So, how's Jon going to be introduced to Rhaegar?

[alienarea]

Maybe in the next book, Jon will finally find out who his real father is. Or even in aDoS. Who tells him? Not relevant. Maybe Howard Reed, Jaime Lannister, Jon Connington, Benjen, Dany, the Ghost of Ned Stark, Rhaegar's Head on the Sky, Darth Vader... let's call him "Jim". With what the books have presented so far, we would be having this conversation:

Jim: No, Jon... Rhaegar was your father.

Jon: NOO-- wait...  Rhaegar Targaryen? The Prince I've never mentioned or never actually thought about in the past three years??

Jim: Yeah, that one.

Jon: I don't know how to feel about this.

 

Jon has NEVER thought about Rhaegar in any relevant way ("They said it was Donal Noye who'd forged King Robert's warhammer, the one that crushed the life from Rhaegar Targaryen on the Trident", that's all I found). That, narratively is a bit absurd because we don't know what Jon thinks about him and we need his reactions, either positive or negative to such revelation. 

So, I suppose that the idea of Rhaegar Targaryen as Prince and alleged kidnapper/lover/whoknows of his "father"'s sister is something that Jon will be introduced to any time soon after he's brought back and before he finds out.

How? Some ideas:

Someone who met Rhaegar eventually gets to the Wall and talks about Rhaegar. I think this can be possible, but at the same time, I'm of the idea that Howland Reed will get to the Wall and talk about Lyanna, so, it would be repetitive. No Jim

Jon finds out information about Rhaegar already in the Wall. We know he sent letters to Aemon and Aemon must have left a few. This opens the possibility of Jon seeing as either a good man or an idiot: "wow, at least someone cared about the Others, too bad he died" or (a more probable) "so, he knew about the Others and told no one but instead run away with my aunt?? Idiot".

More suggestions?

I'm still not convinced of R+L=J.

I know the tv show is the tv show and the books are the books but:

Apparently we will get the ToJ in season 6. If this is the case, we will most likely get a confirmation that Jon is not Ned's son and Lyanna Stark way his mother (all speculation).

I assume that would then spill the beans on Jon Snow's father as well. Since the tv show is a visual thing it would be nice to have JonSnow's father visualized for the casual watcher but there aren't any Rhaegar Targaryen casting rumors. But the "best knight ever" with the legendary sword has been casted and the tv invented Hardhome episode showed Jon Snow's fighting skills ...

.. and it makes me wonder, and it makes me wonder. Yes there are two path you can walk on, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on ...

[Equilibrium]

Mance is Rhaegar and says "Jon, I'm your father"

Jaqen is Rhaegar and he says the same thing while waving hand and changing appearance to Rhaegar's

Daario is Rhaegar and he says the same thing while winking like sex offender and smirking, gold tooth gleaming.

You know with so many characters being possibly Rhaegar it is improbable he is really dead, in the broader sense there is 2103 characters and one of them is bound to be Rhaegar.

So he will tell Jon in person

 

[dornishdame]

Before Jon can be told who his parents are, I think he needs to have some understanding of what happened between them - which, in some ways, he already has.  When he is with Ygritte and the wildlings he wants to stay with her, but at the same time he knows he has sworn a vow to the Night's Watch and he needs to return to his brothers there - and he thinks of the struggle his father must have endured in choosing between Jon's mother and his wife.  So, although he probably won't recognize it immediately, Jon does understand what his father went through in choosing between a sworn vow and a woman he wanted to be with. 

As for his mother and what she went through, it is difficult to gauge whether he has any understanding of her experience. Certainly from Alys Karstark he has an understanding of the process of a woman who does not want to marry the man chosen for her. But, realistically we cannot tell if Jon already has an understanding of Lyanna from the time of her disappearance until the end of her life until we know for sure what happened on the day she went missing.  That said, he was essentially Ygritte's captive. For all that he did as Qhorin commanded, Jon fell for his captor.

In terms of his reaction, I think that Jon will be able to accept Lyanna as his mother more readily than he will be able to accept Rhaegar as his father.  He has never known his mother, and has really never known a mother figure.  Septa Mordane concerned herself with the upbringing of Sansa and Arya, and Jon himself tells us in Thrones that the day he went to say goodbye to Bran was the only time Catelyn called him by his name. So, that really leaves Old Nan as the closest thing Jon has ever known to a maternal figure.  To know that his mother is a Stark will, I think, be something that Jon can accept.  And I think he will be able, in time, to understand why Ned did what he did - and that it saved Jon's life. 

