Jon Snow

**Jon Snow** is a major character in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth seasons of *Game of Thrones*. He is the bastard son of Lord of Eddard Stark of Winterfell, and Ashara Dayne of Starfall. Born during Robert's Rebellion, Jon was brought to Winterfell and raised by Eddard alongside his lawful children Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon.
In order to escape his bastard status, Jon joins the Night's Watch and is eventually chosen as Lord Commander. As Lord Commander, Jon makes several decisions, such as allowing the wildlings to settle south of the Wall in order not to be killed by wights. He organizes a rescue expedition to Hardhome with Tormund, and he manages to rescue some wildlings. However, many black brothers grow distant from him, due to his sympathy for the Free Folk. As a result of this, he is later murdered in a mutiny.

## Biography

### Background

Jon was born sometime during Robert's Rebellion, the bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark and a wet-nurse named Wylla. Jon was supposedly named after Lord Jon Arryn, the Lord of the Eyrie who had fostered both Eddard and Robert Baratheon at the Eyrie in their youth, and whom was seen as a second father to them both.

Jon spent the next seventeen years being raised in Winterfell as Eddard's illegitimate son, alongside his trueborn children with his wife. Understandably, Eddard never told anyone, including Catelyn or Jon himself, who his mother was or even if she was still alive. When pressed by Robert, whom he couldn't deny an answer, Ned vaguely claimed that Jon's mother was a lowborn woman named "Wylla" that he met during the war. Eddard never treated Jon much differently from his trueborn children.

Despite sharing a happy marriage, Jon's presence at Winterfell would serve as a constant source of friction between Eddard and Catelyn. Catelyn never mistreated Jon, but she was cold towards him and avoided him whenever possible, viewing him only as a living reminder of the one time that Eddard had dishonoured her.[8] Catelyn would later confess to her daughter-in-law Talisa about how Jon caught the pox when he was a child, and she stayed with him through the night and prayed to the gods to let him live out of guilt for previously praying for his death, accepting that the boy was not to blame for her husband's sin, though it was still not enough to make her love Jon, something she would eventually come to regret.

Due to his bastard status, Jon grew up feeling like an outsider at Winterfell. Although Ned would see that he was well-treated, Jon's attendance at Winterfell's more "formal" occasions was restricted and he would even be barred from sitting inside at the Lord's table with his family so as not to offend important guests. Otherwise, Jon still lived better than many bastard-born children and was well-raised by Eddard as his own. He was loved by his father and siblings, was never hungry or poor, lived in his father's castle, and had a noble's upbringing. Jon received a highborn education from Maester Luwin and a young lord's martial training from Winterfell's Master-at-Arms, Ser Rodrik Cassel.

Of the Stark children, Jon was very close friends with Robb - given that they were roughly the same age, being regular companions in training and riding. He was also close with both Bran and Rickon, and was friendly rival to Lord Eddard's ward, Theon Greyjoy. However, Jon's closest relationship was with Arya, who, as an adventurous tomboy prone to un-ladylike pursuits, also felt like a social outsider. In contrast, Jon's early relationship with Sansa was unpleasant; very much her mother's daughter, she was aloof and cold to him as well.

### Season 1

Jon and Robb instruct Bran in archery, when their father receives word about a captured deserter from the Night's Watch, for which the penalty is death. Jon accompanies his father, Robb, Bran, Theon, Rodrik, and Jory Cassel, Rodrik's nephew. out to the holdfast where the deserter, Will, is being held. It is Bran's first time watching his father carry out an execution, but as the deserter is brought into position outside, Jon warns Bran not to look away, as their father will know. Jon praises Bran afterwards for keeping his composure. On their way back to Winterfell, they find a dead direwolf - a species not seen south of the Wall in centuries - and her newborn pups.

Jon talks Eddard into allowing the young Starks to adopt them, pointing out that a direwolf is the sigil of House Stark: given that there are five direwolves and five trueborn Stark children, it must be a sign that the Stark children are meant to have the pups. In order to make this point, Jon intentionally leaves himself out of the count of Stark children, and when Bran asks about this, Jon responds that he is not a Stark. Just as they are about to leave, however, he finds the runt of the litter, an albino, which crawled away from its mother's corpse. Theon remarks, "The runt of the litter, that one's yours, Snow." Jon takes this direwolf as his own, naming him Ghost.

Catelyn ensures that Jon, Robb, and Theon are groomed for the arrival of Robert and Queen Cersei Lannister. Jon, in particular, is set against the altering of his appearance, as well as expressing antipathy against the royal family. When the Baratheon entourage arrives, Jon is present, but is not allowed to attend the subsequent banquet for fear of offending the royal guests (on Catelyn's suggestion). He waits outside in the courtyard venting his frustrations against a practice dummy. When Jon's uncle, Benjen Stark, arrives, Jon tells him he has been thinking about it, and before his father leaves for the south he wants to join the Night's Watch.

Since they don't care about recruits' pasts and even a bastard can rise to positions of high honor in it, the Watch provides an easy escape from his life in Winterfell. He later meets Tyrion Lannister. As a dwarf, Tyrion knows what it is like to be an outcast, so he gives the young man some advice: never try to hide what he is, for the world will not forget. Instead, he should wear the name "bastard" openly, like armor, and then it can never be used to hurt him. When Jon angrily asks Tyrion what he knows about it, Tyrion replies that "all dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes."

Before departing, Jon has a run-in with Jaime Lannister, who infamously killed his grandfather, the Mad King. Jaime sarcastically thanks him for protecting all of them from the mythical monsters that allegedly exist beyond the Wall, in order to taunt him. Before Jon departs for the Wall, he says goodbye to the unconscious Bran, who has been injured in a fall. He gives Arya a sword named Needle that he had made especially for her, advising her to "stick them with the pointy end." Jon says he will miss her, and they both hug.

As he prepares his saddle, Robb asks if Jon said goodbye to Bran and is sure Bran will survive. Jon says Starks are hard to kill, and Robb asks about his mother, and Jon assures him she was kind. Robb offers to visit him at the Wall sometime, and they bid farewell with a hug. At their parting on the Kingsroad, Eddard vows to tell Jon the truth about his mother the next time they meet. Jon is accompanied by his uncle Benjen and Tyrion, who has expressed a desire to see the Wall (and urinate from the top of it) before he dies. Ghost also accompanies Jon to the Wall.

At Castle Black, Jon's expectations of the Night's Watch are soon disappointed. Instead of a brotherhood of noble warriors sworn to defend the realm from wildlings and White Walkers, he realizes the Watch is a dumping ground for criminals and wastrels. He earns the enmity of Ser Alliser Thorne, the Master-at-Arms in charge of training new recruits. He humiliates his fellow recruits with his superior fighting skills, learned from Winterfell's Master-at-Arms over the course of many years.

Benjen stands with Jon on his first watch and tells him that he is going ranging North of the Wall. Jon is keen to accompany him, but Benjen insists that he complete his training. Tyrion helps Jon see that he is no better than the recruits, but has been afforded more advantages than them due to his highborn upbringing. Jon offers to train some of his new brothers and Pypar and Grenn accept. He also befriends the fat and bookish coward Samwell Tarly when he arrives at Castle Black, and helps to protect him from the cruelty of Thorne. Thorne angrily tells Jon that going easy on Sam won't help him, and will risk getting him killed during the next winter.

After completing his training, Jon is inducted into the Night's Watch and swears his oath before a weirwood Heart tree on the north side of the Wall. He is assigned to the stewards rather than the rangers, and at first, thinks it is due to his ongoing feud with Thorne. However, Sam points out that Lord Commander Jeor Mormonthas asked for Jon as his personal steward, and may be grooming him for command. Jon is concerned when Benjen's horse returns to the Wall riderless. Later, Ghost finds the corpses of two rangers assigned to Benjen, Othor and Jafer Flowers. Learning of Eddard's imprisonment, Thorne taunts Jon about being a traitor's bastard, causing Jon to draw a knife in anger. He is restricted to quarters.

