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Jon is named Aegon - Full Theory (Spoilers Extended)


Aegon VII

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I 100% believe that Jon Snow is Rhaegar and Lyanna's son, but I also 100% believe his real name is not Aegon.

Let's say Jon's real name is Aegon.  Who would have named him?  Either Rhaegar, Lyanna, or Ned.

Let's say Rhaegar chose his child's name pre-birth.  Rhaegar's first son and heir Aegon was still alive when Rhaegar died.  If Rhaegar chose his unborn son's name, it certainly would not have been Aegon.  Since his first two children were named Rhaenys and Aegon and he was obsessed with the "three heads of the dragon" prophecy, he undoubtedly thought his third child would be a daughter named Visenya.  He was so obsessed with prophecy that he probably didn't even consider the possibility his third child would be a boy, but the obvious backup name for a possible son would have been Viserys.

If Lyanna named him, imagine this scenario: "Promise me Ned, no one can know he is Rhaegar's son.  No one can know he is a Targaryen.  Promise me, Ned.  No one can know.  No one.  HIS NAME IS AEGON!!!!!"  Unless Lyanna was the stupidest person in Westeros, Lyanna didn't name him Aegon.  Two of Rhaegar's prophesized three heads were already dead by that point, so even if Lyanna once believed in Rhaegar's prophecy, she didn't anymore.  She wouldn't have named her son Aegon or any other Targaryen name just to tell Ned that no one could know his name.

If Ned named him, all the reasons Lyanna wouldn't name him Aegon also apply to Ned.  Naming his new nephew (pretend bastard son) after Jon Arryn makes complete sense.

I think Jon's real name is Jon.

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18 minutes ago, StarkTullies said:

I 100% believe that Jon Snow is Rhaegar and Lyanna's son, but I also 100% believe his real name is not Aegon.

Let's say Jon's real name is Aegon.  Who would have named him?  Either Rhaegar, Lyanna, or Ned.

Let's say Rhaegar chose his child's name pre-birth.  Rhaegar's first son and heir Aegon was still alive when Rhaegar died.  If Rhaegar chose his unborn son's name, it certainly would not have been Aegon.  Since his first two children were named Rhaenys and Aegon and he was obsessed with the "three heads of the dragon" prophecy, he undoubtedly thought his third child would be a daughter named Visenya.  He was so obsessed with prophecy that he probably didn't even consider the possibility his third child would be a boy, but the obvious backup name for a possible son would have been Viserys.

If Lyanna named him, imagine this scenario: "Promise me Ned, no one can know he is Rhaegar's son.  No one can know he is a Targaryen.  Promise me, Ned.  No one can know.  No one.  HIS NAME IS AEGON!!!!!"  Unless Lyanna was the stupidest person in Westeros, Lyanna didn't name him Aegon.  Two of Rhaegar's prophesized three heads were already dead by that point, so even if Lyanna once believed in Rhaegar's prophecy, she didn't anymore.  She wouldn't have named her son Aegon or any other Targaryen name just to tell Ned that no one could know his name.

If Ned named him, all the reasons Lyanna wouldn't name him Aegon also apply to Ned.  Naming his new nephew (pretend bastard son) after Jon Arryn makes complete sense.

I think Jon's real name is Jon.

Your first full paragraph shows you didn’t even read the theory….

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27 minutes ago, Aegon VII said:

Your first full paragraph shows you didn’t even read the theory….

I did read the theory.  I've always thought that Jon's secret name being Aegon didn't make sense, and the theory didn't change my mind.

Yes, throughout history kings have named their children the same name as their already-deceased children.  Jaehaerys and Alysanne didn't name any of their 11 other children Daenerys or Aegon after their first Daenerys and Aegon died, so there is not a precedence for that in the Targaryen family.  Regardless, I think Rhaegar- super obsessed with prophecy- would not have hesitated to name his second son Aegon after his first son Aegon died.  Except... the first Aegon was still alive when Rhaegar was still around to have any say in baby-naming.

As for Lyanna carrying out Rhaegar's wishes, she would be absolutely reckless to have done that.  If she once believed in Rhaegar's prophecy, she surely must have changed her mind after two of the three heads of the dragon were already dead.  Her dying words were to protect her son by hiding her son's identity.  The way to hide his identity is not to name him a glaringly Targaryen name.

Other parts of the theory were about wordplay and symbolic foreshadowing, etc.  Some of them were interesting, but even if that convincingly hints that Jon has an alternate name, that doesn't convince me that the alternate name is Aegon.

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Prince Aegon was known to still live. Rhaegar died before Aegon. So unless you try desperately to rework the story and make up your own plot, it is not likely for Jon to have the same name. Further, I do not agree with the R + L = J theory. But even if that were the case, Lyanna is not a Targaryen. At best, she was Rhaegar’s mistress. Any child of their is not legitimate. The last thing Lyanna would do is give him a name that would draw attention. 

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2 minutes ago, Darth Sidious said:

Prince Aegon was known to still live. Rhaegar died before Aegon. So unless you try desperately to rework the story and make up your own plot, it is not likely for Jon to have the same name. Further, I do not agree with the R + L = J theory. But even if that were the case, Lyanna is not a Targaryen. At best, she was Rhaegar’s mistress. Any child of their is not legitimate. The last thing Lyanna would do is give him a name that would draw attention. 

And per the theory above, Jon was named by Lyanna after rhaegar and Aegon were both dead.. so no, my timeline is fine.

