Destiny of Jon Snow

[Gink]

In my mind he left the wall to go build that cabin Ygritte talked about. No King Beyond the Wall, no duties, just a cabin in the real north to live out his unnatural long undead life in peace. Also, I don't know if wights can reproduce, but I'd think not, so the Targ line ends here.

[Tagganaro]

I mean if you really think about it there is no need for the NW anymore since the wildlings are completely integrated and free to come south of the Wall and there are no more Others so there is no purpose for the NW.  I wish there was a quick explanation for what that meant but those wishes have been unfulfilled all season .

Personally I read his "exile" as a bit of a gift to Jon while also appeasing Grey Worm a little bit at least enough for him to not seek revenge.  I don't think he was deserting anything by heading north with the wildlings since there was nothing for him to do at the Wall.  In that sense the "exile" kind of functions as self-imposed and the best possible outcome for Jon, who after killing Dany and all the stuff that went down was a broken man.  The best he could hope for is to hang out with Ghost and Tormund.

[Nerevanin]

As I already mentioned in another thread, I think that he leaves with the wildlings. The thing that hints it the most imo is how he slowly disappears in the forest - it also symbolizes that he disappears from the "known" or "civilized" world and he is never to be seen again.

[Ice Queen]

6 minutes ago, Gink said:

In my mind he left the wall to go build that cabin Ygritte talked about. No King Beyond the Wall, no duties, just a cabin in the real north to live out his unnatural long undead life in peace. Also, I don't know if wights can reproduce, but I'd think not, so the Targ line ends here.

Nope, Gendry is still very much alive. 

[Runaway Penguin]

Head canon: He's a liaison officer on a prolonged mission witht he King-beyond-the-Wall Tormund Giantsbane.

 

To be honest was surprised a bit by the gate closing behind him though - why close off Wildlings behind the Wall? Keep the gate openb. Night Watch is sworn to protect the Kingdoms of Men - including those out in the great white coldness.

[Gink]

2 minutes ago, Ice Queen said:

Nope, Gendry is still very much alive. 

And he is a Baratheon. There's obviously a lot of people in Westeros that has Targ blood, but the house Targaryen is gone.

[Ice Queen]

Just now, Gink said:

And he is a Baratheon. There's obviously a lot of people in Westeros that has Targ blood, but the house Targaryen is gone.

As a House, sure. But Gendry is still part of that dynasty. If all of Aerys' family had been killed in a plane crash, Robert would have been next in line. It's why he became king in the first place. 

[Gink]

5 minutes ago, Ice Queen said:

As a House, sure. But Gendry is still part of that dynasty. If all of Aerys' family had been killed in a plane crash, Robert would have been next in line. It's why he became king in the first place. 

I honestly don't see how Gendry Baratheon is part of the Targ dynasty. Roberts (great?) grandmother or something was a Targ, Orys was a Targ bastard (probably) 300+ years ago. By your logic there would be potentially hundreds of people in the Targ dynasty still, as everyone with a Targ in their family tree is a Targ? Makes no sense to me.

And Robert won the throne in a rebellion, through conquest, he didn't inherit it, though his Targ ancester was used as an argument Robert should have the throne, and not Stark or Arryn.

[TwiceBorn]

I like the open ending and seriously hope D&D don't fuck it up with some post-credits verbal explication.

If I were JS I'd use whatever excuse to leave north and roam with the Wildlings taking care of the people without holding any power over them. I guess that shiting on a pointless wow that was forced on him for political/revenge reasons makes sense once he's over the wall (beyond the realm and its laws). So I guess it's OK to find love and have a family there.

But if some of you guys prefer it grim and dutiful it's OK.

[Chris is my name]

Another sign of the dismal writing is that no one can even agree on what happened, much less what it may mean.

[Han Snow]

this man's life was beyond sad. a true King twice banished... maybe Val is out there...

[HouseLark]

It's clear he's riding out to live out his life with the wildlings. It's a happy ending for Jon. He only ever felt truly happy north of the Wall. Now he gets to leave behind the lands that only ever brought him tragedy, where Lords fight petty battles for something that Jon can't even understand them wanting. He was only ever used by people south of the Wall, first as soldier in the Nights Watch and later for his name and ability to rally people to a cause. North of the Wall, he gets to be free of his name, of duty, of expectations. It's the best ending Jon could have hoped for, except for the guilt he has to live with.

[Runaway Penguin]

Not necessarily grim and dutiful. Just not loading any more on his conscience. Plus it would be kind of acknowledgment from the Watch as well. 

6 minutes ago, TwiceBorn said:

But if some of you guys prefer it grim and dutiful it's OK.

 

[Ice Queen]

1 hour ago, Gink said:

I honestly don't see how Gendry Baratheon is part of the Targ dynasty. Roberts (great?) grandmother or something was a Targ, Orys was a Targ bastard (probably) 300+ years ago. By your logic there would be potentially hundreds of people in the Targ dynasty still, as everyone with a Targ in their family tree is a Targ? Makes no sense to me.

And Robert won the throne in a rebellion, through conquest, he didn't inherit it, though his Targ ancester was used as an argument Robert should have the throne, and not Stark or Arryn.