Later, Othor's corpse becomes a wight and attacks Mormont. Jon saves Mormont's life by burning the wight, earning a pardon for his earlier misdemeanor. Mormont also gives Jon his Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw - given that his own son Jorah fled into exile and left it behind. Jon ponders abandoning the Watch to join Robb's army when it marches against the Lannisters, but Aemon tells him that he chose to stay with the Watch when he was similarly tested - as he is secretly a long-forgotten great uncle of the Mad King, and was once known as Aemon Targaryen, but his entire family was killed at the end of Robert's Rebellion.

News of Eddard's execution reach Castle Black. Jon immediately leaves, meaning to join Robb and seek vengeance for his father's death. Samwell, Pypar, and Grenn intercept him and convince him to stay. Mormont tells Jon their war against the White Walkers is more important than the game of thrones in King's Landing. He tells Jon that the Watch is marching beyond the Wall in force, to find Benjen and learn the truth about the threat. Jon swears to him not to attempt to desert again and accompanies the troops as they set out.

### Season 2

Mormont prepares Jon for a command role as the Great Ranging travels North seeking Benjen and an explanation for the wight attack. They pass through several abandoned wildling villages before arriving at the home of their unsavory ally Craster.

Jon is perplexed when he learns that Craster incestuously marries his own daughters, but apparently has no sons. He takes an instant dislike to Craster when they meet with him. Craster reveals to Jeor that he has not seen Benjen, and that the wildlings are gathering with their leader, King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder. Jeor reprimands Jon for failing to follow his lead with Craster - the man disgusts him as well, but unfortunately, he's one of the few wildlings who is willing to give them shelter and supplies which mean the difference between life and death for many black brothers in the wild.

Sam appeals to Jon to aid Craster's pregnant daughter-wife Gilly. She is afraid of having a son,, but will not say why. Jon is frustrated and refuses to disobey Jeor's order to leave Craster's wives alone. Jon sees Craster carrying a newborn into the woods and follows him. He sees Craster leave the child for a White Walker but does not recognize the creature hidden in the shadows. Craster spots him and knocks him out.[18] Craster disarms Jon and drags him back to his keep. He expels the rangers from his home. Jeor reveals that he knew that Craster was sacrificing his sons, but chose to ignore it because of his usefulness as an ally of the Night's Watch.

The rangers reach the ancient fortified peak known as the Fist of the First Men and await Qhorin Halfhand and his party from the Shadow Tower. When Qhorin arrives, he suggests altering their tactics and using small groups to overcome Mance's lookouts in the Skirling Pass. Jon asks to join Qhorin's raiders and Jeor lets him go.

Qhorin leads his men into the pass, and they locate and ambush the wildling watchers. Jon realizes his opponent is a young woman and hesitates to kill her. She introduces herself as Ygritte, but does not give away details of Mance's plans. Qhorin leaves Jon alone to execute Ygritte. Jon is unable to do it and she escapes. He pursues and recaptures her, but they become separated from Qhorin's group. Jon decides they cannot regroup with Qhorin due to the approaching night. Ygritte convinces Jon to sleep next to her to share body heat and keep warm, and then makes sexual advances towards him. Jon rejects the temptation to break his oath

Jon unties Ygritte's legs, while keeping her hands bound, as he continues his search for the rest of the raiders. She tells him that she knows that he is a virgin. As they walk, Ygritte questions Jon as to why the men of the Night's Watch hate the wildlings. She explains that both the Free Folk and the Northmen like the Starks are descendants of the First Men, and the wildlings just happened to be on the wrong side of the Wall when it was built. She urges him to forget about his oath and live free. Another sexual advance from Ygritte prompts him to reach for his sword. She backs away and trips him with the rope, when he is caught off guard.

He pursues her but is ambushed and taken captive. Ygritte tells him that he should have taken her when he had the chance.[22] Ygritte brings Jon to the Lord of Bones, and convinces him that Mance will want to question Jon. The Lord of Bones has a prisoner of his own; Qhorin. The Halfhand tells Jon that the rest of the men were killed while they searched for him. He urges Jon to make their deaths meaningful and become a spy within the wildling ranks. He then feigns anger with Jon until he is restrained after managing to knock Jon over.

In Winterfell, after Theon betrays House Stark and takes the castle, he refuses to flee and join the Night's Watch when he is surrounded by Ramsay Snow's men, claiming that Jon will likely kill him for betraying the Starks and apparently burning Bran and Rickon alive (in actuality, Theon faked their deaths).

As they make their way to Mance, Ygritte continues to playfully mock Jon by tapping him on the head with the flat of Longclaw. Qhorin uses the distraction to advance his plan to portray Jon as a traitor to the Night's Watch. He attacks Jon, and the Lord of Bones allows them to fight. Jon is initially reluctant until Qhorin calls his "father" a traitor and his mother a whore. Jon slays Qhorin, who whispers a line from the Night's Watch oath to Jon with his dying breath, stunning Ygritte and the rest of the band. Jon's hands are freed, and Ygritte leads him to the crest of the mountain to look over the massive wildling encampment.

### Season 3

As Jon is led by Ygritte and the Lord of Bones into the main wildling camp in the Frostfang mountains, he discovers that almost all of wildling society is on the move to escape the White Walkers, including the women and children. As they enter the camp, Jon is shocked to see a real-life giant walk past. Many of the wildlings are surprised to see Jon in his all-black Night's Watch clothing and shout "crow!" at his approach. Several young boys pelt Jon with ice and small stones but Ygritte shoos them away.

Jon is led into the tent of the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder, where the Lord of Bones explains that he is Ned Stark's bastard son to a large man with a heavy beard who is eating chicken by the fire. He says he doesn't care, but his interest is piqued on hearing that Jon killed Qhorin Halfhand. As they talk Jon kneels before the man, whom he assumes to be Mance Rayder, and calls him "your Grace". This causes all of the wildlings to burst out laughing. As it turns out this isn't Mance, but his lieutenant Tormund Giantsbane. The real Mance is an unassuming man sitting in a corner, who then introduces himself and tells Jon to stand, as no man kneels before another among the Free Folk, since they do not recognize a class of nobility in their culture.

Mance says he is glad that Jon killed Qhorin, as he had killed many of Mance's wildlings. Mance asks Jon why he wants to join them and he replies he wants to be free, but Mance doesn't believe this. Jon then explains that when the Night's Watch camped at Craster's Keep, he saw Craster leave his newborn son in the woods as an offering, and the inhuman creature that took it. Jon says that he wants to leave the Night's Watch, because he is disgusted that Mormont already knew what Craster was doing but did nothing to stop it. Jon states that the First Men he is descended from defeated the White Walkers once during the Long Night, and that now he wants "to fight for the side who fights for the living". Mance is satisfied and advises Jon to get a new cloak, his black one clearly attracting malignity.

Jon then marches south with the Free Folk army. Mance explains that his army is a diverse force, formed of about ninety different groups or clans of wildlings, who speak seven different languages, and have numerous internal rivalries. However, he managed to unite them all by telling them the truth: that they will all die if they remain north of the Wall. Mance brings Jon to one of his scouts, Orell. He is sitting silently with his eyes rolled back as an eagle circles above him. Mance says that he is a "warg".

Jon learns a warg is a person who is capable of entering the mind of an animal, seeing what it sees and even controlling its actions. Orell controls his eagle to scout miles ahead. Mance asks him what he has seen, and Orell says he saw the Fist of the First Men - and many dead "crows".

As Jon and the Free Folk arrive at the Fist of the First Men, they survey the bloody aftermath of the assault on the Night's Watch by the White Walkers and their army of undead wights. However, they only find corpses of horses and no human remains. Jon says that there were three hundred men of the Night's Watch at the Fist, and asks Mance if Mormont could still be alive. Mance says that with Mormont, it's possible he was able to escape, but that even if he did he and his men took quite a beating and are trapped miles away from the Wall with the White Walkers in close pursuit. Mance warns Jon that all of the missing corpses from the Fist are no longer his friends and brothers from the Night's Watch, but have been resurrected as undead monsters who serve the White Walkers. Jon reluctantly agrees.

