How Game of Thrones Confirmed Jon Snow's Real Parents

Though Jon is known as "Ned Stark's bastard," the theory (which has now been proven true) was that he's only Ned Stark's nephew, and that his real mother is Lyanna Stark, Ned's sister, and his father is Rhaegar Targaryen, the son of the Mad King Aerys. We had never met either of these characters on the show, as they died years before the show's events commence — until season six, when Bran revisits Ned's youth and we saw a young Lyanna. They have also been referred to on the show at key times, including in seasons one, five, six, and now in season seven.

Rhaegar Targaryen, if you need a refresher, is the oldest brother of Daenerys, and he is killed during Robert Baratheon's rebellion. What we know of Lyanna is that she had been kidnapped by Rhaegar when she was engaged to Robert, and when Ned finds her at the Tower of Joy (shown in a season six flashback), she's dying in bed, but it's never said how she dies — until we see her at the Tower of Joy on the season six finale.