After the crazy reveal in “Game of Thrones” that (spoiler) Jon Snow isn’t actually Ned Stark’s son, the ‘shippers started imagining Sansa Stark and Jon together.
Say it ain’t Snow!
At first, it seems a little weird since they grew up together. But Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Sansa’s aunt Lyanna, so at least it’s still way better than whatever the Lannisters have going on.
Even Littlefinger actor Aiden GIllen said the pair had “new potential.” And if Littlefinger, who has a thing for Sansa, is going to admit there’s something happening between her and Jon, you know there’s something to it.
It’s an interesting thought, but what you might not know is an old fan theory gives it a convincing amount of support.
The theory blew up on Reddit about two years ago, but it’s been seen on Tumblr as far back as 2012. Now it’s making a comeback online.
This comes from one of George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” prequel novellas, The Hedge Knight. In the novella, we learn about the Tourney at Ashford Meadow. In that tournament, a guy called Lord Ashford named his daughter the queen of love and beauty. She had five champions who would defend her honor. If anyone defeated a champion, he took the champion’s place. The victorious champions were:
- Lyonel Baratheon
- Leo Tyrell
- Tybolt Lannister
- Humphrey Hardyng
- Prince Valarr Targaryen
What book readers might pick up on is that these names, identified by ravenous “Game of Thrones” fans, have a connection to a certain redheaded Northern lady.
In the books, Sansa’s suitors are Joffrey Baratheon, then Willas Tyrell. She marries Tyrion Lannister, and, as of A Dance with Dragons, she’s now betrothed to Harry Hardyng.
The only champion’s name that isn’t accounted for is the Targaryen. If only there were a Targaryen around in the show to take that place. Hmm ...
Any suggestions?
Woohoo! First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes Jon and Sansa with a baby carriage!
C’mon, Jon! When we gonna see them babies?
OK, wait. Slow down. The theory doesn’t explicitly say the two will be married. It just says Sansa will have a Targaryen suitor. Also, before we go pairing off Jon and Sansa, remember the books do things differently.
In the books, Sansa is now betrothed to a guy named Harry Hardyng. That clearly hasn’t happened in the show. Also, Jon Snow isn’t the only Targaryen dude around in Martin’s novels. Aegon Targaryen, one of Prince Rhaegar’s kids, is supposedly still alive.
When this theory started popping up, it was thought that Sansa would be marrying Aegon (though it’s suspected he’s a big phony and isn’t really a Targaryen).
Plus, for anyone who thinks Sansa and Jon would live happily ever after, remember that all of Sansa’s arranged pairings haven’t gone too well. As Reddit user bluefoot3 explains:
If anyone believes this is a precursor to a great romance, you’d have to take a look at all of Sansa’s previous suitors. Joffrey, Tyrion, Willas, and Harry are all suitors Sansa was forced into choosing, something that was out of her control. Moreover, none of the pairings ever seemed to have a happy ending.
The Redditor thinks Sansa’s Targaryen match will be more for political gain and could lead to problems, especially when Dany shows up to Westeros.
The HBO version of the story has to speed things up, so it makes sense to cut a few storylines and characters such as Harry and Aegon. (It doesn’t make sense to marry Sansa off to Ramsay because that was terrible. But at least it’s over now.)
Whatever route they take, the important part is that the show and books get to the same place in the end. And the “Game of Thrones” showrunners already know where the story needs to end up, so ...
Long live the King and Queen in the North!
Image: Tumblr
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