Mance orders Tormund to take a force of twenty men to scale the Wall to attack Castle Black from its exposed rear. Mance's plan is for Tormund's small band to distract Castle Black by attacking their exposed southern side, at which point Mance's main army will assault it from the north. Tormund will know that Mance is in position when his army makes a massive signal fire. Mance orders Tormund to take Jon with him, as Jon knows the layout of Castle Black, and it will prove a key test of his loyalty: if it turns out that he won't really betray the Night's Watch, Tormund can easily throw him off the Wall to his death.

On their way to the Wall and Castle Black, Jon and Ygritte are gathering firewood, when the warg Orell asks him about the defenses of the Night's Watch. Orell has seen through the eyes of his eagle that there are patrols on top of the Wall and he wants to know how frequent they are. Jon says they usually sent out patrols in teams of four, two builders to inspect for structural damage and two rangers to protect them, but that the frequency of their patrols often changes. Orell says the wildlings know there are nineteen castles along the south side of the Wall, but he wants to know how many are currently manned.

Jon finds this very unpleasant, but reluctantly says that only three are currently manned. Apart from Castle Black, there is also Eastwatch-by-the-Sea at the extreme eastern end, and the Shadow Tower at the western end. Jon is then asked how many men currently garrison Castle Black. Jon is very reluctant to answer, but after being threatened by Orell, he gives an exaggerated number, saying there are one thousand men (this is a lie, as Castle Black only had six hundred men before the Great Ranging, and the garrison now is closer to three hundred). Tormund tells Jon that he likes him, but if he is lying to them, he will rip his guts out through his throat. Despite this, Jon remains steadfast to the lie.

Jon and Ygritte then walk away, but she steals his sword Longclaw, making him chase her to get it back. She leads him into a nearby cave. Ygritte starts disrobing, and says that she wants to make sure Jon has truly come over to the wildlings' side and broken his Night's Watch vows - by making him break his oath of celibacy with her. She quickly shucks off all of her clothes and walks up to him naked. Jon is very hesitant at first, but they soon end up having sex in the cave. Afterwards, Jon and Ygritte lay together in a naked embrace, and Ygritte tells Jon she wishes they could stay in this cave forever.

He joins a wildling party led by Tormund Giantsbane to climb the Wall. Beforehand, he is questioned by Ygritte about their relationship and his allegiance to the Night's Watch, saying that he must be loyal to her instead. During the climb, Ygritte causes part of the ice to break, leaving them hanging in the air by the rope. Orell, believing them to be lost, cuts it. Jon manages to save himself and Ygritte by climbing back to the ice. The two return to the climb and reach the top, where Ygritte gazes at the north side and the south side, before they kiss.

After surviving the perilous climb of the Wall, Jon, Ygritte and the wildlings led by Tormund Giantsbane advance through the Gift - the strip of land immediately south of the Wall which the Watch draws supplies from - and continue on towards Castle Black, to await Mance Rayder's signal to begin the attack. Afterwards, Jon confronts Orell about cutting his and Ygritte's rope loose on the Wall, nearly killing both of them in the process. Orell tells Jon that he doesn't see Ygritte complaining about what happened, because she is a wildling and understood what needed to be done in a pressure situation, also telling Jon that this is the reason he will never be able to keep her.

During the journey through the woods, a jealous Orell confronts Ygritte and says that he would be a better man for her than Jon, while continuing to express his distrust in him. Later, Jon tries to persuade Ygritte that the wildlings can't win an attack against the realms but she refuses to listen and points out that Jon is now one of them; if it fails, so does he. She restates her passion for him and tells him bluntly that if they die, they die, but before they die, they will live.

Jon and the wildling party prepare to raid an elderly horse breeder's home for his horses and gold; Jon insists that the old man is no threat to them, but Orell and Tormund Giantsbane intend to kill the man so as to stop him from alerting the Night's Watch to their presence. However, when the party attacks the farmstead, Jon surreptitiously hits a rock with his sword, alerting the old man who flees; Jon also distracts Ygritte when she tries to shoot the fleeing man with an arrow. Outside, Tormund moves to kill the old man, but Orell tells him to have Jon do it instead to prove his loyalty. Jon is ultimately unable to kill the innocent man, and instead, Ygritte kills the man with an arrow.

Realizing that Jon is still loyal to the Night's Watch, Tormund orders his men to kill Jon; Tormund restrains Ygritte to stop her trying to help Jon, and soon after Jon battles with Orell. In the nearby Queenscrown, a hidden Bran enters the mind of Summer to aid Jon. as he battles to the death with Orell and finally kills him. With the last of his strength Orell wargs into the mind of his pet eagle, which swoops down and attacks Jon, clawing him badly about the face before he fights the bird off. Jon then steals a horse and escapes, leaving a heartbroken Ygritte and heading back to the Wall.

Stopping to rest and tend to his injury, Jon is confronted by a furious Ygritte, who has an arrow ready to shoot him. Jon tries to talk Ygritte out of shooting him, insisting that he still loves her. Though his feelings are clearly reciprocated Ygritte is still angered by his betrayal and shoots Jon three times with her bow as he flees from her. Jon is badly injured, but his horse manages to carry him the rest of the way to Castle Black, as he hovers in and out of consciousness. Having reached safety, Jon is brought inside the castle by the guards, where he encounters Sam and Pypar, who are overjoyed to see him and insist that his injuries be taken care of.

### Season 4

Jon survives the injuries inflicted by Ygritte and has largely recovered, though he still grimaces while getting dressed. At some point, Jon has been told about his half-brother Robb's death at the Red Wedding and wanting vengeance for his family, but decides to stay at the wall. He shares with Sam that he had always been jealous of Robb for having more of their father's affection and for being better than him at riding, fighting, and winning the affection of other girls. Still, he says he could never bring himself to hate Robb, as he was also always a good friend and honorable person. Sam responds by saying he has felt the same way about Jon, that Jon is better than him at everything (except reading).

It turns out that Sam had been sent to retrieve Jon, who has been summoned to testify before a panel of five sworn brothers, including Maester Aemon, acting Lord Commander Alliser Thorne, and Janos Slynt (who was exiled to the Wall by Tyrion). At the hearing, Jon admits to killing Qhorin, living amongst the wildlings, and sleeping with one. He also states that Mance intends to attack and gives intel on his plans and strength. Both Slynt and Thorne are openly hostile to Jon, disbelieving much of what he says and call for his execution. Aemon, however, realizes that Jon is speaking the truth, and the hearing ends with Jon being allowed to keep his head.

Meanwhile, at the Dreadfort, when Theon is pressed by Roose Bolton for information on the whereabouts of Bran and Rickon, he reluctantly guesses that they may try to head to Jon at Castle Black. At Ramsay's suggestion, Jon becomes a target of the Boltons, since Ramsay reasons that even though Jon may be a bastard, he is still a son of Ned Stark, and may pose a threat to the Boltons' future hold on the North, either because the Northerners who are still furious at the Boltons for betraying the Starks may rally behind him even though he is a bastard in the Night's Watch, or because Jon may simply seek revenge on both Roose and Ramsay for their role in the Starks' downfall at Red Wedding. Roose subsequently sends his hunter, Locke, to the Wall in order to infiltrate the Watch, use Jon to find Bran and Rickon and then kill them all, promising a lordship as a reward.

The orphan Olly then arrives at Castle Black, telling them how the wildling raiding parties south of the Wall killed his entire village. Thorne asks for Jon's opinion on protecting the smallfolk living in the Gift, thinking Jon will disagree with his decision not to send help. Instead, Jon regretfully says that he knows from his time with the wildlings that this exactly what they want - to lure as many of them out of Castle Black as possible to weaken its defenses for the massive attack about to come from the north side of the Wall, which would allow them to move over a thousand miles southward before they reached an army that could stop them.

