Jons Parentage Revealed

[NathanStark]

Any ideas on who will reveal Jon's parents? It all starts with who you believe them to be in the first place, Ned and Wylla, Ned and Ashara, or Lyanna and Rhaegar.

Personally I belive in the R+L=J theory

So that would make Howland Reed the prime candidate for the reveal having been at the Tower of Joy and therefore (most likely) another person who knows the secret. I can see him coming out from the bog (if he hasn't already) and letting Jon, or Dany. I can't think of anyone else he would deem important enough to tell, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't.

However, if soomething were to happen to Reed who else would reveal the truth?

I think that Bran will find out through his visions through the trees, perhaps from Ned talking to the heart tree about some reservations he had from keeping the secret. However I don't think he is in any condition to be telling anyone at this point being stuck north of the wall looking at a future of being half tree.

Maybe Benjen knew the truth? But what happened to him anyway?

[DDDUnit]

Any ideas on who will reveal Jon's parents? It all starts with who you believe them to be in the first place, Ned and Wylla, Ned and Ashara, or Lyanna and Rhaegar.

Personally I belive in the R+L=J theory

So that would make Howland Reed the prime candidate for the reveal having been at the Tower of Joy and therefore (most likely) another person who knows the secret. I can see him coming out from the bog (if he hasn't already) and letting Jon, or Dany. I can't think of anyone else he would deem important enough to tell, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't.

However, if soomething were to happen to Reed who else would reveal the truth?

I think that Bran will find out through his visions through the trees, perhaps from Ned talking to the heart tree about some reservations he had from keeping the secret. However I don't think he is in any condition to be telling anyone at this point being stuck north of the wall looking at a future of being half tree.

Maybe Benjen knew the truth? But what happened to him anyway?

Most likely Howland Reed will tell him. I doubt Benjen Stark knows if Ned wouldn't even tell Cat to make her stop tormenting Jon. The only way Benjen could know is if Ned told him as he was taking Jon in case he died. I feel like that would have been hinted in a POV that they were heavily discussing something.

[not in the face]

I think the readers of the book will find out Jon's parentage before Jon does. Probably from Quaithe to Dany.

[jentario]

If you ask me, Wylla will reveal it. She's been given the most lead up and she's bound to pop up somewhere. She likely knows more of Jon's parentage than any other living person in Westeros whether or not she is the mother (and this includes RLJ which I also believe BTW).

[BloodOfKingu]

always assuming R+L=J...

we know jon looks like lyanna, but what if his mannerisms and his personality reflect raegar?

i'd nominate ser barriston to be the first to have an inkling of the truth as he knew both lyanna stark and raegar. it would also give him a nice little crisis to overcome seeing as he is so firmly attached to dany if he thought jon had a stronger claim. his word would also carry more weight than that of howland reed thoughout the seven kingdoms.

however it happens, i would like it to come from a direction unexpected.

[The Iron Suitor]

Crazy theory with a spoiler from Winds of Winter.

Bran finds out through his weirwood recollections about R+L=J and using the crows to influence Stannis sends Theon to be executed, where he reveals himself and tells Theon to go find Cat and send her to Howland Reed. There she will learn the truth R+L=J and be sent to the wall to deliver the Kiss to Jon completing both her and Theon’s redemption.

[Icedover]

Maybe Howland died and warged into the boy Jojen. Jojen reveals it when prompted somehow. Crazier things have happened. (Maybe not)

[pobeb]

Crazy theory with a spoiler from Winds of Winter.

Bran finds out through his weirwood recollections about R+L=J and using the crows to influence Stannis sends Theon to be executed, where he reveals himself and tells Theon to go find Cat and send her to Howland Reed. There she will learn the truth R+L=J and be sent to the wall to deliver the Kiss to Jon completing both her and Theon’s redemption.

I love this theory. I believe Bloodraven knows for sure, so it's logical to think Bran will also know eventually. Maybe there was a weirwood at the ToJ? Definitely a fun idea to play around with; weirnet is so full of possibilities!

And Cat giving Jon the kiss is simply poetic justice. There's a line in AGoT that comes to mind:

Ned thought, If it came to that, the life of some child I did not know, against Robb and Sansa and

Arya and Bran and Rickon, what would I do? Even more so, what would Catelyn do, if it were Jon’s

life, against the children of her body?

I feel like Catelyn's purpose in the story now (the reason she was brought back from death) is pretty much to resolve her wrong-doings while she was alive. However, I don't believe it's simply revenge on the Freys. There's a number of loose ends to tie together - Rob's will, the fact that it's pretty much all but confirmed the will was lost in the bogs (giving the perfect transition for Howland Reed to finally emerge into the current story), the Boltons, and re-capturing the north. Catelyn's crew will probably dispatch the Freys, but I can't see her doing anything but heading North shortly afterwards (I mean, she's still a Stark by name). And with Catelyn heading to Winterfell, and (from what I believe) Ghost (Jon) heading to Winterfell with Mel, it's the perfect setup (as crackpot as it sounds).

Speaking of crackpot, I think Stannis will be dying when the Catelyn and Jon party reach Winterfell. Jon will warg into Stannis and be revived by Catelyn's kiss. It's just the way I reconcile Mel's visions up to this point :)

[LordStoneheart]

Cat has done nothing wrong though. She needs no redeeming; she needs revenge.

[NathanStark]

Cat has done nothing wrong though. She needs no redeeming; she needs revenge.

