The True Identity of Jaqen H'ghar (Possible Series-level SPOILERS)

[Ser Naufragus]

I am intrigued by this theory but I think it is missing a twist within a twist... 
 
 
Jaqen might appear as Rhegar in the future.. That would be shocking and awesome... But you know what would be more shocking... If he wasn't Rhegar. 
 
What if Jaqen stole Rhegar's face after he died? Later, he appears as an unaged rhegar shocking the world but rhegar remains dead. 
 
This could explain the whole Arya-Jaqen relationship too. When Arya wore the face of the scared girl, she remembered the girl being beaten. What if Jaquen remembered Lyanna through Rhegar like the little girl remembered her beatings?

he was cremated. did they glue the ashes together and make a face?

[BlackFyre > BlackFire]

First off, I don't think Robert is the only character to talk smack about Rhaegar in the series (pretty much anyone with the surname "Stark").

 

don't know of a single stark who even "thought" badly of Rhaegar including Ned. That's part of the supporting evidence for the theory that Lyanna ran off and wasn't kidnapped.

[DaenerysWinsEverything]

Brilliant. Only way Martin finishes the series. I figured he was losing it in the last two books. Maybe not.

[bent branch]

First off, I don't think Robert is the only character to talk smack about Rhaegar in the series (pretty much anyone with the surname "Stark").

 

Secondly, how exactly are you explaining away the thousands of people that saw him die at the Ruby Ford? Robert didn't finish him off? He was spirited away by Varys? Was that secretly not Rhaegar at the Trident?

 

I do like the whole H'ghar=Rhaegar thing, even if you are an "h" short, although I'm not buying the theory, really. When would Rhaegar have had time to train with the FM? And I'm still not quite clear if Littlefinger is actually involved in this, or you're just suggesting his character arc as evidence. Top-notch tinfoil, though.

 

Actually, Robert is the only one in the story who speaks badly of Rhaegar. Rhaegar is fairly universally admired in the novels. Although a couple of the children (I think it was Bran and Arya, but it might have been Bran and Sansa) make a comment about Rhaegar kidnapping and killing Lyanna, Ned himself is astoundingly neutral on Rhaegar. It's actually one of the biggest clues that the Rhaegar/Lyanna thing isn't what it seems.

[Patchfaces O'Houlihan]

Jaqen H'ghar = Rhaegar Theory (or JH=R)

 

Jaqen Hghar’s name itself is almost a sly hint. Hghar = rHaeGAR

 

 

Very well thought out and it fits The Martin's right in front of your face style.  Well done.

[syrioforelseesforreal]

Jaqen=noone.

[DaenerysWinsEverything]

Jaqen H'ghar = Rhaegar Theory (or JH=R)
 
 
Now I know this is a highly provocative header so please bear with me and read my reasons carefully before you post a reply quickly just to flame me. This is not meant as an attack on anyone or meant to mock long-term posters' powers of deduction, just a spare offering of thoughts which is meant to provide a new look at something we have all taken for granted. If I am proven wrong, I will laugh as loud and as long at myself as everyone else. But I don't think I will be proven wrong, and series 6 is less than a year away, book 6 maybe shorter... We shall see. On with the theory.
 
George R.R. Martin is a big fantasy fan as well as an author, and we can spot many references to other fantasy stories.
For example Tyrion Lannister is a reference to the last king of Narnia in The Last Battle who is called Tirian. In that story there are also a lot of cynical dwarfs. This combined with the Lannister name and animal representing Aslan is more than just a simple ref to Narnia, it is like a dialogue or debate with other fantasy worlds and authors. A similar thing can be found with Bloodraven and Bittersteel in the history of Westeros. (Bloodraven is the old Brynden in the cave who teaches Bran). They are both meant to represent Elric (from Michael Moorcock) and Conan (from Robert E. Howard) respectively. Both are sword and sorcery heroes, but one (Elric) is a wizard who loses a kingdom and the other (Conan) is a wizard-killer who gains a kingdom.
 