In Thrones, when presented with Longclaw, Jon thinks that regardless of how many swords he is given, Ned Stark will always be his father. Stannis also reflects later, in Clash, on Robert and how Ned was the brother that Robert chose. Ned was the one who took Jon to Winterfell, raised him and gave him a place in the world. Ned was the one he looked up to and learned from. It is Ned's honor system that he lives by. No matter who his father by birth is, I think Jon will always consider Ned to be his father. Rhaegar may be his father by birth, as Stannis was Robert's brother by birth. But, as Robert chose Ned as his brother, Jon will choose Ned as his father. 

 

[Isobel Harper]

Maybe in the next book, Jon will finally find out who his real father is. Or even in aDoS. Who tells him? Not relevant. Maybe Howard Reed, Jaime Lannister, Jon Connington, Benjen, Dany, the Ghost of Ned Stark, Rhaegar's Head on the Sky, Darth Vader... let's call him "Jim". With what the books have presented so far, we would be having this conversation:

Jim: No, Jon... Rhaegar was your father.

Jon: NOO-- wait...  Rhaegar Targaryen? The Prince I've never mentioned or never actually thought about in the past three years??

Jim: Yeah, that one.

Jon: I don't know how to feel about this.

 

Jon has NEVER thought about Rhaegar in any relevant way ("They said it was Donal Noye who'd forged King Robert's warhammer, the one that crushed the life from Rhaegar Targaryen on the Trident", that's all I found). That, narratively is a bit absurd because we don't know what Jon thinks about him and we need his reactions, either positive or negative to such revelation. 

So, I suppose that the idea of Rhaegar Targaryen as Prince and alleged kidnapper/lover/whoknows of his "father"'s sister is something that Jon will be introduced to any time soon after he's brought back and before he finds out.

How? Some ideas:

Someone who met Rhaegar eventually gets to the Wall and talks about Rhaegar. I think this can be possible, but at the same time, I'm of the idea that Howland Reed will get to the Wall and talk about Lyanna, so, it would be repetitive. No Jim

Jon finds out information about Rhaegar already in the Wall. We know he sent letters to Aemon and Aemon must have left a few. This opens the possibility of Jon seeing as either a good man or an idiot: "wow, at least someone cared about the Others, too bad he died" or (a more probable) "so, he knew about the Others and told no one but instead run away with my aunt?? Idiot".

More suggestions?

Absurd?  Not at all.  In-story, Ned likely brought up Rhaegar as little as possible to his children due to the nature of the secrets surrounding him; he didn't feel comfortable speaking about Rhaegar and would dislike uncomfortable questions about Rhaegar arising.  Come to think of it, it seems that all of the Stark children seem to think of him little, if at all: I don't remember Sansa or Arya have ever thinking of Rhaegar.  From a meta perspective, GRRM is likely saving Jon's opinion of Rhaegar for the opportune moment, ie when he learns of his paternity.   

I have several ideas as to who will tell Jon of his parents' identity.  First, there's Jon Connington.  In ADwD, there's a huge emphasis on his desire to put Rhaegar's son on the throne.  Methinks Aegon will either turn out to be some sort of fraud (Blackfyre?), become disillusioned by Connington and ultimately cast him out, or die, leaving Jon Connington at a loss.  Connington ends up at the Wall for one reason or another.  (I believe we share the idea that he will be sent there or go there voluntarily due to masterminding Myrcella's death, or the like.)  At the Wall/in The North, Jon Connington encounters Jon Snow, and reveals his identity to him. 

My second favorite idea is Sansa.  She's the tattletale of the family, even now, even if she's been on a sort of arch of redemption since AGoT.  (Similarly, I think she'll "tattle" on Tyrion having a wife already, anulling her marriage and/or "tattle" on LF in some way.)  Something in my gut tells me that she'll be the one to spill the beans about Jon's paternity, either to him or to the public. 

ETA:

Jon finds out information about Rhaegar already in the Wall. We know he sent letters to Aemon and Aemon must have left a few. This opens the possibility of Jon seeing as either a good man or an idiot: "wow, at least someone cared about the Others, too bad he died" or (a more probable) "so, he knew about the Others and told no one but instead run away with my aunt?? Idiot".

I've considered this as well.  Hope we at least get some sort of incite on Rhaegar as a person via the letters, even if we don't get any clues to R+L.

[Jon Snow Nothing]

This is a difficult question since we readers know so little about Rhaegar and Lyanna and there are so many red herrings in the narratives.

