George R.R. Martin Information: Jon Snow
Published: Aug 02, 2008 - 02:05 AM :: Print this article
Jon Snow is the bastard son of Eddard, by a mother whose identity is not widely known. His direwolf companion is the mute, albino Ghost (due to his albinism and eerie silence, cementing Jon's outsider status as a bastard).
Jon, who received the surname customarily assigned to bastards born of the North, is of an age with Robb. Despite his wife Catelyn's objections, Ned insisted on taking responsibility for the boy, and he grew up side-by-side with the trueborn Starks and is close with everyone but Catelyn and Sansa. He has a long face, grey eyes and lean build, with strong Stark coloring.
As Jon was growing up, his position became increasingly awkward. During King Robert Baratheon's visit to Winterfell, Jon asked his uncle Benjen Stark to join the Night's Watch and was refused at first. After Bran's fall he was allowed to go. Jon was initially resented by other recruits for his noble background, but he eventually learned to fit into the crowd by assuming leadership and uniting the recruits first against their caustic master-at-arms, Alliser Thorne, and then in protection of the cowardly but good-natured Samwell Tarly. In the beginning he had trouble adjusting to the life of the Nightwatch, as it was very different from what he had imagined. At the outbreak of the War of the Five Kings, he tried to desert to join Robb's army, but his new friends brought him back before he could be punished for desertion. By finally deciding to honor his bonds and abandon his past, Jon came to accept the Nightwatch as his new brothers. Jon was appointed personal steward and squire to Lord Commander Jeor Mormont as a means to groom him for command. During a wight attack on Castle Black, Jon saved Mormont's life and received serious burns on his hand. Mormont gave him the Valyrian bastard sword Longclaw of House Mormont, and had a direwolf head engraved onto the pommel in honor of House Stark.
When Mormont mounted an expedition to investigate the disappearances of several rangers, including Benjen Stark, Jon went ahead with a small group of scouts led by the famous Qhorin Halfhand. Along the way, Jon captured a wildling woman, Ygritte, instead of killing her. The party was later discovered and pursued by wildlings. Before they were overtaken, Qhorin commanded Jon to join the wildlings and find out what they were seeking. He forced Jon to kill him in front of the wildings to legitimize his request. Jon was only spared by the support of Ygritte but the thought of being an oathbreaker and turning on his brothers made him wish for death instead. During a dream Jon encounters his brother Bran in the form of a weirwood tree (who has finally opened his third eye). With Bran's help the bond between Ghost and Jon became stronger and he is able to slip into Ghost in his dreams.
Jon joined the wildlings and linked up with the massive wildling army Mance Rayder had drawn together. Jon met Mance and learned his plans to cross the Wall. For a time, Jon became Ygritte's lover and hesitated between betraying her or leaving the Night's Watch. On a mission to scale the Wall and launch a surprise attack on Castle Black from the back(Castle Black has no defenses aside from the Wall), Jon escaped his wildling comrades to rejoin the Watch. There he took command of the skeleton crew left defending the Wall after Mormont's expedition was scattered(the rest of the garrison was taken with Bowen Marsh to defend other parts of the Wall). Despite overwhelming odds, Jon successfully beat back several of the wildlings assaults. Even then it seemed that all was lost but Stannis Baratheon's surprise appearance with reinforcements turned the tide in their favor and they were able to crush the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Mance Rayder was captured along with his newborn son. During the survey of Castle Black Jon discovered, much to his sadness, that Ygritte had been killed attacking the Wall, though thankfully the arrow that slew her was not one of his.
Though several of Jon's enemies in the Watch accused him of being a turncloak during his time with the wildlings, his service defending the Wall and spying on Mance earned him popular support. Jon was released and, due to the efforts of Samwell Tarly, voted the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Though Stannis offered to make him Lord of House Stark, Jon refused, and further worked to frustrate the plots of Stannis's priestess Melisandre by sending Mance's child away and Maester Aemon from the wall. He does not trust Stannis, and is full of hatred for the Lannisters for murdering his father and brothers. The one exception to this being Jon's friendship with the disfigured dwarf, Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion journeyed to the Wall in A Game of Thrones and during his time there, offered a good deal of wisdom and comfort to Jon as he struggled to adjust to his new life as a sworn brother of the Night's Watch. On the night before Tyrion leaves the Wall, Jon asks him to stop at Winterfell and offer his crippled brother, Bran Stark, whatever comfort he can. When Tyrion agrees, Jon offers him his hand saying, "Thank you my Lord of Lannister. Friend." Tyrion is touched by the gesture and clasps Jon's hand replying, "Most of my kin are bastards, but you're the first I've had to friend."
Jon's parentage is a subject of speculation among the series' characters. Eddard would not speak of the matter: when asked point-blank by Catelyn about the rumor that Jon's mother was Ashara Dayne, he would not answer. Years later, when queried by his best friend Robert Baratheon, Ned claimed that a lowborn woman named Wylla is Snow's mother. Cersei Lannister believes Jon's mother is Ashara Dayne, while Lord Edric Dayne of Starfall, who was wet-nursed by Wylla, assures Arya that Jon is her son, but only Ned's close friend Howland Reed, who was present when Ned took possession of Jon, can reveal the truth (Ashara having killed herself soon after Ned left, and Wylla's fate having not yet been established). Author George R. R. Martin, for his part, has likewise refused to comment on either possibility?or, for that matter, any other speculation brought up by readers?but in correspondence has established that Jon's parentage will be revealed over the course of the story.
