Biography

Secret origin :

Eighteen years before the War of the Five Kings, Rhaegar Targaryen allegedly abducted Lyanna Stark in a scandal that led to the outbreak of Robert's Rebellion. Rhaegar eventually returned to fight in the war, but not before leaving Lyanna behind at the Tower of Joy, guarded by Lord Commander Gerold Hightower and Ser Arthur Dayne of the Kingsguard. Eddard Stark rode to war along with her betrothed, Robert Baratheon, to rescue his sister and avenge the deaths of their father and brother at the orders of Aerys II, the Mad King.

Robert ultimately killed Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident, effectively ensuring their victory in the war. After the Sack of King's Landing, Ned continued south in search of his sister and ultimately found her at the Tower of Joy in the Red Mountains at the border of Dorne. Ned and his companions engaged in a final fierce melee with the remaining Kingsguard, which resulted in the deaths of all combatants save Ned himself and Howland Reed.

After defeating the last of the Kingsguard, Ned rushed into the tower to save his sister - only to find Lyanna dying from childbirth, having just given birth to Rhaegar's own son. Desperate to protect the life of her newborn child, a fading Lyanna pleaded with Ned to promise her that he would keep her son safe, and his true heritage hidden from Robert as he had been Rhaegar's most bitter enemy. Furthermore, the boy's existence was a potential threat to Robert's claim to the Iron Throne after the deaths of Rhaegar's other children, Rhaenys and Aegon, by his wife Elia Martell, who also perished, during the Sack of King's Landing. In accordance with her last wish, Ned resolved to pass Lyanna's son off as his own bastard and raise him in his home castle - a great blow to his honor as he knew that his decision would shame both himself and his wife, Catelyn Tully.

Rather than using his nephew's birth name of Aegon, which would have given away his real parentage, Ned gave the baby the name "Jon" after his great friend and mentor Jon Arryn, Lord of the Vale, whom he loved like a second father. The boy also grew up using the surname "Snow", as is customary for acknowledged bastards in the North. In truth, however, "Jon" is not a bastard at all, as Rhaegar apparently had his marriage to Elia annulled and married Lyanna.

Early life

Jon spent the next seventeen years being raised in Winterfell as Eddard's illegitimate son, alongside his trueborn children with his wife. Understandably, Eddard never told anyone, including Catelyn or Jon himself, who his mother was or even if she was still alive. When pressed by Robert, whom he couldn't deny an answer, Ned vaguely claimed that Jon's mother was a lowborn woman named "Wylla" that he met during the war. Eddard never treated Jon much differently from his trueborn children.

Despite sharing a happy marriage, Jon's presence at Winterfell would serve as a constant source of friction between Eddard and Catelyn. Catelyn never mistreated Jon, but she was cold towards him and avoided him whenever possible, viewing him only as a living reminder of the one time that Eddard had dishonored her. Catelyn would later confess to her daughter-in-law Talisa about how Jon caught the pox when he was a child, and she stayed with him through the night and prayed to the gods to let him live out of guilt for previously praying for his death, accepting that the boy was not to blame for her husband's sin, though it was still not enough to make her love Jon, something she would eventually come to regret.

Due to his bastard status, Jon grew up feeling like an outsider at Winterfell. Although Ned would see that he was well-treated, Jon's attendance at Winterfell's more "formal" occasions was restricted and he would even be barred from sitting inside at the Lord's table with his family so as not to offend important guests. Otherwise, Jon still lived better than many bastard-born children and was well-raised by Eddard as his own. He was loved by his father and siblings, was never hungry or poor, lived in his father's castle, and had a noble's upbringing. Jon received a highborn education from Maester Luwin and a young lord's martial training from Winterfell's Master-at-Arms, Ser Rodrik Cassel.

Jon and Robb play with snowballs in their childhood.

Of the Stark children, Jon was very close friends with Robb - given that they were roughly the same age, being regular companions in training and riding. He was also close with both Bran and Rickon, and was friendly rival to Lord Eddard's ward, Theon Greyjoy. However, Jon's closest relationship was with Arya, who, as an adventurous tomboy prone to un-ladylike pursuits, also felt like a social outsider. In contrast, Jon's early relationship with Sansa was unpleasant; very much her mother's daughter, she was aloof and cold to him as well.

Personality

In start

Since he was raised by Ned at Winterfell, Jon has adopted a clear moral compass and a true sense of honor, which he tries his hardest to abide by even when he must make a difficult decision, especially after he became Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. He has always admired and idolized his father, but due to Catelyn's cold disdain for Jon, Eddard was careful not to give him more attention than his lawful children by Catelyn. Catelyn was never actively mean to Jon, but because he wasn't her own son she intentionally ignored him (as is common for bastard children), meaning that Jon grew up without a mother-figure. Nor did Jon consider Catelyn's behavior to be unusual or unexpected: it is rare for a noble to raise their bastard child alongside their lawful children, and his presence was a great insult to her honor.

While his interactions with Catelyn remained awkward or nonexistent, he was close with his half-siblings, particularly Robb and Arya. Robb was of the same age as Jon so they became playmates and comrades in training, while due to her tomboyish personality Arya was also something of a social misfit like Jon, which they bonded over. His closeness with Brandon and Rickon was proved when the latter had to leave Winterfell and Master Luwin advised them to go, Castle Black, where the old man was sure that their half-brother would keep them safe. With Sansa on the other hand, according to the talk they had when they reunited at Castle Black, the friendship has never been deep as those between Jon and the other siblings. Since then, however, Sansa proves to have great faith in her half-brother by standing up for him when he is King in the North and, when she discovers his true parentage, by seeing him as the best candidate to become King of the Seven Kingdoms. Also, when Jon is forced to join again the Night's Watch, Sansa shows great sorrow and thinks that sending Jon away is both a great unfairness and a great loss for the North.