What if Rhaegar saved Lyanna from Aerys?

I don't believe they were in love before the whole thing started (abduction/raping/elopement/whatever).

I can't see how a man like Rhaegar would elope with a girl like Lyanna. Raping is absolutely nonsense, in my opinion.

But, let's see. If Jon finds out his father raped his mother, he'll be disgusted. And would even blame his own existence for killing his mother.

If Jon finds out they were "in love" he'll think Rhaegar was a fool, but since Jon knows nothing and is quite a fool himself, he might consider the "love affair" a romantic touch to his conception. Then he might think his father was weak.

If Rhaegar saved Lyanna from Aerys, then he'll admire his real father just like he admires Ned.

 

[CaptainJugular]

I'm not sure he will, to be honest.

[Curled Finger]

So many ideas.  I'll camp out with Team Lyanna here in that her identity will matter much more to Jon than Rhaegar.  However, our OP has a valid point in Rhaegar being an historical figure.   Surely Jon will think something about this independent of Lyanna.  But not right away.  Not if Jon's is given any time at all to process this information.   However, the writer is sly and I can see Jon very easily being given Rhaegar 1st--BAM--right over the head.   Why? By someone who perhaps learns that Rhaegar is NOT his own father and hopes to malign Rhaegar's sister?   Wouldn't that be interesting?  Aegon spills the beans in hopes of gaining favor with Jon and to spite Dany?  Certainly Jon Con knows the truth of Lyanna & Rhaegar's relationship.   Perhaps he learns the truth about Aegon as well and opts to throw his allegiance to the real deal.   I just find it deliciously wicked to have Aegon throw Rhaegar in Jon's face--then Jon can puzzle everything out about Ned and his honor...and deal with whatever    Not that I think this will happen, but I do like it.  

I'm sure Jon will experience some of Rhaegar's awesomeness in between being stabbed and rising.  He should be able to form an opinion of him from the information he will be given.   I won't be surprised if the TOJ scenario plays out to Jon not Bran, or perhaps both simultaneously. With that serious admonition to "kill the boy", it will be interesting to see if he actually comes back wanting to be TPTWP because of all he learns and head straight to the Crypts at Winterfell to claim his stuff.  

Yes, yes, the NW vows are important.   I'm not sure they are valid if there is no longer an NW is all.    There would be no desertion in leaving the Wall and Watch if no one is left.   If he's able to rally more people to his cause in defeating the Others isn't that the main purpose of the NW anyway?    

[Arya-Jon]

 

In Thrones, when presented with Longclaw, Jon thinks that regardless of how many swords he is given, Ned Stark will always be his father. Stannis also reflects later, in Clash, on Robert and how Ned was the brother that Robert chose. Ned was the one who took Jon to Winterfell, raised him and gave him a place in the world. Ned was the one he looked up to and learned from. It is Ned's honor system that he lives by. No matter who his father by birth is, I think Jon will always consider Ned to be his father. Rhaegar may be his father by birth, as Stannis was Robert's brother by birth. But, as Robert chose Ned as his brother, Jon will choose Ned as his father. 

 

Nice catch!  I had not noticed this. The exact quote being

He is not my father. The thought leapt unbidden to Jon's mind. Lord Eddard Stark is my father. I will not forget him, no matter how many swords they give me. Yet he could scarcely tell Lord Mormont that it was another man's sword he dreamt of 

Maybe he would get more swords later in a different context.

[purple-eyes]

maybe rhaegar will give him a dream. something like in Jaime's dream. 

like:

rhaegar came with his hair blowing in the wind and said to him:

jon, you are my son. I brought you to this world because you are the prince that was promised and your song is song of ice and fire. 

I ruined the country and welcomed robert on the throne so that you will have a chance to go to the wall. 

I also managed to make your aunt on exile so that she can hatch three dragons, by the way, one is for you. 

I also make sure they kill my wife and two legit children, so there is no competitive claimant to give you trouble when you seek the throne.

I did everything for you, now you only need to become a savior and unite the planetos! 

 

[Winter Blues]

(A bit off topic)

Do you think GRRM has already written the big reveal scene/chapter?

[Winter Blues]

The big reveal happening in a dream just doesn't sit well with me because how significant will who his parents are be if only he knows? It has to happen in a way that more than Jon will know, if he being the son of ice and fire is to mean anything. I think this is where Howlin' Howland will come in. I nurse a theory that he is on his way and very near the Wall, just in time for the stabbing of Jon. I don't like the idea of Mel having anything to do with it, but I figure she and her flames will play a part in the reveal.  

