The Westerosi Primer - A Song of Ice and Fire Podcast
Oct 7, 2026 · 35 min · 17 segments
Liz introduces a new season of Westerosi Primer focused on long-debated book reader theories. Beware there will be spoilers for A Song of Ice and Fire novels and HBO adaptations. There are…
This is considered one of the biggest theories in the series, and it's not too surprising why there are so many reasons why this theory is a big deal if it were true.
The first question to ask is, what is R plus L equals J? This theory proposes that John's biological parents are Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.
I will be discussing this topic first, talking about the different women book readers speculated could be Jon's mother.
I will also include some clues in the books about why these women were possibilities.
And then I will finish the episode discussing some of the implications and a few other related observations.
Despite what a lot of non-reader fans and HBO seem to believe, John is not the main character of the saga.
He's one of several characters whose actions have a lot of impact on the future of Westeros.
Since he's important and a fan favorite character, many fans care a lot about him.
But beyond that, the mystery of who is John's mother has been a long unanswered question for people who are reading the novels.
If she was just a random village girl or a prostitute in a brothel like the ones that Robert Baratheon visited, it's straightforward enough to explain once Jon was a teenager.
Why the secrecy? This is something that got readers wondering if maybe there's something to it.
Because it's one thing to keep it a secret from Jon.
Why is it a mystery to other people? Some would argue that Ned kept it a secret because of shame.
Yet he raises Jon in his household and claims Jon is his bastard son.
That's not how bastard children are often treated in noble houses.
Not to mention you'd think he'd have zero issues with admitting who Jon's mother was if she was a commoner to people like Robert.
Goodness knows Robert's done crazier things when he was younger.
It's not like Robert would have done more than maybe tease Ned for giving up his honor and loosen up for a change if that were the case.
This made fans suspect maybe John's mother is a bigger deal than we thought.
This is considered one of the biggest theories in the series, and it's not too surprising why there are so many reasons why this theory is a big deal if it were true.
The first question to ask is, what is R plus L equals J? This theory proposes that John's biological parents are Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.
I will be discussing this topic first, talking about the different women book readers speculated could be Jon's mother.
I will also include some clues in the books about why these women were possibilities.
And then I will finish the episode discussing some of the implications and a few other related observations.
Despite what a lot of non-reader fans and HBO seem to believe, John is not the main character of the saga.
He's one of several characters whose actions have a lot of impact on the future of Westeros.
Since he's important and a fan favorite character, many fans care a lot about him.
But beyond that, the mystery of who is John's mother has been a long unanswered question for people who are reading the novels.
If she was just a random village girl or a prostitute in a brothel like the ones that Robert Baratheon visited, it's straightforward enough to explain once Jon was a teenager.
Why the secrecy? This is something that got readers wondering if maybe there's something to it.
Because it's one thing to keep it a secret from Jon.
Why is it a mystery to other people? Some would argue that Ned kept it a secret because of shame.
Yet he raises Jon in his household and claims Jon is his bastard son.
That's not how bastard children are often treated in noble houses.
Not to mention you'd think he'd have zero issues with admitting who Jon's mother was if she was a commoner to people like Robert.
Goodness knows Robert's done crazier things when he was younger.
It's not like Robert would have done more than maybe tease Ned for giving up his honor and loosen up for a change if that were the case.
This made fans suspect maybe John's mother is a bigger deal than we thought.
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