As Jon was growing up, his position became increasingly awkward. During King Robert Baratheon's visit to Winterfell, Jon asked his uncle Benjen Stark to join the Night's Watch and was refused at first. After Bran's fall he was allowed to go. Jon was initially resented by other recruits for his noble background, but he eventually learned to fit into the crowd by assuming leadership and uniting the recruits first against their caustic master-at-arms, Alliser Thorne, and then in protection of the cowardly but good-natured Samwell Tarly. In the beginning he had trouble adjusting to the life of the Nightwatch, as it was very different from what he had imagined. At the outbreak of the War of the Five Kings, he tried to desert to join Robb's army, but his new friends brought him back before he could be punished for desertion. By finally deciding to honor his bonds and abandon his past, Jon came to accept the Nightwatch as his new brothers. Jon was appointed personal steward and squire to Lord Commander Jeor Mormont as a means to groom him for command. During a wight attack on Castle Black, Jon saved Mormont's life and received serious burns on his hand. Mormont gave him the Valyrian bastard sword Longclaw of House Mormont, and had a direwolf head engraved onto the pommel in honor of House Stark.
When Mormont mounted an expedition to investigate the disappearances of several rangers, including Benjen Stark, Jon went ahead with a small group of scouts led by the famous Qhorin Halfhand. Along the way, Jon captured a wildling woman, Ygritte, instead of killing her. The party was later discovered and pursued by wildlings. Before they were overtaken, Qhorin commanded Jon to join the wildlings and find out what they were seeking. He forced Jon to kill him in front of the wildings to legitimize his request. Jon was only spared by the support of Ygritte but the thought of being an oathbreaker and turning on his brothers made him wish for death instead. During a dream Jon encounters his brother Bran in the form of a weirwood tree (who has finally opened his third eye). With Bran's help the bond between Ghost and Jon became stronger and he is able to slip into Ghost in his dreams.
Jon joined the wildlings and linked up with the massive wildling army Mance Rayder had drawn together. Jon met Mance and learned his plans to cross the Wall. For a time, Jon became Ygritte's lover and hesitated between betraying her or leaving the Night's Watch. On a mission to scale the Wall and launch a surprise attack on Castle Black from the back(Castle Black has no defenses aside from the Wall), Jon escaped his wildling comrades to rejoin the Watch. There he took command of the skeleton crew left defending the Wall after Mormont's expedition was scattered(the rest of the garrison was taken with Bowen Marsh to defend other parts of the Wall). Despite overwhelming odds, Jon successfully beat back several of the wildlings assaults. Even then it seemed that all was lost but Stannis Baratheon's surprise appearance with reinforcements turned the tide in their favor and they were able to crush the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Mance Rayder was captured along with his newborn son. During the survey of Castle Black Jon discovered, much to his sadness, that Ygritte had been killed attacking the Wall, though thankfully the arrow that slew her was not one of his.
Though several of Jon's enemies in the Watch accused him of being a turncloak during his time with the wildlings, his service defending the Wall and spying on Mance earned him popular support. Jon was released and, due to the efforts of Samwell Tarly, voted the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Though Stannis offered to make him Lord of House Stark, Jon refused, and further worked to frustrate the plots of Stannis's priestess Melisandre by sending Mance's child away and Maester Aemon from the wall. He does not trust Stannis, and is full of hatred for the Lannisters for murdering his father and brothers. The one exception to this being Jon's friendship with the disfigured dwarf, Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion journeyed to the Wall in A Game of Thrones and during his time there, offered a good deal of wisdom and comfort to Jon as he struggled to adjust to his new life as a sworn brother of the Night's Watch. On the night before Tyrion leaves the Wall, Jon asks him to stop at Winterfell and offer his crippled brother, Bran Stark, whatever comfort he can. When Tyrion agrees, Jon offers him his hand saying, "Thank you my Lord of Lannister. Friend." Tyrion is touched by the gesture and clasps Jon's hand replying, "Most of my kin are bastards, but you're the first I've had to friend."
Jon's parentage is a subject of speculation among the series' characters. Eddard would not speak of the matter: when asked point-blank by Catelyn about the rumor that Jon's mother was Ashara Dayne, he would not answer. Years later, when queried by his best friend Robert Baratheon, Ned claimed that a lowborn woman named Wylla is Snow's mother. Cersei Lannister believes Jon's mother is Ashara Dayne, while Lord Edric Dayne of Starfall, who was wet-nursed by Wylla, assures Arya that Jon is her son, but only Ned's close friend Howland Reed, who was present when Ned took possession of Jon, can reveal the truth (Ashara having killed herself soon after Ned left, and Wylla's fate having not yet been established). Author George R. R. Martin, for his part, has likewise refused to comment on either possibility?or, for that matter, any other speculation brought up by readers?but in correspondence has established that Jon's parentage will be revealed over the course of the story.
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