[Curled Finger]

The big reveal happening in a dream just doesn't sit well with me because how significant will who his parents are be if only he knows? It has to happen in a way that more than Jon will know, if he being the son of ice and fire is to mean anything. I think this is where Howlin' Howland will come in. I nurse a theory that he is on his way and very near the Wall, just in time for the stabbing of Jon. I don't like the idea of Mel having anything to do with it, but I figure she and her flames will play a part in the reveal.  

You know Blues, I've wondered if it's a spontaneous simultaneous reckoning of sorts, where Bran gets info from 1 place while Jon gets his from another, Arya gets an itch and then someone like Jamie or Sam gets another notice.   Jon dreams TOJ, Bran & Co find the contents of Lyanna's tomb, Arya learns the TWPWP prophesy, Aegon ends up at Starfall with Wylla, Jamie runs into Howland Reed and Sam finds something at the Citadel (through the candles or some old tome or maybe even a current history book in the writing).   Like pieces of the overall big puzzle.   Our buddy Howland Reed could turn up anywhere, but pieces to this puzzle are all over the place for plenty of people to find.   

Yah, I'm with you on not wanting Mel to have any part in Jon's revival.    I'm sort of hoping he just rises from the ashes or snaps out of it with the assistance of Bran or BR.   It's common for both everyone north of The Wall and Targs to be cremated, so I'm wondering if this isn't exactly what all that reason has been written for.  Mel will be off making a shadow baby with Tormund or trying to find a boat to take her to Dany or be so obviously clueless as to what happened she won't be able to claim any part in it.   I hope.   

[Victarion Chainbreaker]

(A bit off topic)

Do you think GRRM has already written the big reveal scene/chapter?

I think the reveal will happen early, in Jon's only Ghost chapter. George tends to write characters chronologically, so if he's started on Jon, then it's likely he started with this chapter. 

This of course would be the reveal for Jon and the readers only, and if Jon is going to become king, then there would have to be another reveal to the general populace of Westeros later. I think this is where Howland and Winterfell Crypts come in.

Or it could be some combination where the Ghost chapter gives Jon and the readers hints/backstory, but it's not explicitly revealed to anybody until Howland/Winterfell Crypts.

I think a dreamlike vision during a Ghost chapter would be the most likely way for Jon to be introduced to Rhaegar personally.

[Greymoon]

imo, Rhaegar will matter to Jon, but only in terms of his relationship to Aegon.. the revelation of his parentage might spark an emotional/affectionate response regarding Lyanna, and a pragmatic/political response regarding Rhaegar.  As pointed out by the OP, Jon never thought of Rhaegar in good or bad....yet, he's thought a lot about his mother.

When Jon wakes, he'll have plenty of decisions to make for the future of the wall and the north. He won't be making these decisions on his own, of course, but with the Frey/Botlon vermin sitting in their castles, with Stannis either dead or having forsaken the gods, the northerners will look to someone else to lead them... Robb's letter would lend Jon legitimacy as commander of the northern army, at the very least (Rickon and or Sansa's claims might be pressed as well).

The north will not be capable of winning the war on its own - they can't push out the Boltons, crush the Greyjoys, free the riverlands and fight off the other wildling groups (the weeper), as well as fend of attacks from the white walkers all on their own.

I think that the north will ally with Aegon (see below, not really spoilery, but slightly off topic), and the identity of Jon's father will give the necessary "push" to finalize the decision, to legitimize it. As to how Rhaegar will be introduced? It will probably just be dropped on him...

[in DwD, after landing in westeros, Jon Connington remarks on the Golden Company's missing ships. The GC traveled through Lys and was hit by a storm, their ships separated... Back in Braavos, Arya overhears lyseni slavers. They too, hit a storm while traveling by sea, and their ships were carried much further north than planned, all the way to hardhome. It looks like the sea currents out of Lys drag ships northwards. Thus, we may expect the golden company's missing ships, sell swords and elephants, to land north, adding another player to the northern power struggle]

[Kaibaman]

Maybe when they exhume Lyanna's sarcophagus they will find Rhaegar's harp and someone will connect the dots and realize that Jon was actually Rhaegar and Lyanna's love child.