Therefore, Jon agrees with Thorne that they should do nothing, and concentrate every available man in Castle Black itself to brace for the assault. They are interrupted by a single horn blast, revealed to be Grenn and Edd, who have escaped the mutineers at Craster's Keep. Jon is relieved to see them alive, but his relief turns to concern when they reveal that the mutineers remain entrenched at the keep. Jon understands that if the mutineers are captured by Mance Rayder, then the wildlings will know how vulnerable Castle Black really is. Jon tries to convince Thorne that eliminating the mutineers should be their top priority.

Jon and Grenn are training the new recruits, one of which is Locke, to fight wildlings. The training session is interrupted by Thorne who continues to talk down to Jon and reminds him that he is a steward. Locke approaches Jon and they get acquainted, with Jon unaware of Locke's true purpose. Jon and Sam are talking about Bran going beyond the Wall. Jon is worried for Bran and once he realizes that he could be at Craster's Keep, Locke comes in to tell him that Thorne has summoned him. Thorne gives him permission to attack Craster's Keep, but only with volunteers; Slynt convinced Thorne that Jon questioning his decisions is a problem, and if Jon gets himself killed on a dangerous mission he volunteered for (knowing the risks), it will both remove him and be his own fault; alternatively, if he succeeds and returns alive, so much the better.

Jon gives a speech about avenging Mormont's death at the hands of the mutineers and this convinces a number of his brothers to join him in his attack, including Grenn, Edd, and Locke (who secretly intends to kill Jon during the mission and blame it on the mutineers).

The group attacks at night, taking the mutineers by surprise. Jon personally enters the main building to deal with Karl Tanner. The two of them are evenly matched, though Karl manages to get the upper hand by spitting in Jon's face and then kicking him to the floor. Before he can land the finishing blow, Karl is stabbed in the back by Sissy. Karl attempts to kill her, though it's a fatal mistake as Jon doesn't miss the opportunity to thrust Longclaw through the back of Karl's head and out of his mouth.

After the fight, Jon and the others count five dead amongst the Watch, including Locke, whose neck was snapped in a way that terrifies Jon (Jon being completely unaware that Locke had been killed by a Bran-possessed Hodor). He then reunites with Ghost, before turning to Craster's wives and offering them refuge at Castle Black. They decline, saying that after the abuse they took at other members of the Night's Watch they can't trust them and will go their own way. Before leaving, they set a torch to Craster's Keep, burning it to the ground.

Jon and his fellow black brothers return to Castle Black, much to the annoyance of Thorne and Slynt. Once Alliser spots Ghost, he orders Jon to lock up Ghost or his direwolf will become food for the Night's Watch. Later, Jon reports that Mance Rayder's army was closing in on Craster's Keep and will reach the Wall before the next full moon. Jon states that defending the tunnel is hopeless since the gates will not stop the giants in Mance Rayder's army. He proposes they seal the tunnel, but Alliser Thorne refuses to listen. Alliser then assigns Jon and Sam to night duties atop the Wall until the next new moon.

News of the wildling attack on Mole's Town, the largest village in the Gift, reaches Castle Black. Jon, Pypar, and Eddison Tollett try to comfort a distraught Sam, who believes that Gilly and her baby are dead. Grenn is furious that the wildlings slaughtered the inhabitants of Mole's Town, which included brothers of the Night's Watch. Jon concludes that if Mole's Town has been attacked, then Mance Rayder's assault on Castle Black is imminent.

Atop the Wall, Jon and Sam are staring out into the darkness of the north and awaiting the imminent wildling invasion. Sam attempts to interrogate Jon about what it was like to be with a woman, stating that as their deaths are likely imminent, it may be his last chance to find out. Sam brings up that the vows of the Night's Watch only explicitly forbid members from taking wives or producing children, and that other "activities" are open to interpretation. Jon replies glumly that Alliser most likely does not care about their interpretations. When further pressed by Sam to describe lying down with Ygritte, Jon attempts to explain but is unable to properly express it, proclaiming exasperatedly that he is "not a bleeding poet." Jon offers to take the watch up alone so Sam can go below.

Later that night, Jon hears the horn blowing and looks north, witnessing a tremendous conflagration north of the Wall, just as Mance had promised him. Jon approaches Thorne, who finally relents and admits that they should have heeded his advice and sealed the tunnel, but grimly muses that leadership means not second-guessing oneself because of "clever little twats" like him. While they start to prepare for the massive wildling army that is emerging from the woods, another horn blows from down below at Castle Black, signaling the unanticipated appearance of Tormund's band of wildlings at Castle Black.

Alliser decides to go down and defend the keep, leaving Slynt in charge of the Wall's defenses. Even though a wildling strike force led by two giants, one of which is riding a mammoth, charge towards Castle Black's outer gate, Slynt does nothing and breaks down, demoralizing the troops. Grenn steps in by falsely claiming that Alliser needs Janos back down in Castle Black, allowing Jon to take command of the Wall's defenses, silently thanking Grenn.[39] The black brothers continue to rain down arrows on the advancing wildlings, even killing ones that are attempting to scale the Wall.

One giant, armed with a massive bow, manages to fire a huge arrow at one of the bunkers atop the Wall, and Jon is unable to warn his brothers fast enough before the giant fires again, violently killing one of his black brothers. Although Jon manages to repel most of the wildlings attacking the outer gate, including the mammoth, one giant manages to single-handedly lift the gate. Jon, knowing the inner gate won't hold against him, sends a group of black brothers led by Grenn to hold it at any cost. Jon decides to give Edd control of the top of the Wall, and tasks Sam with releasing Ghost from his pen to assist in the fighting, then orders half a dozen other men to descend with him and finally enter the fray.

Jon quickly dispatches many wildlings with Longclaw, catching the attention of Styr, Magnar of the Thenns, and so the two meet in single combat. Styr eventually gets the upper hand by knocking Longclaw away, then Jon disarms Styr of his axe using some chains, and the fighting goes hand to hand. Styr brutally smashes his face into an anvil and tosses him into the blacksmith's forge. However, when Styr picks Jon up and begins to strangle him, Jon spits blood in Styr's face, distracting him long enough for him to grab the blacksmith's hammer lying next to him and bury it into Styr's skull.

Upon killing him, Jon turns around to find Ygritte pointing her bow at him with an arrow drawn. He smiles at her, causing her to hesitate. Before either can say anything, Ygritte is shot through the heart by Olly. Jon holds her in his arms as she tells him that they should have never left the cave, and they lament circumstances that prevented them from being together as she succumbs to her wound.

Later, while Edd forces the wildling army to retreat for the night, down below Jon deals with a heavily wounded Tormund, who continues to fight despite being the only wildling left alive in the castle. Jon subdues him with a crossbow and orders his brothers to take him prisoner and interrogate him. The following morning, Jon discusses with Sam his suicidal solution to end the wildling threat: he plans to assassinate Mance Rayder, noting that he is the only thing binding the disparate wildling clans that make up the army, and his death will rob them of that purpose and leadership.

Sam tries to stop him, but to no avail. As Jon prepares to leave via Castle Black's tunnel, they discover the bodies of the black brothers who held the inner gate against the giant. Grenn is amongst the casualties, and Jon tells Sam that all bodies must be burned. Before Jon leaves, he remembers the promise he made to Jeor Mormont and decides to leave Longclaw with Sam. Sam tells Jon to come back, and Jon looks and Sam and gives him an unsure smile before stepping out into the wilderness on the other side of the gate. Jon finds Mance in a wildling camp north of the Wall, and claims he wants to negotiate with him.

