George RR Martin, the author of Game of Thrones, is a master at mystery and intrigue. It is this quality that makes him one of the most compelling and successful fiction writers in all of literature.
He is also quite enthusiastic for inverting tropes and providing unexpected twists. It should come as no surprise, then, that the internet is filled with wonderful theories and speculation about how his story A Song of Ice and Fire will unfold.
But GRRM has also made his fair share of mistakes. And one lesson that old George learned the hard way is that you should never, ever, entertain fan theories. If you do, you just might find yourself in a very awkward situation.
Within their massive compendium of fan interactions with Martin, Westeros.org posted a conversation between one fan and George RR Martin over AIM. Here’s how it went:
Sept. 8th, 2000
Tigers14: another question, can NW vows be annulled if a person had no idea who he really was when he took them?
GeoRR: who had no idea who he was?
Tigers14: jon
GeoRR: Jon knows who he is. He may not know who his mother is, but that’s not the same thing. There are plenty of orphans and bastards in the Watch who don’t know who their parents are.
Tigers14: yes. but if jon is the legitimate son of rhaegar and lyanna , he is the king of westeros.
GeoRR: well, you know I am not going to get into any of that
GeoRR: I think I’ve said enough for tonight.
UMMMM… That was awkward.
As we found out in the season seven finale of Game of Thrones, Tigers14 was spot on. Jon is the legitimate heir to the throne. We know this because Rhaegar officially married Lyanna before she gave birth to Aegon (Jon) Targaryen. This makes him the legitimate heir to the Iron Throne. That is because Rhaegar is Dany’s older brother and Targaryen succession goes to the oldest male heir.
I must say that George likely did the best thing he could do in that impossible situation. He promptly just let himself out.
Read the full transcript here.
