What Jon Snow’s True Name in 'Game of Thrones' Reveals about Season 8

With the reveal that fans have been waiting for finally upon us, we now know that Jon Snow truly is both Targaryen and Stark by blood, making his claim to the Iron Throne even stronger than his Aunt Daenerys. Yet, the reveal of Jon's birth has left several book readers scratching their heads in confusion. Things aren't quite adding up and it could mean that there is even more intriguing details yet to be discovered in Season 8.

In the Season 7 finale, "The Dragon and the Wolf", Bran Stark finally divulged the secret that he had seen of Jon's true lineage. Through his vision, we saw the honorable Ned Stark receive the newborn baby from his dying sister Lyanna as her dying words revealed Jon's real name: Aegon Targaryen.

Jon Is Officially A Targaryen, But What Does That Mean?

If you've read George R.R. Martin A Song Of Ice And Fire, the name Aegon should ring a bell because Aegon IV was the name of Prince Rhaegar and Elia Martell's son. This son was slain by Gregor Clegane a.k.a. The Mountain, an act you may remember him admitting to while crushing Prince Oberyn Martell's skull during their trial-by-combat in Season 4.

"House Clegane was built upon dead children. I saw them lay Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenys before the Iron Throne."

―Thoros of Myr, "And Now His Watch Is Ended" (S03E04)

Both the show and George R.R. Martin's books have pointed out that Aegon IV was the second child of Rhaegar and Elia, and it seems unlikely that Lyanna would choose Aegon as her son's name by accident, considering that she would know of Rhaegar's loss. But since Game of Thrones is now only following a rough outline from George R.R. Martin as the books haven't officially been released yet, many faithful readers are wondering what's going on with Jon's true name.

1. HBO combined two characters from the books.

Combining characters has been done before on Game of Thrones. When Sansa was introduced to the Boltons, she became a combination of Sansa Stark's character and Jeyne Poole's storyline. Combining the novel's version of Jon Snow with a character named Young Griff could explain why his name is Aegon.

In the books, Young Griff was allegedly the young prince himself, Aegon IV, who escaped the sacking of King's Landing ordered by Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister. In "A Dance With Dragons", Young Griff begins making bids for the Iron Throne and Daenerys' hand in marriage. HBO could be combining the two, giving Jon Snow the name of Aegon V to honor her husband before she died.

2. Rhaegar was obsessed with the prince that was promised.

Names are everything for the Targaryen empire. In the books, Rhaegar was obsessed with the 'prince that was promised', believing that one of his sons would fulfill the prophesy. After his first son was slain and he married Lyanna, perhaps they named Jon after Aegon the Conqueror as a result of Rhaegar's obsession.

Whatever route HBO takes with Jon's true origins, the name Aegon serves as a reminder of how the Targaryens claimed the Seven Kingdoms and the slaughter of Rhaegar's family. Jon is inescapably a part of the history that led to Westeros' current state, and now his name reflects it.