Despite Mance expressing disappointment at Jon's betrayal, they drink a toast to some of their fallen friends, such as Grenn, Ygritte, and Mag the giant. Mance then notices that Jon is eyeing a cooking knife, and quickly deduces that Jon came to parley with Mance simply so he could assassinate him. Before anyone can make a move, they are interrupted by the sound of war horns. Outside, hundreds of mounted knights led by Stannis Baratheon and Davos Seaworth arrives and slaughter many of the wildlings, scattering the rest.

Jon introduces himself to Stannis as Ned Stark's son, and suggests that Stannis arrest Mance instead of executing him, reasoning that Mance had the chance to kill him, but chose not to. Out of respect for Ned, Stannis accepts, and Jon also advises Stannis to burn the bodies of the dead in order to prevent them from returning as wights. During the funeral, Jon notices Melisandre staring at him through the flames. Later, Jon visits Tormund, who tells Jon that Ygritte truly loved him, and asks him to lay Ygritte to rest north of the Wall. Jon later takes his love's body into the woods and burns it, weeping as he walks away.

### Season 5

Jon spars with Olly, along with other new recruits before being summoned by Melisandre to see Stannis atop the Wall. He questions the Red Woman if she is cold, as she is dressed in unusually light clothing for the local climate, but she states that "the Lord's fire" lives within her. Melisandre asks if Jon is a virgin. Jon replies he is not, which she approves. Jon meets with Stannis and Davos, kneeling before the king. With Roose Bolton ruling Winterfell, Stannis asks Jon if he wants to avenge his fallen half-brother.

Jon reaffirms that he is a sworn brother of the Night's Watch. Davos states that his loyalty to the Watch is considered dubious because of his time spent with the wildlings. Nevertheless, Stannis wants Jon to retake the North with the help of the wildlings, stating that he will pardon them and declare them citizens of the realm once the war is won. Stannis will give the wildlings their lives and freedom if Mance bends the knee and swears his loyalty. He gives Jon until nightfall to convince Mance, or the King-Beyond-the-Wall will be burned as a sacrifice to R'hllor.

##### **Starting here, new series arc**

Jon speaks with Mance, relaying the promise Stannis will make with him and the Wildlings if he bends the knee. Mance tells Jon that the Wildlings will never bend the knee to a southern king, and that they only follow him because he kneels to no one. Jon tells him about Torrhen Stark, the King who Knelt, and why he knelt to Aegon Targaryen: to spare his people. Jon tells Mance that while the Wildlings aren't part of the North, they used to be, and pledges, where Mance failed he would try and succeed in saving them.

Later, as Mance is led to the pyre, Stannis gives him one last chance to save his life. Mance politely refuses and is led to the stake and Melisandre lights the pyre. Just as the fire begins to fully consume Mance, he is mercifully shot through the heart with an arrow by Jon.

Stannis and Davos summon Jon to discuss his future. Stannis shows him a letter delivered by messenger-raven from Alysane Mormont, the Lady of Bear Island saying she would only pledge her House to a member of House Stark. Stannis offers to legitimise Jon as a Stark and make him Lord of Winterfell.

Later that day, the brothers of the Night's Watch assemble for the choosing of the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Sam and Jon speak briefly about Stannis' offer, however Jon tells him he's chosen to won't accept it, stating that if he breaks his Night's Watch vows, then what good are any other vows he takes in the future.

Ser Alliser Thorne, Ser Denys Mallister and Cotter Pyke are all nominated for Lord Commander. Knowing that Jon intends to refuse Stannis's offer and stay true to his vows, but also knowing that Thorne winning would cause a hard life for Jon, Sam nominates Jon as a fourth candidate and recounts how he took command of the defense of Castle Black (including the fact that Thorne fought bravely and Slynt was cowering in the pantry with Gilly) and was willing to sacrifice himself to stop Mance.

With the votes cast, Aemon and his aide tally the tokens and a tie is declared between Jon and Ser Alliser. Aemon feels around in his hands for his voting chip and produces a circle token and adds it to Jon's stack amidst cheers and laughter, as Jon has been chosen as the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.

Jon is once again approached by Stannis and Davos about the offer of legitimisation. As the new Lord Commander, Jon reminds the king that his place is with the Night's Watch, even though his dream was to be a Stark. Stannis, a man of duty, respects his decision to keep his vow and tells Jon he intends to march on Winterfell within a fortnight since the Night's Watch cannot afford to feed both his army and the wildling prisoners. Stannis tells Jon that he and his forces will be heading south the next morning, and that he will be taking most of the Wildling prisoners with them when they march.

Sam presents him with requests from Northern Lords for recruits for the Night's Watch, and discovers one from House Bolton. Jon is reluctant to accept one from Roose Bolton, his brother's killer, until Sam convinces him that they must stay neutral and ask for as many men as they can for the Watch, and right now the Boltons rule the North and have the most men - leading Jon to sign the request angrily. Melisandre enters his office, and tries to persuade him to fight for Stannis and take his home back from the Boltons, but Jon claims that Castle Black is now his home.

Later on in the day, Jon holds his first general meeting of the garrison in the main hall as Lord Commander. He starts with some levity by assigning an overseer to dig a new latrine pit. He proceeds to acknowledge Ser Alliser Thorne as an experienced and valuable member of the Night's Watch, and names him First Ranger. Jon then orders Janos Slynt to man and repair Greyguard, a ruined castle. Janos refuses to obey and Jon reminds him that this is a direct order. Janos then refuses him a third time and Jon asks Janos if he's refusing to obey the order. Janos publicly insults him, telling Jon, "You can stick your order up your bastard ass." Jon orders Janos to be taken outside, and calls for Olly to fetch him Longclaw, while Janos insists Jon is mistaken if he thinks he can frighten him. Obedient to the law of his father - *that the man who passes the sentence must swing the sword* - Jon makes ready to personally behead Janos. While on the chopping block, Janos begins to plead for mercy. After a moment of hesitation, Jon executes the cowardly former Commander of the City Watch with a single blow. From across the courtyard, Stannis sees Jon behead Janos for refusing his orders, and slightly nods in approval.

That night, another ceremony is held by Melisandre in the courtyard, and Jon watches as several Wildling prisoners present a piece of Weirwood, and burn it. Sam asks what the Wildlings are doing, and Jon tells him that they have rejected the Old Gods and sworn fealty to R'hllor in exchange for new lives in the North. Jon now understands why Stannis is taking the prisoners with him when they depart.

The next day, Jon bids Stannis and Davos farewell, thanking for aiding them against Mance Rayder. Jon tells Stannis that while he can't help him take Winterfell, he can still give him advice, telling him that the small folk and mountain clans would be of great use. Jon also speaks with Melisandre a final time, and she tells him that she has seen promise and glory in his future, but many hardships still await him.

Jon consults Aemon for advice on making hard decisions, noting that half the men in the Night's Watch despise him for his sympathy for the wildlings, but Aemon tells him to *"Kill the boy, and let the man be born,"* in other words, to go ahead and make the hard choice and do what he believes is best.

Jon holds a meeting with Aemon, Sam, Edd, Alliser Thorne, Othell Yarwyck and Bowen Marsh, telling them of his plans to allow the wildlings to pass through the Wall and settle in the North as subjects of the Seven Kingdoms, or even let them join the Watch, one of the reasons he sent Slynt to rebuild Greyguard. Jon's idea is met with harsh criticism from all present, even from his closest friends such as Edd, Olly and Sam. Jon reminds them that this plan is to ensure that wildlings don't fall into the hands of the White Walkers, pointing out that every single Wildling left on the north side of the Wall will be killed, then resurrected and added to the ever-growing army of the dead. Jon tells them that he has secured several of Stannis' ships for the journey (as Stannis is marching inland and won't be of need of them).

Jon speaks alone with Tormund, who reveals that the remainder of Mance's army probably fled back to Hardhome, a large fishing village on the coast. Jon, having grown sympathetic for the Wildlings, had promised Mance to save them, and requests that Tormund go there and negotiate with the remaining wildling chieftains, to tell them that they will be allowed to pass through the Wall on Jon's terms. Tormund agrees, so long as Jon, the Lord Commander, accompanies him so that the chieftains will know it is not a trap.

