With two episodes left, Game of Thrones is gearing up to end on a high note, beginning with this Sunday’s “Battle of the Bastards.” Although HBO is refraining from releasing a synopsis for the upcoming episodes, a new report reveals one huge detail about the show’s most popular character.
Note that there are possible spoilers ahead.
If you subscribe to the R + L = J theory, your conspiracy might finally come true, according to TechInsider. While the publication doesn’t definitively specify who Jon Snow’s parents are, it does say that Game of Thrones will finally reveal their names. That’s a huge deal if you’ve been keeping up with the show.
Up until now, Game of Thrones has led viewers to believe that Jon is the bastard son of Ned Stark, who died way back in season 1. However, there’s a longstanding fan theory that believes Jon is actually the son of Ned’s sister, Lyanna Stark, who was briefly teased during one of Bran’s flashbacks at the Tower of Joy.
As the theory goes, Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark ran away together many years ago, which in turn incites a war. Before the war’s conclusion, Rhaegar impregnates Lyanna, but she dies upon birth. Ned apparently finds her just before she dies, however, and promises to take care of Jon as one of his own. Thus, Ned makes up a lie about him being the father, which is in and of itself a big deal because he’s often considered the most honorable man in Westeros.
If Jon really is the child of Rhaegar and Lyanna, it would have huge implications. Not only would it make him the embodiment of “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the name of the book series by George R.R. Martin, but it would make him next in line for the Iron Throne—even before Daenerys, who might be Jon’s aunt. I know, crazy.
Again, TechInsider’s sources don’t specify who Jon’s parents might be, but after everything we’ve seen this season, it sounds like HBO is setting viewers up for one last major reveal.