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28th Aug 2017

Here’s why Jon Snow’s real name in Game of Thrones is massively important

Paul Moore

This could cause problems in Game of Thrones.

You know what’s coming.

Jesus, of all the names to give Jon, Aegon is going to cause him a huge amount of trouble and here’s why.

As many of you will know, Aegon I Targaryen was the first king of the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros. With the help of dragon fire, he forged the Iron Throne from the swords of his defeated enemies and he ultimately became known as Aegon the Conqueror, the Unifier of the Seven Kingdoms.

Is this a sign that Jon will ultimately do the exact opposite of his namesake? Destroy the throne and disband the Seven Kingdoms?

In terms of his personality, Aegon was a mixed bag. He was a great warrior that rode his dragon into battle and an ardent reader of books, but he also married both of his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys.

Bearing that in mind, the relationship between Jon and Dany doesn’t look that messed up, does it?

Using his three three dragons (Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar), Aegon and his wife-sisters conquered or subjected six of the seven kingdoms of Westeros. Dorne was the only territory that remained untaken.

After taking control of the Seven Kingdoms, Aegon also created the offices of the small council as well as that of the Hand of the King. In fact, he appointed a Baratheon as his first Hand.

Aegon also built the Red Keep in King’s Landing and the Painted Table at Dragonstone – the tactics board that Dany and Jon used throughout this season.

Regarding Aegon I Targaryen’s relationship with House Stark, it’s far from straightforward.

Torrhen Stark, who we heard being mentioned by Dany in the current season as the last King in the North that swore loyalty to House Targaryen “in perpetuity” – had dealings with him.

After invading Westeros and obliterating his enemies at the Field of Fire and at Harrenhal, Torrhen knew that his forces would be no match for the power of House Targaryen.

Rather than sacrifice his people and suffer casualties from a war that was impossible to win, Torrhen bent the knee to this foreign ruler and was ultimately named Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.

Now, imagine how Jon will feel after discovering this truth.?

As we’ve seen throughout Season 7, the Northern lords are very proud and more importantly, they’re fickle when it comes to their allegiances.

At the Dragonpit, we got another example of Jon’s inability to support a lie and with this in mind,  it’s very likely that he’ll hide his true name from the Northern lords that made him their king.

Remember that Jon is a fully legitimised Targaryen and the North remembers.

Another interesting facet to this name is that Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martel – Rhaegar ‘s wife before he had the marriage annulled and married Lyanna – already had kids and one of them was actually named Aegon also.

Essentially, Jon now shares the same name as his half-brother.

Sadly for the ‘first’ Aegon Targaryen, he was brutally murdered along with his sister Rhaenys and mother Elia by The Mountain during Robert’s Rebellion.

Another interesting side point is the fact that incest is considered to be taboo in much of Westeros, but mainly in the North dueo to their strong set of moral values.

Jon could be facing a new set of problems.

Clip via – A son of Ice and Fire