Jon later prepares to leave Castle Black with Tormund and a group of black brothers including Edd. He entrusts the care of the Night's Watch to Thorne, who criticises his mission, and says his farewells to Sam, who gives him a bag of dragonglass daggers in case he should run into White Walkers on the way. He hugs Sam for what might be the last time and leaves Castle Black on his mission.

Jon reaches Hardhome with his companions. After Tormund kills the Lord of Bones for challenging him, he and Jon go inside a hut to speak with the leaders of the clans. Though the wildlings are prepared to kill Jon for killing Mance, Tormund stands up for him and reveals that Jon killed Mance out of mercy. Jon offers to share the dragonglass weapons with the wildlings and allow them to settle on land south of the Wall if they swear fealty to Stannis. At first, the wildlings decide to stay, however Tormund reminds them the White walkers are coming, and in the end Stannis' war will pale in comparison to the real war, between the living and the dead, and that even if they and all the men of the Seven Kingdoms are not enough to stop them, they can at least die fighting with the Night's Watch when the White Walkers finally arrive. Several chieftains leading five thousand Wildlings in total agree to pass through the Wall and pledge fealty to Stannis, while the rest decide to stay, though Tormund tells Jon that more will come around with time.

However, as they are preparing to leave, they are all attacked by an army of Wights. Jon fights his way to the hut to retrieve the dragonglass daggers, but he is ambushed by a White Walker. They fight for a while and Jon is almost killed until he retrieves Longclaw. To the surprise of both Jon and the White Walker, Longclaw doesn't shatter from the cold of the Walker's weapon when he uses it to parry his attack - because it is made of Valyrian steel, forged with dragon-fire and spells. Jon quickly regains his ground and slashes the White Walker with it, making it shatter into a cloud of ice particles, and revealing that the White Walkers can also be killed by Valyrian steel.

Jon, Edd and Tormund make it back to the boats to Stannis's ships, with the wights refusing to follow them in the water. But as they leave, the Night King himself appears and shares a long glance with Jon, at the same time using his magic to raise all of the dead as wights before Jon's eyes. Jon looks on in obvious terror, as he knows the slaughter he just witnessed is merely a prelude to what is coming for all of Westeros.

Jon and the others make it back to the north side of Castle Black on foot, and he makes himself seen by Thorne so that they will be let inside. Thorne hesitates but ultimately relents and orders the gates to be opened. As the wildlings are led by Tormund through Castle Black into the Seven Kingdoms, Jon laments the horror he saw at Hardhome, and his failure in not bringing more Wildlings back with him, knowing that many thousands more fled from the battle, and are now on the run from the Wights. Thorne approaches Jon, telling him that his kind heart will get him killed. Indeed, as Jon looks around, he sees almost all of his brothers looking at him scornfully, among them Olly, Othell Yarwyck, and Bowen Marsh.

Jon discusses with Sam the war against the White Walkers, and his increasingly strained relationship with the rest of the Night's Watch. He tells Sam that more needs to be done to make sure more Wildlings don't fall into the Night King's hands.

Sam asks for leave to take Gilly and her baby with him to Oldtown, where he will train to become a Maester. Sam reasons that he is better suited to the life of a Maester than a warrior, and that the Night's Watch needs to fill the gap left by the late Aemon, who had died during Jon's journey to Hardhome. Jon is reluctant, as he has few friends nowadays, but agrees that they need to be prepared for "*when the time comes*". Jon points out that as a Maester, Sam's vow of chastity will be doubly prevalent, before finding out that Sam and Gilly have had sex already, to Jon's amusement. Jon eventually agrees to Sam's request and sees him off.

That night while reading messages, Olly comes to Jon and tells him one of the wildlings knows of the whereabouts of his uncle Benjen, who has been missing since before the Great Ranging. Jon quickly follows Thorne to a gathering of his Watch brothers, only to find a sign marked "Traitor". Thorne, Yarwyck, Marsh and two other brothers of the Night's Watch proceed to stab Jon while uttering, *"For the Watch."* As the wounded Jon kneels, gasping for breath, Olly tearfully comes forward and after a few moments of pause, stabs Jon in the heart and declares, "For the Watch." Jon collapses and dies from his wounds before the mutineers leave him out in the cold to bleed out.

## Personality

Because he was raised by Ned Stark at Winterfell, Jon has adopted a clear moral compass and a true sense of honor, which he tries his hardest to abide by even when he must make a difficult decision, especially after he became Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.

He has always admired and idolized his 'father', but due to Catelyn Stark's cold disdain for Jon, Eddard was careful not to give him more attention than his lawful children by Catelyn. Lady Stark was never actively mean to Jon, but because he wasn't her own son she intentionally ignored him (as is common for bastard children), meaning that Jon grew up without a mother-figure. Nor did Jon consider Catelyn's behavior to be unusual or unexpected: it is rare for a noble to raise their bastard child alongside their lawful children, and his presence was a great insult to her honor. While his interactions with Catelyn remained awkward or nonexistent, he actually became good friends with his half-siblings, particularly Robb and Arya. Robb was of the same age as Jon so they became playmates and comrades in training, while due to her tomboyish personality Arya was also something of a social misfit like Jon, which they bonded over.

Like many bastard children, Jon had to learn to grow up quickly. This made Jon mature and perceptive beyond his age, so he could navigate his complicated relationships within the Stark household. His bastard status has also made Jon something of a loner, solemn and somber with a desire to prove himself to society and to his father. Jon thought that the best way for a bastard in his position to gain honor and respect was to join the Night's Watch, emulating his uncle Benjen, because past social status is ignored after joining the Watch. Despite his introverted demeanor, Jon is very compassionate and protective of his fellow outcasts such as Samwell Tarly, Grenn, and Pyp.

In many ways, Jon has been unusually lucky for a bastard child, given how rare it is for a lord to raise one in his own castle alongside his lawful children. For all of Jon's misgivings about not knowing his mother and Catelyn ignoring and shunning him, he was loved by his father and siblings, was never poor or hungry, but lived in a castle and had a noble's upbringing. Jon was formally educated by Maester Luwin and was trained in combat by Ser Rodrik Cassel, excelling at swordsmanship. This made Jon somewhat arrogant when he was a new recruit at Castle Black, until Tyrion pointed out that the other recruits were all far less fortunate than he was. This humbles Jon, and he changes his behavior to be the champion of the other downtrodden recruits, and helps train them by walking them through the swordplay techniques he knows.

Jon is also fairly shy around women, and as he revealed to Samwell, he was a virgin when he joined the Night's Watch. While he was attractive enough, as a bastard son with nothing to inherit he had no realistic marriage prospects with noblewomen. Jon was even wary of having sex with random girls or prostitutes (as Theon did), because he was terrified of fathering a bastard of his own: having lived his life as a bastard up until that point, he felt that it wasn't a life another child should have to go through.

The Starks were an interfaith household, with Eddard and Catelyn's children being exposed to not only the religion of the Old Gods of the Forest worshiped by most Northmen, but also Catelyn's devout adherence to the Faith of the Seven. Because Jon had no real interaction with Catelyn, and revered his father Eddard, he was not exposed to the Seven but proudly keeps to the Old Gods, and honors the traditions of his First Men ancestors. When Jon took his vow to become a member of the Night's Watch, he chose to do so in front of a heart tree, sacred to the Old Gods. After becoming Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jon applied his fathers teaching that "the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword", when executing Lord Janos Slynt for disobeying his orders.

## Relationships

### Others

#### Catelyn Stark

Because Jon was the bastard son of Ned Stark, and Ned chose to raise him alongside their lawful children, Catelyn was nothing but resentful and hateful to Jon his entire life.

## In the books

In the *A Song of Ice and Fire* novels, Jon is 14 years old when the story begins. Jon resembles his father with a lean build, long face, and gray eyes, more than any of his true-born children (except Arya, to an extent, but she is a girl, while he looks very much like a young version of Eddard). Jon loves his half-siblings and among them, is closest with Robb and Arya.

