How is Jon Snow related to Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones and what's his real name?

16 April 2019, 10:34 | Updated: 16 April 2019, 14:14

As season 8 of Game of Thrones drops, we take a look at the complicated relationship between the King of the North and the Mother of Dragons.

Hit TV show Game of Thrones returned for its eighth and final season this Sunday (or Monday 15th if you're in the UK).

And one of the main plot lines the show will be expanding on is the complex relationship between Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).

Here's a refresher on what was revealed in season 7...

WATCH: The moment Sansa comes face-to-face with Daenerys

Is Jon Snow related to Daenerys Targaryen?

In the season 7 finale, it was revealed in one of Bran's visions as the Three-Eyed Raven that Jon Snow was not the bastard son of Ned Stark, but, in fact, the child of Ned's sister Lyanna, and Rhaegar Targaryen.

In the flashback, we see Lyanna instructing her brother Ned to take care of her newborn baby.

She dies shortly after giving birth to the baby - whom, we learn, is Jon Snow.

As Jon's father Rhaegar was also the eldest brother of Daenerys, it means she's Jon's aunt.

This revelation makes things *pretty* awkward, as Jon and Daenerys sleep together before they learn of their family ties.

See the evidence in the family tree on HBO's official website

Is Jon Snow a bastard and what's his real name?

Before she dies, Lyanna also tells Ned she's named the infant Aegon Targaryen.

In order to keep the boy safe, however, Ned decides to pretend Jon is actually his child.

It is this lie that causes friction between him and wife Catelyn, who is outraged that Eddard could have slept with another woman. It is also for this reason that she resents Jon and is so hostile towards him in the early days. She dies never knowing the truth about Jon.

Within the same GOT episode, we also learn that Jon isn't a bastard at all, as Rhaegar and Lyanna married in secret before she gave birth.

It is Samwell Tarly who shares this snippet of information, after Gilly read it in a book.

Speaking to Bran, Sam confirms that Rhaegar annulled his marriage with wife Elia.

Thickening the plot, this means that Jon is actually the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.

When is Game of Thrones season 8 out?

Season 8 of Game of Thrones is the last ever instalment of the series.

It dropped in the UK on Monday 15th April, and will air each week on the same day.

You can watch it on Sky Atlantic from 9pm, or catch the action on NOW TV.

How long will it last?

Unlike the series before it, GOT will only comprise of six episodes.However, they will be even longer, and as HBO CEO Richard Plepler confirmed to Variety they will more like "six movies".

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