Seven hells. Did you read the part when she took Tyrion capture under the pretense of a known schemer having told her he won a knife in a bet. Or when she released the kingslayer prompting Karstarks betrayal and Robb losing a portion of his army. In my opinion she is, along with Jaime, one of the characters that needs the most redemption.

[NathanStark]

always assuming R+L=J...

we know jon looks like lyanna, but what if his mannerisms and his personality reflect raegar?

i'd nominate ser barriston to be the first to have an inkling of the truth as he knew both lyanna stark and raegar. it would also give him a nice little crisis to overcome seeing as he is so firmly attached to dany if he thought jon had a stronger claim. his word would also carry more weight than that of howland reed thoughout the seven kingdoms.

however it happens, i would like it to come from a direction unexpected.

Yes, I looked at it from the R+L=J perspective. More specifically that the secret that Ned was to keep of Lyanna's is that Jon was their child and that Howland also knows this. However, Howland could only know so much as Lyanna having actually loved Rhaegar not having been stolen from him. This itself could be important in giving the rebellion less credit having it been started under a false pretense.

Back to Jon's parentage though. If we assume that it was Ned and Ashara, or Ned and Wylla then who would know of those secrets besides the individuals involved?

[NathanStark]

Maybe Howland died and warged into the boy Jojen. Jojen reveals it when prompted somehow. Crazier things have happened. (Maybe not)

While I agree that crazier things have happened I personally think that while Howland could very likely have the greensight or warging abilities. I don't see him being the kind of person to warg into other people nonetheless his own son. Even Varamyr has reservations to it at first and I don't think he has a tenth the honor that Howland has. But we also don't know much about Howland so it's still possible until we find out differently.

[NathanStark]

If you ask me, Wylla will reveal it. She's been given the most lead up and she's bound to pop up somewhere. She likely knows more of Jon's parentage than any other living person in Westeros whether or not she is the mother (and this includes RLJ which I also believe BTW).

This is why I wanted to talk about this. Who really knows about Jon's parents heavily depends on what theory you believe to be true. Because depending on who the parents are matters a lot in determining who knows about it.

[NathanStark]

I think the readers of the book will find out Jon's parentage before Jon does. Probably from Quaithe to Dany.

Would you be assuming that Jon is in fact Rhaegar and Lyanna's child then? And that he will be one of the three heads of the dragon?

And with the vagueness of Quaithe's information to Dany so far do you think that she will just come out and say "Hey, that black haired man at the wall with the white wolf. He's actually your cousin. So don't kill him or anything."

[NathanStark]

Most likely Howland Reed will tell him. I doubt Benjen Stark knows if Ned wouldn't even tell Cat to make her stop tormenting Jon. The only way Benjen could know is if Ned told him as he was taking Jon in case he died. I feel like that would have been hinted in a POV that they were heavily discussing something.

Ah, but Lyanna was Benjen's sister too. It's entirely possible that she confided in him previously about falling in love with Rhaegar. Then after Ned returns with a bastard son that he won't talk to anyone about Benjen gets curious. He's his brother, they lost the rest of their family, I see no reason the Ned wouldn't go to his brother in the early years after the war to confide in.

Im not saying that this means that he does know. Im just pointing out that there was ample time for Benjen to peice things together or for Ned to tell Benjen before he went to the wall (the first time).

[jeg521]

I too think it will be Howland Reed who reveals the truth. The matter of how he reveals it would be the question. Howland Reed has never made an appearance since book 1. So sooner or later he'l pop out, and of course it comes with a heavy reason. Im confident that the R+L=J theory is true. you dont leave 3 of your kingsguard to just keep watch over a woman. Kingsguard are sworn to protect the royal family, so they werent protecting Lyanna. they where protecting a targaryen.

[hrafna]

we will find out when bran does, through the weirwoods. jon will find out from the reeds and the realm will learn it when varys reveals ned stark's final letter.

[aryagonnakill]

Cat has done nothing wrong though. She needs no redeeming; she needs revenge.

This is going to turn into another Sansa argument, but I just have to agree with Nathan Stark in saying she did some pretty retarded/cruel things.

Onto Jons parentage however, I'm interested in Ashara Daynes knowledge, if she is in fact Lenore. Past that I've always thought that would be Howland Reeds job, but also agree with a poster above that we will learn it from Bran/Bloodraven before Jon learns it himself. Bloodraven should definitely know, the weirwood at Winterfell seems like somewhere BR would spend a lot of time observing to get information from.

[Cynthia Snow]

I've always believed R+L=J, and I figure one of the Reeds will give the revelation. I'd love to know what Howland's been up to in the 2ish years since both of his children disappeared, and I could see him in the North/at the Wall looking for answers.

My other theory depends on whether or not Bran ever leaves his cave. If Bran, Meera, Hodor and Jojen (if he survives that long) ever do leave the cave and get to the Wall, I could definitely see a conversation between Meera and Jon that goes something like...

Meera- When my father learned of Lord Eddard's execution, he came to me and Jojen and said that he needed to tell us something. He said that he was now the only living person who knew this, and it was important that the secret did not die with him. You need to know, blah blah blah, Rhaegar and Lyanna, etc.

[RobertOfTheHouseBaratheon]

In ADWD does Jon not have a vision that there's something in the Winterfell Crypts about his identity that he needs to see. When the Wall falls perhaps a band of loyal NW will retreet to Winterfell taking along a certain comatosed former Lord Commander. Or maybe as Ghost Jon will range right down to Winterfell and see something with his wolves eyes. Something on or by his mothers tomb or in the lower levels?