Spoilers for the HBO series Game of Thrones. In the television adaptation, Jon Snow is the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. His birth name is Aegon Targaryen. Ned Stark is his maternal uncle, not his father, and Daenerys Targaryen is his paternal aunt. The published novels have not confirmed the same parentage reveal.
Who are Jon Snow’s parents?
Jon’s biological parents in the HBO series are Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. The show reveals the truth through Bran Stark’s vision of Jon’s birth and records Samwell Tarly and Gilly find concerning Rhaegar’s marriage. TIME recounts how those discoveries establish the television series’ parentage reveal: TIME’s account of Jon Snow’s parents.
In the same episode, Sam tells Jon: “Your mother was Lyanna stark. And your father, your real father, was Rhaegar Targaryen. You’ve never been a bastard. You’re Aegon Targaryen, true heir to the Iron Throne.” This is Samwell Tarly’s dialogue in the television series; the quoted transcription preserves the lowercase spelling of “stark.”
Is Ned Stark Jon’s father?
No. Ned is Lyanna’s older brother, which makes him Jon’s maternal uncle. He raises Jon at Winterfell and lets the realm believe Jon is his illegitimate son. That cover protects the child’s identity amid the danger surrounding Robert Baratheon’s rule and the Targaryen claim. The public story explains why Jon grows up as “Snow,” but it is not his biological lineage.
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How is Daenerys related to Jon?
Daenerys is Jon’s aunt. She and Rhaegar are siblings, both children of King Aerys II Targaryen; Viserys is their brother as well. Since Rhaegar is Jon’s father, Daenerys is Jon’s paternal aunt. The show’s family relationships are also summarized in TIME’s Game of Thrones family-tree guide and The Independent’s report on the HBO family tree.
Why does the show call him Aegon Targaryen?
The television series reveals Aegon as Jon’s birth name, linking him to his Targaryen father as well as his Stark mother. Sam and Gilly uncover an annulment of Rhaegar’s earlier marriage to Elia Martell; Bran’s vision shows Rhaegar’s subsequent secret marriage to Lyanna. Together, those story details underpin the show’s portrayal of Jon as Rhaegar and Lyanna’s legitimate son, rather than the bastard Ned’s cover story suggests. TIME describes the annulment and marriage reveal in its episode account.
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What is confirmed in the books?
The television reveal should not be presented as established fact in the published novels. In the books, Jon’s mother has not been identified; the theory commonly called R+L=J—that Rhaegar and Lyanna are his parents—remains unconfirmed there. The show’s Aegon name, annulment, secret marriage and legitimacy reveal should likewise not be transferred to book canon as settled events. TIME distinguishes the adaptation’s answer from the books’ unresolved question in its coverage of Jon’s parentage; the lineage reference Family Tree Targaryen’s Jon Snow family-tree overview makes the same show-versus-books distinction.
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