Unlike in the television series, Jon has never been on good terms with Theon. Jon feels Theon is an "ass" and Theon feels Jon is jealous of his highborn status. Meanwhile, Theon resents Jon for being bastard-born but treated better than him by Eddard.

Eddard refuses to reveal who Jon's mother is, which wounds and haunts Jon. Jon often wonders about his mother and why Eddard will not say anything about her. While Jon loves and is loved by his family, he feels a sense of alienation from them because of his bastard status and the coldness of Eddard's wife. Catelyn views Jon as an interloper in her family and resents that Eddard brought Jon to live at Winterfell with her true-born children.

At the feast to welcome King Robert, Jon is unable to sit with his family as he usually does because Catelyn fears that the king or queen would take insult at sharing a table with a bastard. Instead, Jon sits with squires at another table. This coincides with the visit by his uncle Benjen, and (emboldened by having more than he is used to drinking) makes Jon realize that his future may lie outside Winterfell's walls. His uncle frustrates Jon by telling him to wait a few years before deciding, but when Eddard decides to go to King's Landing, Catelyn refuses to allow Jon to remain behind at Winterfell. Catelyn was relieved because when Jon joined the Watch he forsook any right to inheritance, and could never challenge her own sons for Winterfell. Nor did Catelyn have to pressure Jon into joining: he went to the Wall of his own volition, albeit because he had been raised on legends of the former glories of the Night's Watch.

There is no mention in the books that Jon caught the pox as a child and Catelyn, out of guilt, prayed for him to survive: in *A Game of Thrones*, Catelyn states outright that she wishes it was Jon who had fallen from the broken tower in Bran's place.

Jon is crestfallen to discover that the Watch is now a glorified penal colony, full of murderers, rapers, and other outcasts, and few of the recruits are like his uncle.

The prostitute character Ros was invented for the TV series, so Jon never tried to have sex with her only to back down from it in the end out of fear of fathering a bastard - though the novels do have Jon make some similar statements that he is horrified at the thought of creating bastard children of his own who would be looked down upon with nothing to inherit, as he grew up, thus the overall point that Jon didn't really have any experience with women before joining the Watch basically stands.

Jon severely burned his right hand when he killed the wight Othor to save Jeor Mormont's life. While he lost no function in it, as a result of the burns his right hand and some of his forearm were left covered in scar tissue, which would never heal back to normal. People tend not to notice, because in the cold temperatures at the Wall and beyond, Jon and other members of the Night's Watch usually wear heavy gloves over both hands.

Jon didn't see a White Walker taking one of Craster's sons in the forest as he did in the TV series. When Mance Rayder later asks him why he would betray the Night's Watch to join the wildlings, Jon instead point out that it is because he will always be treated with scorn as a bastard, pointing out how back at the feast of Winterfell he wasn't allowed to sit at the main table with the "real" Starks.

After Jon kills Orell, part of Orell's consciousness survives by warging into his eagle, after which Orell's mind controlling the eagle's body attempts to claw out Jon's eye with its talons (which occurred in Season 3 of the TV series). The attack leaves permanent deep scars over Jon's eye. However, rather than disfiguring him, characters within the narrative point out that they think it makes him ruggedly handsome. Stereotypical Fantasy heroes usually never get significantly hurt, at worst getting scars running over their eyes which make them look "cool". Author George R.R. Martin spent much of the books deconstructing or subverting traditional Fantasy literature stereotypes, making Westeros a gritty and realistic setting where instead of all of the main characters miraculously surviving through battles unscathed, some are horribly maimed (i.e. Jaime and Tyrion do not get dashingly roguish scars over their eyes - they outright lose their sword hand and nose, respectively). In contrast, Jon actually does behave like a traditionally heroic character, but put in the dark setting of Westeros - and as a result, Jon does end up getting "cool hero scars" over his eye.

The subplot in Season 4 in which Jon returns to Craster's Keep to finish off the mutineers there (that never occurs in the novels), and nearly encounters Bran again, was an invention of the TV series: in the books, the Battle of Castle Black begins soon after Jon returns, but due to the way the TV seasons were split, Jon returned at the end of Season 3 - even though the battle would only take place as the climax at the end of Season 4. Jon, therefore, had to have something to do in the earlier parts of the season.

Unbeknownst to Jon, late in the third novel Robb names him as his heir: since Jeyne Westerling has not given him heirs yet, Bran and Rickon are reported as dead, Arya is missing, and Sansa was forced to marry Tyrion - the Lannisters could lay claim to the North. Robb realizes that he needs to name a new heir, because if he dies there will be no obvious successor to challenge the Lannister's claim through Sansa, and decides Jon is the best choice - given that Robb is a king, he can simply issue a decree legitimizing Jon. Catelyn pleads with Robb not to choose Jon, and instead pick a *very* distant cousin from House Royce, but Robb does not listen to her. He signs the decree in the presence of several of his northern lords as witnesses. However, it is unknown what has become of the decree, as it is no longer mentioned in the books. It is speculated that Robb has given it to Maege Mormontand Galbart Glover, whom he sent on a mission to seek out Howland Reed (therefore they do not attend the Red Wedding), but their current location is unknown. So far in the books, Jon has not received the decree, and has no idea of its existence.

Jon is tempted by Stannis's offer to make him Lord of Winterfell, but feels guilt and shame over this due to his love for his lost trueborn siblings, whom Jon believes have all passed away (later, in *A Dance with Dragons*, Jon becomes aware Sansa is alive, although he does not know her current whereabouts, and tells Stannis that Winterfell belongs to her by right). Jon likewise has reservations because he is an illegitimate son and is bound by his oath to the Watch. Stannis assures Jon he can legitimize him, and Winterfell can be rebuilt. As for the oath: Melisandre tells Jon "R'hllor is the only true god. A vow sworn to a tree has no more power than one sworn to your shoes. Open your heart and let the light of the Lord come in. Burn these weirwoods, and accept Winterfell as a gift of the Lord of Light". Jon thinks it over, recalling how when he was very young, too young to understand what it meant to be a bastard, he used to dream that one day Winterfell might be his. Later, when he was older, he had been ashamed of those dreams. Now, in order to claim his father's castle, he must turn against his father's gods. The more Jon thinks about it, he grows to loathe the notion of destroying the weirwood of Winterfell. He looks at Ghost, whose white fur and red eyes remind him of a heart tree, and Jon remembers finding the direwolf pups in the late summer snow with Robb - five grey, black, and brown pups for the five trueborn children and a sixth one, "white as snow." This is what makes him reject the legitimization offer. Had Jon accepted the offer, it is doubtful the people of the north would have accepted him as their Lord - who is both an oathbreaker and a defiler of the old gods.

In the books, after Jon is elected the new Lord Commander, he knows he must deal with Slynt and Thorne, who did their best to get him killed and will probably undermine him. Jon wouldn't abuse his authority in order to settle the score with them (especially with Slynt, who took part in Ned's downfall and subsequent death, which Jon is aware of); he firmly reminds himself that once someone joins the Watch - his past deeds are erased clean. He wisely decides to separate between the cronies, send Slynt away and keep Throne - whom he considers the more dangerous - close to him. Jon orders Slynt to take command of Greyguard and restore it, but Slynt refuses three times, with an extremely obnoxious and disrespectful manner. Jon executes Janos Slynt for that insubordination, and is somewhat disappointed that Alliser Thorne did not attempt to defend him. Later, Jon sends Thorne and eight other rangers to scout beyond the Wall. Throne obeys, but does not leave quietly: he ominously warns Jon that he will return to Castle Black, one way or another. Thorne has not returned yet and his fate is unknown, therefore he is not among those who attack Jon later.

One of the goals that Jon intends to achieve as the new Lord Commander of the Watch is to restore and garrison as many of the sixteen abandoned castles as possible, by both members of the Watch and wildlings. So far, most of those castles have been garrisoned, but are badly undermanned.