Not to belabor the point, but only male descendants of Aegon V (Egg). There are none left save Gendry. 

But it's irrelevant anyway.

Edit: Robert got the throne even though it was Jon Arryn who started the rebellion. 

 

[chatty83]

I guess there are still Thenn and possibly other dangers up there to ward off for Jon, the NW and Wildlings. Who knows what else is up there, most of it is unexplored and we've already seen White Walkers, Wights, Giants, Direwolves etc all come from up North so I guess there is still a reason to have the NW even if the biggest threat is seemingly gone. 

Who knows how he'll fare, theres loads of factors that could come into play. Im not necessarily in the mindset that Westeros is safe under Bran, lots of wars will still likely erupt because none of them really settled their differences. Greyjoys and Starts still have heat, I'm not sure whats stopping the Unsullied from sailing North and going after Jon anyway, they are an army that only know violence, they cant breed, seems most likely they will find their way into a war. Dothraki are no doubt gonna go off raiding, raping a pillaging. Everyone will see Bran as an easy target, he doesn't even have an army ffs.

If everything goes South then theres absolutely no doubt people will be reaching out to hardened war hero Jon Snow for help. As for not having kids, it hardly stopped him from shagging Ygritte last time he was in, if he wants it he will do it, hes honour-bound but that doesn't mean he will do everything he is told to do, especially in a forced bullshit situation like he's been forced into.

[AlaerysTargaryen]

6 hours ago, Raksha 2014 said:

I see Jon and Sansa's last exchange indicating that while he is hurt at her betrayal of his trust, and cannot forgive her, he will always love her, whether or not he sees her again.

I interpreted the scene in the same manner. And what you said about the Freefolk it is true and lovely, they are alive becasue of him and that Will bring some happiness to him. And 24 hr later his epilogue starts to grow on me, he is beloved by his people, the wildlings because of his actions and his duty , they chose him to live with them and to lead them when the times comes, just  as they did with Mance and Tormund. And Jon Snow arc and its conclusion I think resides in the power  choice, the power of hard choices that life make you take. He is where he supossed to be because he always was and stayed his own person.  Daenerys believed in destiny and that belief justified her choices of Fire and Blood and not a house with a red door. In the end Jon  doesn't pursue his Crown as King in the North or his leadership as Lord Commander because he was Ned Stark's bastard or a nephew , he doesn't want the Iron Throne because he was the  true heir, the last Targaryen with the weight of a dynasty on his shoulders.  Once again, he makes his choice.  He Is Jon Snow.   

[starklover]

why were the freefolk at castle black?

[Adam_Up_Bxtch]

I definitely agree he just left with Tormund and Ghost. It's already ridiculous to me that he even had to go back to the NW (or that there's even a NW anymore its just plain stupid) after everything that's happened, especially since GW and the Unsullied were literally leaving for Naath (to get killed by the poisonous butterflys *sigh*). He literally could of sat in the cell for another day and came out to do whatever he wanted because GW and them wouldn't be there to see his sentence be carried out and Bran is now King and certainly isn't gonna do anything to him.

Jon's whole ending was just ridiculously contrived.

[nborders]

22 hours ago, Erkan12 said:

Sam can easily get a royal decree to leave the Night's Watch that if that's your only problem. 

Where’s the honor in that? Doesn’t fit with how we’re supposed to assume that Bran will rule. 

[TheNecromancerofMirkwood]

Truly, where is everyone getting this idea Jon was happiest living among the Wildlings? He was happy being with YGRITTE but she's dead. Every other Wildling leader (The Weeper, Varamyr Six-Skins, The Lord of Bones, Harma Dogshead) save Mance and Tormund wanted him murdered on the spot. He damn near lost his head to Mance at the Fist of the First Men.

No, Jon was happiest living (even as a bastard) among his cousins. That's what he wished for, a life with children of his own. A way OUT of the stigma of being a bastard.

Jon doesn't get to rule? Fine. He retires as a former King, the new head of House Targaryen settled with Wildlings upon The Gift. They would need to shore up the defenses of the area around Eastwatch since there is a gigantic freaking HOLE where a large section of The Wall was brought down. That would be a bittersweet ending, since the bitter is to be denied his actual birthright (rulership of the 7 Kingdoms), but the sweet is to be fully recognized as a legitimate Targaryen who can father children who will inherit after him.

Him being banished to The Night's Watch was a middle finger to fans. It wasn't remotely like Frodo's bittersweet sailing to Tol Eressëa since it was (as Tolkien wrote in one of his letters) purgatorial, not penal. What happened to Jon was plainly bitter. He looked resigned to the world when he arrived at Castle Black and I don't think anything remotely changed with that since he's honor-bound to do his duty. I mean, how the frak else do you explain HOW get got arrested other than he admitted to knifing Daenerys? If he's gonna admit to regicide (a crime for which he cannot be held since he's a RIVAL CLAIMANT) then why the hell would he break with The NIght's Watch?

The single WORST aspect of it all was the fact NO ONE mentioned he was a Targaryen and not some bastard. No one put forward that, "oh btw that guy that's accused of killing Daenerys, turns out he was a rival claimant to the Iron Throne with the superior claim to her." Jon's ending sucked.