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Jon is a bastard who joined the Night's Watch so he doesn't have any coat of arms nor the right to one.

After

he is killed and resurrected, he becomes King in the North. Just as any king, he would need a coat of arms.

Therefore, I expect he now (Season 7) would or should have a coat of arms.

In the image below we can see a double Stark direwolf. (but no colors, nor any indication that it will always be 2 wolves, ...)

Jon Snow Stark symbol

Does he use the same one as the Stark's? Did he slightly modify (play with colors, or mirror it) it like some other (mostly regulated) bastards did? Or did he create a new one based on the Stark one?

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  • @Wildcard, as much as I appreciate the edit, your attitude is not necessary. Users opening the question know what they're expecting. Don't want to learn about Jon Snow, don't open the question.
    – Edlothiad
    Sep 20, 2017 at 20:31
  • 4
    @Edlothiad, yeah, I probably could have used a better edit message; sorry. But as for knowing what to expect, it's not necessarily true at all. It seems from the title to be a quite innocent question and could easily have to do with the books only. The inclusion of the extra highly specific plot details really isn't necessary for the question, so wouldn't be expected.
    – Wildcard
    Sep 20, 2017 at 20:34
  • @Wildcard we've had this discussion before. If you're avoiding spoilers as long as there out of the title it's fair enough. They should be edited out but there is no policy for us to use spoilers in question bodies. If you're avoiding spoilers, you should avoid them ENTIRELY. We cannot hide every spoiler. The plot detail is essential as the user believes his vows are now exempt. He therefore can take lands, and therefore a coat of arms. Without the resurrection he could take no coat of arms, it says so in the first line.
    – Edlothiad
    Sep 20, 2017 at 20:44
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    FWIW @Edlothiad, my initial take was Jon Snow the bastard can have a coat of arms? Let's see which one! Learning about that highly specific plot detail was not what I expected. I'm not spoiled, BTW, I read the books and yet that was my expectation from the title alone.
    – LAFK says Reinstate Monica
    Sep 20, 2017 at 21:29
  • @LIttleAncientForestKami Jon Snow the Bastard is what my answer is based on, I've not linked it to any new parentage or legitimacy :) I've just assumed he'll be revived in the books
    – Edlothiad
    Sep 21, 2017 at 4:37

3 Answers 3

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22

GRRM stated that Jon should use the reverse colours of Ned Stark's Arms

George RR Martin told the company Valyrian Steel to use the reverse colours of Ned's arms on their swords:

George R.R. Martin told us to use the Stark colors in reverse as that is what bastards in Westeros often do.
GRRM talking to Valyrian Steel

Jon's Coat of Arms

Although Martin has stated the above should be used for Jon's colours, he has never bore those colours himself. Whether he will in future books is a possibility but to date has not. Jon has this to say on the topic of bastards and arms.

Girls get the arms but not the swords. Bastards get the swords but not the arms. I did not make the rules, little sister.
A Game of Thrones

Jon currently would use those of the Night's Watch, The solid black, as long as he was a Brother of the Night's Watch.

enter image description here

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7
  • I've seen that commented on but is it ever shown? The reversed colours that is.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Sep 20, 2017 at 12:32
  • do you have any idea what he might be using when he finds out he is a Targ? (couldn't include that in the question because it is opinion based)
    – J_rite
    Sep 20, 2017 at 13:55
  • @Jorrit I won't include it in my answer as it's pure conjecture, but I would expect him to keep the direwolf, as he is the White Wolf. He may do something similar to Maekar or Rhenyra (can be found here )
    – Edlothiad
    Sep 20, 2017 at 14:11
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    And here is Jon and Dany's more recent one
    – Möoz
    Sep 20, 2017 at 22:14
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    @FelixDombek I'm using the language the author used, as can be seen in the quote :)
    – Edlothiad
    Sep 21, 2017 at 7:54
4

He uses the Black/Dark grey head of a direwolf on a white background as can clearly be seen in the following video when Jon meets Ramsay before the Battle of the Bastards.

However, as of Season 7 Episode 7 we learn that he is:

The legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark so if he wants he can take the normal Targaryen Coat of Arms. However, being raised a Stark bastard and not yet knowing about his true parentage it's likely he'll stick with the Stark banner or make a hybrid between the two.

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6
  • That looks like the normal gray direwolf on white banner of Stark. Same as his "father".
    – Virusbomb
    Sep 20, 2017 at 13:44
  • @Virusbomb Dark grey/black, pohtaytoe/patahtoe.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Sep 20, 2017 at 13:45
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    I do agree it looks black in a few shots. I was just pointing out that it is his father's sigil and he didn't take the reverse colors or change anything as is custom for a bastard.
    – Virusbomb
    Sep 20, 2017 at 13:51
  • @Virusbomb To be honest he still might have done, I just haven't found a scene with his sigil after this battle
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Sep 20, 2017 at 13:52
  • Those may not be Jon's arms they may be his sister's, she's the only known surviving Stark, it's rare for a woman but she could claim Ned's post at the head of the Starks in the absence of any other claimant. That's a maybe based on old European feudal standards not sure of the exact rules in Ice and Fire as modified by GRRM.
    – Ash
    Sep 20, 2017 at 18:18
3

Spoilers, maybe.

Technically by the end of Season 7 we know he's entitled to three different coats of arms, but has sworn off two of them:

  1. as an acknowledged Stark bastard he can carry arms of a white dire wolf on a grey field, reversing the arms of his "father", it doesn't matter that he isn't actually Ned's bastard as long as he was acknowledged as Ned's bastard, so he could have taken those arms.

  2. he's the son of a Targaryen entitled to his biological father's arms if acknowledged by his House, which would mean Daenerys recognising him as a Targaryen, and also giving up her claim to the Iron Throne in the process because he'd be the heir apparent. He could have taken the three headed dragon with Daenerys's blessing.

  3. he's a man of the Night's Watch, this is the only one that really matters, he's entitled as a member of the Watch to carry pure black arms. In fact having sworn his oath to the Watch it's all he's really entitled to carry as the oath includes swearing off any and all House loyalties. By custom he also can't seek office outside the brotherhood of the Watch once he takes the oath either which complicates and road he might otherwise take to the throne.

Those are the arms he might take but so far I haven't seen any banners that are definitely his on the show and I'm getting nowhere reading the books.

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3
  • This is the most comprehensive answer, but a citation for each coat of arms would make this even better.
    – starchild
    Sep 20, 2017 at 20:06
  • after his death his vows to the night's watch don't count anymore? Else he couldn't be named king in the north
    – J_rite
    Sep 21, 2017 at 7:54
  • 1) Seems the most likely though we have no actual evidence. 2) He doesn't know about it yet so it can't be his coat or arms. 3) He's left the NW, whether he should have or not is up for debate but he had the power to and so has. Out of your answer the most likely option is 1) which is already covered in another answer.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Sep 21, 2017 at 8:02

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