Two decades before the War of the Five Kings, Lyanna Stark daughter of the Lord of Winterfell,
and the betrothed of the Lord of the Stormlands, disappeared, supposedly kidnapped by Rhaegar
Targaryen heir to the mad King Aerys II.
Tensions rose throughout the Seven Kingdoms but in 282 AC, after the king tortured and
murdered Lord Rickard Stark and his heir Brandon, war erupted, with Houses Baratheon, Stark,
Arryn and later Tully raising their banners in rebellion.
The war led to the death of thousands, culminating in the Battle of the Trident in 283 AC where
Robert Baratheon killed Rhaegar Targaryen, and the rebel army defeated loyalist forces.
With the war all but over, Lord Eddard Stark, led a small party to Dorne searching for the
Tower of Joy, where he hoped to find his sister Lyanna.
After engaging in battle with the 3 kingsguard, all were dead save Eddard and his companion
Howland Reed.
Ned then ran up the steps to find his sister Lyanna dying in pool of blood.
Although she was very weak, she spoke some final words asking him to make a promise before
passing away.
Sometime later, Ned returned North with the body of Lyanna, accompanied by Howland Reed
and a baby boy named Jon Snow, who he claimed was his bastard son, while refusing to speak
further on the issue.
Some came to believe Jon’s mother was a Dornish wet nurse named Wylla, while others
believed the mother was perhaps Ashara Dayne, who Ned was rumored to have been involved
with in his youth.
There are those however who claim the truth is more complex than previously imagined.
Although all of Westeros believes Jon Snow to be the illegitimate son of Eddard Stark,
it is possible the Lord of Winterfell may have misled everyone about the boys parentage,
in order to respect the promise made to his sister Lyanna on her deathbed.
This theory states that the boy was fathered by Rhaegar, and Lyanna, knowing that Robert
might have the child killed for his Targaryen blood, asked Ned never reveal the child’s
true origins.
This would mean that Jon Snow is really the child of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen,
who may also have been married beforehand, creating an argument that Jon may have a stronger
claim to the iron throne than Daenerys Targaryen, who would be his aunt, a younger sister of
his father Rhaegar.
Despite the many questions surrounding his birth, Jon Snow was raised as a son of Ned
Stark, brought up in Winterfell alongside his true born siblings, tutored by a Maester
and trained to fight by the Master-at-Arms, becoming an expert swordsmen.
Jon grew to be a kind and graceful young man, with a lean body and long face, as well as
dark brown hair and grey eyes, inheriting many Stark characteristics.
He was also observant, quiet and reserved always feeling like an outsider because of
his illegitimate status.
Though he was close to his half brother and best friend Robb as well as his younger half
sister Arya, he had no inheritance rights and no real prospects.
In addition his step-mother Catelyn Stark despised the boy, seeing him as constant reminder
of her husband’s infidelity.
So as Jon grew into a young man he resolved to go North and join the Night’s Watch,
where the manner of his birth would be of no consequence.
It may be possible, that Eddard Stark had a plan for the boy, which involved resettling
long abandoned fortresses in the New Gift, where Jon could go and rule as Lord of his
own Holdfast, but the end of a long summer and the harsh winter approaching laid waste
to his plans, eliminating that possibility.
At the age of 14, while accompanying his father and brothers they encountered a litter of
5 Direwolf Pups, which jon pointed out may have been meant for their family, as Eddard
Stark had 5 legitimate children.
Lord Stark agreed and when they discovered a 6th albino Direwolf, it was given to Jon,
before returning to winterfell.
He grew close to the animal, naming him Ghost, and over time creating a deep connection that
awakened an ability to warg, and through this mysterious power able to see through the eyes
of his direwolf while he slept.
When King Robert Baratheon travelled North to visit his old friend Ned Stark in Winterfell
after the death of hand of the king Jon Arryn, a great feast was held in his honor.
Attending the event was Eddard’s younger brother Benjen Stark, a well known ranger
of the night’s watch.
Jon spoke to his uncle about joining the brotherhood, and Benjen agreed to help convince his father,
speaking to Maester Luwin, who then spoke to Eddard Stark, convincing him the Night’s
Watch was a reasonable option, given that Lord Stark would soon be travelling south
to serve as the new Hand of the King.
And therefore could not protect the boy from Catelyn who would banish him from the fortress.
And so it was decided Jon would travel with his uncle north to the wall.
During the King’s visit to Winterfell, his half brother Bran fell from a tower nearly
dying, and had not regained consciousness by the time of everyone’s departure.
And so Jon could not say a proper goodbye, instead merely visiting him one last time
before leaving.
He then said goodbye to Robb and gifted a finely crafted lightweight sword to his half
sister arya, who named it needle.
After saying a final Farewell to his father, Jon Snow travelled North, alongside his direwolf,
uncle and a party of recruits.