Like many bastard children, Jon had to learn to grow up quickly. This made Jon mature and perceptive beyond his age, so he could navigate his complicated relationships within the Stark household. His bastard status has also made Jon something of a loner, solemn and somber with a desire to prove himself to society and to his father. Jon thought that the best way for a bastard in his position to gain honor and respect was to join the Night's Watch, emulating his uncle Benjen, because past social status is ignored after joining the Watch. Despite his introverted demeanor, Jon is very compassionate and protective of his fellow outcasts such as Sam, Grenn, and Pyp.

In many ways, Jon has been unusually lucky for a bastard child, given how rare it is for a lord to raise one in his own castle alongside his lawful children. For all of Jon's misgivings about not knowing his mother and Catelyn ignoring and shunning him, he was loved by his father and siblings, was never poor or hungry, but lived in a castle and had a noble's upbringing. Jon was formally educated by Maester Luwin and was trained in combat by Ser Rodrik Cassel.

In present

Jon is an excellent swordsman and a fierce fighter. He was capable of quickly slaying numerous men in battle, and taking on highly-skilled warriors much bigger than himself such as Styr. His skills initially made him somewhat arrogant when he was a new recruit at Castle Black until Tyrion pointed out that the other recruits were all far less fortunate than he was, with some of them having never trained with a sword in their lives. This humbles Jon, and he changes his behavior to be the champion of the other downtrodden recruits and helps train them by walking them through the swordplay techniques he knows.

The Starks were an interfaith household, with Eddard and Catelyn's children being exposed to not only the religion of the Old Gods of the Forest worshiped by most Northmen, but also Catelyn's devout adherence to the Faith of the Seven. Because Jon had no real interaction with Catelyn and revered his father Eddard, he was not exposed to the Seven but proudly keeps to the Old Gods, and honors the traditions of his First Men ancestors. When Jon took his vow to become a member of the Night's Watch, he chose to do so in front of a heart tree, sacred to the Old Gods.

Jon is also fairly shy around women, and as he revealed to Samwell, he was a virgin when he joined the Night's Watch. While he was attractive enough, as a bastard son with nothing to inherit he had no realistic marriage prospects with noblewomen. Jon was even wary of having sex with random girls or prostitutes (as Theon did) because he was terrified of fathering a bastard of his own: having lived his life as a bastard, he felt that it wasn't a life another child should have to go through.

However, death has changed Jon. Despite his honorable convictions and previous commitment to the Night's Watch, his experience of being murdered by his own men and then revived has made Jon somewhat more cynical and nihilistic. No longer believing in himself and his ability to face the coming threat, due to being murdered for doing what he thought was right - Jon abandons the Night's Watch, despite knowing full well how dangerous the threat looming beyond the Wall really is. He loses his determination about fighting and becomes much more lonely and melancholic only speaking when he hasn't any other choice. Also, Jon feels remorse for hanging his former steward Olly, even though the latter did murder both him and the woman he loved. While he is wary of conflict since his return, his love for his family has brought him back into the fight. To this end, Jon chooses his family over the Night's Watch - a choice he once attempted to make when Robb marched off to war but forsook in the past. When Ramsay decides to play a "game" with Rickon, Jon once again chooses his family by attempting to save his little brother's life, even at the cost of his own life and battle plans.

The revelation that he is a Targaryen has made no difference to Jon; he has remained loyal to his roots as a Northman and a Stark, and through much suffering, many hard choices and also some mistakes, Jon proved to be a born leader. To protect his land and family, in just a few years he has risen up from being a bastard to becoming the King in the North, a prominent figure among the Free Folk.

Relationships

Main : Jon Snow and Ygritte

• Ygritte: She was Jon's first love and a wildling spearwife. They meet when Jon and his group ambush a group of wildlings, at which point Jon captures Ygritte. Ygritte later escapes and leads him into a trap in which Jon is captured by the wildlings. Under orders from Qhorin Halfhand, Jon infiltrates the wildlings. During this time, Ygritte and Jon become lovers and fall in love. However, Jon ultimately chooses his vows for the Night's Watch over her. Ygritte shoots him with three arrows but due to her feelings for Jon, she couldn't bring herself to kill him. In the Battle of Castle Black, Ygritte was killed by Olly and died in Jon's arms. Later, per Tormund's suggestion that she belongs in the true North, Jon cremates her body just beyond the Wall as he grieves.

Main : Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen

• Daenerys Targaryen: Jon's second love and the daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen, as well as the younger sister of Jon's father, Prince Rhaegar, making her his aunt by blood. Having been summoned from Winterfell to bend the knee to Daenerys, Jon initially refuses on the grounds that they need to focus on allying against the Night King and the army of the dead instead of worrying who rules from the Iron Throne. After witnessing the large numbers of the army of the dead, Daenerys agrees to help Jon and during their time together, they fall in love. They fight the Army of the Dead in the Battle of Winterfell, during which the Night King is defeated. With the Long Night prevented, Jon honors his pledge to help Daenerys take the Iron Throne. However, she razes King's Landing after the city surrenders, killing thousands of civilians. Unable to dissuade her from continuing this destruction, Jon reluctantly kills Daenerys, and she dies in Jon's arms as he grieves.