Still not convinced, need more examples? Let's use clear folklore/historical examples. Beric and Thoros and The BWB symbolise Robin Hood and his Merry Men, the Red Wedding symbolises the Black Dinner, the Wall is Hadrian's Wall, the Ironborn are Vikings, Aegon "the Conqueror" is William the Conqueror and so on. Also worth noting would be author's names like House Peake, House Vance, Archmaester Rigney and so on. Martin will provide his own take on the works of authors past as well as raise awareness of others to his audience who they may not learn of otherwise. His aim is clearly to write the largest ever fantasy, one which it will be almost impossible to ever beat due to it's broad influences and tropes and anti-tropes. So the tropes in this fantasy have as much place as the anti-tropes, in fact you could say they are more important to be in the series, as when they are presented to the reader Martin can cross-examine them and provide us with a modern version of an old idea.
 
With all this in mind we come to who does Rhaegar symbolise and why.
 
Everyone throughout the story (except Robert who is shown to act like a drunk idiot) says heaps of praise about Rhaegar. He is continually presented a good king/missed opportunity, and thats before you get to the hypothetical R+L=J theory. We are built up a picture of Rhaegar to make us as readers think good guys always lose/are unrealistic/get killed by stronger or crueller fighters. Its the same way we are convinced to sympathise with House Stark.
 
Now Martin continually brings up the image of Aragorn as one of the things in LOTR (Lord of the Rings) as one the things he takes issue with regarding Tolkien. He mentions it several times across the internet in different ways. Usually it amounts to the following:
 
So Aragorn ruled wisely. What does that mean, ruled wisely? What was his tax policy? Did he hunt down and kill all the orcs, even the young baby orcs?
 
It is clear that this is a topic which interests Martin and he has the opportunity to actually explore this further in his own fantasy world. He has to first have a fantasy king to examine their decisions in detail. You might think he has already done this with Stannis, Robb and Daenerys being on the surface good guys making difficult decisions (and although not a king Jons decisions have been looked at in the same way.) But none of these characters fit the rightful king trope to the same degree as Aragorn does. They are not introduced to us as being perfect fairy-tale rulers so the criticism will not be as pointed. Also as Martin has built up Rhaegar and as he is an author who dislikes perfect heroes, he will most likely find a way to tarnish or reveal fractures in that perfect image. But Rhaegar needs to be alive for that to happen in the clearest way.
 
Put simply, Aragorn is fantasys version of the best and kind king and Rhaegar is probably Martins version/homage/subversion of Aragorn.
 
I am going to say that Rhaegar is actually Jaqen H'ghar, in the same way that Aragorn disguised himself as Strider. A generic fantasy heroic leader (like Rand al'Thor from Wheel of Time or F'lar of the dragonrider of Pern) would usually have an apostrophe in their name prior to ASOIAF. I think with the alias of Jaqen H'ghar Martin is deliberately parodying this habit.
 
Note this parallel is also useful because both kings had multiple aliases. Aragorn had Estel, Thorongil, Strider, Dunadan and Elessar. If Rhaegar is Jaqen and using Faceless Men powers, he will definitely have used many different names as well.
 
In almost every single one of his appearances Rhaegar is described as melancholy and sad noticeably in Cerseis memory in Book 4, which is the same book where Jaqen kills the real Pate after saying something sadly.
There is also a background detail in the world about the Sorrowful Men, who kill their targets by whispering I am so sorry before the kill. When Arya is training with the kindly man in Book 4 in Braavos he continually uses the word sad. This is meant to input the link  between sadness and assassins in our minds without yet joining that to the second link between sadness and Rhaegar. Therefore Rhaegar = sadness = assassins.
 
Similarities between Aragorn and Rhaegar/Jaqen/Pate.
Both had two love interests. Rhaegar had Elia and Lyanna, and Aragorn had Arwen and Eowyn. Note that the second love interest in both cases dresses up as a man.
Both have used or are in close proximity to magic communication devices. Rhaegar as Pate is near to Marwyns glass candle from Valyria and Aragorn takes possession of the glass ball palantir from Numenor. Both Valyria and Numenor are destroyed kingdoms (due to magical catastrophe) which had survivors who set up large kingdoms which each story takes place in.
Both are friends with a archer who is meant to be an audience favourite (Alleras for Rhaegar, Legolas for Aragorn. Even the names are very similar.)
Oldtown itself (where Rhaegar/Jaqen is as of Book 4) is a very similar city to Minas Tirith. Denethor is a lord who uses his own palantir at the top in his White Tower, Lord Hightower is rumoured to use spells at the top of the tower (and he may very likely have a glass candle in the Hightower). The maesters headquarters called the Citadel is very similar to the Houses of Healing where you can train to learn more about medicine and herbology.
Both receive suspicion from one of the main characters whose name is Sam (note: the two Sams in ASOIAF and LOTR are very similar to each other, being the sweet dopey lovable character). This is literally the first reaction that each Sam has to each disguised king.
 