Also joining them was Tyrion Lannister, the younger brother of the queen who wanted to
see the legendary northern wall with his own eyes before returning south.
As a dwarf Tyrion was often the target of ridicule, but he in fact was brilliant and
read many books to train his mind so it might compensate for his physical limitations.
However it was also Tyrion who revealed to Jon the harsh truth about the Night’s watch.
Which combined with sorry state of the recruits, led Jon to grow disillusioned.
Jon has believed the ancient order to be a place of honorable warriors who guarded the
realm from White Walkers and wildlings.
But the Night’s Watch of the his time was a den of misfits and criminal, most joining
to avoid a death sentence.
Nevertheless Jon did his duty, at first having difficulty fitting in with his peers, but
eventually helping to train his fellow recruits, gaining their respect and friendship.
He became closest to Samwell Tarley, an overweight young man of great intelligence but no skills
as a warrior.
And so to ensure Sam did not die in training, he spoke to Maester Aemon of castle black,
convincing him to name Samwell his steward, where his intelligence might be put to proper
use.
As a result, Sam was accepted into the watch, and said his vows alongside Jon Snow at the
weirwood tree beyond the wall.
For a time Jon was upset that he too had been named a Steward, serving directly under Lord
Commander Jeor Mormont, believing that he should be a ranger like his uncle.
But Sam soon explained to him that Jeor wanted Jon close by to groom him for a position of
leadership.
After Ghost discovered the dead bodies of 2 rangers beyond the wall, they were brought
in to castle black where Jon learned that the King has died and his father Eddard was
arrested.
When he overheard Ser Alliser Thorne mocking Lord Stark Jon lost control and attacked him
with a dagger.
Fortunately the fight was broken up before anyone was injured so he avoided serious consequence.
That night, the bodies they recovered rose from the dead killing several of the brothers
and attacking Lord Commander Mormont, who survived thanks to Jon Snow and his direwolf.
To thank the Jon for his actions Jeor Mormont gifted him the Valyrian Steel sword Longclaw,
which had been in his family for centuries.
When Jon learned that Robb Stark was marching south with an army to free their father, Jon
considered abandoning the Watch to join his brother.
Even leaving in the middle of the night, only to be chased down by Samwell and his friends
who convince him to return.
Jon then accompanied Lord Commander Mormont and a host of rangers travelling north to
investigate rumors of strange occurrences, such as white walker sightings and rumors
of a great wildling army forming under a king beyond the wall.
When they arrived at the Fist of the First Men, Ghost discovered a number of dragonglass
daggers alongside a war horn wrapped in an old night’s watch cloak.
Jon distributed the weapons amongst the men, before leaving with Qhorin Halfhand on a scouting
mission to confirm the location of the Wildlings.
During the journey, they encounter a group of wildlings, killing all save a girl named
Ygritte who Jon spares.
During her captivity she told Jon the story of Bael the Bard, a wildling of legend who
snuck into Winterfell and impregnated the Lord’s daughter.
And so if the story is true, it means the Stark line had some wildling blood.
When Jon is ordered to kill her, he instead lets her go, and so Ygritte mentions that
Mance Rayder the King beyond the wall would accept Jon as a wildling if he ever decides
to leave the Watch.
This is later put to the test, when the brothers are attacked by a group of wildlings on their
way back to camp, losing all but Qhorin Halfhand and Jon Snow who are captured.
The man Stonesnake also managed to survive the attack, climbing up a treacherous mountain
into areas no one was willing to follow.
Qhorin ordered Jon to feign defection and then return to Castle Black whenever possible,
and even allowed Jon to kill him, in order to prove his loyalty to the wildlings.
After spending time with Mance Rayder he became impressed by the King beyond the wall, and
fell in love with Ygritte, breaking his vows of chastity.
He then joined a party of warriors sent to scale the wall in order to attack castle black
from the other side.
However when they neared Queenscrown, they were attacked by the direwolf summer, creating
a distraction Jon used as an opportunity to abandon them and return to Castle Black.
However he was struck in the leg by an arrow as he departed and barely survived the journey
back.
Once Jon Snow arrived at Castle Black he told all he’d learned to Donal Noye, who’d
taken command of the watch after the an undead army wiped out much of their forces beyond
the wall, and a mutiny at Craster’s Keep which left Jeor Mormont and many others dead.
Jon then learned that his Bran and Rickon stark had been killed by the traitor Theon
Greyjoy in Winterfell.
And while Theon had actually killed 2 other boys, Jon believed his brothers were dead.
Devastated, Jon has no choice but to continue on, helping his people defend the wall from
Wildling attack.
Jon was even left in command of their forces when Donal Noye led a party to defend the
gate, sacrificing themselves to kill the giant mag mar tun doh weg.
The Night’s Watch emerged victorious in the battle of castle black but at a cost of
many lives, including Ygritte who died in Jon’s arms,
Yet despite all of Jon Snow’s accomplishments, most of his allies at the Watch were now dead.
