the Sword of the Prevening Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 If Jon is not Ned's bastard, and is who most of us think he is... then *someone* still alive in the books has to have that knowledge... If the knowlege of Jon's true parentage died with Ned, then so dos that plotline....Benjen would make the most sense.He makes sense, but there are other ways ie Howland, Bran through the trees, Jojen dream. Of course I would prefer Benjen return and tell a very alive Jon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladytiger Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Howland Reed 100% knows who Jon's parents are/was the only one to survive the Tower of Joy who is still alive at present. I think it's very likely that Benjen knows/suspects as well. Wylla (and perhaps a Dayne or two) could know as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasmas Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Lyanna and Benjen were close in their youth. I assumed that Ben would have some idea of what occurred. I know it's not unusual for a younger son to join the NW, but I thought that could be another reason he left while he was so young. He seemed to have left around the same time that Jon was brought to WF, iirc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Éadaoin Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I think it's probably that Benjen knew. Benjen was around when the whole Lyanna/Rhaegar fiasco was going on and he helped facilitate it.More importantly, I think Benjen abandoning Jon at the wall, his abuse, as well as previously making Jon cry indicates that he is insensitive towards Jon's plight as a bastard. He enjoys rubbing it in and I don't think he ever had any indication to tell Jon about his true parentage.Your posts wrt Benjen tonight have been very eye-opening, DP. But I honestly think I've known this guy was a prick ever since I read about him teasing Lyanna for crying at the Tourney at Harrenhal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pepper Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Your posts wrt Benjen tonight have been very eye-opening, DP. But I honestly think I've known this guy was a prick ever since I read about him teasing Lyanna for crying at the Tourney at Harrenhal.I completely forgot about that. In light of this, it makes sense for Jon to flee the scene when he started crying at the feast as Benjen obviously had a pattern of mocking the weak, the bastards, and the weeping. It seems pretty obvious that Benjen wouldn't have ever told Jon the truth because it was more satisfying to continue his abuse towards Jon the bastard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost's Shadow Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Hey thank you for this excellent insight and thank you for your contribution to this threadYou're welcome. Always remember: search is a friend, not an enemy! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tam Stark Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Sort of off topic but why does Jon want to go to the wall in the first place?Its not that appealing to even common folk and even though he is a bastard he has a nice life within a Great House, he has issues about bringing another bastard in to the world but surely that's not enough reason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breastplate Stretcha Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Sort of off topic but why does Jon want to go to the wall in the first place?Its not that appealing to even common folk and even though he is a bastard he has a nice life within a Great House, he has issues about bringing another bastard in to the world but surely that's not enough reasonCuz he didn't know the NW and the Wall completely sucked until Tyrion told him and he saw for himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tam Stark Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Cuz he didn't know the NW and the Wall completely sucked until Tyrion told him and he saw for himself.how could he not know everybody knows and its not hard to work out that it will suck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breastplate Stretcha Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Jon had the notion that the Night's Watch was a highly regarded military order with honorable men in it's ranks. It wasn't until he was on the road that he realized most of his would-be comrades were made up of brigands, thieves, rapers, and killers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan slayer of hot pies Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Jon had the notion that the Night's Watch was a highly regarded military order with honorable men in it's ranks. It wasn't until he was on the road that he realized most of his would-be comrades were made up of brigands, thieves, rapers, and killers.but what other options did he really have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breastplate Stretcha Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 but what other options did he really have?Well it's not like he had to go to the Watch. There are plenty of instances where bastards stick around and serve their lords in other ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light a wight tonight Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 You can make a case that there was a path that Jon took (is taking) from Dorne to LC of the Watch, to whatever (AAR/PTWP/Savior of Humanity). If R+L=J, Jon's fostered at Winterfell to protect him from Robert, is sent to the Wall where he becomes steward to LC Mormont and gets a Valyrian sword, is elected LC himself, receives aid from Stannis, works to bring the Wildlings south of the Wall to reduce the potential number of Wights and gets "slain" so he can be reborn. Martin has built this up, now let's see him subvert it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryk Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I think he not only knows, but disapproves of Ned's decision not to tell Jon the truth. I don't really have much to back that up with though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idler Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 Your posts wrt Benjen tonight have been very eye-opening, DP. But I honestly think I've known this guy was a prick ever since I read about him teasing Lyanna for crying at the Tourney at Harrenhal.Half of the realm saw him taking a jug of wine over the head from Lyanna for teasing her. He should remember that. He was involved in the whole Rhaegar/Lyanna affair from the beginning and should have known that she went willingly with Rhaegar. He might have had some questions when Ned returned with a Stark-shaped baby and Lyanna's bones... :read: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj4iy Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I don't see Ned breaking his oath to Lyanna, even for his brother. Benjen doesn't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Boru Brightflame Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 with most everyone in the 7 kingdoms being under the impression that Rhaegar was a saint and Benjen growing up with his sister and prob knowing her as well as anyone, do we really think Ned was going to be able to sell the Baratheon party line on Lyannas death to Benjen no questions asked? Im sure everyone in the stark family knew that Lyanna ran away with him willingly- knowing her personality alone even but also with the added possibility of inside info on harrenhall, tKotLT, and tQoLaB? chances are Lyanna left some sort of note or the like before leaving with Rhaegar- if common sense can be useful here. the outrage behind Rickard and Brandons rides to KL likely hinged on Rhaegar acting like what a daughter wants even matters. The Stark patriarch set up a marriage for her and according to the rules in this male dominated/ legislated culture, what Rhaegar did was an obvious violation and even his father should agree accordingly. id assume the mentality at the dinner table was "Lyanna/ our daughter will be dealt with in house but we're placing the blame on Rhaegar. hes a dude. he should know better". the point here is that Benjen and the rest of the starks knew that Lyanna was complicit and any starks remaining alive at the end would also likely have to know the story of the love affairs end. whatever it was. also didnt benjen run off to the wall and take the black after the ToJ? if so id say thats all but sewn up- Benjen knows who jon is also i find it hard to believe that Benjen wouldnt recognize whatever genetic traits happened to show up in the son besides those derived from his sibling, IF he had seen the other gene donor in real life- aka Rhaegar as opposed to random stranger hes never met aka Wylla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russo Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I don't see Ned breaking his oath to Lyanna, even for his brother. Benjen doesn't know.Do we know he took an oath never to tell anyone?His promise could be a few things, all probably regarding Jon, but telling Benjen may not break it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooseHB Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Do we know he took an oath never to tell anyone?His promise could be a few things, all probably regarding Jon, but telling Benjen may not break it. Ned not telling Ben also does not preclude Benjen figuring it out. The question is, "Does Ben know about Jon?" His close relationship to Lyanna, his keen observation of others, his role as Lord of Winterfell when Lyanna would supposedly have left with Rhaegar, his careful looks at Jon whenever Jon calls Ned 'my father,' Benjen's sudden desire to take the Black shortly after Ned returns from the ToJ with a baby & his sister's bones, all indicate that there is more to the story than whether Ned told anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stncold Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 There's pretty much a 2% chance at best that Ned told Ben. If Ben knows, it's because he figured it out on his own, which wouldn't have been hard with what he knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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