Also remember Rhaegar met Lyanna at the famous tourney in Harrenhal. Jaqen helped Arya (who is the spitting image of a young Lyanna) kill her enemies at Harrenhal as well. This would be a repeating of history of the kind that tends to happen with characters connected with Harrenhal. For example Littlefinger.
 
Rhaegar                                                          Littlefinger
Rhaegar did the tourney of Harrenhal.                Littlefinger is now Lord Protector of Harrenhal.
Rhaegars first wife had birth troubles.                Littlefingers first wife Lysa had a bad womb/birth troubles.
Rhaegar chose Lyanna as Queen of L&B           Littlefinger says his Queen of L&B was Catelyn
Rhaegar (as Jaqen) meets Arya                         Littlefinger meets Sansa (who looks like Catelyn)
Rhaegar was challenged by Brandon Stark         Littlefinger had a duel with Brandon Stark
 
Note this pattern would only make sense if Jaqen was Rhaegar. And this would tie in with Lucifer means Lightbringer's theories about astronomy (1 male thing and 2 female things spell disaster) and Preston Jacobs theories about Harrenhal being important in a symbolic way to both Rhaegar and Littlefinger.
 
Jaqen Hghars name itself is almost a sly hint. Hghar = rHaeGAR
 
And if you believe Rhaegar was cremated, then I suppose you also believe Davos was beheaded, Bran and Rickon were killed by Theon Greyjoy and Sandor died of his wounds. Characters have had fake-out death chapter endings, rogue warriors have been using glamours and masterminds have had shocking revelations for 5 books now, the plausibility of this shouldn't be an issue. We've already had one Targaryen reappear when assumed dead, explaining their survival by use of trickery (Aegon/Young Griff), why not another?
 
And why not the one who is not only central to the plot of the war preceeding ASOIAF, but whose birth will be the culmination of the Dunk and Egg stories? IMO that would help give the final Dunk/Egg story more meaning, more reason to be written, and more impact perhaps on the main storyline. Remember both Rhaegar in his youth and Maester Aemon believed that he was the Prince that was Promised, until he found out a star shot over the sky when Prince Aegon was born. What if their first guess was right...
 
I think that Rhaegar surviving isn't just a twist to shock the audience. It's a dramatic necessity to unite Westeros against the Others. Martin isn't going to have the Others win and humanity become extinct/leave Westeros the continent. Nor will he be so predictable to have the Others defeated by simple hidden means (like Frodo and the Ring) that avoids the need for people to unite. I don't think anyone in Westeros can unite the warring families and smallfolk of all ages except Rhaegar. Not even Dany or Young Griff, and certainly not Jon Snow (at this moment). Only Rhaegar would command the respect, connections, skills, strategy and charisma to lead the defense of Westeros in the Second Long Night.
 
I have looked through the text of the first few books and found some more lines that indicate that Rhaegar surviving was always in Martin's plan. I will be posting these over this next week, but it may not be instantly as work is getting busy at the moment.
 
Now let rip. :lol:

I want to emphasize some of your parallels.

If Rhaegar is Aragorn, then House Targaryen must be an analogue for House Elendil/Isildur.

Aegon the Conqueror is William the Conqueror, but also Elendil the founder of Gondor and Arnor.

Valyrians and Numenoreans are both superpowers. Both get destroyed in a sudden magical/divine catastrophe. In both, one noble house less important than the others gets a warning to flee. In both, the race of Numenor/Valyria is so overpowered that this single family with only a few others conquers the regular humans and founds a kingdom way grander than what went before.

House Elendil gradually loses what made it powerful, just like Targaryens. The realm is not stable without Elendil and Targs. The realm is about to be under attack from supernatural dark forces before the Aragorn/Rhaegar reveal in both.

I could go on. To anyone who has read LOTR and Silmarillion, or just LOTR appendices, there is no doubt about the parallels. I'm just stunned I didn't see it earlier.

House Targaryen is House Elendil without a shadow of a doubt. So there must be Aragorn. If not Jaqen, who?

[DaenerysWinsEverything]

he was cremated. did they glue the ashes together and make a face?

The guy is coming back. Joe B. has it. I don't know how they do it, but I know they do it.