SPOILER WARNING: This article discusses ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6, Episode 10.
As Game of Thrones wraps up for another season, we battle through the cold GoT-less nights by overanalysing every single detail for possible clues. This is no exception.
Now that one-half of the R+L = J equation has been confirmed (yes, Lyanna Stark is Jon Snow‘s mother but we don’t *technically* have confirmation that Rhaegar Targaryen is his father), a particularly devout internet sleuth has gone one step further and determined that Jon isn’t even his real name.
Redditor sparkledavisjr has watched the Tower of Joy scene “fifty times at least” and is fairly certain that when Lyanna whispers to Ned Stark, “His name is [muffled]” the muffled word is ‘Jaehaerys‘.
TV watchers only won’t be familiar with that name, but Jaehaerys was actually the name of two previous Targaryen kings, both of whom were considered to be pretty damn good.
From sparkledavisjr:
“Jaehaerys I was the 4th Targaryen king to sit the Iron Throne. He was known as “the Wise”, “The Conciliator”, and “the Old King”. His long rule was prosperous and he was aided by his sister-wife Alysanne, who convinced Jaehaerys to expand the Night’s Watch and granted them the land now known as the New Gift.
“Jaehaerys II was Jon’s great-grandfather. His reign was short due to his ill-health (only 3 years), but still a good one. Jaehaerys restored stability to the realm, ended the Blackfyre threat during the war of the Ninepenny kings, and improved relations with the major houses who were unhappy during his father’s rule (Aegon V – Egg, the brother of Maester Aemon).
“If Lyanna was in love with Rhaegar (as seems likely), it makes sense for their son to have a Targaryen traditional name like his siblings Aegon and Rhaenys. Jaehaerys would be a good pick as the name isn’t associated with any real negative connotations, like Aerys, Maegor, etc. Not only is Jaehaerys the great-grandfather of Jon, he was the King who received the ORIGINAL PROPHECY about the prince who was promised from the woods witch with Jenny of Oldstones.”
The prophecy here refers to Azor Ahai and the Prince That Was Promised. According to the servants of R’hllor (of which one is Melisandre), a battle has been waged between the Lord of Light and the Great Other since the beginning of time. The last time things came to a head, Azor Ahai defeated the Great Other with a sword called Lightbringer, forged in the blood of his beloved Nissa Nissa.
According to the prophecy: “There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour, a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.”
And according to Game of Thrones history, the Jaehaerys II – Jon’s great-great-grandfather – was the one who received the original prophecy, forcing his children Aerys and Rhaella to marry because the prophecy foretold that the Prince would be born of their line.
“Rhaegar [Aerys and Rhaella’s child] was aware of this prophecy, and while he originally thought that he was the PTWP, he realised later he was not and that it would be one of his children,” writes sparkledavisjr. “That is why he took/seduced Lyanna in the first place. His wife Elia could not have any more children, and he knew there must be a third child (The dragon must have three heads).”
AND it was Robert Baratheon‘s jealous rage over losing Lyanna that prompted his rebellion in the first place, thus bringing this whole thing round in a poetic circle.
There’s any number of theories out there that Jon is the Song of Ice and Fire i.e. the Prince That Was Promised, although there’s solid arguments for it being Daenerys, instead.
Source: Reddit.
Photo: HBO.
