’t even make sense – could any of us truly imagine Ned Stark cheating on Catelyn? He would not lie to save his life, so the prospect of him being adulterous isn’t worth contemplating.
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We had to wait six long seasons to find out the truth, before Bran Stark’s vision showed us what really happened in the Tower of Joy.
Jon Snow’s real parents were in fact Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.
The show went one further in season seven, where we learnt that Rhaegar and Lyanna were actually married prior to the birth – making Jon an heir to the Iron Throne, and with a stronger claim than Daenerys Targaryen to boot. Thanks, primogeniture.
One thing we didn’t even consider was that not only was Snow not Jon’s real surname, but also his given name was also false.
This huge reveal came in the final moments of season seven, while Jon was becoming better acquainted with his aunt. Bran, through his greensight, told Samwell Tarley that Jon Snow’s real name was in fact Aegon Targaryen.
However, this is something that book readers should have picked up upon years before.
During her trials and tribulations in the House of the Undying, Daenerys sees a number of various scenes of the past, present and future.
One of these features a man who looks identical to her brother, Viserys, but with darker eyes of indigo.
This man – evidently her other brother, Rhaegar – is talking to an unnamed woman who is nursing a newborn baby. They discuss his name, choosing Aegon as a fine name for a king. The woman asks Rhaegar to make a song for him.
‘He has a song; he is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.’
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