 

If you don’t think r+l=j then I can’t help you bud 

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If Jon has a Targaryen name rather than just being called Jon, I think Aemon works better. But Jon is a fine name. I won't mind if he just stays Jon.

1. Jon beginning the story with no name/Jon's True Name Being a Mystery

From 'Aemon', you can make 'Nemo', meaning 'nobody' or 'no one' in Latin. This was a name often given to orphans in the middle ages, because they had no parents so belonged to nobody.

2. Using the Same Name Twice

Jon's name being Aemon also fits this. I'm not sure if the necronym thing would work because I don't know if Lyanna could have found out that Rhaegar's first Aegon was dead. Rhaegar himself died before his first child Aegon so he couldn't name Jon after him either.

3. Song of Ice and Fire

Rhaegar already named one of his children after Aegon. As stated above I don't see why he would name another child Aegon because at the time of his death other Aegon was still alive so there would be no need for him to instruct Lyanna to name the child after his brother because he wasn't dead. In Rhaegar's view, there was already a male saviour in place called Aegon. If anything Rhaegar might have wanted a male version of Vinsenya (if there was one) as a name in keeping with the prophecy, if it was a boy. Also, some of the visions in the House of the Undying are of failed prophecies. I think this is either a failed prophecy as the Aegon in the vision is dead (unless 'Aegon' is real) and so is unlikely to be the Prince Who Was Promised (if they have to show up at some point), alternatively Rhaegar made a mistake again about who the PTWP was. I don't get the sense that the PTWP has to be called Aegon. For me the Song of Ice and Fire is about the Stark and Targaryen bloodlines coming together. So Rhaegar was right in saying that this was the song of the PTWP, but wrong with who he attributed it to. Also The TV show didn't have 'Aegon VI'. This is another thing that makes me think Jon isn't called Aegon. There is another, living king called Aegon in the same generation as Jon.

4. Kill the Boy

I don't see how this means that Jon's name is Aegon. It could just be taken as advice about growing up, I don't think Jon requires a name change to do that. And if it is suggesting a name change, it doesn't have to be Aegon. It could be referring specifically to the 'Snow' part of Jon's name. The parallels between Jon and Aegon don't mean that they have to share the same name. Jon thinking of his grandfather's grandfather could be Jon thinking of a Stark called Jon for all we know, since he doesn't specify which side of the family it's on. Maester Aemon is also symbolic of the qualities associated with age and wisdom and being a man and not a boy.

5. Waiting for the Seventh

Jon would still be the seventh Targaryen of the line of Aerys and Rhaella without being called Aegon. If he is already the seventh then he doesn't need to have the regnal number 7 as well. Also him being called Aegon again works against the seven symbolism because two of the seven would have the same name, so there would not be seven but rather six.

6. Egg Wordplay/Easter Eggs

There is this potential Easter Egg line from Jon:

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"I'm Prince Aemon the Dragonknight," Jon would call out

With the two moons, the first moon goes to close to the sun, e.g. gets too hot, and Maester Aemon has a fever shortly before he dies, leaving the second moon (Aemon/Jon) behind as the only moon left.

This line about Cregan could be considered foreshadowing for Jon's inner conflict between being a Stark and being a Targaryen:

Quote

Oh, there, he's Cregan Stark. He fought with Prince Aemon once, and the Dragonknight said he'd never faced a finer swordsman.

7. Dunk and Egg parallels

The parallels between Jon and John are there but I don't see how it specifically means that Jon has to be called Aegon. John having 'Egg's eyes' could be interpreted just as Dunk recognising he had eyes like a Targaryen. If parallels suggest the same name, as suggested earlier when talking about the parallels between Jon and Aegon V, then these parallels would suggest that Jon was called Daemon, which is more similar to Aemon than Aegon. Daemon is also linked to eggs with his dreams of a dragon egg hatching.

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Jon's name is the name given him by Ned Stark.  For all intents and purposes, Jon is the son of Ned Stark.  Soon to be his heir and to become the king of the north like their ancestors.  Although with a twist.  Lyanna is a woman of the North.  The most probable name is Jon. 

If Lyanna was bent on giving him a Targaryen name, it would be something like Rhaegar to honor his dad.  In secret mind you. 

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13 minutes ago, Corvo the Crow said:

If Jon has a Targaryen name at all it is likely to be Aemon considering how Rhaegar had a quillpal relationship with his kin, Maester Aemon.

This is a good point and further evidence that Jon's Targaryen name, if he has one, is more likely to be Aemon than Aegon. But I don't mind if Jon stays Jon. Jon is a good name.

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55 minutes ago, Corvo the Crow said:

I doubt that Lyanna hasn't thought of a name for him and hasn't told Ned about that name. Jon is named Jon only because he is Ned's son and named after his guardian and friend Jon.

Lyanna almost certainly came up with a name, but whether it was a Targaryen name is up for debate. It could be dependant on whether she loved Rhaegar or not.

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I think it probably is Aegon TBH but I find nothing in the OP compelling.

This has more meat to it.

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When Jon had been a boy at Winterfell, his hero had been the Young Dragon, the boy king who had conquered Dorne at the age of fourteen. Despite his bastard birth, or perhaps because of it, Jon Snow had dreamed of leading men to glory just as King Daeron had, of growing up to be a conqueror. Now he was a man grown and the Wall was his, yet all he had were doubts. He could not even seem to conquer those.

 

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