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I get the abduction of Lyanna and the rest of that whole theory. But in the show we got a clear answer about Lyanna being Jon's mother but why does the father have to be Rhaegar?

I mean it was war, it could be anyone, for example, a soldier raping Lyanna while she was captive. Yes, Jon must be her son but why does everyone automatically suppose the father's identity?

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marked as duplicate by Skooba, Bellatrix, Dave Johnson, Blackwood, Edlothiad Aug 7 '17 at 19:19

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  • @Edlothiad Might also want to hide spoilers. – Gallifreyan Aug 7 '17 at 16:45
  • @Gallifreyan better? – Edlothiad Aug 7 '17 at 16:47
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    Because narratively it would be ridiculous to make such a big deal out of Jon's hidden parentage but then be all "And his dad is some random schmuck!" For his parentage to have any impact to the story, his father would need to be someone important to the overall arc. Making him the son of a random soldier doesn't do this; making him a secret Targaryen does. – Patrick Wynne Aug 7 '17 at 18:31
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    @PatrickWynne Well, in fantasy we usually do care for the emotional challenges of the characters, their personal revelations and the character's arc that we see them walking, as events happen. Of course having a random soldier as a father would have zero impact in the general story, the "game" of thrones, but for jon and House Stark it would be quite important, thus making it a big deal for us too. Not as much as if Rhaegar is involved, but enough. – SteliosKts Aug 7 '17 at 21:29
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HBO has in fact confirmed that Rhaegar Targaryen is Jon Snow's father.

Anyway, in case you hate subtext, HBO has released an infographic which clearly labels Rhaegar Targaryen as Jon Snow's father and Lyanna Stark as Jon Snow's mother.

HBO Info Graphic

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