Stannis often consults with Jon, who serves as his unofficial advisor, about his next moves. Jon is aware that by advising Stannis, he is walking on very thin ice: the Watch must not get involved in the political conflicts south of the Wall; on the other hand, the Watch owes Stannis a great debt: without him, the wildlings would have eventually overcome the defenders of Castle Black. Jon dissuades Stannis from taking ill-advised actions that can be disastrous to him, like granting northern castles to southron lords and the plan to attack the Dreadfort (an idea brought up by the treacherous Arnolf Karstark, who secretly collaborates with the Boltons); instead, he advises Stannis to gain the support of the Northern mountain clans and to liberate Deepwood Motte from the ironborn. Stannis accepts both advices, and as a result, his position greatly improves: he gains the support of many northern houses, and his army grows more than three times.

Unbeknown to Jon, Cersei plots against him: she receives his letter that the Night’s Watch takes no side, asking for arms and manpower, but has given Stannis food and shelter. She informs that to the council, claiming this is treason. Most of the council members suggest imposing sanctions on the Night's Watch. Qyburn has a more devious plan: to send a hundred men to the Wall, allegedly to take the black, but in truth to kill Jon. Cersei accepts Qyburn's advice and intends to send Osney Kettleblack with a hundred men to the Wall for that purpose, but as things turn to be, that scheme is never executed.

Though Jon initially has the support of almost the entire Night's Watch, he earns the distrust of most by proposing an alliance with the wildlings so that they will not fall into the hands of the White Walkers.

In the meantime, Melisandre tells Jon of visions she has had concerning "daggers in the dark" and a girl in grey riding on a dying horse for Castle Black, running away from a forced marriage, claiming it is his sister Arya. Jon initially believes the girl in question is indeed Arya, whom he hears is marrying Ramsay Bolton; the girl, however, turns to be neither Arya nor her impostor, but Alys Karstark, who informs Jon of the Karstarks' plan to betray Stannis to the Boltons. Unfortunately, Melisandre's mistake results in Jon ignoring her warning about "daggers in the dark", which turns to be correct.

Jon, loyal to his oaths, states that he has no sister and cannot help her, although he is anxious to. Melisandre, however, reveals to Jon that Mance Rayder is actually still alive, since she used her powers to disguise him as Rattleshirt (and Rattleshirt as Mance, which led him to being burned in Mance's place). She persuades Jon to send Mance to rescue Arya from Winterfell.

Jon also meets Tycho Nestoris, a representative of the Iron Bank of Braavos who has come to negotiate with Stannis, due to Cersei's consistent refusal to pay the crown's debts. Jon secures a loan from Nestoris for ships and food for the Night's Watch, and instructs him on where to find Stannis and warn him of the Karstarks' betrayal.

Jon arranges a mission to Hardhome to rescue the remaining wildlings there; unlike in the show, he does not join the mission himself, but instead sends Cotter Pyke there. Some time later, Jon receives desperate reports by messenger-raven that they are under siege by wights.

As Jon prepares to head out to Hardhome to rescue them, he receives a letter from Ramsay (often referred to as "the Pink Letter"), who taunts Jon by claiming that he has killed Stannis, destroyed his army and taken Mance prisoner, and demanding his bride, "Reek", Melisandre, Stannis's family, Mance's son and sister-in-law. Ramsay closes the letter by threatening to march on the Wall and destroy the Night's Watch if Jon does not agree, and "I will cut out your bastard heart and eat it".

Jon now realizes that he can't defend Castle Black from attack from the south (the Wall is located north of the castle) even as the Boltons are tearing the realm apart from the south. He reads the letter aloud in Castle Black's courtyard, and announces that he will ride south to confront and kill Ramsay himself - which might be construed as breaking the Watch's strict vow of political neutrality. Jon argues that the neutrality goes both ways, and Ramsay cannot just *threaten to kill* the head of the Night's Watch with impunity. Jon ultimately receives a very similar letter in the TV series, although it is after his resurrection - and unlike in the novels, Sansa is there to witness it (Sansa never married Ramsay in the novels, so this change was thrown in to increase the emotional impact of the scene - which could also explain delaying the letter until after Jon abandoned the Night's Watch).

But this is the last straw for many of the older Watch officers who were growing increasingly annoyed at Jon's decisions, especially about accepting the wildlings to the Watch. Moreover, they had the somewhat legitimate fear that if Jon fought Ramsay and *lost*, the Boltons would destroy the entire Night's Watch on the accusation that they were implicit in his actions. As Jon is preparing to leave, a fight breaks out with the giant Wun Wun. Jon tries to talk everyone down to prevent more loss of life and the mutineers choose the moment to stab Jon. The mutineers are led not by Alliser Thorne (who has been sent earlier by Jon to scout beyond the Wall and has not returned, his fate is unknown) but by Bowen Marsh, who openly weeps as he does so very reluctantly and says "for the Watch". Subsequent mutineers each walk up and stab Jon as well, but as he loses consciousness he doesn't recognize them (the chapter is narrated from Jon's POV). Olly is not present as the character was invented for the TV series and doesn't exist in the novels - he is loosely a condensation of half a dozen other characters Jon trusted. Jon collapses, smoke rising from his wounds, and the last word he utters is "Ghost..." as he hears his direwolf howling.

### L+R=J

There were numerous hints since the first novel that Eddard was lying about who Jon's mother was, and that he might even be the son of Eddard's *sister* Lyanna and Rhaegar, making Jon the secret heir to the Iron Throne.

In the twenty years since the first novel was released through Season 6 of the TV series, this theory was popularly known in the books' fandom by the abbreviation "R+L=J" - for "Rhaegar + Lyanna = Jon". The theory was confirmed to be half true in the Season 6 finale when it was revealed that Lyanna was Jon's mother. A few days later HBO released an info graph revealing that Rhaegar is Jon's father, fully confirming the theory to be true.

Various hints included that Eddard gave inconsistent and indeed contradicting accounts of who Jon's mother was, indicating that he was lying about *something*, and also the conspicuous fact that Lyanna died shortly before Ned returned to the North with the infant Jon: hinting that Lyanna died in childbirth. There were also many hints (still unconfirmed) that Lyanna didn't actually love Robert, and she *ran off* with Rhaegar - particularly that everyone except for Robert himself describes Rhaegar as a chivalrous, intellectual, kind man who didn't seem the sort to randomly rape the daughter of a major noble House. Another major hint was that Rhaegar had the three greatest members of the Kingsguard (two in the TV version) including Arthur Dayne sit out the *entire* war, purely to guard Lyanna at the Tower of Joy.

Unbeknownst to Jon, his half-brother Aegon Targaryen (son of Rhaegar and Elia) is alive, as revealed in the fifth novel; he has recently arrived at Westeros with his guardian Jon Connington and nearly half of the Golden Company, to claim his birthright. It should be noted that Aegon's book character has not been merged with Jon's show character, just because they have the same first name; Aegon is considered dead in the show.

It has long been believed in Westeros that only members of the Targaryen bloodline can easily bond with and ride dragons - which is one of the reasons they so readily accepted Daenerys (though that was also because she hatched them, becoming their adoptive mother). The revelation about Jon's real parentage means that he may potentially bond with one of Daenerys's three dragons in a future novel - after all, she has *three* dragons but only personally rides Drogon, the largest. To a lesser extent, this might also be true of the Baratheons - Robert was Rhaegar's second cousin in the books. With the deaths of Stannis and Shireen in the TV series, the only living member of the Baratheon bloodline is Robert's bastard son Gendry (who is, in fact, Jon's third cousin). House Martell also intermarried with the Targaryens but not recently, about a century ago: in the books Doran Martell's middle son Quentyn (cut from the TV show) traveled to Meereen and explicitly hoped his small amount of Targaryen blood would be enough to make the dragons trust him and try to mount one, but he got roasted alive instead.