Ponder this theory on Jon Snow's parentage...

[flyhigh]

Rhaegar + Lyanna seems to be most plausible.

Jon Snow would be the dragon rider of Drogon.

[chris.t.]

This is a good point, in that there's no reason why Jon as a bastard of Robert would need to be kept secret: but the suggestion that Robert had his other bastards 'taken care of' is way wide of the mark. He had Edric Storm fostered at Storm's End, but he had little choice about that. Varys sends Edric presents on Robert's behalf, but this appears to be his own initiative - Robert chuckles about it. Mya and Robert's other bastards have been completely ignored by him: he's done nothing for them, if he is even aware of their existence. That may have been different with a child by Lyanna, of course.

Anyway, as others have pointed out the theory can't work - the timelines simply can't be made to fit.

Robert knew about Mya as did some of the lords of the Vale. He was part of Mya's life prior to his marriage to Cersei. She still remembers him playing with her. Robert being her father is the reason she was taken in by the Royce household.

Someone knew that Gendry was Robert's son and had him taken care of getting him an apprenticeship with a master craftsman. A pretty nice gig for an orphan boy. We don't have that whole story.

Robert disassociated himself from his bastards he knew about for their safety. And with good reason. Barra was murdered immediately upon Robert's death and Gendry would have been too if Yoren hadn't gotten him out of KL. Littlefinger suggested that Cersei had two other children murdered as well.

[OneTrueWarg]

Jon snow is ned's bastard and i say this for one reason he is a warg like arya and bran who we know are Starks

[Galen M]

Jon snow is ned's bastard and i say this for one reason he is a warg like arya and bran who we know are Starks

and Lyanna has less wolf blood than Ned?

[Tall Tyrion Lannister!]

I don't know why Ned would hide it from Robert.

[Yoren the rainbow cloak]

If the only people who could possibly know about this are dead, then what's the point of this theory?

Anyway, as others have said, it's not possible for Jon to have been conceived before the Rebellion. In order for Robert to be his father, he and Lyanna would have had to sleep together a few months into the Rebellion, which really doesn't make sense from what we know.

So not true there is one left who might know the truth of it "Howland Reed"

I really want him to have a POV at sum point

[Dragonfish]

So not true there is one left who might know the truth of it "Howland Reed"

Why would Robert and Lyanna tell Howland they slept together?

And anyway, the timeline just doesn't work out. In order for Jon to be their child they'd have to sleep together during the Rebellion, which just doesn't make sense.

[OneTrueWarg]

and Lyanna has less wolf blood than Ned?

Yes the bastard children take on more of the fathers genetics think about gendry or edric they look like Robert so if he was rhaegars son he would look like him

[OneTrueWarg]

and Lyanna has less wolf blood than Ned?

Yes the bastard children take on more of the fathers genetics think about gendry or edric they look like Robert so if he was rhaegars son he would look like him

[Dragonfish]

Yes the bastard children take on more of the fathers genetics think about gendry or edric they look like Robert so if he was rhaegars son he would look like him

Ummm...no. Just no. No to everything you said. I honestly don't know where to begin debunking this statement.

First of all, nothing in the books indicates that bastard children take on the looks of their fathers more so than their mothers. That's just ludicrous. Robert's children look more like him because his hair color is apparently a dominant trait. It's not because they're bastards, it's just Baratheon genetics. Seriously, how exactly would the process of conception change when the two lovers aren't married?

Second of all, it's not at all true that Targaryen children always have the Targaryen look. One of Rhaegar's children, either Aegon or Rhaenys, had the Martell look. So there's good reason to suppose that Jon simply takes after his mother rather than his father. In fact, the books actually make an indirect comparison between Jon and Lyanna by comparing Jon to Arya and Arya to Lyanna. So there.

[Xenophon]

Yes the bastard children take on more of the fathers genetics think about gendry or edric they look like Robert so if he was rhaegars son he would look like him

I believe that was implied to be a particular trait of Robert's family's genetics (the seed is strong, etc.), not a function of bastardy.

[OneTrueWarg]

I believe that was implied to be a particular trait of Robert's family's genetics (the seed is strong, etc.), not a function of bastardy.

Yes but that could also be about the lannisters since it's never explained fully you don't know if it directly with Robert

[Dragonfish]

Yes but that could also be about the lannisters since it's never explained fully you don't know if it directly with Robert

Jon Arryn says, "Robert...The seed is strong." So we're pretty sure it does refer to Robert.

Seriously, why would it matter if the Lannister seed were "strong"?

Also, if bastards take after their fathers by nature, then why would Robert's bastards be proof of Cersei's infidelity?

[OneTrueWarg]

See he says Robert the seed is strong not Roberts seed is strong and if Jaime is the father of Joffrey then that's why it would matter if the lannisters seed is strong Jon arryn knew that Joffrey was jaimes son

[Dragonfish]

See he says Robert the seed is strong not Roberts seed is strong and if Jaime is the father of Joffrey then that's why it would matter if the lannisters seed is strong Jon arryn knew that Joffrey was jaimes son

This literally makes no sense.

If the Lannister seed were strong, then it wouldn't be strange at all for Robert's children to have the Lannister look, because their mother is a LANNISTER. The entire reason for Jon Arryn's suspicion is that all of Robert's other children look like him, except for his trueborn ones. He'd have no such suspicion if the children of Lannisters habitually looked like Lannisters.

And you still haven't answered my other question: if bastards take after their fathers by nature, then why would Robert's bastards be proof of Cersei's infidelity?

ETA--Another question you haven't answered: how exactly would the process of conception change when the two lovers aren't married?

[Ranzadule]

Rhaegar + Ashara Dayne? If Jon is not Eddard's, he must be a Targaryen as that makes Ned taking the stain on his honor all the more heroic. Jon having Rhaegar for a dad and Arthur Dayne for an uncle is pretty bad-assed and he will be the next to carry the Sword of his Dayne side. Ned took on Jon as his bastard because he loved Ashara or was very fond of her and because he did not feel right about all of the slaughter of the Targaryens and especially the attempt to stamp out their line. Ned also knew that Robert would have Jon killed. Jon could have his dark hair and whatnot from the Dayne side?

[Dragonfish]

Jon could have his dark hair and whatnot from the Dayne side?

I don't think so. IIRC, the Daynes are light-haired and have violet eyes. I think it's safe to assume that one of Jon's parents is a Stark, given how often people reflect that he looks so much like Ned or Arya.

[Ranzadule]

Him being a Stark is a bit more romantic for sure. It would be cool if he turned out to be Targaryen and Stark and would make even moe sense to keep that away from Robert and everyone else. If Jon gets a dragon, where will Ghost sit? Does Arya get the other dragon?

[Dragonfish]

If Jon gets a dragon, where will Ghost sit? Does Arya get the other dragon?

Who knows? It's all speculation at this point. Who knows if Jon will even ride a dragon, much less find out about his Targaryen heritage? Who knows if all the dragons will even survive to have riders? Your guess is as good as mine. :)

[StormbornBee]

Interesting theories, but in GoT Ned and Robert have a conversation about Jon's mother and Ned tells us what her name is. I don't remember off the top of my head what it was (and a friend is borrowing my books... anyone remember it?) because it's only mentioned once that I know of, when everyone is headed to Kings Landing from Winterfell.

Whoever Jon's mother is, Ned took the full story to the grave and unless the mysterious woman is introduced elsewhere in the series, we may never know more than a name. I have a nagging suspicion that she's more important than Ned ever let on, or why would her identity need to be kept so secret?