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Entertainment June 30, 2017
The DNA test came back positive.
In 2016, “Game of Thrones” show runners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss answered the question that some viewers had been waiting twenty years for.
Prince Rhaegar Targaryen was confirmed to be perpetually sad Jon Snow’s father. The theory of R+L= J (still unanswered in the books) has existed since the book series was first released in 1996.
For people watching the show it was huge, but for book readers it was a VERY big deal. We want you to know as much as possible about Rhaegar before season seven of “GoT” starts in July.
Another trailer just dropped.
People actually flipped out when it was revealed that Rhaegar Targaryen was Jon’s father. The reason this is a big deal is due to the fact that this technically makes Jon, not our beloved Dany, rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
The son of Mad King Aerys (For whose death Jaime Lannister earned the title Kingslayer), Rhaegar and his children were targeted during the first war, Robert’s Rebellion. This war left Rhaegar’s wife Elia Martell and their two children all presumably dead. So Jon is next in line, especially if Rhaegar married Ned’s sister Lyanna.
In this conversation between Barristan Selmy and Daenerys, Rhaegar is said to be a marvelous singer and a generous man. Several characters in the book speak fondly of Rhaegar.
Although to be fair, a great deal of them are on Dany’s side, like Selmy & Jorah. It might not be a good idea to slander him in front of her.
While no one’s quite sure if Rhaegar Targaryen was a good guy or a bad one, everyone can agree on the fact that he started this mess. Back in the day, before the first war, Lyanna Stark was promised to Robert Baratheon. The same Robert Baratheon that ended up on the Iron Throne when the dust settled.
The History:
At an event known as the Tourney of Harrenhall, Lyanna Stark caught the eye of Rhaegar Targaryen (married at the time to the Princess of Dorne). Basically, he insulted everyone by declaring Lyanna the “Queen of Love and Beauty” instead of his wife. Then (this is where it gets subjective) he either kidnapped or ran off with Lyanna. This sent everyone into a tizzy.
Ned Stark’s brother Brandon went to King’s Landing to challenge Rhaegar, who was off in a secret location with Lyanna. Rhaegar’s dad, King Aerys, invited Brandon inside. He then invited Rickard Stark, Ned’s father to King’s Landing and subsequently killed them both.
Robert, Ned and their allies rode into battle against the Targaryens. Jaime killed Aerys by stabbing him in the back. Rhaegar was killed. Lyanna died; Ned brought Jon back as his son. And things were set up for the world of Westeros as we knew it in season one, episode one.
Typically, Targaryens have violet eyes and platinum blonde locks, so I guess Stark genes are strong in Jon’s case. Rhaegar was the eldest of three children of Mad King Aerys that survived to adulthood. The other two were Viserys, who came into a crown of sorts in season one, and Daenerys aka Dany aka Khaleesi aka Queen of The Andals and The First Men, aka Mother of – You get it.
That would make Jon Targaryen (Snow), Dany’s nephew. That makes things particularly interesting in terms of alliances in the last two seasons. Dany and Jon will be competing for the Iron Throne. And after all she’s been through, I doubt Dany would concede to her long dead brother’s child.
One possible theory is that they’ll get married, another is that “Game of Thrones” is setting Dany up as their ultimate villain. I would honestly prefer D+J to Dany going to the dark side. And everyone knows “GoT” doesn’t mind keeping it in the family.
Except this time they’re ALL dead. Rhaegar had two children with his wife Elia, Aegon and Rhaenys. Some people theorize that Rhaegar may have kidnapped or seduced Lyanna in order to have a third child in pursuit of fulfilling a prophecy.
Aegon and Rhaenys were both killed on Tywin Lannister’s watch after the deaths of King Aerys and Prince Rhaegar. Although it’s undisputed that Rhaenys was murdered, there are book theories centered on Prince Aegon’s survival. That would definitely shake things up on the show.
There’s still quite a lot to clear up about Rhaegar, Jon and Dany when “Game of Thrones” returns on July 16. Rhaegar might be murky, but without him, there’s no Song of Ice and Fire so –
