After the season five finale, Game of Thrones fans started to wonder what book readers had been debating for years. Is Jon Snow really dead? Shortly after the episode aired, Kit Harington told Entertainment Weekly, “I’m dead. I’m not coming back next season,” but as we all know, “You know nothing Jon Snow.” Recently, HBO released their season six poster which has prompted even more speculation, so we’re here to set the record straight. Here’s five reasons why Jon Snow is definitely still alive.
APRIL. #GoTSeason6 #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/DSK2xZi9i9
— Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) November 23, 2015
1. R+L=J
One of the oldest, and most popular Game of Thrones fan theories argues that Jon Snow is really the son of Rhaegar Targaryen (Daenerys’ brother) and Lyanna Stark (Ned’s sister). If R+L=J is true, then it means that Jon has much bigger role to play in future events as he’s the literal embodiment of both fire and ice and the true Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.
There’s a lot of evidence to support this theory including similarities in looks and personality between Jon and his alleged parents, but HBO’s new poster actually gives us another piece of evidence. Shortly before his execution, Ned Stark has a vision of his sister, “‘Promise me, Ned,’ Lyanna’s statue whispered. She wore a garland of pale blue roses, and her eyes wept blood.” And what’s Jon doing in the season six poster? Crying blood.
2. Jon Snow is Azor Ahai
In A Clash of Kings, we learn the story of Azor Ahai, the legendary hero who first defeated the White Walkers thousands of years ago. Melisandre believes Stannis is that hero reborn, but there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that Jon is Azor Ahai.
In addition to his Targaryen heritage, several people mention that Azor Ahai will be reborn amidst salt and smoke. When Jon is stabbed, it’s stated that his wound was smoking and that Bowen Marsh was crying salty tears. In A Dance With Dragons, Melisandre thinks to herself, “I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai and R’hllor shows me only Snow.” Speaking of Melisandre…
3. Melisandre
As we’ve seen before with Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr, red priests have the ability to raise people from the dead. Melisandre has never brought anyone back to life (the closest she’s come to giving life is giving birth to a vagina shadow), but in the books she mentions that her magic is more powerful at The Wall. In the show, she even tells Jon that if they work together, she has the “power to make life.” It’s no coincidence that in the show, Melisandre arrives at The Wall shortly before Jon is stabbed. But how will she resurrect him?
4. Shireen’s Sacrifice
Shireen’s death was perhaps the worst moment in the show, but it may actually have saved Jon’s life. We’re told time and time again that “Only death can pay for life,” and that king’s blood is the key to unlock the most powerful magic. Melisandre even tells Jon about using king’s blood “to wake dragons out of stone.” The dragon refers to Jon’s Targaryen lineage, while the stone refers to Shireen’s greyscale.
5. “Ghost”
It’s downplayed a little bit in the show, but Jon is a warg much like Bran. We learn in the prologue to A Dance With Dragons that when a warg dies, they can live a second life inside the mind of their animal. In the books we’re told that Jon is a powerful warg and that when he dies, he would be able to lead a “second life worthy of a king” (another reference to his possible Targaryen heritage). Melisandre has a vision where she sees Jon transform from a man into a wolf into a man again and after Jon is stabbed, his final word in the book is the name of his direwolf, Ghost.