And so when Alliser Thorne returned from his trip South with Janos Slynt and a number of
recruits, they had Jon arrested.
Claiming he’d betrayed them by joining the Wildlings and killing Qhorin Halfhand.
However given Jon’s popularity with even Maester Aemon speaking on his behalf execution
was not an option, so after some time in an ice cell, Jon was sent on a suicide mission
beyond the wall to prove his loyalty, where he was ordered to call a meeting with the
wildlings and assassinate Mance Rayder.
During their conversation, Mance offered to give the Watch the legendary horn of winter,
which he claimed had the power to destroy the wall, in exchange for allowing them passage
into the south to escape the approaching white walkers.
Yet while they were speaking, King Stannis Baratheon arrived in the North, following
his defeat at the Battle of Blackwater Bay.
Having lost most of his army in the War of the Five Kings in the south, he now focused
his attention on the North, hoping to gain legitimacy and a base of power by saving the
Night’s Watch from the invading Wildling army.
The undisciplined wildling warriors quickly broke when faced with an organized cavalry
force, and so Mance was arrested, while Jon Snow returned to Castle Black and given an
offer by Stannis.
In exchange for bending the knee to the one true king of westeros, Jon would be named
a legitimate son of Eddard Stark, and given the Lordship of Winterfell when they took
it back from the Boltons.
Jon was greatly tempted by this offer but ultimately refused to abandon his vows and
stayed at the wall.
Further, thanks to the political maneuvering of Samwell Tarly, Jon Snow was elected 998th
Lord Commander of the Night Watch, chosen as a compromise candidate by rival factions.
Although Lord Commander Snow was grateful to Stannis for his help, allowing him to remain
at the wall for a time to house his men, Jon refused to commit fully to Stannis, claiming
the Night’s Watch must continue to remain neutral in the wars of the south.
He does however offer some personal advice, telling Stannis to seek support amongst the
mountain clans of the North, who had great respect for Eddard Stark and would be honored
by a visit from a king.
Fearing the plans of the king’s red priestess Melisandre, Jon sent all those with kingsblood
away, with Maester Aemon and Mance Rayder’s newborn baby travelling south to Old Town
alongside Samwell Tarley and the wildling girl Gilly.
However Jon worked with Melisandre to hide the identity of Mance who they sent on a secret
mission south to rescue Arya Stark who was rumored to be at winterfell.
However in truth the girl was Jeyne Poole, an old friend of Sansa who was posing as Arya.
In order to keep this secret, they burned the wildling Rattleshirt while he was glamoured
to look like Mance Rayder.
In the south rumors about Jon Snow made their way to the capital.
Before the death of Robb Stark at the Red Wedding, he named Jon his heir, but having
been killed soon after, few ever learned of this decision.
In King’s Landing, Cersei Lannister and her people devised a plan to send 100 infiltrators
to the Night’s Watch to assassinate Jon Snow, but her plans fell apart before she
could even begin.
In the north Jon took bold actions to prepare for Winter and the coming war.
He recruited Wildlings into the Watch, appointing some to positions of authority gaining their
trust.
He also began repairs on ruined castles, sending men to man the wall in as many areas as possible,
organized supply routes, negotiated a loan with the Iron Bank, and sent a party to Hardhome,
to gather the remaining Wildlings and bring as many as possible to the Wall.
Though many of these actions were wise and forward thinking, the Men of the Watch grew
uneasy with his leadership.
And while some remain loyal, many begin to question his decisions.
When Janos Slynt refused an order, Jon Snow executed him personally, remembering his father’s
words that the man who passes the sentence must swing the sword.
Later when Lady Alys Karstark came to the wall seeking refuge from a forced marriage
to her uncle, Jon arranged a marriage to sigorn, magnar of the thenn, creating a new noble
family in House Thenn.
However everything fell apart, when Jon received the a letter claiming to have come from Ramsy
Bolton, stating that Stannis was defeated and Mance Rayder was dead.
He then demanded Jon’s fealty while also insulting him and calling him a bastard.
Although the authorship of the letter was not verified, Jon Snow was convinced he must
act, declared to all that he was leave the Watch with a volunteer army of Brothers and
Free Folk, to march against the Bolton and retake Winterfell.
This however was a clear violation of their vows, leaving many to turn against their Lord
commander.
Later that night, Jon heard screaming and ran to see the giant Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun killing
Ser Patrek of Kings Mountain, seeing the star of his sigil hanging above, covered in blood.
Bowen Marsh, who had been Jon’s friend and adviser, then led a group of brothers to use
this distraction to their advantage, whispering “for the watch” as they stabbed him with
their daggers.
Left to die in a pool of his own blood, Jon’s last word before losing consciousness, was
“Ghost”, in reference to his direwolf.