[Lady Fishbiscuit]

I think he will see this via Bran / Weirwoodnet / dream / vision initially - possibly when he is undead.  I think it will then need to be backed up by Howland Reid as a witness as I don't think Jon would trust a dream.  Maybe if he sees the whole ToJ scene, he will realise that HR is the only person alive who was there and then seek him out.  Or maybe HR will seek out Jon.  Or maybe none of that 

I know your OP is more about how he will feel.  He will still be as much of a Stark as he was before, just a bastard from a different Stark.  I'm sure there will be a sense of loss in that he believed he had only known one of his parents and now he will realise he didn't know either of them.  I think he will also be sad that Ned isn't his father as he models himself on Ned a lot.

The Stark kids including Jon have never seemed to have any particular feelings about the Targs.  They know some details about the events around the mad King, the rebellion and some of the earlier history / legends but these are just stories about people who lived far away and died before they were born with no relevance to their lives today. House Targ is history as far as they're concerned.  They certainly haven't been brought up to hate the Targs and I think Ned has made sure there was little said about them in order to protect Lyanna's secret.  This will potentially change with the news that there are still Targs alive (Dany, (f)Aegon) and there are dragons.  Jon was very interested in Maester Aemon being a Targ.  

Either way, unless he was somehow legitimised either by Rheagar or Rob, he'll still be miserable about being a bastard, whether it's Stark or Targaryen.

 

[purple-eyes]

imo, Rhaegar will matter to Jon, but only in terms of his relationship to Aegon.. the revelation of his parentage might spark an emotional/affectionate response regarding Lyanna, and a pragmatic/political response regarding Rhaegar.  As pointed out by the OP, Jon never thought of Rhaegar in good or bad....yet, he's thought a lot about his mother.

When Jon wakes, he'll have plenty of decisions to make for the future of the wall and the north. He won't be making these decisions on his own, of course, but with the Frey/Botlon vermin sitting in their castles, with Stannis either dead or having forsaken the gods, the northerners will look to someone else to lead them... Robb's letter would lend Jon legitimacy as commander of the northern army, at the very least (Rickon and or Sansa's claims might be pressed as well).

The north will not be capable of winning the war on its own - they can't push out the Boltons, crush the Greyjoys, free the riverlands and fight off the other wildling groups (the weeper), as well as fend of attacks from the white walkers all on their own.

I think that the north will ally with Aegon (see below, not really spoilery, but slightly off topic), and the identity of Jon's father will give the necessary "push" to finalize the decision, to legitimize it. As to how Rhaegar will be introduced? It will probably just be dropped on him...

Hidden Content

that is a very very long trip to be blowed by storm from step stones to hard home. 

[Lady Fishbiscuit]

Mance is Rhaegar and says "Jon, I'm your father"

Jaqen is Rhaegar and he says the same thing while waving hand and changing appearance to Rhaegar's

Daario is Rhaegar and he says the same thing while winking like sex offender and smirking, gold tooth gleaming.

You know with so many characters being possibly Rhaegar it is improbable he is really dead, in the broader sense there is 2103 characters and one of them is bound to be Rhaegar.

So he will tell Jon in person

 

It will be like Spartacus.  There'll be thousands of them all shouting "I'm Rhaegar Targaryen"

[Equilibrium]

It will be like Spartacus.  There'll be thousands of them all shouting "I'm Rhaegar Targaryen"

And like Spartacus he will survive the battle in which he was killed

[King Viserys Targaryen IV]

This is a difficult question since we readers know so little about Rhaegar and Lyanna and there are so many red herrings in the narratives.

What if Rhaegar saved Lyanna from Aerys?

I don't believe they were in love before the whole thing started (abduction/raping/elopement/whatever).

I can't see how a man like Rhaegar would elope with a girl like Lyanna. Raping is absolutely nonsense, in my opinion.

But, let's see. If Jon finds out his father raped his mother, he'll be disgusted. And would even blame his own existence for killing his mother.

If Jon finds out they were "in love" he'll think Rhaegar was a fool, but since Jon knows nothing and is quite a fool himself, he might consider the "love affair" a romantic touch to his conception. Then he might think his father was weak.

If Rhaegar saved Lyanna from Aerys, then he'll admire his real father just like he admires Ned.

 

This is exactly why Ned is not mad Rhaegar and Lyanna.

Otherwise their running off together lights a fuse that starts a war and results in the death of his brother, father and ultimately his sister. Seems like he would at least think Rhaegar was an idiot if he wasn't full on Robert pissed at him.

Instead, he thinks of him as honorable and thinks the three men that guarded Lyanna as shining examples of the King's Guard.

For him to believe those things, then he must know something that we dont, something that would make him think what Rhaegar did was honorable and under the circumstances the best he could do.